One week and one day after learning their new head coach would be, the Oregon football team will play for win No. 1 of the Cristobal era.The Ducks (7-5) will put a tumultuous two weeks behind them when they take the field in the Las Vegas Bowl against Boise State on Saturday (12:30 p.m. PT, ABC) After a rollercoaster season in which they started 4-1 and then went 1-4 without injured quarterback, the Ducks endured a rollercoaster December with the departure of Willie Taggart and subsequent promotion of Cristobal.On Saturday, the UO football team can put all of that in the past. The Ducks can send their senior class out with a win, and set the tone for Cristobal's tenure in Eugene."Coaching changes are always kind of tough transitions," said Herbert, who has experienced two in two seasons at Oregon. "But coach Cristobal has done a great job of keeping us focused."That focus will be tested by the Mountain West Conference champs from Boise State. The Broncos (10-3) began the season 2-2, with losses at Washington State and at home to Virginia, then didn't lose again until the regular-season finale at Fresno State.Boise State avenged that loss a week later, beating the Bulldogs in the Mountain West championship game.The Broncos are dealing with injuries to leading rusher Alex Mattison and tight end Jake Roh, the top red-zone target for quarterback Brett Rypien. Defensively, they entered bowl season second in the MWC in yards per play allowed at 4.86, behind only Wyoming — a team the Ducks beat on the road in September, 49-13."They're well-taught, and they fly around," Herbert said of the Boise State defense. "They play passionate defense, and they're a team that deserves all of our attention."The Ducks will have the services of left tacklefor the game after he announced Friday he intends to play for his hometown fans. But another top NFL draft prospect,, will sit out the bowl game, leavingandto handle the rushing attack behind Crosby and the rest of the O line."All their running backs can play," said Boise State linebacker Leighton Vander Esch, the team's leading tackler with 129 this season. "We've got to treat everybody the same. As far as I'm concerned, the other two running backs are just as good. It doesn't change our focus at all."Both teams faced the challenge of staying focused through a layoff until bowl season. The Ducks last played on Nov. 25, when they dominated Oregon State in the Civil War, 69-10. Boise State has had two weeks off since the MWC championship game.Extended layoffs tend to result in slow starts offensively for bowl teams, and facing an unfamiliar defense can exacerbate that."One of the challenges we have is getting started early — seeing them and how they play, and getting our offense going," Herbert said.The Ducks have ample faith in their quarterback's ability to get the offense going. In seven games with Herbert healthy this fall, Oregon averaged 52.1 points per game and 550.3 yards per game, plus 7.2 yards per play — all figures that would rank in the top 10 nationally over a full season."He's made of the right stuff," Cristobal said of his quarterback. "He was raised the right way, and therefore that stuff oozes out of him."Bowl games often come down to which team is more motivated to play. Is Boise State, the perennial giant killer, amped to knock off another Power 5 team? Or will Oregon's fire be fueled by the desire to play well in Cristobal's first game?"We're pumped up," Vander Esch said on behalf of the Broncos. "It's a great opportunity for us, and we've got to take advantage of it."Countered Herbert: "(Cristobal) is a great coach and an even better person. He's got our backs, and we'll go to battle for him any day."As of Saturday morning, that day has arrived.