Oregon Feature
Senior Class
The Aloha Bowl represents the final
collegiate football game for the most
successful senior class in school history
ii Dec. 25, in the Aloha Bowl
against Colorado, 23 Oregon se
niors will suit up in the Ducks’
familiar Lemon Yellow and Emerald
Green uniforms for the final game of
their careers.
Of the 23, 13 came to Eugene five
years ago, one, placekicker Josh Smith,
was a freshman in 1995, and nine have
transferred from various junior colleges.
Those 13, with help along the way
from the other 10, have seen Oregon win
39 games during the past five seasons,
something no other group of Ducks can
say.
This year’s senior class includes
names like quarterback Akili Smith, one
of the country’s best passers who has es
tablished school records for touchdown
passes, passing yards and all-purpose
yardage this season, as well as the Pacif
ic-10 Conference record for passing effi
ciency.
It also includes names like tight end
Jed Weaver, who walked on as a fresh
man only to become an integral part of
the Oregon offense.
Josh Bidwell, the Pac-lO’s top punter.
And Kevin Parker, who was injured
most of this season, but returned to be
one of the Ducks' biggest cheerleaders.
Also among the names of this year’s
seniors are lesser-known contributors
like Mike Armendariz and Chad Nor
moyle, both effective backups on the of
fensive line.
Chris Vandiver, who stepped in for in
jured 1997 Pac-10 tackles leader Peter
Sirmon and led the Ducks in the same
category this season.
And Jason Maas, who combined with
Smith to lead the Ducks to a Las Vegas
Bowl victory last season and quietly took
a seat on the bench for the good of the
team in 1998.
This group of 23 men is one that will
not soon be forgotten by its fans, coaches
and teammates alike. It has but one goal
left to accomplish.
In the 103 years of Oregon football, the
Ducks have never won back-to-back
bowl games.
Bring on the Buffaloes.
I
A
Matt Hankins/Emerald
Damon Griffin breaks free of Stanford’s Tank
Williams for a touchdown against the Cardinal.
Nick Medley /Emerald
Donald Haynes tries to pull down a pass from
quarterback Akili Smith against Southern Califor
nia on Oct. 24. Haynes and Smith came to Ore
gon as junior college transfers from San Diego.
Matt Hankins/Emerald
Quarterback Akili Smith fires one past Stanford’s defensive line in the Ducks' 63-28 victory on Sept. 26.
u It’s exciting for me to be a part of this senior class. It’s exciting to
see that a lot of people have grown up to be men and have done so
well and been successful. »
Josh Bidwell
UO punter
Opinion
UCLA loss gives Oregon the perfect chance for redemption
As if Oregon and the rest of the teams in the
Pacific-10 Conference needed another rea
son to hate UCLA, they got one Saturday.
When Cade McNown’s last-second, fourth
down pass fell helplessly to the Orange Bowl turf
in Miami, so too went the postseason dreams of
Oregon and Arizona, which hoped to jump to a
more prestigious bowl game when the Bruins ac
cepted the bid to the Fiesta Bowl.
I can’t say the same for myself, but Oregon
seemed to take Saturday’s news in stride.
The Ducks practiced inside the Ed Moshofsky
Sports Center on Sunday in one of those “ just
glad-to-be indoors,” 30-degree Oregon afternoons.
The mood was upbeat and lively. The players did
not speak much about losing a shot at defending
national champion Nebraska.
Instead, the players were excited for the
matchup with Colorado, spending Christmas Day
in Hawaii and being just the sixth team in school
history to finish the season with nine wins.
But there is another side to this coin. Oregon is
no longer afraid of matching up with the Ne
braskas and the Colorados of the college football
world. Where 10 years ago they were simply hap
py to get a bowl game invite, the Ducks now crave
the intense challenge and media attention they get
in lining up against a national powerhouse.
Sorry Air Force, there’s simply nothing that can
equal that feeling.
So, after an emotional two weeks away from the
playing field, Oregon finds itself with a very in
triguing matchup this holiday season. Colorado
presents a host of new and exciting challenges for
the Ducks, included in which is a defense as
quick as some of the elite offenses in the country.
But the Buffaloes are an interesting opponent in
another area as well — revenge.
Oregon’s seniors who played in the 1996 Cot
ton Bowl can still recall Colorado head coach Rick
Neuheisel calling a fake punt late in the fourth
quarter after the Buffaloes had earlier scored a
touchdown to go up 32-6.
Neuheisel drew criticism for the call in the
weeks that followed and to this day there remains
just a few in the Oregon football program who
don’t still have a bitter taste in their mouth from
that embarrassing 38-6 loss in Dallas.
After Sunday’s practice, Oregon head coach
Mike Bellotti said revenge probably wouldn’t be a
big factor for the Ducks. I suspect Oregon’s play
ers are happy just at the thought of beati ng any
team with national prominence into the pave
ment. There just happens to be a little extra incen
tive for the Ducks this season.
Before this season began, I figured that as long
as the Ducks weren't playing for a national title in
Tempe, Ariz.,that it didn’t much matter which
bowl game they ended up in. What mattered to
the Ducks were who they played and whether
they won.
Although Oregon’s players and coaches would
never admit it, I’m sure everyone took a little sigh
of relief when UCLA’s receivers dropped that
fourth down pass. While Nebraska surely would
have provided a difficult test for the Ducks, at this
point in the building process, Oregon simply
needs a passing grade.
A victory against Colorado would give Oregon
just that, and help the Ducks recover from a sea
son so close to perfection.
It was so close to perfection that certain ques
tions can’t help but be asked.
Despite Oregon’s heartbreaking loss to UCLA
on Oct. 17, its blow-out loss to Arizona two weeks
later and a humiliating loss in Corvallis to end the
season, was this the greatest team in school histo
ry?
Exactly how far could this team have gone if it
wasn’t decimated with injuries in its biggest
games?
Was Akili Smith, who threw for more yards and
more touchdowns than any quarterback in school
history, the best Duck to ever play at Autzen Sta
dium?
These questions are left for us to ponder — as is
the mythical defensive scheme that Oregon was
planning on using to curtail Nebraska’s vaunted
rushing attack.
One thing is for certain: The Ducks wanted to
end this season in a big game and they’ve been
given that chance. We ll see if Colorado has what
it takes to not only stop one of the country's most
explosive offenses, but also a football program on
the rise.
Joel Hood is the sports editor for the Emerald. He can
he reached via e-mail at
hood@gladstone. noregon.edu