Jordan McCloud had just thrown his second of five interceptions against Oregon, a pick in the back of the end zone on a play where he could have gained a few yards on the ground instead of forcing the ball into coverage.
Frustrated, his head down, McCloud jogged back to the sideline. He was quickly met by coach Jedd Fisch, who instead of tearing into his quarterback about the blatant mistake reaffirmed why he’d gone with McCloud as the starter for that game and, it turns out, for the foreseeable future.
“He was just like, ‘I’m riding with you, I trust you, just keep playing your game, I know you can play,’” McCloud recalls.