Bo Nix explains heavy emotions of losing Pac-12 Championship

Last Friday was a tough one for the Oregon Ducks, falling to Washington 34-31 in the Pac-12 Championship game as their College Football Playoff hopes vanished away as well. The Huskies were Oregon’s kryptonite this season, losing to Washington twice this year by three points in each matchup to represent the only two losses of their 11-2 season.

Championship defeat never feels good, especially to a familiar foe. But after the game Oregon quarterback Bo Nix still managed to share his honest emotions with the media following another brutally close loss on a big stage.

“Well, football is a tough game,” Nix said. “Sometimes you put it all out there and you come up short. There at the end it was just one of those things where you want the moment to last longer than what it can. Even though we lost, it was one of those type of games that it was really fun to play in.”

The Ducks found themselves down 20-3 in the second quarter of the Pac-12 title game, but Nix helped lead three straight unanswered touchdown drives to give Oregon their first lead of the ballgame ahead of the fourth quarter.

But unfortunately for Oregon, Washington quarterback Michael Penix Jr. and running back Dillon Johnson had an answer, helping the Huskies respond with two touchdown drives of their own that ultimately gave them the win.

“It was just a shocking end,” Nix admitted. “It’s tough when you’re so used to go, go, go, go, go. When it ends, it just happens very quickly. I got all the respect in the world for Michael. He’s played his butt off this year. I respect him a lot because I know how it is to play through some adversity, to play when you’re not necessarily feeling your best. He showed up tonight and he did a really good job of making the explosive play when he needed it. That just shows what kind of team they are. They battled in a lot of games down the stretch and they pulled them all out. So that’s a really good football team.”

“I think what sometimes hurts is when you put it all out there and it’s still not good enough.”

Nix may not have gotten the result he wanted in the title game, but he still has a lot to look forward to.

He’ll join Penix this Saturday in New York as one of four Heisman Trophy finalists with the chance to take home the most prestigious award in college football following his outstanding season. Nix also confirmed that he will be playing in the Ducks’ New Year’s Six bowl game, as they’ll take on Liberty in the Vrbo Fiesta Bowl which will represent the final game of his collegiate career.