Oregon Ducks College Football Pregame Quote, 12/30/2023

Q. Personally, what goes into being a good quarterback or being great at what you do week in and week out? What has to click for you?

BO NIX: I think preparing is the main thing. I think you have to be extremely ready for Saturdays. You have to be expecting certain things before they happen, and then you got to react to the things that maybe you cannot plan for.

But I think the best quarterbacks prepare the best. I think they’re mentally and physically ready for the game. Their reactions to what happens during the game is kind of what makes them unique. I think if you look at all the great quarterbacks, they’re always ready for the moment. They always prepared. I think their reaction ‚Äì they take over and they just ‚Äì their natural instincts have a way during the game which puts them over the edge.

Q. At this point in your career, there’s not a lot you haven’t seen. You go against a team in Liberty that leads the nation in takeaways and interceptions. What goes through your mind with what you might do out there?

BO NIX: It goes back to the same thing. We’ve repped our plays. We’ve repped our scheme. We just got to go out there and be dialed in and make sure that we execute at a high level, that we’re efficient, that we take care of the football. We’re good on first and second down. And don’t give them the chances to create turnovers and create explosive plays.

We feel strongly if we run the ball and set a standard early and get the chains moving, those will create the explosive plays as we go. We have to be really efficient.

Q. Do you tell the guys, don’t overlook this considering all the talk and all the naysayers about the points deferential and all that jazz?

BO NIX: Me specifically, I couldn’t even tell what you the deferential is. I couldn’t tell you what people are saying. I know that bowl games, both teams will be here to win and both teams are going to play really hard. We both got something to prove and both are playing for something big.

So it’s not going to be something that we overlook. We know they’re a good football team. They had a really good season. But it’s going to come down to plays ‚Äì who plays harder and who is willing to do more at the end of the day.

Q. I would like to take you back to Selection Sunday when you found out you were going up against Liberty. What were some of the first thoughts that came into your head?

BO NIX: We were exciting to be playing the Fiesta Bowl. We were excited we were going to have a chance to play in a New Year’s Six bowl game. That doesn’t happen every year. And we’re excited to be there. The opponent is something that is not in our hands. But we’re excited to play a team like Liberty. I think it’s a good opportunity for both of us.

Q. Dan Lanning’s pregame speech that got a lot of attention: They’re playing for wins. What was that vibe like in the room when he was doing that? How genuine was that? Is that common in a Dan Lanning pregame speech?

BO NIX: Nothing he does is fake. His conviction, his passion behind everything he does is all real. So I think the way we went out there and played showed that. And I think that his message was all about how we’re going out there and competing. And we’re going out there and we play together. We play for one another.

And ultimately, our goal was just to win as many games as we could. So that was one of the first games that we had a chance to go out there and do that. We went out there and played hard.