Coach Rick Neuheisel held his weekly press conference, and like the others before, he began with how excited he is for the upcoming game. This week’s game is against Oregon in Eugene. The Ducks’ stadium, Autzen Stadium, is one of the toughest places to play in all of college football, and will present a challenge for the Bruins. Neuheisel talked at length about Autzen Stadium.
"Excited about the challenge that lies ahead, playing the University of Oregon. A great program coming off a tough loss, but nonetheless a great program and a great environment in which to play. Autzen Stadium may be one of the best homefield advantages not just in our conference, but in the country. A very, very passionate crowd which may be even more excited in an evening contest. It will be a tall, tall order for us, but an exciting challenge for us also because being 1-1 in the conference, to make any noise at all we have to be able to prove we can play on the road. And there is no better place to prove it then in one of the hotbeds."
Here are some more of the highlights:
– Neuheisel talked about the spread offenses that have taken shape not just in college football but in the NFL too. As columnist Ben Taylor expressed in his column today, Arkansas, the Miami Dolphins, and now the Bruins themselves are utilizing an offense in which they set the quarterback out wide and have a direct snap to a running back. Oregon also uses a spread offense which Neuheisel and the Bruins must look out for. In theory, if you make the quarterback a running or receiving threat, you are taking away the plus-one advantage that defensive coordinators are looking for. This in turn, Neuheisel said, puts an added pressure upon the defense to be solid in their assignments and to be sure tacklers.
"If it’s on all cylinders, it’s a very tough offense to contain as we’ve watched not just at Oregon but across the country at some of the different places. It becomes very difficult to manage."
– Neuheisel said that he was impressed with the progress that quarterback Kevin Craft has shown. On Saturday, Neuheisel said he was most impressed with Craft’s ability to stay in the pocket and deliever accurate throws.
"Even though the house is on fire, as we like to say when the pocket is starting to collapse, he’s getting a baby out, and that’s always good."
Neuheisel added that Craft is a "gym rat" and that he is very acceptable to coaching and improving.
– Neuheisel was pleased with the Bruins’ nine-of-18 third down conversions on offense against Washington State, but added that there were still too many three-and-outs.
– An interesting part of the game on Saturday will be the history between Neuheisel and Oregon, which isn’t a pretty picture. It all started back in the 1996 Cotton Bowl – Neuheisel’s first year as a head coach – when his Colorado Buffaloes played Oregon. Up 38-6 late in the fourth quarter, Neuheisel called for a fake punt, which drew the ire of the Oregon fans. Looking back on it, Neuheisel said it was "probably a poor decision." The bad blood continued in the 1998 Aloha Bowl, when the Buffaloes defeated the Ducks 51-43. After the game, Oregon coach Mike Bellotti said that his team dominated the stat sheet, in which Neuheisel replied "Scoreboard" much like the Raiders’ Al Davis used to do. For Neuheisel, he is expecting the worse from the fans.
"We’ve got this great relationship. I anticipate it just because we’ve been typecast in our roles and I’ve got the black hat. It wouldn’t shock me. It may even disappoint me if it weren’t that way.
– The Bruin defense recorded 4 sacks in the game against Washington State after recording just four total in the four games previous. The Bruins’ also held the Cougars to just 177 net yards, the lowest opponent output since Oregon gained just 148 net yards in the Bruins’ 16-0 win over the Ducks last season.
– Defensive end Brigham Harwell suffered two sprained fingers and one dislocated finger on his left hand during Saturday’s game, but will practice starting Tuesday and will play Saturday.
– Running back Raymond Carter suffered a tweaked groin.
– Linebacker Josh Edwards is experiencing some pain in his right foot due to a stress fracture.
– Neuheisel is hopeful that offensive lineman Micah Reed and wide receiver Marcus Everett will be able to play on Saturday.
With reports from Bruin wire services