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About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (Oct. 1, 1999)
Scott Barnett Emerald Tight end Enyi Nwamuo has teamed with LaCorey Collins to continue Oregon’s tradition of great pass-catching tight ends. Nwamuo has nine receptions for 103 yards on the season, including a first-quarter touchdown catch against USC last weekend. Washington Continued from Page 2B third in the Pac-10 behind Ore gon State quarterback Jonathan Smith (274) and Oregon quarter back A.J. Feeley (251.5). Neuheisel said he loves what he sees in his quarterback, but he still hasn’t found out the best way to utilize his talents. “He’s a remarkable young guy, but in terms of how he fits into our offense, it’s still being sculpt ed,” Neuheisel said. “He’s got all the attributes that you want in a quarterback. He’s competitive, tough, durable, throws well, runs well and he’s got a 3.4 GPA. “You wish you had a daughter you could introduce him to.” A recent upside for Washing ton has been its ground game, which rushed for 205 yards against Colorado and helped the Huskies enjoy a 13-minute ad vantage in time of possession. Willie Hurst, who went into the game for injured starting tailback Braxton Cleman, rushed for 85 yards on 19 carries. “I’ve been giving credit to our coaching staff on both sides of the ball,” Neuheisel said. “They’ve really worked hard, and it’s starting to pay off. “Hopefully [running backs] coach [Keith] Moses and [offen sive line coach] Keith [Gilbert son] can continue to churn out Rick Neuheise! Position: first-year head coach Alma mater: UCLA Hometown: Madison, Wis. Career highlights: Compiled 33-14 record in four seasons as head coach at Colorado, including back-to back 10-2 marks in his first two seasons... announced as head football coach at Washington on Jan. 11... set NCAA passing mark for accuracy against the Huskies as UCLA quarterback in 1983, completing 25-of-27 passes (92.6 percent) in a 27-24 Bruins’ victory at Husky Stadium... finished UCLA career with 2,480 passing yards, 15 touchdown passes and a 68.3 percent completion percentage... played two seasons in the CFL and two seasons in the NFL, throwing for 6,377 yards and 33 touchdowns during his professional career... Washington lured him away from Colorado with a salary package that pays him $225,000 in base plus incentives that could boost his salary to as much as $997,000 per year, which makes the highest-paid coach in the Pac-10 and among the highest-paid coaches in the country. SOURCE: Washington Media Services positive gains on the ground and keep defenses off balance and our defense off the field.” When Tuiasosopo looks to throw, his favorite target seems to be sophomore Chris Juergens, who leads the team with 17 catches for 194 yards. Against Colorado, it was Juergens’ nine yard touchdown reception with almost three minutes to play that proved to be the game-winner. Another bright spot for the re ceiving corps is the play of Ger ald Harris, who has returned to top form after being injury plagued the last two seasons and is second on the team with 12 re ceptions for 139 yards. Perhaps one of the most impor tant facets of Saturday’s twilight tilt is the impact that a win has on recruiting in the Northwest. “We’re all trying to establish a niche of being the school of choice in this region of the coun try and in this conference,” Neuheisel said. “You need to make sure your players under stand the significance of the con test, and it just so happens that with Oregon and Washington, it doesn’t take a lot of fire-and brimstone anecdotes. “It’s pretty well understood that this a game of great magnitude. ” j Tim Pyle Continued from Page 2B also improve to 4-1 against the Huskies and send Washington tumbling to its first 1-3 start since 1977. Statistically speaking, Bellotti and the No. 25 Ducks are in perfect position to knock off the Dawgs. Just look at the numbers in the left hand column of this page. Washington has been far from impressive in its early-season af fairs, even looking less than im posing in last week’s home win over Colorado. The offensive struggles were ex I pected with the lack of talent at the | skill positions, but the Husky de fense — loaded with NFL-caliber players — has also been inconsis tent. Last season, Washington man aged to win six games largely be cause of its ability to pressure and sack opposing quarterbacks. This season, the Huskies are tied for last in the Pac-10 in quarterback sacks. That, coupled with a secondary that gave up more than 500 yards passing in a season-opening loss at Brigham Young, should have I Oregon quarterback A.J. Feeley smiling. Although his running game is hurting with Reuben Droughns nursing an injury, Feeley should continue to bolster his burgeoning 1 reputation with another solid f passing performance. And you know Duck wide re ceiver Tony Hartley is ready for Washington. After coming up with three clutch receptions on the game-ty ing drive against Southern Califor nia, Hartley looks prepared for an other huge game against the Huskies. Last season, Hartley set an Oregon single-game record with 242 receiving yards and two touchdowns on nine receptions. Most of all, the Ducks know they cannot afford to blow the mo mentum they have gained from a three-game winning streak by los ing to an outmatched Husky squad. The roles have been re versed from seasons past, when Washington was routinely much more talented than Oregon. Still, the game figures to be close, as is often the case when bit ter rivals square off, no matter how big the discrepancy in capabilities may be. And let us not forget that the game is at Husky Stadium — by all accounts a tough place to play. But in the end, look for the Ducks to pull away and hand Neuheisel and Washington a humbling defeat. Tim Pyle is the sports editor for the Emerald. After The came... Or Any Old Time! EMERALD VALLEY (541) 895-2174 83301 Dale Kuni Rd. • Creswell, OR 97426 • www.palmergolf.com 1221 Executive Pkwy 484-9588 The Perfect College Course
