Sports Editor:
Adam Jude
adamjude@dailyemerald.com
Assistant Sports Editor:
Jeff Smith
jeffsmith@dailyemerald.com
Thursday, November 15,2001
Best Bet
NBA: Los Angeles at Houston,
6p.m., TNT
Bill Musgrave
Danny O’Neil
# *
Dan Fouts
Chris Miller
Akili Smith
■ In a program rich in quarterback
history, Joey Harrington is making
* his way to the top of the list... and
perhaps to New York next month
Joey Heisman? Glamorous, but not
quite right (at least not yet).
Princess? A little harsh.
Mr. Clutch? Appropriate, yet not preferred.
“Just Joey,” said Oregon’s senior quarter
back, Joey Harrington. “It makes me sound
younger.”
Whatever you choose to call him, Joey Har
rington will respond — well, maybe not when
teammate and former roommate Justin Peelle
calls him “Princess” — and almost always
with positive results.
In two and a half years as Oregon’s starting
quarterback, Harrington has proven to be one
of the most effective signal callers in Pacific
10 Conference history. Harrington’s success,
which includes nine fourth-quarter come
from-behind wins and a 23-3 record as a
starter, may also earn him a trip to New York
on Dec. 8, when the Heisman Trophy will be
handed out to the nation’s top college football
player.
“Generally, the Heisman goes to the player
on a winning team,” said the 6-foot-4, 220
pound Portland native. “So if I end up in
New York, we’re probably going to be 10-1,
which would be absolutely terrific. But it’s
not something I think of too much.
“I control what I can on the field.”
•* An Oregon player has ever won the Heis
man, including quarterback greats Akili
Smith (1997-98), Danny O’Neil (1991-94), Bill
+ Musgrave (1987-90) and Chris Miller (1983
According to ESPN.com, Harrington is
third in the Heisman race behind Nebraska
senior quarterback Eric Crouch and Miami
junior quarterback Ken Dorsey. The top four
vote-getter§ for the Heisman — selected by
175 members of the media — will be invited
to New York for the annual presentation. A
trip to the Big Apple would be Harrington’s
By Adam Jude
Oregon Daily Emerald
oe College? Too generic.
86).
^ ^ There’s very few people that
have meant as much to their
program as he has to ours. ^
~ head coach Mike Bellotti
on Joey Harrington
Adam Amato Emerald
second of the year, as he was on hand to un
veil his 100-foot poster in May, a $250,000
marketing campaign paid for by donors.
“I assume we’ll all have a much better feel
after the Civil War, but, yes, definitely, he
should be (in New York),” head coach Mike
Bellotti said. “If you look at his touchdown
to-interception ratio, his winning tradition
over the course of his career — there’s very
few people that have meant as much to their
program as he has to ours.”
In comparison, Crouch has thrown for 1,310
yards, seven touchdowns and eight intercep
tions this season for the top-ranked Huskers,
but he has also rushed for 958 yards and 16
TDs. Dorsey is 139-for-228 passing for 2,006
yards with 15 TDs and eight interceptions.
Harrington is 175-of-300 for 2,310 yards,
with 23 TDs and five interceptions. He has
also rushed for seven TDs. In his career, Har
rington has accounted for 74 touchdowns (55
passing, 17 rushing, one receiving), breaking
O’Neil’s school-record 67.
