Emerakl
Editor in chief: Laura Cadiz
Sports Editor: Tim Pyle
Best Bet
NFL Football
Seattle vs. Green Bay
6 p.m., ABC
Oregon defeats Devils in nick of time
■ I he Ducks march 79 yards in
48 seconds for the winning score
with nine seconds left
By Mirjam Swanson
Oregon Daily Emerald
Too much time.
Arizona State might not have real
ized it at the time, but giving Oregon a
mere 58 seconds to move the ball 79
yards for a game-winning touchdown
is like inviting the Ducks inside, asking
them to make themselves comfortable
and then offering them a snack.
At least that’s how it seems these days.
Oregon has developed a genuine
affinity for dramatic finishes. For the
fourth time in five Pacific-10 Confer
Oregon: 20
Arizona State: 17
ence games Oregon (5-3 overall, 3-2
Pac-10) had the ball with time running
out and the game on the line.
And for the second time in two
weeks it was sophomore quarterback
Joey Harrington — and not starter A.J.
Feeley — who was directing the Ducks.
When all was done, Oregon had used
its final possession to finish the game
for the third time in five weeks, this
time in front of 45,445 ecstatic fans at
Autzen Stadium.
“We’ve done it before, so we knew
we could do it again,” senior flanker
Tony Hartley said.
This time, the Ducks’ never-say-die of
fense needed only 49 of the allotted 58
seconds to complete its final eight-play
series. Marshaun Tucker’s 29-yard
touchdown reception capped the drive
and put the Ducks ahead for good, 20-17.
“I gave the guy a post move, and he
slipped,” Tucker said. “I cut to the out
side, went to the corner; Joey threw a
great ball, which honestly I didn’t even
see ’cause of the glare.
“But when it was coming, I just
Turn to Oregon football, Page 12A
n ... . uuuuoamcucmcidiu
Oregon defensive end Jason Nikolao pressures Arizona State quarterback Ryan Kealy. With the offense not its
usual high-scoring-self, Nikolao and the Duck defense played perhaps their best game Saturday.
Never-say-die
Ducks never,
ever dull
Tim
Pyle
Consider the circumstances:
Fifty-eight seconds to play.
Seventy-nine yards to go.
One touchdown all game
against a team that was tied for first in
the conference in scoring defense.
Rose or Holiday Bowl hopes effec
tively on the line.
Daunting, right?
Wrong.
Whether it be A.J. Feeley or Joey
Harrington at quarterback, no matter
— one thing is predictable about these
unpredictable Ducks. They will al
ways, always, always make things in
teresting at the end.
They’ve both come up a foot short
(at UCLA) and come through with gut
sy wins (over Southern California and
at Arizona).
But they never believe they’re dead.
And on Halloween eve Saturday at
Autzen Stadium, Harrington was calm
as could be before Oregon’s last chance.
“I told the guys [Arizona State]
made a mistake,” said the sophomore
from Portland. “They left too much
time on the clock.”
The drive that would end as one of
the greatest in Duck history began in
auspiciously.
Harrington completed a three-yard
pass to wide receiver Keenan Howry
and then threw incomplete for tight
Turn to Tim Pyle, Page 12A
Jeffrey Stockton Emerald
Oregon players mob each other after upsetting No. 20 UCLA at Pape Field on Sunday.
Ducks score monumental win
■ In the home game finale, the Ducks send
their seniors off in style with their first victory
over No. 20 ranked UCLA
By Brett Williams
Oregon Daily Emerald
It was an emotional game for the Oregon women’s
soccer team Sunday.
In the locker room before the game, tears were shed
as the Duck seniors — who comprised Oregon’s first
recruiting class three years ago — prepared for No. 20
UCLA and their last game at Pape Field.
The odds were definitely against the Ducks. They
had never before beaten a ranked Pacific-10 Confer
ence team, nor had they ever beaten UCLA. And they
were coming off a 3-1 loss Friday to No. 10 Southern
California, another California team Oregon has never
beaten.
But the Ducks wouldn’t let this one slip away. Ore
gon had one of its best team efforts in a shocking 2-1
victory over UCLA.
Oregon head coach Bill Steffen talked with pride as
he reflected on the upset victory, a win he believes is
the biggest in the four-year history of the program.
“We’ve worked hard all season, and today we
picked up our intensity,” Steffen said. “We stayed and
didn’t let up. We didn’t get discouraged.”
The Ducks (7-10 overall, 3-4 Pac-10) had every op
portunity to throw in the towel, but they persevered.
Chalise Baysa’s goal just nine minutes into the second
half broke a scoreless tie, but the Bruins came right
back and put the heat on Oregon.
After a series of UCLA attacks, Bruin forward
Tracey Milbum finally slipped one past Fox to tie the
game 1-1.
A lot of teams would have folded right after they
scored,” Steffen said.
But Oregon refused to let UCLA go home with a
win. The Ducks’ Melissa Parker took a pass from
Kristi Morris and provided the difference with a dra
matic shot from about 30 yards away.
According to Steffen, Parker’s goal was more than a
purely outstanding personal effort.
Melissa Parker’s goal was a great team goal,” Stef
fen said. I told them after the game that this win was
a tremendous testament to them.
I can t think of a better way to send the seniors
off.”
Once again, Fox was consistent. She had eight
saves and handled UCLA’s pressure with poise.
Amanda is steady, and it’s nice to have someone
behind you that you’re comfortable with,” Steffen
said. She didn’t have a million dramatic saves, but
she allowed us to play back there and be relaxed.”
UCLA head coach Jillian Ellis was visibly disturbed
after watching her team’s performance, a loss that
could drop the Bruins off the national rankings.
She talked about missed opportunities, which have
Turn to UO soccer, Page 9A