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About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (Oct. 10, 1997)
■ .1 Oregon DuU\ ] "1 Emerald Making his mark True Freshman Rashad Bauman is bolding his own as a starter in the secondary PAGE 2B FRIDAY, OCTOBER 10. 1997 An independent newspaper Volume 99, Issue 28 INSIDE: Cade Me Non >n Feature (IDF. Football Ticks Peter Sirmon Poster 2B M3 413 The Numbers Pts. Allowed Oregon 30.2 UCLA 21.4 Pts. Scored Oregon 29.0 UCLA 46.0 Rushing Defense Oregon 132.8 UCLA 125.8 Pass Defense Eff. Oregon 142.2 UCLA 104.7 Total Defense Oregon 423.8 UCLA 383.6 Quotable "I’m looking lor a hard-fought game between both teams. I think our backs are both against the wall." — UCLA Bruins quarterback Cade McNown "He's a big guy that we’ll have to tackle low. No one can run without their legs, so if we chop him, he'll fall ' — Oregon defensive back Rasbad Bauman on UCLA tailback Skip Hicks. Key Player Saladin McCullough Oregon needs a strong running game to keep the ball away from UCLA’s high powered offense, and McCullough is the key to that. CHAD PATrESUN/bmerald Akili Smith will likely start at quarterback for the Ducks on Saturday. Smith had the best game of his Oregon career against Washington State last week, going 14 for 30 for205yards and one touchdown pass. Ducks look to end two-game skid vs. Bruins The Oregon defense faces a tough challenge against a UCIA offense led by quarterback Cade McNown and tailback Skip Hicks By Chris Hansen Assistant Sports Editor Another week, another opponent ranked in the top 25, another potent offense to chal lenge the Oregon defense and another de fense trying to stop Oregon’s potent offense. The No. 18 UCLA Bruins (3-2 overall, 1-1 Pacific-10 Conference) are next on the list for the Ducks (3-2,1-2) in a 3:30 p.rn. matchup at Autzen Stadium Saturday afternoon that will be aired on national television. If the last two weeks are any indication, predicting how the Ducks will perform is close to impossi ble. Which Oregon of fense will show up? Will it be the one that played at Stan ford on Sept. 27 and racked up 4!) points and 530 yards in total offense? Or is it going to be the one that played against Wash ington State last Sat urday, scoring only one touchdown? ** Vf: Oregon vs. UCLA ; Time: 3:30 p.m. Where: Autzen Stadium • TV: fX (16) m Radio: 590 AM Ana winch Ure gon defense will it be? The one that allowed 58 points to Stanford or the one that held conference leader Washington State to a sea son low in offensive yards and quarterback Ryan Leaf to his most unproductive game in 1997? "I don’t know," responded UCLA head coach Bob Toledo when asked which team he would rather face. ‘Tin going to face the one that shows up on Saturday, so it does n’t really matter." What matters for Oregon, is whether or not it can stop Skip I licks. The senior tailback leads the nation in scoring at 18 points a game and has already scored 15 touchdowns in the Bruins’ five games, which is only four fewer than the Turn to PREVIEW, Page 6B UCLA game provides Ducks with ultimate challenge One year ago, the UCLA Bru ins came into Autzen Sta dium and handed the Ducks their hearts. No two ways around it. The Ducks just did not come to play. Oregon was blown out in its two pre vious Pacific-10 Conference games and was due for a decent game. Through the first half, it looked as if the Ducks had a chance to make it close, maybe even win the game. But the Bruins scored 27 unan swered points as the Ducks were left to play catchup and ultimately suffered a 41-22 setback. This, however, wasn’t just another 19-point loss, this was an embarrass ment. This year, UCLA is just as powerful and just as likely to do the same thing to an Oregon defense that has played well in spurts and awful in others. In their last three games, the Bruins have scored 172 points. If they have one of their better games and the Ore gon defense has one of its worst, UCLA may score that many points Saturday. But don’t feel sorry for the Ducks. If they can’t get motivated for this game, there isn’t a game on their sched ule, a game in America they can get motivated for. Considering the spanking they suf OPI'Ij'yji fered from the Bruins last season and their current two-game skid, the Ducks can not afford to come out flat for this game Ryan Frank — like they did last season. A win and the Ducks are 2-2 in the Pac-10 and are guar anteed to be above .500 when they return to conference play in two weeks. A loss to UCLA and the Ducks will have their third straight defeat and the endless comparisons to the 1996 team will come,and for good reason. But I wouldn’t count the Ducks out just yet. A season of anguish seems to have aged this team. The Ducks seem to have learned they can’t be asking themselves what bowl game might they play in, that instead, they should be asking themselves about the next game. Another five-game skid would, I think, be a surprise, but Saturday’s game will go a long way to prove that statement. Ryan Frank is the sports editor for the Emerald.
