PRESS CONFERENCE WITH DAN LANNING, BO NIX, JEFFREY BASSA, AND TEZ JOHNSON
COACH LANNING: First, I just want to say to Fiesta Bowl, Vrbo. This has been an unbelievable experience. You talk about the things that are benefits of the bowl game, for us it's connection. It's the time that we get to spend with each other one last time. This guy [Bo Nix] on the stage with me, some of these other guys, their last opportunity to get to spend some time with us. And for us to have a great opportunity to spend time together and then go out there on the field and finish it the way we wanted to.We said this season, and really this game, was about unfinished business. We said we're writing the last chapter to our book, and we had the pen. I thought our guys wrote a phenomenal chapter. Started off a little hairy, but they finished it off the way Oregon is supposed to play. So, really proud of these guys. And thankful, again, to the Fiesta Bowl and the job they did.
Q. 12 wins only happened five other times in this program's history. What does this win mean? What does 12 wins mean for this team and this program?
COACH LANNING: I think it just speaks to the direction, the base that these guys have created for where we're headed and what we're about to do. They believed in what we wanted to accomplish. Really, this is all about our players. Our players had a buy‐in. They knew what the goal was and what to accomplish. We're going to build off that in the future, and they really set the stage for that.
Q. Bo, you end your career as one of the most experienced, productive college quarterbacks ever. Do you feel 35 years old in quarterback years? Or what does it feel like now that this kind of odyssey is finally done?
BO NIX: I feel like I have played a lot of football. But every time I went out there, it slowed down more and more. And by the end of it, I just had a really comfortable feel. I think this year with what we were doing offensively, schematically, I think we were very efficient. And part of that is because of what we did offensively, and then the players we have on our side of the ball. It's been a great career. It's been a lot of ups and downs. And there's been some great adversity toothat I've been able to learn from. I wouldn't be here without every year. Every step has been another journey, and I wouldn't have traded anything.
COACH LANNING: To piggyback off that for Bo, hopefully everybody out here in the crowd realizes that this guy has the single-season record for passing touchdowns, passing yards, and most touchdowns in an Oregon bowl game right here at quarterback; not to mention set the NCAA passing record for completion percentage. So, he's done a lot for this program. He's played a lot of elite ball, and we're really proud of him.
Q. Bo, just your thoughts on those accomplishments. And will you finally say that you played good football this season?
BO NIX: Yeah, I played good football this year because of the opportunity and the situation that I was in. It wasn't difficult to go out there and play with the guys that I was around. Coach [Dan] Lanning can say what he wants, but a lot of it is because of him that we were in the situation we were in. He coaches us extremely hard, and he gets the best out of us. That's what you want out of a head coach. And his humility is going to give it to the players, but we wouldn't be here without him and his leadership. I've learned so much from him over my time, over two years.Like I said, I wouldn't be here without him and the coaches that he's put around us as players. As a team, I felt like we set the bar really high. We had a standard, and we just wanted to go out there and match it every Saturday.
Q. Obviously, your last game in the Pac-12. Just wonder what your thoughts are, leading the league, entering a new league, and also the legacy that Oregon leaves.
COACH LANNING: I think Oregon has cemented itself as a premier program in college football. I'll say, more than anything, certainly grateful for some of the great games that exist in the Pac. But probably just as excited about what's happening in the future for us, where we're headed, the direction we're headed. The clarity, what that brings. That's really a credit to our administration, Rob Mullens and the people around us that have put us in that position.
Q. Bo, looked like you had a little conversation with Will [Stein] and Dan [Lanning] before going out for that curtain call. You guys were smiling. What was said there in that conversation, and what emotions were you feeling when you were walking off that field for that final time getting that curtain call?
BO NIX: Well, we were just going through the little memories we had. Both coaches were just super excited, and I was grateful to be in that position with them. They've done so much for me and my development. They've allowed me to have one of the best years of my life and I attribute it to those guys. To be able to have that situation, you see it a lot and you always wonder, you think maybe one day that could be me, and then today it just happened. I feel nothing but joy. I feel nothing but happiness and gratitude for the entire university. I think I could list on and on about what the university has meant to me and each person that's done so much for me.
Q. Jeffrey, what conversations did the defense have after that first drive and being able to shut them out for the rest of the game?
JEFFREY BASSA: Yeah, little things just like keeping our poise. That's something that we preach every day at practice and all the time in the facility. I think Coach [Dan] Lanning and Coach [Tosh] Lupoi do a great job of instilling that in our minds. Keeping our poise, going to the sideline, not keeping our highs too high and our lows too low. I think that's something that a lot of these guys in the offseason were focusing on, was that mindset of next-play mentality. We've got to flush the next play and we have to look at that next play and reflect on it and grow from it. I think that first drive, just kind of reflecting on the first drive, like you said, was going to the sideline and keeping our poise, and we were going to execute at a high level from there on.
