Oregon’s wide receivers coach Matt Lubick was asked about his Halloween plans after Wednesday’s practice. Lubick said he wasn’t sure, adding, “I’m just worried about Stanford.”
Lubick’s concern is understandable because the Ducks’ game against No. 5 Stanford in eight days will likely be Oregon’s toughest game of the season. Lubick discussed the Cardinal, as well as his role as a recruiter and the Duke football team (Lubick was the passing game coordinator, recruiting coordinator and receivers coach for the Blue Devils from 2010-2012.)
Parts of Stanford’s defense that worry him the most
“They’re very sound, very disciplined,” Lubick said. “They’re strong. They’re going to be a good physical challenge for us because they’re a good tackling team. All the fundamentals of good defensive football — tackling, getting off blocks, containing the ball — they do really well.”
How Ben Gardner’s season-ending injury will affect the Oregon-Stanford game
“They (the Cardinal) have a ton of depth,” Lubick said. “It seems like they have a good rotation at that place anyway, but any time you lose a starter, it obviously affects you a little bit. That’s one thing I don’t think they’re lacking is depth. Somebody else will step but and they’ll be ready to roll.”
On Stanford senior safety Ed Reynolds and the rest of the Cardinal secondary
“They all play good as a group,” Lubick said. “(Reynolds has) been there a long time. That’s one thing they’ve got. They’ve got a lot of guys who play a lot of football. A lot of experience. There’s no substitute for experience, and they play like they have a lot of experience. They have a great scheme and those guys do a great job of knowing what they’re supposed to do and where they’re supposed to be. You don’t see a lot of big plays against them because they’re very sound.”
On recruiting (Lubick recruited high school players in Seattle on Monday)
“It’s been great,” Lubick said. “Winning is one of the best things to help recruiting go, just being part of a winner. It’s been good. We obviously have a great product to sell and a lot of people know that. We have a national name and we have interest from all over the place. I was just finding guys who fit us.
“The more you win, it just helps you,” Lubick said. “I think people are realizing the resources we have, not only guys having success on the field but off the field, too. We’ve done a great job in academics. All of that stuff, it’s not one single thing, all of that stuff adds up to make this a pretty attractive place.”
On Duke becoming bowl-eligible
“It’s awesome,” Lubick said. “What they’ve done there is unbelievable with how far they’ve come. They’re in a position where they can play with anyone. The thing about Duke is, like here, they don’t just have great football players, they have great kids. They’re a very good academic school, they’re a very motivated school. What those coaches have done there, as far as just the long-term process and how they’ve built that thing, it’s very impressive.”
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