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About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (Oct. 18, 2002)
He’s back: Howry catching on again After a slow start to the season, Keenan Howry is finally back in the same form Oregon fans have grown accustomed to Adam Jude Senior Sports Reporter The billboard’s message was loud and big: “We’re back.” The 100-foot billboard, featuring Oregon’s Keenan Howry, was anoth er New York promotion for the Ore gon football program. The billboard featuring Howry’s likeness was dropped this week so Onterrio Smith could get a share of the limelight. But as his poster comes down, Howry is sending a new message: He’s back. Battling nagging injuries through out August practices and the first month of the season, Howry has once again emerged as the Ducks’ potent offensive threat. While his picture stood tall for two months in Manhattan, the senior wide receiver had just three catches in the first two games this season, well below his career average of nearly four catches per game. “It just took opportunity and time to make some catches. That’s all I can ask for,” said Howry, who, like all the receivers, had to adjust to first year starting quarterback Jason Fife. Now healthy for Pacific-10 Confer ence play, Howry has again looked like the best receiver in school histo ry, which his numbers should prove by the end of the season. Two weeks ago in Arizona, Howry nabbed his first touchdown of the season. Against UCLA last week, he returned a punt 79 yards for a score and took a Fife pass 74 yards for a fourth-quarter touchdown. “I’ve said all along that Keenan will show up and make plays,” Ore gon head coach Mike Bellotti said. “He’s as dangerous catching the foot Keenan Howry Rushing: Has gained nine yards on three attempts this season; long is five yards. Receiving: Has caught 1 5 passes for 26! yards and two touchdowns. Has caught a pass in 41 straight games. Special Teams: Has returned i 6 punts for 219 yards and one touchdown. Has three career punt returns for touchdown. "He's a complete football player." Mike Bellotti Oregon head coach ball as he is on a punt return. He’s a complete football player.” With a catch against Arizona State this week, Howry will tie the Pac-10 record for most consecutive games with a reception. He has had a recep tion in every game he’s played ex cept his first in 1999 (a game the Ducks lost at Michigan State), a streak that extends 41 games and in cludes 36 Oregon wins. “I’m not just going to go out and try to do that. If (the record) hap pens, it happens,” said Howry, who also leads the conference with 13.7 yards per punt return. Against Arizona State last year, Howry racked up nine receptions for 126 yards and four touchdowns. He needs 15 catches and 570 yards to become Oregon’s all-time leading re ceiver in each of those categories. But the 5-foot-10,170-pound Los Alamitos, Calif., native said he cares little about records right now. He just wants people to know he’s back. Contact the senior sports reporter at adamjude@dailyemerald.com. When Hairy met the brutal Duck schedule Oregon fans, meet Hairy. Hairy, say hello to the Oregon fans. Hairy will be with you for the rest of the season, Oregon fans. See, the Ducks’ schedule is just plain hairy from here on out. Ugly. Brutal. Above all, hard. Hairy is traveling with you to Pull man, Wash., on Nov. 9. Hairy is Knowing tnat Washington State will have a patsy game at Arizona on Oct. 26, then a home game against Arizona State on Nov. 2 before tne ducks ana Hairy play on the frozen tun dra of Martin Stadium. Two minutes for Peter Hockaday Not that crosschecking those Sun Dev ils aren’t hairy themselves. Those Sun Devils put up 10,000 points against Stanford and won a defen sive battle with Oregon State with only one touchdown. Those Sun Devils have been known to give the Ducks devilish fits (see: 56-55 Ore gon, double overtime, in Tempe two years ago). So that’s why Hairy’s coming to town this week (he was at the Rose Bowl last week). He’s mov ing in, unpacking his bags. Of course, Hairy will have to stick around next week, when USG comes to town. USC will be coming off a tough game against Washington, but the Trojan defense is perhaps the most fearsome on all the West Coast. Oregon product Troy Polamalu is the best player from the state of Oregon anywhere (yes, that does in clude Kellen Clemens), and he’s giv en the men of Troy some real atti tude. Hairy loves attitude. Hairy will be around for the Stan ford game, because Hairy never knows when the Cardinal might be a real pain in the behind. Like last year, when Hairy paid a big-time pain-in-the-behind visit to Autzen Stadium in the fourth quarter. After the WSU game, Hairy will stay in Oregon for Double Rivalry Weeks, when Washington comes to Autzen and the Ducks travel to Cor vallis on consecutive Saturdays. Hairy loves back-to-back games against top Pac-10 competition, especially when one of them is the Civil War. With Hairy moving in last week, he booted Fortunate out of the Oregon house. Where Hairy is an ugly, brutish little man, Lady For tunate is a tall, cool blonde. Was. Fortunate’s up in Pullman right now, unpacking her bags. Fortunate was a season-opener against Mississippi State, a ‘test’ against Fresno State that really couldn’t have worked out any better and two games against patsy compe tition that may have been Hairy games against better teams because of Onterrio Smith’s dings and Jason Fife’s mile-high passes. Fortunate was opening the Pac-10 season in Arizona, a step up in com petition but not the cream of the Turn to Hockaday, page 15B Jeremy Forrest Emerald Senior Keenan Howry brought Duck fans to their feet with a 79-yard punt return for a touchdown against UCLA last week. <
