Talking to the media this week, Oregon safety Verone McKinley III didn’t mince words.
In fact, McKinley couldn’t have been more deliberate when talking about the rematch Friday evening between the No. 10 Ducks and No. 17 Utah Utes.
“Two weeks ago was probably the worst loss we’ve had since I’ve been here,” said McKinley this week.
“So, to get this team again, understand what type of game it’s going to be, to know what we did wrong, know how we can be better, let’s do it again. Good team over there. They’ve always been a good team. Well coached,…disciplined, physical,…we’re the same. So, we’re going to put the ball down and go toe to toe again and this time it’s going to be a little different.”
It’ll have to be if the Ducks are going to walk out of Allegiant Stadium Pac-12 Champs for the third consecutive year. Oregon was humiliated and crushed in Salt Lake City 38-7 two weeks ago and came home to Eugene dispirited and out of sorts.
It didn’t take long to regain their focus though. The Ducks ended the regular season with a crushing victory of their own when they dismantled a very good Oregon State team 38-29 just six days later to help regain some of that momentum.
And after that game, it didn’t take long for McKinley and his teammates to boldly set their sights on the Utes for a little redemption.
“You like it to be fresh” explained McKinley when asked about the rematch being so soon after the first defeat.
“There’s no other motivating factor. They embarrassed us. So, as soon as the Oregon State game was over we celebrated for a couple of hours and we were like ‘oh yeah, it’s time, let’s go,….we’ve got some unfinished business.”
Since McKinley joined the Ducks back in 2018 as a true freshman, he’s never been this outspoken in public regarding an opponent and his intentions and thoughts about that opponent.
“I think I missed two tackles against Utah” said McKinley.
“I didn’t have any missed tackles last week. ( Oregon State ). I sent a message. That’s what we wanted to do. We wanted to send a message. We know,…we knew what the stakes were. We knew if they win, we win, we’d see them ( Utah ) again. So we were like we’re going to send a message on tape so when we see them again in Las Vegas they know exactly what they’re going to get.”
McKinley admitted this week he’s a glutton for challenges. He needs things to be hard. He needs game situations to be difficult because admittedly that’s what brings out the fire in him.
The fire to win with no excuses.
“I like for situations to be hard because I don’t want to hear any excuses when we win” said McKinley.
“Whatever it is,…if it’s cold,…snow, whatever happens,…it is what it is, but we won. So, I like to make it as hard as possible. I like challenges.”
McKinley is certainly going to get his wish Friday evening under the bright lights of Las Vegas.
It’s going to be hard. It’s definitely going to be a challenge.
And, there will certainly be no excuses made win or lose!
VERONE MCKINLEY III DISCUSSES PAC-12 CHAMPIONSHIP GAME VERSUS UTAH