And you wanted to be a mascot. Imagine that poor dude midway through Oregon’s season-opener, the stress burning through his shoulders, arms and chest.

“How many pushups did he end up doing?” Bo Nix asked.

Five-hundred-forty-six.

“I guess that’s the only negative,” Nix said.

Get ready, Puddles. It’s about to get all kinds of negative in your world.

Just how good can Nix be in Year 2 at Oregon? It might be time to find a mid-game backup for the duck costume.

You know, just in case.

“I hear the duck is still doing pushups,” Oregon coach Dan Lanning joked.

Oregon isn’t throwing up a 70-spot every weekend, but with Nix back for a 5th season, the Ducks are as dangerous as any offense in college football. They’ve lost elite skill players and there’s a new offensive coordinator (Will Stein), and it doesn’t matter.

Because the foundation of what Oregon does offensively hasn’t changed: the throwing, running and off schedule playmaking of Nix.

From misused and misunderstood for 3 years at Auburn to a complete overhaul of who and what he is at Oregon. The playmaking and rare throws every few games at Auburn are every series at Oregon.

The results are undeniable: In 14 games at Oregon, Nix has accounted for 4,390 yards and 46 TDs (14 rush). Those 46 TDs were 7 shy of Nix’s 3-year total at Auburn.

But now what?

Nix returned to Eugene for a 5th season, and already NFL scouts are projecting him as a Day 2 selection — with a potential to move into the 1st round. He’s athletic, he’s fast (4.4 40) and he has elite arm talent.

His completion percentage last season at Oregon (71.9)  jumped more than 13 points from his average at Auburn, and the ball is going downfield. His 8.8 average per attempt last year is nearly 2 yards more from his time at Auburn — a significant jump in a statistic that typically increases in tenths of yards.

He got married a year ago, settled into a new life in the Northwest, and his idea of a night off is babysitting so Lanning and his wife, Sauphia, can get alone time.

This offseason he read Good to Great, a book from former Stanford business professor Jim Collins detailing how companies defy logic and convert from long-term mediocrity into long-term superiority.

A key concept in the book is why “stop doing” lists are as important as “to-do” lists.

This, of course, fits perfectly with the football mindset of practice and preparation, and avoiding the same mistakes that — over and over — prevent players and teams from developing into the elite of their sport.

At the top of the list for Nix: playing on the road.

Over the past 4 years, the difference between Nix playing at home and his performance on the road has been drastic — even in last year’s breakout season. His TD/INT ratio in home games  is 43/4; in road games, it’s 28/20.

That’s what makes a testy game at Texas Tech this weekend so intriguing, and why it could explain how Nix’s final season in college could translate into not only a huge event — but a quick rise up NFL Draft boards.

Texas Tech blew a 17-point lead at Wyoming last week, and the sleeper pick to win the Big 12 is suddenly in desperation mode. Not only is Lubbock, Texas, one of the more underrated and difficult places to play in college football, the Red Raiders’ quarterback is Tyler Shough — who left Oregon after leading the Ducks to the 2020 Pac-12 championship.

The wild night environment, a desperate team and a motivated quarterback. Not a good combination.

“They’re going to be a hostile crowd,” Nix told reporters Wednesday after practice. “It’s going to be a good road game.”

It’s also the perfect spot for taking out the “stop doing” list. Stop shortening your depth, stop taking incorrect drops, stop using the wrong footwork, stop throwing across the middle late.

Because a typical “to-do” list is simply reaffirming what you’ve been taught — not correcting shortfalls. You’re coached to do A, B and C, and if you failed, the self evaluation isn’t don’t forget to do A, B and C.

In a “stop doing” list, you failed in A, B and C. But it’s tangible and fixable — beginning with personal responsibility.

It’s not unlike what Nix learned with former Oregon OC Kenny Dillingham, who left after last season to take the Arizona State job. Dillingham told Nix when arrived in Eugene that he could promise him 1 thing: He wouldn’t be surprised by anything.

He’ll know every defense, every coverage, every blitz. And have every answer — if he worked and studied.

The rest is up to him.

When there are no surprises — when the offense under Stein is nearly identical to 2022 — the job of doing A, B and C (or executing “stop doing” lists) becomes much easier.

“Incredibly peaceful,” is how Nix explained the impact of Dillingham.

If that peaceful feeling travels with Nix to Lubbock on Saturday night, a trap game won’t be as dangerous as it looks.

And the duck is in for another long night.