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About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (Nov. 4, 2002)
Sports Editor. Peter Hockaday peterhockaday@dailyemerald.com Monday, November 4,2002 -Oregon Daily Emerald Sports Best bet NFL: Miami at Green Bay 6 p.m., ABC Adam Amato Emerald Freshman tailback Terrence Whitehead (24) breaks free for a42-yard rush, a play that set up Oregon's second score on Saturday. Wagon driven by Fife in a tiger suit This Oregon bandwagon is a low-rider. “So people can jump on and off real easily,” as Oregon tight end George Wrighster put it. The Ducks picked up a win after two losses, did it in convincing fashion, and looked good in the process. They jumped from 19th to 15th in The Associated Press poll. They clicked on offense. Dominated on defense. Hit hard. Passed long. So welcome back on the bandwagon. The Ducks missed you, kicked them selves for losing you in the first place, re solved to get you back. And if the Ducks can keep rolling in Pullman next week, ride that momen turn into a game with Washington and prepare for a tight game in Corvallis, well, thev could be headed for a re spectable bowl game. Something with an actual name attached in stead of a Web site. Here’s what needs to happen (because after a win like that, what else is there to do but look ahead?): The Ducks need Peter Hockaday Two minutes for crosschecking to win out, obviously. Then Arizona State has to lose twice, but the Sun Dev ils have California and USC still on the schedule. Washington State would have to lose one other game if the Ducks beat the Cougars, and WSU has Washington and UCLA on the slate. Then the Ducks would finish second to USC. Or USC could lose twice — the Trojans have Ari zona State and UCLA left — and Oregon would finish second to ASU. Wait, hold on ... I’m pretty sure I just saw the funniest thing ever. Jason Fife, in a giant tiger suit, trick-or-treating with Kai Smalley on the “Oregon Foot ball with Mike Bellotti” show on KEZI. Turn to Hockaday, page 12A Whitehead rushes UO to victory The freshman fills in for the injured Onterrio Smith and puts up Smith-like numbers in the win Peter Hockaday Sports Editor If it weren’t for the number on his jersey and a slightly different running style, Terrence Whitehead could be On terrio Smith. Just don’t tell him that. “I’ve never even thought about comparing myself to him,” Whitehead, a freshman, said of his junior tailback counterpart. But after his Onterrio-like performance against Stanford on Saturday, Whitehead was drawing many comparisons to the Heisman-trophy candidate. With Smith out because of a knee injury, Whitehead ran for 132 yards on 29 carries in the 41-14 blowTout. “For him to step up like that, take all those carries, shows a lot about his ability,” Oregon quarterback Jason Fife said. “He’s going to develop into a great back.” Smith watched in street clothes from the sideline as Whitehead executed long runs and picked up short yards when he needed to. And after the game, Smith couldn’t stop singing the praises of the freshman. “We know that we’re not losing anything with him in there,” Smith said. “He knew what he had to do, and he was fired up. He did a great job.” Whitehead, who came to Oregon from Los Angeles, played a number of different positions in high school and was originally recruited by head coach Mike Bellotti to play free safety. But after playing him at tailback in the spring, Bellotti made the “executive decision,” as he put it, to have Whitehead play running back before the season started. “Terrence hits a hole sometimes before it’s even there,” Bellotti said. After showing flashes of his ability earlier in the season — most notably a 43-yard performance against UCLA in which he scored a touchdown — Whitehead got the call to start Saturday over senior tailback Allan Amundson. He started the game with a seven-yard rush on the Ducks’ first play from scrimmage and never looked back. Whitehead’s biggest rush came in the first quarter. On the Turn to Whitehead, page 12A Volleyball ends loss skid with victory in Corvallis The Ducks end a 32-match losing streak in Pac-10 play with a victory over OSU Volleyball Hank Hager Sports Reporter CORVALLIS — The scene was all-too perfect Friday night at Gill Coliseum. Diana Blank and Kelly Russell’s block with Oregon leading 32-31 in the fourth set against Oregon State sent the Ducks into a frenzy on the court. Oregon gathered to gether on the outskirts of the Ore gon State Beaver on center court, and celebrated the end of a 32 match losing streak in Pacific-10 Conference play. The Ducks, with timely serving and clutch defense, defeated the Beavers in four sets (30-24,27-30, 30-26, 33-31) in front of 2,278 hostile fans. Russell led the Ducks (11-15 overall, 1-11 Pac-10) with 14 kills, v^hile senior Lindsay CloSs and sophomore Lauren 'Westendorf each had 13, but it wasn’t statis tics that mattered most this night. It was a celebration of a victory, and a team coming together for a goal it had yet to reach this sea son. “We have worked so hard, and we finally have gotten what we have worked so hard for in the past— I don’t even know how long,” freshman Jodi Bell said. “Words can’t even express right now.” For senior Sydney Chute, the match represented one last chance to get a victory that has eluded her for two straight sea sons. The win marked her third career victory against the Beavers. “For some of the girls on this team, this is their first Pac-10 win,” Chute said. “It feels awe some. We’ve worked so hard. (Oregon State) played great but we just stuck it out in the end, made some great digs, great blocks, and we won. We’re so ex cited. “It’s been a long time so this is all the more sweeter. Especially since it’s OSU — Civil War — in front of television, and a great crowd.” For Gloss, Westendorf and sophomore Katie O’Neil, it is their first win in Pac-10 play since join ing the Ducks prior to the 2001 season. Gloss — a transfer — has won in conference play while with Fresno State, but for her fellow Oregon teammates, it is unchart ed territory. “Coach (Carl Ferreira) said he was proud of us, he said that he wouldn’t give it to a more deserv ing group of girls, and he said that we finally did everything we do in practice,” Westendorf said when asked about the team’s post-game speech. “This is what we’re like every day. We’ve had a hard time bringing it at seven, but we finally did today.” The Ducks brought it to the tune of 64 kills, compared to Ore gon State’s 65. Oregon had two more assists than the Beavers, 61 59, but Oregon State out-dug the Ducks, 70-69. It was a balanced effort that pushed Oregon ahead. Freshman Turn to Volleyball, page 10A *» SS Jeremy Forrest Emerald .. The Ducks, sfcert hete celebratihgedtfler ttys seasdifl ag&ih&t Stahford, WereOilebr^ting Friday as * they ended their Pac*10 losing streak tvtth a Mtfttory**wQmgon State, rrp
