When it comes to bowl season most coaches will tell you they need to be playing their best football in order to win.
No. 25 Oregon certainly was two weeks ago when they defeated USC in the Pac-12 Championship, and it seems the Ducks are continuing that trend just 24 hours away from meeting Iowa State in the Playstation Fiesta Bowl.
“We certainly did two weeks ago, so that’s certainly a positive indication of the way that we’re trending,” said Oregon head coach Mario Cristobal Friday morning during the final Fiesta Bowl head coaches press conference.
“This will be the second game we play in four weeks. That’s a little bit different, too. So it’s been that kind of a year. I don’t think there’s a handbook or any directions as to what’s the formula to get there to play your best. I know we’ve had a lot of growth, especially between the ear, upstairs, in terms of maturity, in terms of understanding what we are as a team and what level of focus and intensity we have to get to, to play our best football.
“We feel really good about that. Our players do as well. Just along the lines of making sure every single part of the process has a 1-0 aspect to it. If we can do that, we feel we can always put our best product on the field.”
After dropping back to back games against Oregon State and California back in late November and early December, the Ducks have found a new gear in their game arsenal.
A portion of that arsenal is a much stouter defense, especially up front.
The Ducks held the Trojans rushing attack to just 38 yards two weeks ago – and even though they allowed Trojan quarterback Kedon Slovis to rack up 320 yards in passing offense, they only limited him to two touchdowns.
One of the catalysts was defensive end Kayvon Thibodeaux who had five solo tackles and a sack.
“We fought this year,” said Thibodeaux after the conference championship. “So many trials and tribulations. So many things that kept popping up. So many excuses we could have made, and we didn’t flinch. We stuck to the script and got it done.”
The Ducks will once again try to replicate that script Saturday against the Cyclones who come into the game ranked No. 10 in the country with a record of 8-3.
“Very similar to normal processes,” said Cristobal when asked his team’s approach heading into Saturday’s game.
“This will be the first time our players play in front of human beings, like actual fans in the stands–one and only time their parents will have a chance to see the 2020 team play. While at the same time, understanding that the best way you can honor that opportunity is by playing your best and be focused on what your job is. Making sure you’re playing and showing how much this means to you and to your teammates.
“Yeah, big stages. These guys can’t help but turn on the TV, and every other second there’s something about the fiesta Bowl on there, and the matchup. They know the caliber of the opponent that we’re playing. They know it’s a great football team. So they’re very, very eager and excited about the opportunity.”
OREGON INJURY / TRAVEL UPDATE
During Friday’s head coaches media briefing, Oregon head coach Mario Cristobal addressed the status of several Duck players who have either been injured or unavailable due to the Covid-19 virus. Those players are RB C.J Verdell, OL Malaesala Aumavae-Laulu, LB Adrian Jackson and CB Dontae Manning.
“They have all traveled, and they have all been practicing,” said Cristobal. “So we’re hopeful that they will play. It will be a game-time decision maybe before that, but I feel like they do have a chance to play.”
FIESTA BOWL UNIFORM COMBINATION
The Ducks released the uniform combination they’ll be wearing for the Fiesta Bowl on Saturday. Oregon will be wearing their yellow helmets with the chrome wings. They’ll also wear the white jersey with green numerals along with their yellow pants and yellow Nike cleats.
PLAYSTATION FIESTA BOWL HOLDS ITS FINAL HEAD COACH PRESS CONFERENCE FRIDAY MORNING