COACH LANNING: Jeff [Bassa] won't give himself enough credit, but just like Bo [Nix] makes this offense run, Jeff makes this defense tick. We give him an unbelievable amount of defense that he has to process through his mind, getting us in the right call. Obviously, that showed up today, and that's why he was able to play elite.
BO NIX: I get tired of practicing against Jeff because he always calls out our plays because he studies so much. He knows exactly where to tell the guys where the ball is going. I think that's a tribute to him, because he's such a great leader. He took ownership of it, and that's why he had such great success on the field.
Q. It's the last year before the College Football Playoff is coming here to Glendale. What was it like playing in the Fiesta Bowl before that change comes?
BO NIX: Well, for it being my last game and for the season that we had, I grew up watching the Fiesta Bowl. I grew up watching bowl games on New Year's Day and dreaming and going outside after and playing like I was in that position. Even though maybe you could say it didn't go how we wanted it to this year, I think it ended exactly how we could have controlled it .I think we did everything we could with the opportunity that presented itself. We were in the Fiesta Bowl. We were able to come out here and play. It wasn't until pregame, I was out there warming up and I thought back to when -- back in 2010 the national championship was here and I was able to come to it. Full-circle moment. I'm back in my fifth year and the last game ever, back in the stadium. It’s little things like that, that you know God orchestrates, and He does things like that, and He's up there kind of smiling.
COACH LANNING: Yeah, certainly a unique experience, getting to be a part of a New Year's Six. I think all of our players realize how special a moment like that, how special this game is. I remember being in college watching the Fiesta Bowl with Oklahoma-Boise State. Getting to experience some of these games and getting to be a part of it is really special, for these guys up on this stage, but also for our team.
Q. Offensively, you guys switched in that third drive. What do you think contributed to the sluggish start as far as points go? And how did the experience and leadership you guys have on the sideline, how do you flip that switch to score all those touchdowns in a row?
COACH LANNING: We just had to settle in. They had some success getting hands up on some batted balls that probably would have been successful plays early. But once we settled in and made sure we weren't beating ourselves -- we talk about how bowl games come down to the team that tackles the best, the team that doesn't penalize themselves. I think we walked out today with two penalties. That's a big credit to our guys operating really well. But as long as we operate within sequence, it's hard to stop the Ducks.
BO NIX: We were a batted ball and a poor, inaccurate throw from having success on the first two drives. Just like we did all year, we've got to settle in and continue to go. We knew that the defense was going to continue to get us the ball back. We just had to go down there and score the first time. Once we did that, once Bucky [Irving] had that long run, that really started things.
COACH LANNING: First, I just want to say to Fiesta Bowl, Vrbo. This has been an unbelievable experience. You talk about the things that are benefits of the bowl game, for us it's connection. It's the time that we get to spend with each other one last time. This guy [Bo Nix] on the stage with me, some of these other guys, their last opportunity to get to spend some time with us. And for us to have a great opportunity to spend time together and then go out there on the field and finish it the way we wanted to.We said this season, and really this game, was about unfinished business. We said we're writing the last chapter to our book, and we had the pen. I thought our guys wrote a phenomenal chapter. Started off a little hairy, but they finished it off the way Oregon is supposed to play. So, really proud of these guys. And thankful, again, to the Fiesta Bowl and the job they did.
Q. 12 wins only happened five other times in this program's history. What does this win mean? What does 12 wins mean for this team and this program?
COACH LANNING: I think it just speaks to the direction, the base that these guys have created for where we're headed and what we're about to do. They believed in what we wanted to accomplish. Really, this is all about our players. Our players had a buy‐in. They knew what the goal was and what to accomplish. We're going to build off that in the future, and they really set the stage for that.
Q. Bo, you end your career as one of the most experienced, productive college quarterbacks ever. Do you feel 35 years old in quarterback years? Or what does it feel like now that this kind of odyssey is finally done?
BO NIX: I feel like I have played a lot of football. But every time I went out there, it slowed down more and more. And by the end of it, I just had a really comfortable feel. I think this year with what we were doing offensively, schematically, I think we were very efficient. And part of that is because of what we did offensively, and then the players we have on our side of the ball. It's been a great career. It's been a lot of ups and downs. And there's been some great adversity toothat I've been able to learn from. I wouldn't be here without every year. Every step has been another journey, and I wouldn't have traded anything.
COACH LANNING: To piggyback off that for Bo, hopefully everybody out here in the crowd realizes that this guy has the single-season record for passing touchdowns, passing yards, and most touchdowns in an Oregon bowl game right here at quarterback; not to mention set the NCAA passing record for completion percentage. So, he's done a lot for this program. He's played a lot of elite ball, and we're really proud of him.
