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.
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