Mario Cristobal was as plain and concise as he could be Monday afternoon during his early week media briefing.
“We need to get better” he told reporters via Zoom when asked about the heartbreak of Friday’s loss to the Beavers.
“So when it does happen and when that did happen ( the loss ),…it’s obvious,…you see it on my face. I’m as upset,…and that needs to always be that way. If I don’t feel that way I need to step aside.
It’s gotta burn in your gut and it also has to provide the right kind of fuel because I think,…you know there’s two ways to handle a loss,…either you wallow in your own feeling sorry for yourself or you realize that I control what happens going forward.”
Anyone who has followed this shortened season with the Ducks, they’ve seen the deficiency on the defensive line which has allowed both UCLA and Oregon State to run right through the Oregon front seven.
Even though the Ducks outlasted the Bruins, they allowed Chip Kelly’s squad to rack up 267 yards on the ground including 167 of those to RB Demetric Felton.
Then, just six days later, the Ducks defense gave up a whopping 226 yards to Jermar Jefferson, including two scores – one of those his 82-yard sprint to the end zone.
The defensive line of the Ducks has been a noticeable issue and needs to be addressed quickly or these final two weeks of the six-week shortened season could be ugly.
“We have got to improve,…that’s as clear as the day is long” said Cristobal.
“And we know that. Those are areas that it has to show for us to be successful. One thing about those particular things,… that world, you have to be about that life if you’re playing inside in the trenches. You can’t talk your way into being better. You can’t hope that you’re going to show up better the next week. You’ve got to work that into existence at a very high level.”
MONDAY MEDIA BRIEFING – MARIO CRISTOBAL