EUGENE, Ore. (AP) — As Oregon prepares for a highly anticipated rivalry matchup against Oregon State this weekend, linebacker Jeffrey Bassa emphasized the personal significance of the game.

"It means the world. It means everything to me," Bassa said when asked about playing in the rivalry. "I know it means a lot to the people who have come before me, to the university, to the people of Eugene, and to the state of Oregon as well."

With a large number of new players on the roster, Bassa has taken it upon himself to relay the importance of the rivalry to the freshmen and transfers. "It’s all personal," Bassa said. "We have a whole lot of new guys on the team, so you just kind of have to relay that message about what happened in 2022 and what they think about us. Atticus [Sappington] has been spreading the word about how they really feel about us since he came from there."

This year’s matchup between the Ducks and the Beavers comes earlier than usual, with the game being played in Week 3, as opposed to the typical season finale. "It’s a little different," Bassa said. "Ever since I’ve been here, we’ve always played them toward the end of the season. But it’s going to be exciting to see the team from up north a little earlier."

Reflecting on last season’s rivalry game, Bassa emphasized the importance of finishing strong, something Oregon failed to do in their 2022 matchup. "Just finish. That’s the main thing that comes to mind," Bassa said. "They beat us in the second half, and they beat us in the fourth quarter as well."

Bassa acknowledged that while Oregon State has undergone changes under a new head coach and offensive coordinator, their offensive identity remains similar. "A little bit [has changed]," he said. "They’ve got a new OC, but they still pride themselves on running the ball very well. So, we’ve got to stop the run."

Looking back on Oregon’s performance against Boise State last week, where Ashton Jeanty rushed for nearly 200 yards, Bassa sees it as a learning opportunity. "We can go and look at the film and be like, ‘OK, how can we stop the run even better?’" he said. "Now that we have that under our belt, we can go and learn from the things we did bad against Boise State and apply that to our game going forward."

This upcoming game also serves as the Ducks' final non-conference contest before they begin Big Ten play. "Every week has been a great opportunity to get ready for conference play," Bassa said. "Heading into this last week before we head into Big Ten play, it’s kind of just sharpening our sword."

Bassa also praised fellow linebacker Devin Jackson for his growth and development over the past few months. "The energy he brings in practice, the way he flies around — he’s really attacked everything since the spring," Bassa said. "He changed his body, and now it’s starting to show up."

As for how the defense plans to bounce back after their struggles against Boise State, Bassa said the focus has been on fundamentals. "We didn’t tackle to the standard, and some of the fits were a little jacked up," he said. "We went back, looked at the tape, and we’ve been attacking that ever since."

With a renewed focus and lessons learned, Bassa and the Ducks are set to take on their in-state rival, hoping to correct the mistakes of last year and make a statement early in the season.