Jeffrey Bassa: "It's all personal."
On Wednesday Oregon held its final open media session ahead of the Civil War game. Clearly a game that carries a lot of weight with players and fans of both teams and in the state of Oregon.
Linebacker Jeffrey Bassa has played through a few Civil War’s at Oregon already. But he knows the importance of this game. Bassa is working hard this week to relay to the transfers and young guys how important this game is. Not just to preserve a playoff bid, but for bragging rights.
Here are most of his top quotes from today with the video included.
On the Rivalry:
“It means the world to me. It means everything. I know it means a lot to the people who have come before me. To the university, to the people of Eugene and to the state of Oregon as well.”
Relaying the Message:
“It’s all personal. I know that we have a whole lot of new guys on the team. I gotta relay that message of what happened in 2022, kind of what they think about you. What they think about us. Just letting them know that it’s real personal.”
On Being a Sept. Game:
“It’s a little different. Ever since I’ve been here we’ve been playing them towards the end of the season. But I think it’s going to be exciting to play them very early. To see the team up North a little bit early.” I’m excited for it.”
On the 2022 Game:
“Just finish. I think finish was the main part. They beat us in the second half. They beat us in the fourth quarter as well.”
On the OSU offense:
“A little bit. They got a new OC. Obviously the head coach was the DC last year so he’s going to bring some things over from the previous staff. Just a little bit of tweaks here and there. A team that prides themselves on running the ball so we have to stop the run.”
On Devon Jackson:
“Shoot it’s every day at practice. It’s the energy he brings at practice. The way the guy flies around. From the Spring he’s been more vocal, he’s changed his body. I think that’s just starting to show up. You guys are seeing that now.”
Jhop’s Take:
I like what Bassa had to say about this game and its importance. It’s easy to let it feel less relevant given the conference changes and direction of the two programs. But traditions like this rivalry are a lifeline of college football. It’s the passion and dislike for one another that makes games like these different.
I hope Bassa is able to properly convey the importance of this game to the transfers and young players. This is a chance for Oregon to send a message to all of college football doubting its legitimacy as a top ten team.
