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About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (Sept. 30, 1997)
BEST BET Emerald .. — Oregon defense prepares for tough Cougar offense Averaging 490yards per game, Washington State poses a serious threat to a meager Duck defense By Chris Hansen Assistant Sports Editor Things aren’t going to get any easier for the Oregon Ducks with No. 15 Washington State coming to town on Saturday. This holds particularly true for the Oregon defense, which has been torched for 98 points and 1,050 total yards in the two previous games against Fresno State and Stanford. Now here come the Cougars, owners of the Pacific-10 Conference’s top-rated offense led by one of the coun try’s top quarterbacks, Ryan Leaf. Averaging 39.5 points and 498 yards a game, the Cougars must be licking their chops in anticipation of getting their claws on Oregon’s porous defense. The only relief that Oregon can hope to get is the kind that comes from within. “Where are we? We're not where we want to be,” head coach Mike Bellotti said. "I was disappointed that we played as well as we did against Arizona and played ad equately against Nevada and then played as poorly as we did the last two weeks. I am at a loss at this point to figure it out. I think we have good emotion, we have good support, we just have to make the plays.” After playing solid defense in the season’s first two games, the Duck secondary has been picked apart with relative ease by their last two opponents. Fresno State quarterback Billy Voleck threw for 288 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions. Stan ford’s Chad Hutchinson threw for 340 yards, four touch downs and no interceptions. Both also did an outstand ing job of selling the play-action pass, which burned Oregon time and again in both games. But it has been a combination of poor tackling and poor coverage that has been the bane of the secondary the last two games. “Except for the end when we were getting beat a little Turn to FOOTBALL, Page 24 MICHAEL CRISP/E merald Jaiya Figueras and the Duck secondary allowed Stanford quarterback Chad Hutchinson 340 yards passing. Women’s Cross Country Feeling, not fighting, the pressure A11-A merica n long-dista nee runner Marie Davis uses the pressures of running for Oregon to her advantage Joel Hood Sports Reporter Behind Autzen Stadium, among the tall grass and cedar bark, runs one of Oregon’s most accomplished athletes — a 5-foot-4 muscled dynamo more likely to break a course record than break down under the pressures of cross coun try competition. Marie Davis has literally run to the top of the collegiate mountain in only her third season of competition with the Ducks. However, Davis, an All-American in both cross country and track, admits that the pressures of running for Oregon can be great, and she approaches each race as if it were her first. “I get really nervous before each race,” Davis says. “I get so nervous, sometimes, that everything else I can’t remember. Once the gun goes off, it's just a big relief, but then you have to feel the pain of the race.” In two races this season, Davis has led the No. 11 Ducks with a first- and sec ond-place overall finish. Her time of 17 minutes, 45.88 seconds in the season opener in Pasco, Wash, fell just three seconds off the course record. “I’m a competitive runner,” Davis says. “I’m here at Oregon because I want to race, not just because I like to run. To me it’s not what you do in practice, but how well you run in the race.” A season ago, Davis was Oregon’s top finisher in every event. She finished third place or better in three races dur ing the season and earned her first All American honor in cross country with an 18th place finish at the NCAA Cham pionships last November. “I like to remind myself of my goals before each big race,” Davis says. “My teammates are such a huge help to me before and during the race. If they are re laxed, then it’s easier for me to be.” Injuries to some of Davis’ teammates forced her to assume a leadership role on the team last season, but the return of those runners this season will help fill that role. Turn to DAVIS, Page 22 Marie Davis (above) is leading the Ducks ’ hopes to return to the NCAA Champi onships. Milena Glusac (right) returns from an injury in 1996 to help the Ducks. ARCHIVE PHOTOS Women’s Cross Country Schedule Sept. 20 Big Cross, Pasco, Wash. Sept. 27 Roy Griak Invitational, St. Paul, Minn. Oct. 11 Furman Invitational, Greenville, S.C. Oct. 19 University of Oregon Invit,, Eugene, Ore. Nov. 1 Pac-10 Championships, Palo Alto, Calif. Nov. 15 NCAA District VII Champ., Tucson, Ariz. Nov. 24 NCAA Championships, Greenville, S.C. Who needs a bullpen? Seattle in six After seven months, 2,268 games and one of the better division races in recent memory, this year’s baseball playoffs are upon us. And for fans who love to see great pitching, the game’s second season should be a pleasure to watch. This year’s most intriguing matchup is in the National League, where the pitch ing-rich Atlanta Braves, champs of the Eastern Division, face the Central Divi sion-vvinning Houston Astros. Game 1 features two Cy Young Award candidates in future Hall of-Famer Greg Maddux for the Braves, and Astro ace Darryl Kile, master of the curve ball. If Houston can take the opener, they might have a shot at a major upset. The best bet, however, is for Atlanta to Rob Moseley take the series in a three game sweep, saving staff ace Denny Nea gle for the championship series. Waiting for Atlanta in the NLCS will be the winner of the NL’s other divisional matchup, the wild card Florida Marlins and the West-winning San Francisco Gi ants, fresh off a successful division race with the Los Angeles Dodgers. While the fatigue factor could hinder the Giants, who have had to play every game for the last two weeks as if it was their last, San Francisco’s biggest problem will be, you guessed it, Florida’s pitching. After signing Alex Fernandez away from the Chicago White Sox during the off-sea son, the Marlins feature three starters as good as any in the game. Fire-baller Kevin Brown should sew up the first game at home for Florida, and although Shawn Estes can probably win Game 2 for the Gi ants, that should be the Giants’ swan song. I see Florida winning the next two at 3Com Park and taking the series, 3 games to 1. The American League should be a little more difficult to call. By matching the top two teams against each other, a lesser team will make the championship, while either Baltimore or Seattle, the league’s best, will go home af ter the first round. Turn to MOSELEY, Page 23
