ILSTADI
Senior linebacker Matt Smith couldn’t hit the
curve ball in baseball, but he’s been feasting on
opposing offenses all season long. PAGE 4
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Dan Brunei I Emerald
Senior linebacker Matt Smith leads the seventh-ranked Oregon Ducks into Tempe, Ariz., to face the Arizona State Sun Devils. Smith leads the team in tackles with 50.
■Oregon continues its “one game at a time” mantra as it
prepares to face an intriguing Arizona State on the road
By Jeff Smith
Oregon Daily Emerald
Screeeeeech. Yadda. Yadda.
Yadda.
The sound represents a broken
record.
It is what the Oregon football
team has become in interviews,
as each week brings “the biggest
game of the year.”
Each week, the team is “taking
it one game at a time. ”
Each week, the team can’t
“overlook [insert team here].”
The players realize they are
saying the same things again and
again, but such is the case when
you’re the No. 7 team in the na
tion and you are locked in a
heated Pacific-10 Conference
race for the prestigious Rose
Bowl.
This week’s “huge game” is
against the Arizona State Sun
Devils at Sun Devil Stadium in
Tempe, Ariz. The game begins at
12:30 p.m. and will be regionally
televised by ABC. Oregon (6-1
overall, 4-0 Pac-10) must beat
Arizona State (5-2, 2-2) to stay
one game ahead of the rest of the
pack in first place.
“The incentive is there for
every game,” head coach Mike
Bellotti said. “And I think we’ve
done a great job this year of fo
cusing one game at a time and
being very narrow-minded and
short-sighted in our focus —
which is what I want.”
While a 6-1 start is great,
long-time Oregon fans know
that the tables can turn quickly.
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