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About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (May 1, 2002)
Sports Editor: Adam Jude adamjude@dailyemerald.com Best Bet NBA playoffs: San Antonio at Seattle 7:30 p.m., TNT Wednesday, May 1,2002 Bellotti anticipates ‘pretty good football team’ Adam Amato Emerald Onterrio Smith, a 1,000-yard rusher last season, is one of the few certainties the Ducks have in their lineup as they head into a three-month break. The football team will resume workouts on Aug. 10 in preparation for the season. ■With spring practices concluded, the Oregon football team has three months to mull over its uncertainties By Adam Jude Oregon Daily Emerald Questions, oh so many questions for Mike Bellotti. Maybe it’s a good thing the Oregon football coach has more than three months to find some answers. Spring drills came to an end Saturday at the Spring Game with several key po sitions still uncertain for the fall, when the team can again reunite on Aug. 10. All in all, though, this spring was not much different than previous years. Ul timately, time will be the best means of measuring how good this team will be. “I think we have the makings of a pret ty good football team,” Bellotti said af ter the Spring Game. “Certainly there’s a lot of work to be done in a lot of places. I told our kids that what happens now, from this point on, is the most important thing. They know what they need to work on. A lot of it falls on them now. ” Fife makes his move On April 1, the big question on of fense was whether junior Jason Fife was good enough to replace Joey Harrington at quarterback. By April 20, all eyes fell on redshirt freshman Kellen Clemens, an athletic and slippery quarterback who made some spectacular plays in the spring’s first scrimmages. But after an impressive performance Saturday in the Spring Game, Fife is clear ly the front-runner heading into the fall. “Fife was very, very good,” Clemens said after this counterpart’s four touchdown performance Saturday. “Man. Phew.” At running back, Onterrio Smith is the man. To stop Oregon, teams will have to stop Smith. Allan Amundson and Ryan Shaw will battle for the No. 2 spot in the fall. Oregon’s wide receivers are deep — and good. Even with last year’s starting wideouts Keenan Howry and Jason Willis nursing injuries this spring, the Oregon receivers made names for them selves. Junior speedster Sarnie Parker had two touchdown catches Saturday and will undoubtedly contend for a starting job come August. George Wrighster is the easy choice to replace Justin Peelle at tight end. But this spring Wrighster experimented at fullback — or H-back — a spot that Matt Floberg may claim in the fall. If Wrighster does move to the back field, watch out for red shirt freshman Tim Day at tight end. Want a quick explanation for Oregon’s 2001 success? The offensive line, which allowed just 11 sacks last year — best in the Pacific-10 Conference. Good news for the decision-makers: Three starters from that unit return — Dan Weaver, Corey Chambers and Joey Forster. Ducks want Moore in secondary Defensive back Steven Moore may have been the biggest surprise of the spring. “Stevie Moore has exceeded my ex pectations,” Bellotti said. With Moore penciled in as one of the replacements for NFL draftees Rashad Bauman and Steve Smith, the Ducks will begin fall camp searching for the other. In battling sophomore Charles Favroth, redshirt freshman Justin Turn to Football, page 8 Give quarterback Fife a chance to finish his Big Story Hockaday Two minutes for crosschecking For three years now, Jason Fife has been the MVP of Oregon’s Spring Game. Well, maybe not the MVP, but he’s at least been the Big Story. Two years ago, the Big Story was that Fife would contend with Joey Harring ton and A.J. Feeley for the top two spots in the Ducks’ quarterback rotation. But that story fizzled, as Feeley recov ered from an arm injury and was an able backup to Harrington, who quickly de veloped into a bona fide superstar. Fee ley played in only two games, and Fife saw nary a snap in the 2000 season. In the 2001 Spring Game, the Big Story was that Fife would ably fill Fee ley’s shoes as Harrington’s second-in command. After a strong showing in the scrimmage, it looked like Fife might even contend with Harrington for semi-serious playing time. But that story faded, as the season’s first few games were too close to yank Harrington, and even in the blowouts there was always “Joey Heisman’s” sta tistics to think about. So Fife threw the ball only nine times all season. And on Saturday, Fife was the Big Story one more time, only now he has a better chance than ever to finish the tale. With foin touchdowns and 217 yards through the air, Fife clearly stated his case for the job as No. 1 signal-caller. Now he needs to keep it like a naked bootleg up the right side. With Harrington gone, the Ducks will undoubtedly crave a strong pres ence in the pocket next fall. They’ll need a calm, confident signal-caller to lead like Harrington did. And Fife is the right man for the job. Cool and confident on the field, poised and fun in interviews, Fife could be just the man to fill Harrington’s 100 foot shoes. Luckily, Fife will have rocket launchers with pillow-soft hands at his wide receiver positions. Sarnie Parker was stunningly fast in the spring scrimmage just as he was all last year, big-play guy Keenan Howry will be back in the fall and able-handed Jason Willis will join him. If Saturday’s big plays are any indi cation, whoever plays quarterback next year could practically set up a lawn chair, toss some wobblers down the field and watch the stats pile up as the receivers go to the proverbial town. Fife also will be aided by an intangi ble that has benefited many Oregon quarterbacks in the past: a running game. Onterrio Smith and Maurice Morris kept opposing defenses as hon est as Abe last year, and this season Smith looks ready to take over the spotlight for himself. Defenses will Turn to Hockaday, page 8 Junior Janell Bergstrom shows her frustration after a potential game-winning home run fell just short in Game 1 of Oregon’s doubleheader Tuesday against Hawaii. She redeemed herself by clearing the fence in Game 2 with the game-winning homer. I UO softball defeats Hawaii with Bergstrom’s homer ■ Left fielder Janell Bergstrom s game-winning hit helps Oregon split its doubleheader with Hawaii By Chris Cabot Oregon Daily Emerald The second time is a charm for Janell Bergstrom and the Oregon softball team. After losing Game 1 of a doublehead er, 5-4, to Hawaii (33-23 overall, 13-7 Western Athletic Conference) on Tues day, Oregon (23-25 overall, 1-14 Pacif ic-10 Conference) came back for a 5-4 victory of its own, thanks to a walk-off home run from Bergstrom, the Ducks left fielder. First baseman Andrea Vid lund scored on Bergstrom’s hit, which was officially ruled a single because Bergstrom and Erin Goodell, who was on first, celebrated before rounding the bases. “It’s nice to win the second game in the fashion that we won it, but we would have liked to have won both,” Oregon head coach Brent Rincon said. Bergstrom had a chance to win Game 1 of the doubleheader in the same Turn to Softball, page 6
