With two upset losses back-to-back and the news of both quarterback Justin Herbert and wide receiver Dillon Mitchell being placed in concussion protocol, the Oregon Ducks are in need of a more-than-focused mentality.
“Over the past couple weeks, we have gotten away from what we have been,” Oregon head coach Mario Cristobal said. “It’s no secret we have not been performing at a level we are used to or have gotten used to during the first six weeks.”
At Monday’s press conference, Cristobal addressed the disappointment after the team’s 44-15 loss to Arizona by emphasizing the need for consistency in advance of Saturday’s game against UCLA and the return of former Oregon head coach Chip Kelly.
“I do want to point out that in the first six weeks, we were first in almost every offensive statistic in every category,” Cristobal said. “So, we’ve been there. We know how to do it. We have got to regain the confidence and regain the composure and poise to play at that level, because we know what it looks like, we’ve done it and we got to scratch and claw and fight to get back to that level.”
Saturday’s loss looked very similar to Oregon’s upset in Pullman just a week prior. This time, however; the Ducks were able to put up points in the first half, entering the game’s intermission trailing 23-8.
Once into the second half of the game, Oregon continued to fall apart. Herbert completed only 50 percent of his passes, while the Ducks fell behind the Wildcats in every statistical category.
Arizona dominated the field, totaling 465 yards, compared to Oregon’s 270. The Wildcats took advantage of every Oregon mishap, including blocked punts and failed defense.
With the loss, Oregon dropped from No. 19 out of the AP Top-25 Poll.
“When a team does a good job against you, we’ve got to give them credit where credit is due,” Cristobal said. “I also believe, due to the nature of the flow of the game, it turned into more of a passing game due to the score. So, it took away from us sticking with the run. It ended up being a different type of ball game than what we were used to.”
Cristobal said that due to the game, both Herbert and Mitchell have been placed in concussion protocol procedures. Cristobal said he is not certain at to what point in the game Herbert got injured.
He said both backup quarterbacks Braxton Burmeister and Tyler Shough will be getting additional reps this week during practice.
In order to be bowl-game eligible, the Ducks need to win just one game, and Saturday’s game against Kelly’s UCLA Bruins is a perfect chance.
UCLA runs a similar offense to Arizona, as the team plays with two quarterbacks: graduate Wilton Speight and freshman Dorian Thompson-Robinson. With a relatively young roster and a new head coach, the Bruins are in what some would call a building year. They enter Saturday’s game with a 2-6 overall record and are 2-3 in conference play so far.
“They’re doing a really good job every single week just getting better and better,” Cristobal said. “They got a lot of talent on both sides of the ball. They have shown it in spurts, so a lot of respect for that team. It’s a team that we’ve got to be completely prepared for to have success against them on Saturday.”
Update on athlete status:
Besides Herbert and Mitchell in concussion protocol, Cristobal said: both tight end Kano Dillon and defensive lineman Austin Faoliu are expected to be back in practice this week. Inside linebacker Kaulana Apelu is back as well.
After hurting his shoulder in Saturday’s game, offensive lineman Dallas Warmack seems to be okay, according to Cristobal.
Follow Maggie Vanoni on Twitter: @maggie_vanoni
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