Emerald
THE FORGOTTEN ONE
Strong safety Jaiya Figueras wonders
when his time to play again will come
BROTHERLY LOVE
Redshirt freshman quarterback Brock
Huard takes over where Damon left off
SPORTS EXTRA
October 25,1996
i ne uregon- wasnington game is
one to live for each year as it
promises to be competitive down
to the final whistle
Oh, what a game! What a
matchup! What a rivalry! What
a thrill! BRING ON THE
DAWGS!!!
Every year around this time my blood
boils from anticipation of the big game. It
doesn’t matter if the Ducks are in the hunt
for the Rose Bowl or sitting in the cellar of
the Pacific-10 Conference, because when
that one Saturday in late October or early
OPINION
Mart
Mcfyre
November rolls around
it’s time to get it on.
Being from Seattle, 1
have always known
about the rivalry be
tween the two schools,
but I never really got a
taste of the whole thing
until I arrived at Oregon
four years ago as a trans
fer student.
In 1993, the Ducks,
who needed a Pac-10 win to strengthen
bowl hopes, abruptly lost to the Huskies 21
6, triggering a season-ending tai lspin for
Oregon. Quarterback Danny O’Neil took
away all chances of an Oregon victory that
day by throwing six interceptions.
Going into that game I really couldn’t get
pumped up. I didn’t have a ticket, which
left me with only the “Voice of the Ducks,”
Jerry Allen, on the radio. The following year
would be a different story.
Being the beat reporter in 1994,1 had the
obligation of sitting in the press box, how
ever, my obligation to being a fan ran deep
er. I had another reporter take my spot in the
box so 1 could fulfill the void left from the
previous season. I’ll never in my lifetime re
gret that decision.
Throughout the game, from one minute
to the next, emotions ran like a roller coast
er, but it wasn't until the fourth quarter that
things got interesting. With seven minutes
and 40 seconds remaining and the Ducks
trailing 20-17, Oregon had to start from its
own 2-yard line. One would think it was an
impossible task. VVrong!
O’Neil guided the offense down the field
with pin-point passing and exceptional
play-calling. He showed his best at Wash
ington’s doorstep as he called an audible at
the line of scrimmage for a dive/option
Turn to McTYRE, Page 7B
EMERALD
Oregon and Washington will battle it out for the 90th time at Autzen Stadium Saturday, as
the Ducks seek their third-striaght win over the Huskies.
The 96-year rivalry has been
chaulkedjull oj confrontation,
blowouts and close finishes
By Ryan Frank
Sports Reporter
“Win without boasting — lose without ex
cuse." — Anonymous.
If there ever was a quote that exemplified
the 96-year series between Oregon and
Washington, that is not it.
Not after Kevin Parker danced around
Husky Stadium with a towel around his
neck displaying Husky place kicker John
Wales’ choke act of missing two late field
goals in Oregon s 24-22
win last season. ,
And not after Husky
head coach Jim Lam- j
bright campaigned for j
his team to be chosen •
over Oregon for the Cot
ton Bowl in 1995 by
telling the Tacoma
News-Tribune, “If we 1
win next week, we *
Nt/ ^
RIVALRY
INSIDE
should go to the Lotton
Bowl,” Lambright said.
“But look at the non
conference schedules.
[Oregon] played some
sisters.”
While Oregon has had
recent success against
■ A rivalry
breakdown
dating back to
the 1948 game
that started it all
between the two
schools/6A, 7A
vvasmngton, tnere nas not Deen muon parity
within the last 20 years.
Washington has owned Oregon ever since
it dismantled the Ducks with a 66-0 win at
Husky Stadium in 1974. Since that game,
Washington proceeded to win 17 of the next
20 meetings between the two teams and be
fore the 1994 game, they had won five
straight.
“For a lot of years it wasn’t a rivalry, it
was a one-sided rivalry,” said Jerry Allen,
the “Voice of the Ducks” for the last nine
years. “Washington didn’t show Oregon a
lot of respect and said so a lot of times.”
While everyone who follows college foot
ball in the Northwest knows all about the
Duck-Husky rivalry, it is not common
knowledge what set off the icy relations.
At the end of the 1948 season, Oregon
and California were tied for the Pacific
Coast Conference title, and the Ducks of
fered to play an extra game and face the
Golden Bears in the Bay Area for the confer
ence title.
Turn to HISTORY, Page 7B
Key Player
Quarterback Tony Graziani
made his return against
Stanford, from an early
season injury and played
well, but not good enough to
win. This week his efforts J
will be crucial against the |j
Huskies at Autzen Stadium
as the Ducks try to get back
on track.
¥1113$ wm SAME BREAKDOWN
University of Washington
University of Oregon
Rushing
Passing
Rushing
Passing
ASSOCIATED PRESS TOP 20
1. i-ioriaa z-u
2. Ohio Slate 6-0
3. Florida State 5-0
4. Arizona State 7-0
5. Nebraska 5-1
6. Tennessee 4-1
7. Alabama 7-0
8. Colorado 5-1
9. North Carolina 5-1
10. Michigan 5-1
n. iMonnwesiern b-i
12. West Virginia 7-0
13. LSU 5-1
14. Virginia 5-1
15. BVU 7-1
16. Kansas State 6-1
17. Penn State 6-2
18. Wyoming 8-0
19. Notre Dame 4-2
20. Iowa 5-1