Bo Nix addresses hype surrounding Oregon’s matchup with Colorado

Saturday afternoon’s matchup between Colorado and Oregon is one of the highest-anticipated games on a loaded day of football. Deion Sanders and the Buffaloes will head to Eugene to square off with Dan Lanning and the Ducks at 3:30 p.m. ET, one of the prime viewing windows on the schedule.

There’s, understandably, plenty of hype. According to Oregon quarterback Bo Nix, the key for the Ducks is to stay focused on the task at hand and keep the chatter outside.

“We just go to work and we let that noise stay outside,” Nix said. “We let the fans and everybody else outside of the program handle all the noise. And we just go to work and we want to do whatever we can to be prepared for the game and handle our preparation going into the game so we can be prepared for the game. We can go out and play fast, and we’re ready for the moment.”

Big games are when experience tends to show through. Nix said the Ducks have plenty of it, and it’s why he thinks they’re ready to handle the spotlight.

“With games like these, the build-up is always big,” Nix said. “A lot of us have played in big game, they’ve played in big games. It’s going to be a high-intense game once we get out on the field, but I expect it to settle down as the game goes and just be football again.”

Colorado has become a national story in college football as Sanders took over the program. The Buffaloes’ offense has been flying so far, too, to the tune of 479 yards per game. Shedeur Sanders is also looking strong at quarterback to put his name into the early Heisman Trophy conversation.

It won’t be easy for the Oregon defense to clamp down and contain Colorado. But, according to defensive lineman Brandon Dorlus, the Ducks are ready. They got their first taste of stopping a high-powered offense against Texas Tech’s Air Raid scheme, and that experience will be essential Saturday against Colorado.

“Texas Tech was known for their tempo, too,” Dorlus told Andy Staples on Andy Staples On3. “But like clockwise, speed-wise, I think [Colorado goes] faster than Texas Tech. And they’re the No. 1 offense on third down right now. So biggest thing is, we’re in shape. We’re good to go. Biggest thing is just locking in.

“We have to lock in. Don’t try to do too much, don’t fall into the trap of Shedeur, the watch and stuff, you know, all that hype stuff. We’re gonna make it nasty and gritty. We’re gonna punch them in the mouth all day and just gonna do our job.”