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
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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.