When both Oregon and Oklahoma arrive in San Antonia this weekend they’ll be drastically different teams than what they were when the season began.
Both teams have lost their head coach to other opportunities and both teams have had their share of injuries.
They’ve also had players either transfer out of the program to follow their previous head coach or simply choose to opt-out of the upcoming Alamo Bowl in lieu of the NFL Draft.
It’s certainly been a challenging time and experience for Oregon interim head coach Bryan McClendon.
But with all that has transpired in and around the Hatfield Dowlin Complex over the last several weeks, McClendon continues to remain positive and keep his team focused on the task at hand.
And that’s arriving in San Antonio ready to play their best football against the Sooners.
“I’ve been really, really, really pleased with the guys in that aspect,” said McClendon on Monday.
“I challenged those guys pretty much the first meeting I had with them. The programs that handle this the best is the programs that have the best chance to do well.
I feel like the guys have been able to keep the main thing, the main thing. That’s what we’ve been talking about. We’re going over there ( San Antonio ) regardless, December 29th they’re teeing it up and we’re kicking it off. We have to go out there and make sure we’re ready for that point in time. That’s what we’ve been working all year to do. We earned this opportunity. We need to make sure we’re doing everything we can to take full advantage of it.”
The Ducks under McClendon have ended their Eugene portion of bowl practices to allow players the opportunity to get home for the Christmas holiday a few days before reconvening in San Antonio on Christmas Day.
BRYAN MCCLENDON DISCUSSES FINAL OREGON PRACTICE, OPT-OUTS, AND WHAT TO EXPECT FROM OKLAHOMA