Oregon Ducks uniforms vs. Colorado

Oregon's warmup against Colorado last Saturday was too quiet and not intense enough, said UO coaches this week.

(Randy L. Rasmussen/The Oregonian)

EUGENE -- When Oregon coaches surveyed warmups last Saturday in Boulder, Colo., they found a vibe that matched Folsom Field's sleepy atmosphere, but not one befitting UO's typically loose pregame attitude.

"I thought last week the environment, especially in warmups, was really quiet," secondary coach John Neal said this week. "This won’t be. Our guys know what they’re up against."

Head coach Mark Helfrich addressed those concerns Thursday, two days before No. 2 Oregon (5-0, 2-0 Pac-12) plays in Seattle against a No. 16 Washington (4-1, 1-1) team fueled by the chance to break a nine-game rivalry losing streak in front of ESPN's "College Gameday" atmosphere. Given those circumstances it would seem hard to believe UO would be as lackadaisical in its preparation against the Huskies. Helfrich is making sure it won't be the case.

"For whatever reason from the mindset perspective we weren’t quite our normal selves, and that’s my fault," said Helfrich, who said it's up to him or the team's squad leaders to typically break UO out of its doldrums.

"You have to make sure we’re dialed in before kickoff. … As kickoff approached it was just a different feel for our guys. We talked about it and hopefully we took care of that situation."

The lack of focus felt in warmups fed into breakdowns defensive coordinator Nick Aliotti said should have never been allowed. On Colorado's first play from scrimmage, a 55-yard pass, Aliotti said he and his defenders knew it would be the play call well before Paul Richardson hauled in the catch well behind Terrance Mitchell.

"A couple of the mistakes we made were plays that should have been made, period," said Neal when asked to assess the secondary's performance. "Not the one-on-one stuff -- Richardson deserved those, he earned them -- but a couple were coverage problems."

And yet despite defensive breakdowns and Marcus Mariota's early inaccuracy throwing the ball, UO still scored 29 points in the opening quarter against the Buffaloes, the most in any quarter this season. In first quarters Oregon is outscoring opponents 111-24; Washington's total score after one quarter is 36-7.

That Oregon can overcome teams, and itself -- Mariota is completing just 48 percent of passes in the first quarter -- to that degree despite sluggish focus and play is scary.

"I think we’re generally a little bit looser, more confident kind of operation and we were quieter; it just wasn’t that urgent edge you have on gameday," Helfrich said. "Some guys prepare in silence, some guys need to prepare with Ozzy Osbourne. Finding that middle ground as a team and feeling their personality is always an ongoing process."