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About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (Oct. 21, 1997)
[ish BEST BETS MLB Playoffs Florida at Cleveland NBC (6), 5p.m. Sports Emerald Ducks get back to business as they prepare for USC Oregon quarterback Akili Smith did not play against Utah because of an injured throwing shoulder he suffered against UCIA. lie did not practice until Thursday of last I week, but is j expected to play j significant | minutes against I Southern 1 California. I a CHAD PATTESON/Emerald After an uplifting win over Utah, Oregon focuses on its return to Pac-10play By Chris Hansen Assistant Spoils Editor No doubt a big sigh of relief was breathed by the Oregon football team after its 31-13 win over Utah on Saturday that broke a string of three consecutive de feats. But with the return to Pacific-10 Conference play that begins this weekend at Southern California, the first of three straight road games, that sense of relief could be short lived. With a new opponent only days away, head coach Mike Bellotti said it's time to get back to business and start looking ahead to bigger goals. Not that getting a victory for the first time in four games didn’t feel good. "We played three close, hard-fought games against top-20 teams, had chances to win, didn't win, and cer tainly the frustration was mounting," Bellotti admit ted. “When you get a win, no matter who it is, no mat ter how it is, a win is a win. It validates what you do and gives you more than just relief, it gives you some joy. Our players needed that, they deserved that. Now we have to become refocused.” That means looking at what went wrong in the game against Utah, but also, what went right. This past game, we probably did not play a great football game," Bellotti said. "But we have to take the positives, which there were many of. The yardage we piled up in the form of Jason Maas, Blake Spence and Saladin McCullough, that the defense didn’t allow [Utah] to score in the second half, those are big things. “I’m encouraged by those things. We need to under stand that every game is important now, number one, for us to have a winning season; number two, to get into the bowl race; and number three, our own per sonal pride.” Sitting at 1-3 in the conference and 4-3 overall with road games against Washington and Arizona State still remaining, it may be premature to start talking about bowl games for this Oregon team. But get a win in Los Angeles on Saturday, and the Ducks' postseason chances increase dramatically. Something that despite LISC’s 3-3 record, won’t be an easy task. "They’ve played a pretty tough schedule with Notre Dame and Florida State,” Bellotti said of the Trojans. 1 heir total offense is not what they’ve become accus tomed to. They’re doing a good job in special teams, they’re doing a great job on rush defense. They're 18th in the nation against the run. Obviously, they’ve held Turn to OREGON, Page 8 rroTessionai football has its day in court Your honor, today’s hearing was done in haste, but I feel I must address the court about a situa tion of great concern to a large number of Oregon residents and, in partic ular, college students. Your honor, if I mav, I would like to Joel Hood speak frankly about pari ty and the sad state of the National Football League. Or more specifi cally, your honor, my client charges that the NFL has deliberately made a mockery of the state of professional foot ball in this country and has made it impossible for hard-working Orego nians and college stu uenis 10 supplement tneir income with Sports Action winnings (courtroom gasps)! I submit: Exhibit A. A collection of Sports Action tickets purchased by the plaintiff that clearly shows, your honor, that in eight weeks of the NFL season, he has yet to win any money from the Oregon State Lottery. The plaintiff insists, your honor, that it has not been a simple case of poor pregame analy sis, but instead a covert conspiracy by the NFL to keep bettors from profiting from non-sanctioned football activities. Your honor, I assert that my client is in the right and these testimonies will clearly show how sick the NFL conspirators real ly are. Your honor, I'd first like to call Free Agency to the stand. Mr. Agency, is it true that you have aid ed hundreds of marquee players to switch teams since you were made legal in 1987? And is it not also true, Mr. Agency, that you have made it virtually impossible for top teams to keep all of the best players and repeat as Super Bowl champions? Objection, your honor! I would like to submit the Dallas Cowboys’ record in the 1990s (courtroom is appalled)! Objection sustained, counsel. Ask your Turn to HOOD, Page 8 —m CHAD PATTESON/Emerald Alison Pepe slams home a kill for Oregon in the Ducks’loss to LJCIA on Oct. 10. Oregon begins a string of four straight home matches Tuesday against the Portland Pilots, whom the Ducks heat earlier this season on the road. Ducks hope to end losing streak against Pilots A win over Portland would give Oregon some momentum for its game with Cal on Friday Rob Moseley Spols Reporter The Portland Pilots visit McArthur Court Tuesday for what must seem like an oasis in the midst of an in terminable desert. After losing to both Arizona and Arizona State last weekend, the Oregon women’s volleyball team finds itself in last place in the Pacific-10 Conference, 7-13 overall and 0-9 in the Pac-10. “The team wants to win so bad that they’re getting in their own way,” head coach Cathy Nelson said. “They’re not able to relax and perform because they’re pushing so hard. We need to push hard, but in a relaxed manner to play the way we know we can. ” Oregon’s last victory came Sept. 16 in Portland, where the Ducks swept the Pilots in three hard-fought games, 16-14,15-7,15-5. Oregon also holds a 17-2 ad vantage in the series all-time, including wins in each of the last six. “It’s a good time for us to have a match like this,” Nel son said. “It’s a match that we feel like we should win if we play well. But we do need to play well this week be cause Portland’s a dangerous team and has been play ing well lately.” A win would give the Ducks a chance for at least two victories this week. “Hopefully, we can get some momentum by getting a win over Portland,” Nelson said. “Cal is someone we’re going to focus on and is a team we feel we can beat.” California (6-11 overall, 1-8 Pac-10) visits Mac Court Saturday night and provides an opportunity for Ore gon to finally emerge from the Pac-10 cellar. The match on Tuesday is Oregon’s last chance to gain momentum heading into Friday’s home match against 1996 national champion and current No. 2 Stanford. The Cardinal is undefeated in nine Pac-10 matches. Nonconference losses to Montana and Santa Clara earlier helped bring the Ducks’ current losing streak to 11 matches. On tap m WHO: Oregon Ducks I (7-13) vs. Portland Pilots (7-14) f it WHERE: McArthur Court ■ WHEN: 7 p.m.