For the first time in his career as Oregon’s head coach, Mark Helfrich lost a game. Defeats are rare experiences for basically all of the Ducks players and staff — Oregon has lost five times in the last four seasons — so being prepared and motivated to play a 4-5 Utah team (1-5 in the Pac-12) might not be as comfortable as usual.

But Helfrich said there’s one key reason why the No. 6-ranked Ducks (8-1, 5-1) won’t have trouble getting ready for the Utes this week, and that’s because Utah’s one conference win came against the team that just beat Oregon.

“We’ve got to keep in mind that this is the team that beat Stanford,” Helfrich said in a conference call with local media on Sunday. “From that standpoint, it’s not too hard to re-focus.”

Utah shocked the country on Oct. 12 by beating the Cardinal 27-21. Stanford (ranked No. 5 at the time) had multiple shots at the end zone with less than a minute left in the game but came up empty, giving the Cardinal their only loss of the season. Helfrich was impressed with Utah’s ability to come back from an early deficit and take a lead over the Cardinal, something Stanford (now ranked No. 4) isn’t used to.

Helfrich also noted Utah’s plethora of close losses in the Pac-12 this season, including the 20-19 to No. 19 Arizona State this past weekend. The Utes might be under .500 but they’ve played well enough to be 6-3, even 7-2.

“They’re dangerous,” Helfrich said.

Helfrich and his team might be looking forward to Utah, but they haven’t completely turned their heads away from their 26-20 loss to Stanford on Thursday. Having two more days than normal to stew on the loss hasn’t helped Helfrich’s state of mind, especially when he looks back on missed opportunities at the beginning of the game.

The Ducks failed on an early 4th down-and-goal conversion, lost a fumble on the Stanford two-yard line the second quarter and another on the Stanford 28 in the third. Those blown chances were magnified by the tiny amount of time Oregon possessed the ball (Stanford led the time of possession battle 42:34 to 17:26).

“Anytime you’re that deep and you come away with nothing in a game where you have eight total offensive possessions, that’s very, very significant,” Helfrich said.

While those missed opportunities are hard on Helfrich and the rest of the Ducks, Oregon’s head coach said his team is still operating with the mindset that their season is far from over. The seniors, who have been close to winning a national title every season, especially realize that.

“Those guys more than anyone know there’s still so much to play for,” Helfrich said.

Helfrich said the Ducks have to keep focusing on things they can control. After all, the five teams ranked ahead of the Ducks in the BCS standings could all lose a game to a team everyone expects them to beat. Oregon’s opponent this upcoming Saturday was one of those teams in their upset win over Stanford on Oct. 12.

“There are so many things that are out of your control,” Helfrich said. “You have to go back and believe in your process.”

Follow Victor Flores on Twitter @vflores415