Williams
Continued from Page 7 A
reason why he was able to lead his
Panthers to victory. Seifert, who
was forced out by 49ers manage
ment three seasons ago, remains
one of the biggest class acts in the
game and retained the winningest
percentage by a head coach in NFL
history with his victory Sunday.
After handing 49ers’ head
coach Steve Mariucci his first loss
at Candlestick in more than two
seasons, Seifert congratulated the
coach and refused to gloat. Seifert
knows that his team barely
slipped out of the Bay Area with a
win, and the Panthers appeared
vulnerable near the end of the
game, when they should have put
the 49ers away.
Up 31-16 in the fourth quarter,
the Panthers had kept the 49ers’ of
fense out of the end zone and were
dominating on defense and special
teams. But the 49ers’ never-say-die
attitude showed up once again, as
it has down the stretch in other
close games this season.
Knowing another Panther score
would seal their fate, the 49ers in
tensified defensively and forced
Carolina running back Tshimanga
little Caesars
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Biakabutuka to fumble. Corner
back R.W. McQuarters recovered
the loose ball and dashed for a 41
yard touchdown that cut the Pan
thers’lead to 31-23.
Garcia had one last chance, and
he made the most of it. He led the
49ers to a touchdown with just
more than one minute left, but the
49ers were unable to tie because of
an errant pass on the two-point
conversion.
OK, so I have to concede that
the Panthers did play well and did
deserve to win. Panther receivers
continually abused San Francis
co’s shorter comerbacks and, at
times, made Steve Beurlein look
like the second coming of Steve
Young. But the 49ers killed them
selves with the play of their spe
cial teams, and I know adjust
ments will be made by Mariucci.
The returns of Young, All-Pro re
ceiver Terrell Owens and running
back Garrison Hearst, holder of the
49ers’ single-season rushing
record, will help the cause tremen
dously. With Young at the helm,
the 49ers are night and day com
pared to when Garcia is at the con
trols. Young has one of the best red
zone percentages in NFL history.
I must admit it was a tough
game for me to swallow. I had
come to see a classic 49ers’ victo
ry, but San Francisco was short
handed without the key players
they needed to win. When the
49ers’ guns return, however, I ex
pect them to come out firing.
San Francisco’s talent may be de
pleted, but it still has the skill and
experience to play deep into Janu
ary. And despite rarely losing, they
know how to take a loss in stride.
When asked if it was the end of
an era after Sunday’s loss, San Fran
cisco players remained confident.
“Nah, we just lost another
game,” comerback Tim McDon
ald told The Oregonian. “We have
to find a way to end our skid, but
we will.”
When all was said and done, it
was a great day in the sun despite
the 49ers’ loss. And when a few
key players return to the 49ers'
lineup, I expect them to see the
light once again.
Brett Williams is a sports reporter/or
the Emerald. He can be reached via
e-mail at hwilliam@gladstone. uore
gon.edu.
Briefs Sports
Giants defeat Cowboys
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. —
Tiki Barber provided the New
York Giants some revenge for
Deion Sanders’ heroics against
them a year ago.
Barber returned a punt 85
yards for a touchdown, then took
a short pass 56 yards to set up
Brad Daluiso’s 22-yard game
winning field goal with 1 second
left and give the Giants a 13-10
victory over the Dallas Cowboys
on Monday night.
The game was 3-3 until Bar
ber’s punt return with 7:50 left in
regulation to gave the Giants a
10-3 lead. But Emmitt Smith
scored on a 2-yard run at the end
of a 68-yard, seven-play drive to
tie it 10-10.
That led to more heroics by
Barber, who had 233 all-purpose
yards in the game.
On a second-and-10 from their
own 41, Kent Graham found Bar
ber in the flat, and he eluded Dat
Nguyen and raced to the Dallas 3,
setting up Daluiso’s game-win
ner.
The Associated Press
Volleyball
Continued from Page 7A
bagi’s return is equally important
to the team’s near future.
“The team feels so much more
confident with [Monique] out on
the court because she can do so
many things for us,” Nelson said.
“I think that will be a big spark.”
Tobbagi’s injury could not
have happened at a worse time
— but her return couldn’t have
been planned any better.
A long road ahead?
What happens if Tobbagi’s re
turn doesn’t turn things around
for Oregon?
Winning becomes easier with
the help of momentum, and right
now, the Ducks have none.
Washington State, Washington
and California were all beatable
opponents for Oregon, but the
Ducks lost to all three teams.
The Ducks’ loss to Portland on
Oct. 5 — the Vikings were 0-12 at
the time — best describes the rut
they’re in.
If the Ducks record a win on
Tobbagi’s comeback weekend,
it’s unfortunate that it has to be
on the road. But if Oregon is go
ing to win its first Pac-10 game
and gain valuable momentum,
then the Cougars or the Huskies
would be great opponents to
beat.
Washington State (3-6 Pac-10)
should be the stronger of the two
teams, as they are coming off of
an emotional five-game win over
Washington (2-7). The Huskies,
on the other hand, have lost their
last five conference matches.
What team could possibly be
better for Oregon to play right
now?
Next weekend, the Ducks face
California and Stanford at home.
The Golden Bears are beatable,
but the Cardinal is nationally
ranked and handed the Ducks a
swift, three-game loss on Sept. 30.
Oregon could be competitive with
Stanford, but don’t wait for an up
set.
With five matches remaining
this season, Oregon State comes
to McArthur Court for Civil War
part two — another potential win,
especially if the Ducks can pick
up a prior victory.
After the Beavers match awaits
a tough road trip against UCLA
and Southern California. Enough
said.
The final two games could be
interesting. On Sept. 18, the
Ducks play Arizona State at
home, followed by Arizona the
following night.
Nelson attributes the start of
Oregon’s disappointing season to
its three-game loss against Ari
zona State. If her team shares her
feelings, the Sun Devils could be
in for a shock.
The bottom line: no Oregon
volleyball team in school history
has ever gone an entire season
without winning a Pac-10 game.
Beating Washington State or
Washington this weekend, with
help from Tobbagi, would be the
best way to keep that streak alive.
004529
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ents Monday - Friday from 9:00 a.m. to
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