Oregon head coach Willie Taggart was addressing reporters on Monday when a reporter asked about the upcoming signing day for high school recruits. During the question, the reporter said, “There is a bowl game you might make,” with a pause before the word “might.”

Taggart jumped on it: “Why did you pause on that? You weren’t really confident with that.”

After a turbulent season, the Ducks enter their week 11 bye with a record of 5-5. The bye comes with two home games left and an opportunity to clinch a bowl game with a win. The Ducks are using the bye to hit a reset button.

“If you look at the season, it’s kind of like we’ve been through hell and back,” Taggart said. “We’ve dealt with smoke, a losing streak and some injuries, and we still have an opportunity to double our win total.”

The Ducks started the season 3-0 and broke back into the AP top 25. They then lost on the road to Arizona State, and in a victory over Cal, starting quarterback Justin Herbert fractured his collarbone.

A three game losing streak ensued, and players started dropping with injuries all while the Ducks were trying to survive. So the bye week will start with getting physically ready for the final two weeks.

Oregon Ducks defensive lineman Jordon Scott (34) lies on the ground in the Oregon bench area close to the end of the game. The Oregon Ducks face the No. 12 Washington Huskies at Husky Stadium in Seattle, Wash. on Nov. 4, 2017. (Adam Eberhardt/Emerald)

“Recover, first of all,” center Jake Hanson said about what the team hopes to accomplish this week. “It’s nice to just get some time off, but I think it’s just really hone in on technique and just personal growth.”

Taggart will be giving players significant time off. They will practice Monday through Wednesday this week, but they will have Thursday through Saturday off, and get back to practice on Sunday.

During practice, the Ducks will pick small things to personally improve on. They will prepare for Arizona, but the team will look at internal improvement first.

The goal for the bye week is simple: “To get a hell of a lot better than what we were the week before at everything we do,” Taggart said.

Offensively, the coaches chose specific schemes within run blocking and pass protection to improve on. Oregon did few things well in the running game throughout its losses, including when it only scored three points against Washington.

However, three points on the scoreboard still tells most of the story.

“By no means are we where we need to be,” Taggart said. “There’s a lot of improvements that we can continue [to] make, and that we have to make if we’re going to be the football team we intend to be.”

The main reason why the Ducks have struggled in Pac-12 play is because of Herbert’s absence. If he returns for any of the final two games, the Ducks will be a different team. According to Taggart, Herbert is approaching the recovery window.

Even with freshman Braxton Burmeister at quarterback — which he has been the last five games, compiling a 1-4 record — the Ducks have still been significantly better at home. Luckily for the Ducks, the final two games of the season will be at Autzen.

With Burmeister at starting quarterback, the Ducks have scored a combined 51 points at home in two games. On the road, the Ducks have scored only 24 points in three games.

In the victory over Utah, he was 9-of-12 with one touchdown. Against Washington State — a loss — he was still efficient, going 15-of-27 for 145 yards and one touchdown, but he also had two interceptions.

Oregon Ducks cornerback Deommodore Lenoir (15) tries to break up a pass meant for a Washington player. The Oregon Ducks face the No. 12 Washington Huskies at Husky Stadium in Seattle, Wash. on Nov. 4, 2017. (Adam Eberhardt/Emerald)

Arizona and Oregon State are the final two teams Oregon will face. Coaches and players are focused on Arizona, but it is no secret that they will be extra hungry for a victory given that they are one win away from a bowl game.

Bowl games are extremely important because it means the team get an additional couple weeks to practice. Last season, Oregon missed a bowl game and missed an opportunity to improve and grow. They only got to practice during the season and in the spring.

If the Ducks make a bowl game, that means extra practice. Say the Ducks make four straight bowl games; with at least 15 extra practices for each game, that equals 60 extra practices throughout a player’s’ career.

That is like striking gold.

“Oh god, I mean, it’s the mother of all teachers, right?” offensive line coach Mario Cristobal said. “And learning, the repetition, it’s invaluable. That’s been one of the top goals coming into this season.

“It’s invaluable, and we’re pushing hard to make sure that gets done.”

If the Ducks want to defeat Arizona, they’ll have to stop quarterback Khalil Tate. He has rushed for 130 or more yards in all five of his starts and has emerged as a Heisman dark horse candidate.

So although the Ducks will focus on themselves during the bye week, they can’t help but prepare for Tate.

“I wish we had two bye weeks,” Taggart said in regards to preparing for Tate.

The bye week is the natural pause for the team to regroup. The coaches will also go out and recruit during the weekend off, hoping that those players can help them make bowl games in the future.

But for now, the team wants to reset and end the season 2-0.

“I know our guys feel better about getting their bodies back right, and get ready for a two game season; to regroup, reset and get rolling again,” Taggart said.

Follow Jack Butler on Twitter @Butler917

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