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About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (Oct. 20, 1995)
OREGON VS WASHINGTON STATE Maly LIFE AS A TAILBACK RICKY WHITTLE — !*,<> incft, '95 pound ww toltoc* \ horn f sesno. Caul. and na$ iiwee va^ly -efieis 8 si PERSONAL .V an EngMsfi major, #3', born on December 21 19?! if) Ires o Leonard Dense 8le He amended fd< son High School and m% ccactaed py i any W ais be<o»t coming io Oregon m 199! and redshirttng his lirst yew RECORDS All time single game bin t Qngest Rum (W) yards vs Ca: lorma) II?® 5lh! ongesi Kn *oH R«-' »m (92 yvC'. v\ rij 1 ■ j) 11 12 94 Season 2nd '!► * ?« re? .•■ • |9 30), 33 4 avg} 1994 This season M " : i ■ *,i 1 31. . :■ !' , !> «./• .1) 10 14 95 M ■,! ya»dS , ' ng (161 yc i\ . CaiiUxma) 10 )4 ‘ft l c ■ jrd' ' 1 a (24 *r ;• , minors) 9 9% WHITTLE AVERAGES... 113? rushing yards per game 21 ? 5 aM purpose yards per g»w 41 recephoos per game 49 6 relieving yards per game tO potnis per game TRIVIA QUESTION Wmi outer sport did Went? play m high schooP ACHIEVEMENTS ” - has a,. i. med lor 1 JOS a.' purpose yards Ifus season Was a lust mm All Pac-10 selectors las! season Was the tslOivg,' player to u on both a 50-yard pass play (51 yards 11 12234) ami 50 yard run rfe? yards 11/5/94) Has 25 cliches lor <1% yards and one ID this season CAREER STATISTICS G AT T Hi y A. j IfiG TQ . ,yq !«?■*»i <? !ja aa4 4» si i ac IWfeM! V 294 4j?_ai4 * 44 9 >30 806 4? $7J » 87 HSfcSM 6 M3 6&? 48 113? a 79 dm 38 44.1 not*! S3 8 19 TRIVIA ANSWER Whiffle was a cenief forward on h>s high school soccer seam After a strong game against California last week, senior tailback Ricky Whittle has proved that he is among the nation's best running backs By Trevor Kearney Soort* f ditur Right from the beginning of the season, Mtniortnilh.t( k Rii ky Whittle know |uvt what he had to do and hmv to do it But what no one could have known was |ust how often he was going to end up doing it Whittle, who last year split time with for mtir Oregon tailback Dino Philyow, has emerged as the Duck's primary offensive weapon in the first six gonu's of the 1095 season But that < nines as no surprise to the native of Fresno, Calif “A lot of people hadn’t seen what I ■ an do (coming into this season)," Whittle said of Ins talents But what Whittle had previously done was no small feat, as he had a I reads amassed 1.524 total rushing yards. 401 rei eiving yards and scored 12 touchdowns in his first three collegiate sea sons He had also recorded the Dm ks' fifth longest run ever, an HO-yard touchdown dash against California in 1902. "But I still believed 1 could do more," he said Ti Ana mis year ne has ihlllx ills! !h i' . The Ducks'Sept 'J. ^ game against Utah s no mod to sot the tone for the vonr. as Whittle (arried a team high 30 times for 160 yards and one touch ciown. ana pickeo up an additional touchdown and 26 yards on the receiving end of tile football He has kept up that pace, racking up 6H2 total rushing yards and to total touch downs on the year Whittle is third in the 1 nation in all-purpose yards and ranks sec ond in the Pacific-10 Conference and 25th nationally in rushing with a 113 yards-per gatne average, lie also has the team's longest rushing score of the year (24 yards against Illinois) and has three games of 100-plus yards this season and eight in his career One of those Derfor mamw was la*.! weekend against California, when . Whittle put on one 1 of the most awn- I some perfor mances of his — earner. He ran for Hit yards on 27 You have got to get lost in the game You’ve got to go i>ut there ami play, 66 Ricky Whittle Oregon Tailback 99 carries ami racked up an incredible 312 all purpose yards on the day in the Ducks' 53 30 rout of the Golden Bears “Those 312 all-purpose yards took me hack," Whittle said, adding that he doesn't think about how many yards he has during the game. "I was like. 'Where did that come from?' And then 1 watched the game and 1 said 'Oh, that’s where.'" That kmd of performance has earned Whittle the role of go-to guy when the Ducks , need it This season, Whittle has carried ^ the ball 143 times, unchallenged by any B other Oregon player Whittle is not unac costumed to running the ball play ifB after play after play, hut that role hasn't drained him in the slight wmm ©si Pi in not tired. Whittle said of his extensive role. “This is something ! have envisioned for myself — to be healthy enough to come through for my earn — for a long tune." In fact. Whittle wouldn't want to be any less of a part of the Oregon offense. "You have got to get lost in the game." he said. "You’ve gat to go out there and play. 1 feel in a lot of ways our com dies do look lo me for that.” Whether it be running the ball, catching the ball or throw ing a key block Whit tle just wants to be in on crunch-time. "! also want to be the one to throw that key block," he said. “In a lot of ways, 1 just want to be in on the key situations." Whittle redsnirted in 1991. Turn to WEAPON, Page 8B
