Sports Editor
Peter Hockaday
peterhockaday@dailyemerald.com
Tuesday, October 15,2002
-Oregon Daily Emerald
Sports
Best bet
English soccer:
Everton at Manchester United
12 p.m., Fox Sports
Pac-10 QBs may pass passing records
The conference has had seven quarterbacks
pass for400yards this season
Pac-10 Notes
Adam jude
Senior Sports Reporter
By the end of the season, Pacific-10
Conference officials may have to rewrite all of
the league’s quarterback records.
With Arizona quarterback Jason Johnson’s
443-yard performance against Washington on
Saturday, the Pac-10 has seven 400-yard passing
games this season, which ties the conference’s
all-time mark, set in 1998.
To put the numbers in perspective, the Pac-10
had a total of seven 400-yard games from 1999
2001.
“I can’t believe the way the quarterbacks are
racking up yards,” Oregon head coach Mike
Bellotti said last week. “They’re doing a great job.
They are red-hot right now. There are some great
quarterbacks in this league.”
Johnson, Washington’s Cody Pickett and
Arizona State’s Andrew Walter each have two
400-yard passing games this season, while Jason
Gesser of Washington State has one.
Even more impressive is that the Pac-10 has
seven quarterbacks ranked in the nation’s top-23
in passing efficiency.
At the top of that list is Oregon’s Jason Fife,
whose 12-to-l touchdown-to-interception ratio
gives him a 161.2 quarterback rating, third-best in
the NCAA. Gesser, who has thrown for 1,894 yards
and 16 touchdowns, is eighth nationally with a rat
ing of 155.3.
Pickett, the Pac-10 leader with 375.2 passing
yards per game, is No. 11 nationally in pass effi
ciency. He has thrown for more than 300 yards
in every game this season.
Walter (No. 12 in the NCAA), Johnson (No.
14), UCLA’s Cory Paus (No. 15), and Cal’s Kyle
Boiler (No. 23) round off the Pac-lO’s top quar
terbacks.
Not to be forgotten, USC senior quarterback Car
son Palmer, while last in the conference in passing
efficiency, is third on the Pac-10 career passing list.
Palmer, who has 9,506 career passing yards, will
likely become the third quarterback in conference
history to surpass the 10,000-yard passing mark.
Stanford’s Steve Stenstrom (10,911 yards) and
UCLA’s Cade MeNown (10,368) are the other two.
UCLA 'flabbergasted’
Bob Toledo’s in the hot seat — is he ever not? —
after another one-point loss to the Ducks.
Clinging to a 30-24 lead late in the third-quarter,
the UCLA head coach called for a fake field goal on
fourth-and-15. UCLA holder Garrett Lepisto's pass
was complete to Marcedes Lewis, but Oregon fresh
man Aaron Gipson made the tackle for just an eight
yard gain.
“Any time you run a fake, you're open to criti
cism,” Toledo said after the game.
The UCLA players were not quite so eloquent.
“I think we beat ourselves,” UCLA cornerback
Ricky Manning told reporters. “There's no way that
team should beat us. You’d like to show good sports
manship and tip your hat to (the Ducks), but they
just didn’t do it today.”
Slick Rick penalized
The NCAA Committee on Infractions handed
down its ruling last week in a recruiting-violations
case involving Colorado and former coach Rick
Neuheisel, now the head man at Washington.
Colorado will have its football scholarships re
duced by five for one year, while Neuheisel cannot
make any off-campus recruiting trips until May 31.
Neuheisel said he did not intentionally break
NCAA recruiting rules.
Turn to Pac-10, page 10
Washington State Media Services courtesy photo
Washington State's Jason Cesser, who threw for 297yards and three touchdowns in a win over
Stanford on Saturday, ranks eighth in the NCAA in passing efficiency.
‘Redemption’
comes for Cal
California has taken the right path to improvement in
Pac-10 volleyball and has it sight set on the NCAAs
Volleyball
Hank Hager
Sports Reporter
Jeff Tedford has made a name for California football, but that
squad may not even be the hottest team on the Berkeley cam
pus.
Golden Bear volleyball, which has had a habit of losing in
recent years, has resurfaced as a potential NCAA Tournament
team from the Pacific-10 Conference. Although the Bears sport
a record of just 3-4 in conference play (12-4 overall), it is a
step up from last season’s 3-15 finish.
Only Oregon has shown the same futility that the Golden
Bears have suffered recently, and unlike the Ducks, California
has done something about it.
California’s victory over No. 20 Arizona on Saturday in Tuc
son showed the turnaround in the program. One night after
the Wildcats defeated No. 4 Stanford, the Golden Bears came
on strong and took out their first ranked opponent since last
season. It was their first victory over Arizona since 1995.
“The disappointment in the desert turned into redemption -
that was the word of the day for us,” California head coach
Rich Feller said, comparing the game to California’s loss to Ari
zona State the night before. “Every member of the team be
lieved it. This shows how strong the Pac-10 is, considering that
Arizona had defeated defending national champion Stanford
the night before. This also shows how good we can be.”
If history had a place in sports, Cal would be nowhere near
the winning map. But like all programs rising above mediocrity
and ineptitude, the Bears have had to forget history and opti
mism has had to come out of the shadows.
Cal has done all that.
“History doesn't matter,” senior Leah Young told the Daily
Californian. “It is all about the present and the future.”
The talent and talk is there. Now all the Bears have to do is
.. .. . titiitititttittti
Turn to Volleyball, page 10
Ultimate RUSH
Jeremy Forrest Emerald
, 'Sqr^n^VVQOcii.C^Qhiog.djs/c), and,the Oregon women's ultimate team finished
sixth in the nation last season, and hope to repeat this year.
The Oregon women’s Ultimate Frisbee team
finished sixth in the country last season
Scott Archer
Freelance Sports Reporter
More than two months away from serious compe
tition, the women’s Ultimate Frisbee team is already
getting focused
for a tough sea
son ahead.
The team is
working at be
coming even
better, and is
trying to build
on a sixth
place national finish from last year. Like all good
teams, the Ducks know their next season’s success is
made during the off-season. So even with more than
60 days before the season’s first game, players are al
ready practicing and recruiting for the upcoming sea
son.
Yes, recruiting.
“We have the returners do some recruiting for the
season, to get girls interested in joining the team,”
said coach Rachelle Depper, who eo-coaehes with
Jared Weybright. “We have 10 to 14 new players that
are out practicing now, along with 12 returners.”
With so many players back, experience shouldn’t
be a problem for the Ducks, considering only seven
players can take the field at one time. A line-up of
seven experienced players starting, another five ex
perienced players coming of the bench and 10 new
players makes this year’s squad a well-balanced
blend of youth and experience.
“We have a lot of veterans returning,” said Depper.
“We expect to qualify for nationals. We have a great
Turn to Ultimate, page 10