SPORTS
Defense picks up slack in win over New Mexico St.
By Dave Charbonneau
Emerald S[,x.v!s Reporter
Oregon may have won S.iiar
day’s game over lowly New
Mexico State 2'l (i at Aut/en
Stadium. Out from what the
two teams were saving after the
game, it sounded as if it were
the other way around.
Oregon couch Rich Brooks:
"I'm not real pleased with the
way we played
New Mexico State Uriel>.u k t
Steve Campbell: "This game
was the first time all year that
we played well'as a team
Oregon coruerback Dai vie
Smith: "We did not play as
well as we are capable of phn
mg”
Niiw Mexico State quarter
back Cody Ledbetter: "Today
we played the best football we
have played all year."
New Mexico State moved the
ball well for most of the game
against the heavily favored
But ks in a game that was much
closer than the score indicated
Oregon outgained the Aggies
by only 27 yards in total of
fense, had only three more first
downs and threw for ■!.! yards
less than New Mexico State
"In some places, they out
played us," Brooks said
One thing is for sure: Ore
gon's first victory in three
games was nothing to get too
ext ited about In fad, the (j.imi:
If ft Ihf injurvriddled I »u; S'.-- in
pretty bid shape
Oregon addl'd quarterback
O.i nny O'Neil and de If ini e
end Matt I.aBountv to their hi
ready weighty, injury list It is
unknown how long either plus
er vvill be out
"We re a vers badls heat ...
football team, said Hi k
"and now we lose our starting
iju.irterbai k and one ol our best
defensive linemen
O'Neil started and played lor
the entire first half before lie mg
taken out with a disloi ate I
Ilium!) and Was replaced by
Brett Salisbury to start the third
•.quarter' O'Neil said he injured
his hand early m the game tint
kept quiet,about it
"The injury happened on ei
ther the first or second series o!
the game, V" O'Neil said i
didn't really say anything ex
eept; to: Doug Alusgrave) until
about two minutes before the
11nil when1 told the trainers
The Dur k offense vs as not
particularly effective under ei
ther of tiie quarterbacks, and
was, at times, downright stag
nant.
“Offensively, we sputtered,
and sputtered anti sputtered,'
Brooks said.
They sputtered so much that
Turn ' FOOTBALL Pag- * 1
Marcus Woods celebrates as James Hautista scores a touchdown on an interception return
Oregon returns to win column but pays a heavy price
By Jake Berg
Emerald Sports Editor
It was a game of returns and
returners, the return of a smile
and those who may not return.
Oregon made a return to the
win column Saturday, heating
Now Mexico State 29-0 at Aut
/on Stadium. The victory was
Oregon's first in three games,
but it was still no piece of art.
"We gained a "W." and that's
what we needed the most," Or
egon Couch Kicii Brooks of his
3-2 team. “I'm not really
pleased with our play, I'm
pleased with our win Offen
sively, we sputtered and sput
tered and sputtered"
And were it not for two big
plays on defense, Oregon could
have been in trouble
James Bautista's 13-yard in
tori option nil urn for u touch
down in the lirst quarter and
Darylc Smith's 0-1 yard mar
atiion of an interception return
to tile end zone put the Ducks
up 21 :t curly in the second
half
Bautista's return got the hull
rolling by giving Oregon its first
score, and Smith's score halted
an Aggies’ drive that could
have brought New Mexico State
within 1-110, had it scored a
touchdown
"If they had scored there,
we re in lor a tight." Oregon de
tensive coordinator Denny
Schuler said "Interceptions tor
touchdowns are tremendous
momentum swings There's
nothing better."
Bautista lumbered up the
near sideline and into the end
zone after picking off 1’aul Rod
rigue/.'s pass deilei lion, and
Smith, after intercepting the
ball on the Oregon (> yard line
from Chad Cota's deflection,
sprinted outside to the sideline
with .1 group of Duck, blockers
along for the rule
Smith, playing in his first
game siru e being suspended lor
a week for unspecified disci
plinary reasons, tell he wanted
to do something positive lor the
team Hut getting 'll yards was
no easy chore
"In the back of my mind. I
was saving, 'Cut to the near
sideline,'" Smith said "I
tense to score less than the de
fense," Schuler joked.
