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About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (Oct. 13, 2000)
The Box Total Offense (Pac-10 rankings) OREGON 2nd BSC 2nd Rushing Offense OREGON 1st BSC 10th Passing Defense JteoN 1st SC 2nd Rushing Defense OREGON 3rd USC 4th Turnover Ratio OREGON +7 use -8 QUOTABLE "Duck fans, man, they go every where! I don't care if we re going to Amsterdam, we're going to have some people with us." ' -Oregon wideout Marshaun Tucker "I would rather play every game at home, but you have to prove you can win on the road in this confer ence/ -Oregon head coach Mike Bellotti Key Player 3o|| Frankel Oregon's place kicker missed three field goals against UW two weeks ago, but has changed his kick ing form in prac tice this week. Trojans looking to get back on Pac-10 horse Emerald USC’s Carson Palmer (3) has thrown six interceptions in losses to Oregon State and Arizona this year. Revenge can run both ways SCOTT PESZNECKER Revenge can be a powerful thing. Remember a month ago? The UCLA Bruins marched into Eu gene as if they owned the place. In a sense, they did — or at least they owned the Ducks, who had lost six of eight contests in the 1990s to the blue and gold conquerors. The national spotlight was on Autzen Stadium. Some would argue that Oregon had the cards stacked against them, others the opposite. But nobody on the UCLA bench thought the Ducks would be such a threat. To that point, Oregon had won two, lost one, and its momentum sputtered in two of those games. Meanwhile, UCLA beat three teams — two of them ranked third nationally — and they did so in high-pressure, thrilling fashion. When asked about the upcoming game, Bruin wide receiver Freddie Mitchell said it would be a “breakout” performance for him. Is it all coming back to memory yet? Think about how much the city of Eugene hated the Bruins for what they did to the Ducks in the last two years. Two close losses in Los Angeles, either just as heartbreaking as the other, the. second one yard away from being a win. So, as the Ducks walked onto their home turf to face the Bruins this sea t son, everyone who’d been a part of the program for the past two years carried part of the collective chip which bur dened Oregon’s shoulder. Perhaps hatred doesn’t justify that need to win that was so thick in the air that day. Add resentment, pain and grief — the constant wondering of what might have been, if only. Well, the battle between Ducks and Bruins ensued. It was fast, furious, and then it was done. Oregon 29, UCLA 10. For more than 45,000 people on hand, redemption was sweet. Granted, Autzen Stadium is one of the toughest places to play anywhere. But on that day, and the next weekend against Washington, the home fans and the players were fueled by something other than a love for the game. But now the Ducks leave their beloved home for Southern California, where they face a limping Trojan foot ball team. Beware, Oregon. Southern California might have an upset up its sleeve, powered by those same intense emotions that drove the Ducks past the Bruins and Huskies, re gardless of their comparable lack of tal ent on paper. Revenge. Think about it, the triple-overtime showdown a year ago when Oregon won over USC by a field goal. A toe-to toe slugout, the kind that is as terrible to lose as it is amazing to win. And then there’s Carson Palmer, who broke his right collarbone two minutes before halftime and missed the rest of the season, watching from the sidelines as his team won just three conference Tu rn to Pez Sez, page 9B ■ USC is 3-6 against Pac-10 schools since losing a triple overtime thriller in Eugene last year; now it looks to knock off the team that started the skid By Peter Hockaday Oregon Daily Emerald Southern California’s once vaunted football program has come upon hard times the past two seasons, and it’s all thanks to Oregon. Last year, the Trojans came into Autzen Stadium with an All American candidate as quarter back, a 2-0 record and aspirations for a trip to the Rose Bowl. But the quarterback, Carson Palmer, went down with a shoul der injury in the second quarter. Then the Trojans lost the game in triple overtime, won only four more games the rest of the season and finished 6-6 in a three-way tie for sixth in the Pacific-10 Confer ence. Then the Rose Bowl hopes, or any bowl hopes at all, went by the wayside. In fact, USC has won only three Pac-10 games in nine attempts since that fateful September night last year. The Trojans opened up the 2000 season strong with wins against Penn State, Colorado and San Jose State, but then lost Pac-10 matchups to Oregon State, 31-21 in Corvallis, and Arizona, 31-15 in Los Angeles. The two losses hurt USC in the national polls. Ranked sixth in the Associated Press poll just three weeks ago, the Trojans plummeted out of polls after last weekend’s loss to the Wildcats and are un ranked going into this Saturday’s game against No. 9 Oregon. Part of USC’s Pac-10 problem has been a lack of offense. Palmer has played the whole season at quarterback, but has thrown six in terceptions in the two Pac-10 matchups, and is “trying to make plays where there aren’t plays,” ac cording to USC head coach Paul Hackett. It could have something to do with Palmer’s best wide re ceivers, Kareem Kelly and Marcell Almond, missing the Arizona game with injuries. But Hackett thinks Palmer’s just trying too hard. “He’s pressed a little bit,” Hack ett said, “But we need to help him get on track by running the ball better.” USC’s rushers have gained only 73 yards in the past two games, Turn to USC, page 9B HOUSE OF RECORDS mmm, good vinyl! 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