Defensive lineman Popo Aumavae discusses battling adversity during his time at Oregon.
Category
🥇
SportsTranscript
00:00 a couple years later, but whether it was COVID,
00:02 whether it was the shoulder, whether it was the foot,
00:04 or the hand, like, you've got a lot thrown at you
00:06 the last three or four years.
00:08 How, from your perspective, you got to this point
00:11 and to stick with it?
00:13 I would really say just the people in this building,
00:16 people in that building, the training staff,
00:18 my family back home, they just kept me motivated.
00:20 And my goal was always to play at the next level.
00:24 So I mean, I had a purpose before anybody had an opinion.
00:27 And I mean, I may be old, but my whole goal
00:30 is to go to the league and take the next step.
00:32 And whatever that may be, whether it's injuries or COVID
00:36 or--
00:36 I mean, everybody's going to have adversity.
00:38 It's just how you respond to it.
00:40 What-- you had to put a percentage on it.
00:42 What percentage are you playing at right now?
00:44 And still getting to play well, but it's clear
00:47 that you're playing through a few things.
00:50 I mean, I wouldn't put a percentage on it.
00:52 I wouldn't say it's 100, but I'm just
00:55 here to do my 111th and be the best whatever position I can be
00:59 or older guy, whether it's being motivational or on the field
01:03 wise.
01:03 So--
01:05 If you guys was on that 2019 team that was here,
01:07 I don't-- did you play in that game against Arizona State?
01:11 No, it's funny, too.
01:13 We went back to the Clips and we watched it.
01:15 I remember I was at home that week.
01:17 I was-- I had vertigo.
01:19 So it was--
01:21 I think it was the Monday of when we were facing Arizona.
01:23 We just started feeling dizzy and they said I had vertigo.
01:27 So I was out that week and I was at home
01:28 and I had to watch that one at home
01:30 and it was pretty frustrating.
01:31 But I know the feeling and I've definitely told the guys,
01:34 we've been here, I've been here before.
01:36 We're going to get everybody's best punch because it's
01:38 November football.
01:39 So--
01:40 I was going to ask along those same lines
01:42 if you guys are outperforming what they've done this year,
01:44 but still the fact that going down to Arizona
01:46 has been tough for you guys.
01:47 How much is that something you guys are
01:48 discussing or talking about?
01:49 Or is that just--
01:50 I think you mentioned once and moved on from it.
01:53 Like I said, we're going to get everybody's best punch.
01:55 It's November football.
01:57 It's coming towards the end and I
01:58 feel like we always have a target on our back.
02:00 Everybody wants to get Oregon out of whatever
02:03 running we're in for.
02:05 But it's an important game because it's the next game.
02:09 I don't think it's any more important than the Pac-12,
02:13 obviously.
02:14 But it's just-- it's the next game
02:16 and we're taking it step by step just as important
02:18 as it was for USC in any prior game.