| | | |
Friday, December 13, 2002
Player Q&A -- Oregon defensive end Jason Nikolao
BCSfootball.com
Oregon senior defensive end Jason Nikolao will be called upon by a young Oregon defense to shut down the Wisconsin Badgers this Saturday. The 6-foot-2, 300-pound end is one of only three returning defensive starters for the Ducks this season. In the season-opening 36-7 victory over Nevada, Nikolao made four tackles, including three-for-loss. He spoke with BCSfootball.com before Saturday's game between Oregon and No. 6 Wisconsin (ABC, 3:30 p.m. ET).
USC and UCLA have opened the season for the Pac-10 with big wins. Do you feel pressure to continue the league's drive for respectability?
|  | | Oregon's Jason Nikolao says the Wisconsin offensive line is the best he's seen in his four years. |
Jason Nikolao: Every game is pressure, but there is a lot of added pressure them being the No. 6-ranked team in the nation. This is kind of a redemption season for the Pac-10, so we are glad that USC and UCLA were good games, and hopefully we are going to play our best.
Oregon carries a seven-game winning streak into this week's game and finished 9-3 in 1999. In the Pac-10, however, everyone is talking about Washington, USC and UCLA. Do you feel that there is sometimes a lack of respect for Oregon and its accomplishments?
Jason Nikolao: That's what we have been shooting for a couple of years now. In the past, we haven't gotten a lot of respect. As the only Pac-10 team to win a bowl game, we are looking for the rest of the nation to hold us in high regard with Washington, USC and UCLA. We have been beating those teams and it has been going back-and-forth the last couple of years. It should have opened a couple of eyes. We are still playing for respect though.
Bob Davie said this week that Notre Dame had been preparing for No. 1 Nebraska before the season even with Texas A&M on the schedule first. Has Oregon done the same thing with No. 6 Wisconsin?
Jason Nikolao: We are not allowed to say it, but we talked about it. The coaches wanted us to prepare for Nevada, don't worry about Wisconsin. They said that openly to the team in team meetings, but in the locker room talk, we kind of knew that Nevada had a new coach and had been struggling. We had to come out and play our best football against them to see where we were.
Wisconsin has been the team we were waiting for. We had late information that we were going to play a game before them. It was originally going to be a Thursday game. I guess it was just instilled in a lot of players' minds that we were going to play them first, and we never really got out of that. Basically, we have been preparing for Wisconsin since last year.
It will not be known until game-time who will serve Wisconsin's suspensions this week. How has the team prepared for this?
Jason Nikolao: We are preparing for them to bring their best players out because we are going to have our best players. Whoever they line up, we are preparing for them to have everybody, all their All-Big Ten, All-American players, and we are going to have our best players. We are just going to go at it.
Wisconsin's offensive line is one of the best in the country. Is there anyone in particular that you are impressed with?
Jason Nikolao: It is probably the best offensive line I have seen on film since I have been here. They have good chemistry and they just work really hard to get the job done. We have been working extra hard for these guys this week.
They reach block, they do everything almost as close to perfection. That's what we have been trying to do together -- working on our chemistry, and things are looking good for us.
Wisconsin quarterback Brooks Bollinger is undefeated since he became Wisconsin's starting quarterback. On film, have you noticed anything that makes him special?
Jason Nikolao: He's a great athlete. He uses his speed really well. He's a fast, fast quarterback and he's very elusive. We need to contain him and keep him in the pocket. I am pretty sure he is going to try to run all over us, so we are going to try to get our hands on him as much as possible.
How about running back Michael Bennett?
Jason Nikolao: That's a big, fast running back. We played against fast running backs and big running backs. But he has a great combination of both. We're just going to see how the game goes on Saturday. We're going to just see what he's got. He's going to bring his best stuff, and we're going to bring our best stuff. We'll see the best man is going to win.
Coach Mike Bellotti was pleased with the defensive line's effort against Nevada after racking up eight sacks and giving up minus-3 yards rushing. What did he tell the line this week in practice?
Jason Nikolao: He was telling us this is the best offensive line we're ever going to see in our lives. That's true. I have seen them on film. That's the way I feel about it too. He has been telling us that all the work we have done in the past, we have to pick it up a notch. We did good against Nevada and we do good against the offensive line in practice, but come game-time, these guys have been playing, they know how to play in games, they play hard and fast. He told us to get mentally prepared and physically prepared because these are some big boys and they are going to come after us with everything they've got.
Being one of the few veterans on the defense, you seem to relish being in a leadership role. What have you done this August and September to help some of the younger players?
Jason Nikolao: All the seniors have been telling all the younger guys that are going to play and that have to step up to play, we're telling them that this is the most important thing we have to do until school starts. We don't have anything else to do; we just have to focus on football, football and football.
We told them from the beginning that this is what we do all our lives and this is our last year, so we want to make it a special one. We are trying to get everybody on the same page, so we can put in the same type of effort and win ballgames.
Your safety was the first two points of the season for Oregon. What kind of reaction did you have?
Jason Nikolao: When I first tackled him in the end zone, I was looking for the ref. I had to find the ref to make sure those two hands went up in the air and slapped together. As soon as I saw that, I knew it was real. Before that, guys were like, 'You scored. Safety, safety.' Then I looked at him, and as soon as he gave me that nod, I was like ? oh wow ? I can't even explain how I felt. I was just overcome with joy. I was running around the end zone, doing all kinds of things. It was crazy. That was probably one of my best moments since I have been here.
Last year, Coach Bellotti received a contract extension. How much has he meant for the program?
Jason Nikolao: Coach Bellotti has been a great over these last years. I don't think there was anybody that could have done better. Before, it was a blessing to have winning seasons. Now it is expected and it is not going to surprise anybody when we beat the UWs and the UCLAs and the big ranked teams. That is a credit to him.
He turned this program around and now all we are doing is going forward because he has great leadership, he is really close to his players and he always keeps us on top of things. He keeps us with the right attitude and that's towards winning.
| | | |
|
|
