sports_
Miller cleared for starting role against WSU
By Allan Lazo
Of the Emerald
Oregon received good news
this week when quarterback
Chris Miller was cleared to
start, and the Ducks will need
his offensive firepower to con
tend with the high-scoring of
fense of Washington State
University as the Cougars come
to Eugene Saturday.
The Ducks, 4-3 overall and
1-3 in the Pac-10, meet the
Cougars in a 1 p.m. contest at
Autzen Stadium. WSU, 3-4
overall and 1-2 in league, is
fresh off a 49-42 win over Stan
ford in which they scored 42
second-half points.
Miller will get the starting
call Saturday after he suffered a
mild concussion from a'
“flagrant head butt” on a late
hit by University of Washington
linebacker Reggie Rogers.
Miller sat out three quarters of
mmm
the Washington game, but
Oregon coach Rich Brooks an
nounced Thursday that the
sophomore quarterback will be
able to start Saturday’s
Homecoming game.
Miller said that his head was
clearing although he still suf
fered minor headaches from a
mild concussion, but was
cleared for practice on
Wednesday.
While Miller will start the
game, the Ducks know that they
can count on senior Mike
Jorgensen to move the team
after he came in relief of Miller
against Washington.
As for the Cougars, Mother
Nature, not the Ducks may be
the biggest obstacle in the way
of WSU’s patented option
offense. Cougar coach Jim
Walden thinks the Oregon
weather may neutralize his
team’s offense.
18 MINUTES
FROM
OREGON VS
UCLA.
ONLY $68
A NIGHT
FOR 2.
You’ll cheer this deal from the Bonaventure:
a single or double room for only $69 a night
Friday through Sunday, the weekend of your
game.
The Oregon/UCLA Game will be in
the world-famous Rose Bowl in Pasadena, just
18 minutes away.
Win or lose, youll savor the delights of
our Top of Five Restaurant 35 stories above
Los Angeles. And you’ll enjoy the breathtak
ing views from our revolving Bona V ista
lounge. Or a relaxing cocktail with your
friends in the spacious atrium Lobby Court,
amid an acre of water.
Call your travel agent or toll free
(800) 228-3000 and ask for the Football
Caper Package. _
TheWestin bonaventure
Los Anseles
Page 8, Section A
‘‘We don’t handle the ball
well in Oregon because it is
always raining. So we end up
not running many options
because we can’t,” says Walden
who claims that the slickness of
the wet turf keeps them from
running the option play.
‘‘The weather restricts us and
takes away one of our attack
points which is a favor to the
Oregon defense or any
defense,” says Walden.
The rain may be the only
thing to slow WSU’s option at
tack because no other Pac-10
team has been able to stop them.
The Cougars boast the second
best scoring offense (26.4 points
a game) in the league and top
the Pac-10 conference in total
offense with 405 yards a game.
WSU’s offense has also scored a
league-leading 23 touchdowns
this year.
The key man in the Cougars’
offensive scheme is quarterback
Mark Rypien. Rypien leads the
Pac-10 in total offense and
touchdown passes. The
sophomore signal caller has
completed over 50 percent of
his passes for 1,318 yards and
10 touchdowns.
“1 guess he’s been performing
better than any quarterback in
the league since he is leading
the league.” says Walden. “1
don’t have any complaints and
I’m glad he is here and not
somewhere else.”
But the real offensive threat
for the Cougars is running back
Rueben Mayes. Mayes leads the
Pac-10 in rushng with 861 yards
on 139 carries, which also puts
The Take-a-Duck-to-Lunch program proved
highly successful. Due to an overwhelming
response, however, not all students were match
ed up. We appreciate the student response and
will keep the applications on file in the hopes that
the program will reoccur.
5incerely,
The 1984 Student Homecoming
Committee
EUGENE’S 8th ANNUAL
HALLOWEEN BALL
STARRING
WITH SPECIAL
GUESTS
THIS PARTY
KINGS
OCT 31, 1964
EUGENE HILTON
7 5 96 ADVANCE
• / 6 96 AT THE DOOR
___ AVAILABLE AT
__W EVERYBODY’S
\ RECORDS
\ SPOOKY SPECIALS
_ , FOR BEST
COSTUME
PRODUCED BT DOUBLE TEE
Photo by Kirk MiroU
Oregon quarterback Chris Miller will be back in the starting line
up for Saturday’s Homecoming game against Washington State
University after suffering a mild concussion last week.
him fifth nationally. Last week
in Stanford. Mayes rushed for
216 yards and scored five
touchdowns which was the
league's highest single-game
rushing perfomance. For last
week’s efforts. Mayes was nam
ed thePac-10 offensive pjayerof
the week.
“I'm sure we’re going to be
up for it but it is a difficult of
fense," says Brooks of VVSU’s
offense. “I'm sure wfe probably
won’t have the same results (on
defense) we have had the last
two weeks.”'
Brooks knows WSU’s offense
can put points on the board in a
hurry. The Cougars scored 28
points in the fourth period
against Stanford.
“They do more things that are
likely to hurt us*— by spreading
us out all over .the field and
throwing the ball as well as run
ning the option.” says Brooks.
"We haven't seen an offense
like this all year so that is an ad
ded complication.”
While the Ducks enter the
game as two point favorites, the
frustration level on the team is
high. Oregon has dropped its
last three contests to the top
three teams in the league
(Arizona, USC. Washington),
but all have been hard-fought
contests which could have gone
either way.
“It’s kind of frustrating to the
fact that we have lost three, but
the reverse of that is that we
have outplayed the other
teams.” says Jorgensen who
had a stellar performance off the
bench against the Huskies.
“Of course, outplaying them
doesn’t get it done if he
scoreboard doesn’t read in your
favor.” says Jorgensen.
Oregon realizes that the
scoreboard will be the key this
week as WSU coach Walden ad
mits his Cougars are “not a very
good defensive team but that
has been overshadowed by how
bad our special teams have
played.”
Brooks says he doesn’t think
his team has a chance to win if
they can’t score 30 points
against the Cougar defense that
is ranked ninth in the league.
Friday, October 26, 1984