■ .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.