In his post game remarks, Mario Cristobal said, "It's hard to stop a team that's motivated from the inside out."
Reporters asked him about Travis Dye and getting him back in the game.
"I’ve been around Travis enough to know what he is, what his makeup is and how much this team means to him. I’ve played the game and I’ve been on that sideline when you get yanked - when you miss a block and what not, when a guy is really trying to do it the right way and I think that’s the worst you can do for a player. Don’t tear down your players, build them up. Travis has won a lot of football games for us. He’s tough. He’s determined. It means a lot to him, and I saw how much that hurt him over there. It wasn’t just myself, all his teammates surrounded him - we love you, we believe in you, we know you are going to help us win this football game - and he did."
Dye finished the game with 81 yards on 15 carries. Cyrus Habbibi-Likio ran well also, powering in for a touchdown behind great blocks from Sewell, Hanson and Lemieux, exploding up the middle for a career-best 11 yard gain, in all, 9 carries for 37 yards.
They asked CMC about Justin Herbert's performance and the dropoff from Herbert's typical consistency:
"But at the end of the day, we’re always going to be very constructively critical of our guys with feedback to make sure that we help them get better. It’s certainly a very eye-to-eye and face-to-face operation. We don’t hold any punches. I’m proud of the way he bounced back and the way he continued to help lead this football team to a victory tonight."
What a contrast to the way Mike Leach talked about his players last week after a loss to Utah.
It speaks to the heart of what the Oregon program is about under their second-year coach. No wonder they recruit so well and blow away recruits and their families on a visit.
That electrified Autzen atmosphere helps too. Great to see it back at full throttle and jet plane decibel volume.
Cristobal said that when they went into halftime Troy Dye stood up and addressed the entire team.
"I thought that it was great that before anyone could say anything. Troy Dye addressed the team with words that were powerful - that made it really clear that we weren’t playing up to our standard and what we are capable of and what we must do. Those words were echoed by everyone else. Position coaches and coordinators right away made sure that we’re focusing on making sure that our guys are confident, that we can go and play aggressively, and put our guys in the best position to make plays. Focusing on some of the other stuff, and the noise that it wasn’t a good half, and yelling and screaming about that stuff isn’t going to make us better. I’m not afraid to confront someone and get after them if it’s out of not trying hard, but that wasn’t the case here. So, Troy and the rest of the leaders did an excellent job. It was really rewarding to watch the growth of our football team at halftime. From our opinion, that’s a huge step for our program."
Fans carp about x's and o's, when it's really about developing people. Cristobal's approach harkens back to Len Casanova. He's a throwback to an era when being a coach meant something.
The Ducks started this game interception, fumble, fumble and no one quit. There was no panic, only resolve. They outgained Cal 119-9 in the third quarter.
This is a team with character and strength of culture. You could see it how they pulled together, how Baby Dye's teammates gathered around him after his second fumble, how the whole defense came out to support Gus Cumberlander after his injury. They pick each other up. They have the heart, determination and commitment to each other of elite combat troops.
A team with this kind of core can overcome a lot of adversity. If they can get this offense untracked a bit more, they are going to finish incredibly strong. I believe they will.
They face some tough matchups ahead and football is a funny game, but it's evident that this team will continue to grow and hold itself to a high standard. It's going to be fun to see how far they can go. With this start and how the North has played out to this point, the goal has to be to win out and go to the Rose Bowl.