One factor that will likely play into the fi
nal baloting, as Harrington said, is the team’s
performance. Nebraska is undefeated and
ranked No. 1 in the Bowl Championship Se
ries. Miami, also undefeated, is No. 2. Both
teams, though, still have three games left to
play, while the No. 7 Ducks wait to play their
Oregon Career Passing
1. Bill Musgrave
2. Danny O’Neil
3. Chris Miller
4. Joey Harrington
5. Dan Fouts
6. Akili Smith
7. TonyGraziani
8. Jack Henderson
9. Bob Berry
10. George Shaw
Years
1987-90
1991-94
1983-86
1998
1970-72
1997-98
1993-96
1975-77
1962-64
1951-54
PA PC
1104 634
1132 636
1015 560
864 473
956 482
571 323
670 362
842 411
520 282
513 229
YG Pet. TD
8343 .574 60
8301 .562
6681 .552
6457 .547 55
5995 . 504 37
5148 .566
4498 .540
4360 .488
4297 .542
3088 .446
62
42
45
25
17
39
17
Pac-10 Career Touchdown Passes
TD Player
1. 77 JohnElway, Stanford, 1979-82
2. 75 Steve Stenstrom, Stanford, 1991-94
3. 66 Cade McNown, UCLA, 1995-99
4. 65 Jake Plummer, ASU, 1993-96
5. 62 Danny O’Neil, Oregon, 1991-94
6. 60 Bill Musgrave, Oregon, 1987-90
7. 59 Ryan Leaf, WSU, 1995-97
8. 58 Rob Johnson, USC, 1991-94
9. 55 Joey Harrington, Oregon, 1998
final game Dec. 1 against Oregon State, a team
that spoiled Oregon’s hopes of a Rose Bowl
last year.
Despite a loss to Stanford on Oct. 20, Har
rington said he has not given up hope of get
ting to the national championship game this
year, which will be played at the Rose Bowl
on Jan. 3.
“We did get knocked down, but we’re not
out,” he said. “We know it’s a long shot, but if
we win and teams lose, we’ll have a shot.
That’s all we’re asking for.”
Harrington has made the most of his situa
tion with the Ducks since earning the starting
Turn to Joey, page 12
Bigger than usual Apple Cup
to have impact on idle Ducks
■ With both the Cougars and
Huskies ranked in the top-25,
there’s more at stake in this year’s
showdown in Seattle
By Jeff Smith
Oregon Daily Emerald
Whatever happens in Saturday’s 94th
Apple Cup between the two Washing
ton schools, the seventh-ranked Ducks
will benefit.
Should the Huskies rebound from
their disappointing loss at Oregon State
and beat the Cougars at home, Oregon
would be guaranteed at least a berth in
the Fiesta Bowl. The Ducks could then
lose at home to Oregon State on Dec. 1
and still gain the Pacific-10 Confer
ence’s top bowl bid because they have
the tiebreaker advantages.
Should the Cougars come away with
a win at Husky Stadium, though, the
Ducks would continue to gain more
points in the Bowl Championship Se
ries rankings. A Washington State vic
tory would keep the Cougars high in the
BCS standings, where they’re currently
No. 8, and thus give Oregon “quality
win” points for beating a team ranked
in the BCS top-15.
“I don’t think I can root for either
team,” Oregon senior tight end Justin
Peelle said.
Of course, the 16th ranked Huskies
TurntoPac-10, page 10
UO set to open with Alabama St.
■ The men’s basketball team begins its
season tonight against the Hornets, an
NCAAToumamentteam lastyear
By Peter Hockaday
Oregon Daily Emerald
Mission: NCAA Tournament.
Impossible? Freddie Jones and the rest of Oregon
men’s basketball players think a trip to the NCAAs
is not out of reach this season.
“Everybody on this team feels that we can go to
the tournament,” Jones said.
The road to Bracketville 2002 will begin tonight
against a team that danced in March Madness last
season.
The Ducks will take on Alabama State at 8:15 p.m.
at McArthur Court. The game will be the second con
test of the America’s Youth Classic Tournament,
which kicks off at 6 p.m. with Long Beach State tak
ing on Western Michigan. Oregon will take on West
em Michigan on Friday night, then Long Beach State
on Saturday as the teams all play each other.
Oregon will try to win its lOth-straight sea
son opener tonight against the Hornets of Al
abama State. The Hornets received an automatic
bid to the 2001 NCAA Tournament after they
won the Southwestern Athletic Conference ti
tle last season.
“They are a small, strong team that will shoot the
ball deep,” Oregon head coach Ernie Kent said.
Alabama State, a No. 16 seed in the tournament
last season, drew No. 1-seed Michigan State in the
first round and lost 69-35. This season, the Hornets
return top scorer Tyrone Levett and three other
starters from last year’s team.
The Ducks convincingly won both of their exhi
bition games last week by scores of 95-47 and 85
65. But the Oregon players felt they showed several
glaring weaknesses, which they will look to im
Turn to Basketball, page 12