As the Cougars prepare to face the University of Oregon Saturday, Football Head Coach Mike Leach is adamant that the mindset of the team should be no different than a non-conference game.

Leach, redshirt junior quarterback Luke Falk, junior cornerback Marcellus Pippins and redshirt senior nickel-corner Colton Teglovic addressed the media Monday, as they prepare to take on the University of Oregon Saturday.

The Pac-12 is a tough conference to figure out, Leach explained. He said football is football, and if each player on the team continues to improve, the team will win games, and reach their full potential.

“Who you’re playing is irrelevant,” Leach said. “You should be trying to make the most of your skills and your abilities that you can.”

In order to help the players reach their potential, Leach explained that the practices during the bye week have been intense, pushing the team to be the best it can be. Leach and the coaching staff plan to keep the intensity at a high level until the end of the season, hammering out a strong and coherent team.

Leach also addressed the issue of toughness and energy that surfaced after the Boise State game earlier this year.

“We’ve had a lot of energy in practice,” Leach said regarding toughness during the bye. “I have been happy with the way we’ve been practicing, now we need to transfer it to the game.”

Running back Royce Freeman remains uncertain for the Ducks this weekend due to a leg injury. He is questionable to play on Saturday, and many wonder how the presence or absence of Freeman will affect the Cougar game plan.

“The other backs are good too,” Leach said, “it really doesn’t change anything.”

Whether or not Freeman plays, WSU will plan for him to play and expect to stop the run.

“Freeman is a good player, but in any case, we are going to try and have people there to take (the runner),” Leach said.

While Oregon has depth at the running back position, the Cougars will also have to prepare for Oregon’s mobile quarterback Dakota Prukop, something the Cougs did not face the last time these two teams met when WSU beat the Ducks in Eugene last season.

“There are no difficulties (defending a dual-threat quarterback), just focusing on our own technique, running the defense the coach tells us to run, execute, get downhill and find the ball,” Pippins said.

Pippins is still confident that if everyone on the defense does their job, they will be able to contain the dual-threat quarterback Prukop.

One area that Leach said he is particularly happy with so far this year has been the special teams. Special teams coach Eric Mele leads in his second full season with the Cougars and has made a noticeable impact.

“He’s not reckless about trying to do too much,” Leach said.

Leach also explained that football is about execution, and Mele’s mindset of not over-adjusting and just focusing on proper execution contributes to Mele’s success.

As a special teams standout, Teglovic explained that there are many opportunities to change momentum on the ‘third side of the ball.’ In order to help the team, he focuses on playing with intensity, and playing every down at full speed in an effort to make that momentum swinging play in favor of the Cougars.

“Any time you can change momentum on special teams, that’s huge,” Teglovic said of the two special team scores against the University of Idaho on Sept.17.

Teglovic attributes an improvement in kick coverage this season to competitiveness between the players on the coverage team. There is always a hunger to get downfield and make a play on a kickoff.

Pippins explained the Pac-12 play on the horizon excites the team, and they will be ready to go in front of a packed house when the lights come on Saturday night.

All four speakers talked about the timing of the bye week.

“It kind of sucks, we have nine games straight with no break now but at the same time it’s what we needed,” Pippins said.

The Cougars approach the upcoming game with poise and understanding that even though the Ducks took a tough loss at home last week, they are still a threat.

Falk said the team greatly focused on getting off to a fast pace during the bye week.

“I thought we had a good bye week, we practiced really hard, really fast,” Falk said. “We came out fast which was something we struggled with the first three weeks.”

The Cougars expect to get off to a fast start when they open up conference play against the Ducks in Martin Stadium Saturday at 6:30 p.m.