Venue: Outdoor practice fields
Format: Full pads
With some time to enjoy with his wife and some friends Monday night, Bo Nix ventured out to Matthew Knight Arena for the season opener featuring the Oregon men’s basketball team.
The UO football team’s starting quarterback couldn’t remain anonymous all night. Eventually, cameras found him, and he appeared on the video board above the basketball court.
Then, a chant arose from the student section across the arena: “Heis-man! Heis-man! Heis-man!”
With Oregon riding an eight-game win streak entering Saturday’s visit to Autzen Stadium by Washington, the UO fan base is at a fever pitch. The appreciation for Nix was reciprocated after football practice Tuesday, when Nix was asked about the adulation from Oregon fans.
“It’s been unbelievable,” Nix said. “I’ve never really felt anything like it. It’s just very supportive and nothing but love from everybody. I just enjoy getting to learn a new atmosphere and go to things. That was my first basketball game, so I got to enjoy that and see the arena for the first time and all that kind of stuff. Just to see that they’re cheering over there just as loud for basketball games as they do football, it’s a great place.”
That chant from the UO student section Monday evening was validated Tuesday, when The Athletic published its weekly straw poll of Heisman Trophy voters. After not appearing in the poll at all the week before, Nix was seventh Tuesday, even earning one first-place vote.
One thing is for sure – he’d get the vote of his UO teammates.
“From the second Bo got here, the first thing that stood out was his leadership,” UO offensive lineman Ryan Walk said. “It was obvious he’d been in big games before and he knew how to command a huddle. If something went wrong, if adversity hit, you knew he was going to right the ship and get us going. That was evident during spring ball, it was evident during winter workouts.”
As much as Nix has lifted up his teammates, they’ve done the same for him. Walk recalled an anecdote from prior to the season opener against Georgia, when Nix told the Ducks that Georgia was likely to make some plays, and Oregon just needed to do the same. The day didn’t unfold how Oregon hoped, and after one of his two interceptions, Nix came off the field lamenting the mistake.
“I said, hey, what did you say before the game?” Walk recalled. “They’re going to make their plays. They got you; let’s go make ours. … We’ve really built…
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