Q. Bo, just your thoughts on those accomplishments. And will you finally say that you played good football this season?
BO NIX: Yeah, I played good football this year because of the opportunity and the situation that I was in. It wasn't difficult to go out there and play with the guys that I was around. Coach [Dan] Lanning can say what he wants, but a lot of it is because of him that we were in the situation we were in. He coaches us extremely hard, and he gets the best out of us. That's what you want out of a head coach. And his humility is going to give it to the players, but we wouldn't be here without him and his leadership. I've learned so much from him over my time, over two years.Like I said, I wouldn't be here without him and the coaches that he's put around us as players. As a team, I felt like we set the bar really high. We had a standard, and we just wanted to go out there and match it every Saturday.
Q. Obviously, your last game in the Pac-12. Just wonder what your thoughts are, leading the league, entering a new league, and also the legacy that Oregon leaves.
COACH LANNING: I think Oregon has cemented itself as a premier program in college football. I'll say, more than anything, certainly grateful for some of the great games that exist in the Pac. But probably just as excited about what's happening in the future for us, where we're headed, the direction we're headed. The clarity, what that brings. That's really a credit to our administration, Rob Mullens and the people around us that have put us in that position.
Q. Bo, looked like you had a little conversation with Will [Stein] and Dan [Lanning] before going out for that curtain call. You guys were smiling. What was said there in that conversation, and what emotions were you feeling when you were walking off that field for that final time getting that curtain call?
BO NIX: Well, we were just going through the little memories we had. Both coaches were just super excited, and I was grateful to be in that position with them. They've done so much for me and my development. They've allowed me to have one of the best years of my life and I attribute it to those guys. To be able to have that situation, you see it a lot and you always wonder, you think maybe one day that could be me, and then today it just happened. I feel nothing but joy. I feel nothing but happiness and gratitude for the entire university. I think I could list on and on about what the university has meant to me and each person that's done so much for me.
Q. Jeffrey, what conversations did the defense have after that first drive and being able to shut them out for the rest of the game?
JEFFREY BASSA: Yeah, little things just like keeping our poise. That's something that we preach every day at practice and all the time in the facility. I think Coach [Dan] Lanning and Coach [Tosh] Lupoi do a great job of instilling that in our minds. Keeping our poise, going to the sideline, not keeping our highs too high and our lows too low. I think that's something that a lot of these guys in the offseason were focusing on, was that mindset of next-play mentality. We've got to flush the next play and we have to look at that next play and reflect on it and grow from it. I think that first drive, just kind of reflecting on the first drive, like you said, was going to the sideline and keeping our poise, and we were going to execute at a high level from there on.
COACH LANNING: Jeff [Bassa] won't give himself enough credit, but just like Bo [Nix] makes this offense run, Jeff makes this defense tick. We give him an unbelievable amount of defense that he has to process through his mind, getting us in the right call. Obviously, that showed up today, and that's why he was able to play elite.
BO NIX: I get tired of practicing against Jeff because he always calls out our plays because he studies so much. He knows exactly where to tell the guys where the ball is going. I think that's a tribute to him, because he's such a great leader. He took ownership of it, and that's why he had such great success on the field.
Q. It's the last year before the College Football Playoff is coming here to Glendale. What was it like playing in the Fiesta Bowl before that change comes?
BO NIX: Well, for it being my last game and for the season that we had, I grew up watching the Fiesta Bowl. I grew up watching bowl games on New Year's Day and dreaming and going outside after and playing like I was in that position. Even though maybe you could say it didn't go how we wanted it to this year, I think it ended exactly how we could have controlled it .I think we did everything we could with the opportunity that presented itself. We were in the Fiesta Bowl. We were able to come out here and play. It wasn't until pregame, I was out there warming up and I thought back to when -- back in 2010 the national championship was here and I was able to come to it. Full-circle moment. I'm back in my fifth year and the last game ever, back in the stadium. It’s little things like that, that you know God orchestrates, and He does things like that, and He's up there kind of smiling.
COACH LANNING: Yeah, certainly a unique experience, getting to be a part of a New Year's Six. I think all of our players realize how special a moment like that, how special this game is. I remember being in college watching the Fiesta Bowl with Oklahoma-Boise State. Getting to experience some of these games and getting to be a part of it is really special, for these guys up on this stage, but also for our team.
Q. Offensively, you guys switched in that third drive. What do you think contributed to the sluggish start as far as points go? And how did the experience and leadership you guys have on the sideline, how do you flip that switch to score all those touchdowns in a row?
COACH LANNING: We just had to settle in. They had some success getting hands up on some batted balls that probably would have been successful plays early. But once we settled in and made sure we weren't beating ourselves -- we talk about how bowl games come down to the team that tackles the best, the team that doesn't penalize themselves. I think we walked out today with two penalties. That's a big credit to our guys operating really well. But as long as we operate within sequence, it's hard to stop the Ducks.
BO NIX: We were a batted ball and a poor, inaccurate throw from having success on the first two drives. Just like we did all year, we've got to settle in and continue to go. We knew that the defense was going to continue to get us the ball back. We just had to go down there and score the first time. Once we did that, once Bucky [Irving] had that long run, that really started things.
