With this shortened seven game season, there’s no room for error or misstep if the Ducks hope to make another run at the conference championship.
Now, just five days away from kickoff of that shortened season, Oregon head coach Mario Cristobal has his teams focus squarely set on the Stanford Cardinal who the Ducks will meet this Saturday in the season opener at Autzen Stadium. ( 4:30 pm – ABC )
“I don’t think it helps you to talk playoffs now” said Cristobal when asked about the razor thin margin for error during this unique season.
“We think as a program that your daily approach to your craft – the way you practice, the way you study, getting up early, eating right, taking care of your body, learning your playbook, being a positive impact on your teammates, pushing hard in practice and getting to bed early and doing well in school,…those are things we hammer.
Saturday is going to be a byproduct of everything leading up to it – talent acquisition, talent development, the process that goes with it, so I don’t believe in anything but preparing. I guess the best way to put it is that talent and experience does not equal preparation. It has to be about your preparation. You have what you have,…you have the players that you have,…you know what they do well. You feel like you’re getting a feel for the identity of the team and all focus,….everything is geared toward that next minute,…that day, being where your feet are. We feel that’s our secret sauce.”
All coaches will typically tell you they really don’t know what they have until toe hits leather on opening day.
Cristobal likely has a pretty good feel for his teams identity after five weeks of camp.
That said, there’s still a lot of questions to be answered when kickoff arrives. A) How sound will the Ducks play in all three phases of the game using their taught fundamentals,…B) Can they play error-free football under extreme pressure,…i.e, national television, first game jitters, etc….and C) How well the Ducks offense, defense and special teams will be able to execute against a real opponent.
And Stanford isn’t just any opponent.
The Cardinal are well coached by David Shaw and typically arrive loaded with highly skilled players.
“They’re always going to be one of the more talented teams in the conference and in the country” explained Cristobal.
“They recruit at a high level. Their receivers are outstanding. They’re extremely physical up front on both sides of the ball. Their tight ends are always going to be big physical guys that are playmakers. It’s a typical Stanford team. They have great coaches. Coach Shaw has done a great job with that program for a long time. We’re expecting their very best and we’re looking forward to this opportunity on Saturday.”
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