There wasn’t any beating around the bush from edge D.J. Johnson, defensive lineman Casey Rogers or safety Jamal Hill about the defensive mistakes in the loss to Washington and those that have gone on throughout this season.
After letting up over 400 yards passing for the second time this season, adjustments will need to be made in preparation for the No. 10-ranked Utes coming into Eugene on Saturday.
That 37-34 loss had to be a wake-up call for the Ducks (8-2, 6-1 Pac-12), now No. 12 in the AP poll.
“The team we play every week, they want to win just as bad as we want, if not more,” Hill said. “They’re not going to bow down to us just because we got an ‘O’ on our chests and all the Nike stuff and all the cute facilities.”
RELATED: Scroll down to watch full video interviews from practice Tuesday
Ultimately, what it comes down to is how this team can respond to a tough loss as Oregon remains in control of its path to a potential Pac-12 championship, and it goes without saying that the Ducks will need their best response of the season in order to win a matchup against a team that has momentum in this series.
Utah (8-2, 6-1) also controls its path to a Pac-12 title and beat Oregon twice last year -- in the regular season (38-7) and in the Pac-12 championship game (38-10).
“Good teams can find a way to bounce back after a loss. [Coach Dan] Lanning has really emphasized don’t let [Washington] beat us twice, and we said the same thing about Georgia,” Rogers said. “The past is to be learned from, not to be lived in and that’s something that good football players have to do.”