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About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (Nov. 6, 1996)
Overtime is a blessing for college football Sixteen touchdowns and more than half a mile in passing yards. Is this the Canadian Football League? Nope. Welcome to the new and improved world of college football. Following the end of the 1995 regular season, the NCAA instituted a long over due overtime period to college football — and it has paid big dividends. This season, five Pacific-10 Confer ence teams have been involved in over time games, including the Pac-lO’s biggest game to date and two overtime games each for Oregon and California. Without the new overtime period where would the Ducks and the Golden Bears be? Well, as bad as the Oregon’s record is now, it would be worse. Without the ex tra period, Oregon would be 2-4-2. While Cal, who is currently third in the Pac-10 with a record of 3-2, would be only 1-2-2 in the Pac-10. Without the new overtime, one of Ore gon’s most exciting plays of the 1996 sea OPINION 1 1 Frank son would never nave happened. The Ducks’ 30-27 win over Fresno State would have ended in a 24-24 tie rather than vyitja quarterback Tony Graziani lying on the turf of Bulldog Stadium in disbelief of his game-winning Zb-yara touchdown toss to tight end Josh Wilcox. And Oregon’s 27-24 loss to Stanford would have ended with the Ducks run ning the clock out for a 24-24 tie instead of with Stanford’s game-winning over time field goal. The outcome was not for tunate for Oregon, but a victory on either side of the ball is better than a tie. Without the new overtime, Cal would have to deal with a tie to Oregon State on its record. That’s right, the Beavers. Instead, a three-yard touchdown dive by quarterback Pat Barnes in the third overtime gave Cal a 48-42 win. The Golden Bears squeaker over Ore gon State was only to be outdone by last weekend’s 56-55 win over Arizona. After finishing regulation tied at 35, Cal and Arizona went into four over times before deciding a victor. Now what sounds more exciting: A 35-35 sister-kisser or a four overtime, 56 55 thriller with more than 1200 yards in total offense? Three weeks ago before Cal’s marathon win, runaway preseason Rose Bowl favorite Southern Cal marched into Tempe to face the league leading Arizona State in what was built up as the Pac-10 game of the year. Without the new overtime, the game would have ended in a 28-28 tie leaving the Pac-10 title race up in the air (well, before the Trojans lost to Washington, that is). To see the benefits of the new over time, all you have to do is look at last sea son to see what college football could have gained from the extra period. Midway through the 1995 season, Washington and Southern Cal were headed for a match-up that many thought would decide the Pac-lO’s rep resentative in the Rose Bowl. But the game ended in a 21-21 tie and both teams won the remainder of their games to finish with an identical record Turn to FRANK, Page 16 _ , , _ nc*» o iirrucrv cmoiaiu Oregon head coach Mike Bellotti led the Ducks to a 9-3 season in his first year, but has seen his team fall on hard times this season. Bellotti Unplugged By Chris Hansen Sports Reporter While the Ducks were sitting through their second by week of the season, head coach Mike Bellotti answered questions about his views on the team and the tough year it has had. QAre you surprised with how the team has struggled this year? A Yes, I'm very surprised and disappointed with I our performance on both sides of the ball. Al though on offense we have done some things sta tistically that look good, I don’t think we have been as supportive of the defense as we need to be. On the other side, I’ve been disappointed with our run defense and our overall defense in terms of its consistency. We can play good defense for five, 10,15 plays but then give up big plays. Those things are discouraging to everybody. So, overall, certainly when you haven’t won a game in the conference, that is discouraging. I think the one thing I do take heart in is that I think our kids have played hard. They're certainly not happy with where they’re at. I think we're only a couple of plays away from winning a football game, and we made those plays the last couple of years, and we’re not mak ing them this year. The dropped passes, the missed tackles and the lack of total focus — that happens sometimes when you are not winning. But the coaches and the players are working just as hard as ever. We need to create some success and the enthusiasm and excitement will carry over for the rest of the season. QYou mentioned the lack of making the big play and the missing tackles. Is that what has been the most frustrating this season? A What has been the most frustrating is the ; overall play of our defense. We are not playing the good, solid defense that we are used to play ing. You come to rely on the defense because we have a great defensive tradition. And we're not get ting it done. Q There has been so much emphasis put on the defensive scheme as being the problem on defense, but you have been saying that it is MIKE BELLOTTI iJMUil&JlllMj] because the team lost some pretty good players, including inside linebackers Jeremy Asher and Rich Ruhl, a position that hasn’t had anybody re ally step up and take over. A No question. Before the season started, every body was asking me about the secondary, but I always said that the two guys that might be the most difficult to replace are going to be Jeremy Ash er and Rich Ruhl. They played forthree years, they started, they played every game and they came to play every game. As a consequence, they didn’t al low anybody else to get a lot of experience. But I „ think we have some really good football players there. I don't think the scheme is as big of deal as people make it. I think that is an excuse. Players play foot ball, and whatever scheme you use it still comes down to holding the line of scrimmage and tack ling people. Ultimately we need to play better foot ball, whether you are a senior playing in your 20th game or a freshman playing in your first. Q Inexperience is hurting the team this year, but is there a positive to sticking a player into the lineup as a freshman? A Yes, I think there really is because they are getting their baptism under fire. They are learning every game and every play about what it takes to play at this level. You can have a percep tion of what it takes, but until you get out there and physically experience the excitement, the adrena line rush, the physical contact, you don’t know at what level you have to play to be successful. I think we are learning that. We haven't gotten there yet, but we know what it is going to take. And we are fighting and scratching and clawing our way to that next level. We have played 16 freshman this year, guys like Peter Sirmon, Buddy Smith, Chris Young, Michael Fletcher, Brandon McLemore, Richie Thomas — there's a ton of them. And that is only on the defen sive side of the ball. All those young players are getting a taste of what it takes to play. They know what they need to work on. That gives them much greater focus and direction in the offseason. QAnd are you confident that these are the guys that will be able to get it done next year and two years from now and so on? A To a degree. I think every year you need to re cruit. We are going to need some help on both lines next year. But I do think there is a core group of players there that, while they aren’t play ing to the level we want them to right now, will def initely be able to do it in the future. Qls this team prepared to lose key starters like Reggie Jordan, Josh Wilcox and Tony Graziani? A Well, you know how they say life is adven ture? Well, coaching is always an adventure. The one thing about college coaching is that you have a new group of kids every year and you lose some valuable players every year. Some people say recruiting is 80 percent of col lege football, and it probably is. The ability to re cruit and bring in new players that can help you get better is important. I think we have a very good re cruiting staff. I think this year's class will be excel lent because we have obvious needs and opportu nities — needs that are maybe more apparent because we haven’t won many games. Q After the loss to Washington, you said that the team would win the next three games. What was behind that remark? A I think it was a challenge to my football team and players that I needed to voice. It was a comment on how close games can be. If you make plays you win games, and if you don’t make plays you're going to lose games. So I said we will win the next three games if we can eliminate giving up big plays. But I've said that all year long. It doesn't matter who we play, and that is taking nothing away from our opponents. If we make plays we can beat any body. I think it is important for this group of seniors, for the whole team, for their own self-respect and im age, that we play well.