No joking matter, though, is
the possible loss ol two more
starters to injury An epidemic
of injuries has already plagued
the Out k squad this season, hut
Saturday the names uf whirling
humped into (Oregon llnehuck
it) Ernest Junes, but 1 kepi run
ning and then there was mi one
there
Bautista did not run into unv
ut tils teammates, but he did
have to hurdle one before lining
trickled in the end zone
"Actually. I wish 1 would
h a v e vv o n t uni a ti c h e d , ”
Bautista saiil
l-'ur from untouched was the
Oregon offense, who was even
outscored at one point by the
1 )u< k delen.se Wert it not li a
Dob Brothers' two point con
version on a I lad snap, the de
fense would have out ..red tie
offense
"My theory is the rea-.on tii.it
(Oregon offensive coordinate!
Mike) liellolti Went for two n
because- he didn't want tin- ot
quarterback Danny O'Neil and
defensive me) Mall I allounly
were added In that 1:1
O' Noll’s dislocated thumb
may ki;«• j» him out <d .11 linn Ini
a munlh A sprained right knee
m.iv keep l.aDtninlv Irnm m
turning in l.u o (.'allforni.1 this
weekend Hr was In hair tin
dergone \ rays Sunday, hut the
irsulls weir nut known al jirrss
time.
Some ram good nows from
thu injury list was the unex
pected rolurn ol tailback Scan
U u r wo 11. w ho m i s s t-d I ho
Ducks' Iasi Iwo games bn au so
ol a sprained ankle I ho sopho*
more ran 17 limes Im 7-1 yards
in his return.
"I'm very happy to see Sean
Huiwell hack and running with
a smile on ins l.u o.” Ilrooks
said
Photo by J«rtf Pasiay
Oregon's Ah Watkins, No. 11, makes a kill Saturday against
Washington State.
Volleyball injury situation becomes worse
By .layson Jacoby
i .1.1'.t .1 Sports Reporter
Just when tin' injury situation
for the Oregon volleyball team
started to girt better. It go! worse
again
Tiie Duds, who have played
much of the season without
starters Mindou Adams and
Marciu Price, were swept over
the weekend bv 20th renki -d
Washing.! n S: and Washn: •
ton, minus the servii es of se
nior settle Molly Mi C.rath, w ho
injured her hai k during prac
tice last Week
McGrath's status lor this
weekend's games a' California
and Stanford is uni ertain
(Jregon, 1 -5 m the Pin ifli in
Conference and 11 7 overall,
did have the serve es ol Adams,
its senior captain, in Friday's
loss to Washington, hut she was
only able to play in the hack
row She did riot play Saturday
against Washington State
A crowd of 000 at Mi Arthur
Court Saturday night s.ivv lih*
Ducks fight out .1 tough in.ili h
with the 20lh ranked Cougars
Tho Ducks, however, failed to
sustain enough momentum to
win a singlti game
Oregon junior Alt Watkins
hail seven kills in the lirst
game, including three in a row
In i lose a u -1 Washington State
lead to u H, hut the Cougars
scored six of the last seven
points to close out the game.
Alter trailing throughout the
second game, the Dui ks took a
plies •! 1 lead in the third, only
to see Washington State rai e to
a 7-0 lead.
The Cougars broke a 10-10 tie
hv scoring the last five points to
close out the sweep, 15-*), 15 0.
15-10.
"We played great volleyball,"
Cregory said. "We just couldn't
stop their middle attack We
need to put up .i little better
block against that team
Watkins 1ml the Ducks with
. i k ills, .1 in 1 S11ilulliin Warren
added Kl
Orngun's leading h 1111- r.
lJawnn Cliarroin, created quite
.! .care lor tIn: Dm ks whim shu
( .11111! out of till! Second gaillO
with .in injured shoulder, hut
(injury said the injury isn't se
rinus
Kedshirt frushinan Kalin hrrr
fi I led in solidlv for Mr (hath as
setter fur Oregon, recording -1 f>
■i ,sists along witli a tuamhigh
M digs Stic also chipped in
hair kills
Washington Slate (lit at a
2/8 clip lor the match, despite
heating Oregon State in a mar
atlion live-game match the
night Indore.
"I was worried," Cougar
(lum h Cindy I red rick said
"We were pretty tired 1 W.e.
glad to see they (the team) ( ame
out pretty bred up
Turn to VOLLEYBALL, Pago 11