EUGENE, Ore. — Oregon linebacker Jeffrey Bassa spoke about the team's anticipation as they head to Michigan for their upcoming matchup. The game, set to be played in front of a packed Big House, has generated plenty of excitement for the Ducks, particularly for players who weren’t heavily recruited by Michigan.

“Hopes are up right now. You know, everything's really exciting,” Bassa said. “A lot of the guys, you know, weren't offered from Michigan or, you know, haven't been over there, you know, in the state of Michigan. We’ve got some teammates from that area, like DJ [Harmon] and Dante [Moore], but, you know, a lot of guys are excited. A lot of guys are excited for this trip and excited for this matchup as well.”

The game will feature Oregon's defense trying to stop Michigan's powerful rushing attack, which includes 230-pound running back Kalel Mullings, a converted linebacker. Bassa, a linebacker himself, is looking forward to the challenge.

“It's always great, you know, linebacker, running back matchup, especially with a team that likes to run the ball,” Bassa said. “It's going to be a lot of run fits and, you know, seeing the running back in the hole one-on-one. It's always exciting for me, especially me playing linebacker. I always like playing running teams.”

Bassa has a lot of respect for Mullings and Michigan's offensive line. “He's really explosive out the backfield. Right when he catches the ball, he's headed north and south. Their O-line does a good job creating those holes open up for him. Got a lot of respect for him,” Bassa noted.

When asked about the keys to success in defending Michigan’s run game, Bassa emphasized discipline and communication.

“You got to have everybody in the right fit,” he said. “Just going down to the communication in the back end, obviously there’s going to be some guys from the back end that are responsible for the A or B or C gap. Just having everybody dialed in on the right fit and D-line peeking their gap and staying in their gap. You don’t want to have two guys peeking in one gap. Just being disciplined eyes, having disciplined eyes and disciplined fits.”

One Oregon player particularly fired up for the Michigan game is defensive lineman Derrick Harmon, who transferred from Michigan State. Harmon is familiar with the rivalry between Michigan and Michigan State, and Bassa says he’s noticed a different energy in Harmon this week.

“Him to unleash havoc,” Bassa said of what he expects from Harmon on Saturday. “I know him coming from Michigan State, their rivalry that they got going on up there. I know he's excited for this game, and I know he's been prepping his tail off all week. I see it in practice. There’s a different look in his eyes from this week.”

Another key player for the Oregon defense is Jamaree Caldwell, who may not always show up in the stat sheet but is crucial to the Ducks' success against the run.

“He’s just been keeping his head down and continuing to work,” Bassa said. “He’s never a guy that comes in and complains about his job. He always wants to get better. He doesn’t show up in the stat sheet a lot of the times, but he’s the reason why we’re such a dominant run defense. He’s also seen as a leader in that room as well. He’s a guy who's going to keep his head down and always do his job for us.”

Bassa also mentioned an incident involving Harmon where he played through the whistle, resulting in a penalty.

“He was subbed out the play after, I'm pretty sure,” Bassa said. “We know that it was a bad penalty on his part, but he’s grown and he knows that it was a dumb decision on his end. I spoke to him right after the play. I was like, you know, just keep it cool, keep it calm. Like you had a good play, just a little dumb penalty at the end. There’s always going to be little things like that that happen during this physical game that we play.”

Bassa also touched on his improvement in pass coverage, attributing it to offseason training and going up against Oregon's tight ends and receivers in practice.

“Just the training that I did in the offseason and then going up against our tight ends every day and our receivers every day,” Bassa said. “Guys like Kenyon, T-Ferg, and P-Herb, and then as well as our receiver core — the best in the nation, I really feel like we are the best in the nation at the receiver core and tight end core. Just going up against those guys every day in practice and my training in the offseason. That’s something that I really wanted to focus on going into this season, being matched up with great guys in the Big Ten as well.”

Bassa also touched on Michigan’s talented tight end Colston Loveland, whom Oregon's defense will have to keep an eye on throughout the game.

“He's a savvy player, and I think their offensive coordinator and their offense does a great job getting him the ball,” Bassa said. “Whether that's one-on-ones or just in the middle of the field, they're always going to find ways to get him open. That’s someone we know where he’s at for sure.”

Bassa's confidence and excitement reflect the mentality of a Ducks team that’s ready for the challenge of facing the Wolverines in one of the most iconic venues in college football. As they prepare to step onto the field, discipline, communication, and a chip on their shoulders are what Oregon will lean on in the face of a formidable Michigan team.