Bigger, better opportunities await Oregon’s Clemens
i ne opportunity is mere, ior
everyone.
It may be just the Seattle Bowl —
which could be considered an anti
opportunity for the Ducks, who
where oh-so-close to playing for the
national cham
pionship last
season — but
it’s an opportu
nity for Oregon
fans to see
their team in a
bowl game
close to home.
For Keenan Adam
Howry, the
Seattle Bowl is
a disappointing 'n
end to a disap
pointing season in what was other
wise a great career.
“It’s just another opportunity to
get out of the way and go on to big
ger and better things,” Howry said.
The senior wide receiver, who
holds the school record with 168 ca
reer receptions, may get bigger and
better things if the NFL calls his
name in April.
But that’s far down the road —
and even on a different map — for
most on the Oregon sideline.
For Kellen Clemens, the Seattle
Bowl is not something to just simply
get out of the way. This is his chance
to shine. This is the opportunity for
Clemens, a redshirt freshman quar
terback who’s watched patiently as
the Jason Fife-led Ducks faltered at
the end of the season.
“I’m excited to get the opportunity
to play,” Clemens said Sunday.
“We’re excited about one more game
to go out on a positive note.”
Oregon head coach Mike Bellotti
confirmed Sunday that Clemens and
Fife will both play against Wake For
est on Dec. 30.
“We will have two quarterbacks in
the bowl game,” Bellotti said. “But I
don’t know who will start.”
Fife, the No. 1 starter since the
spring, and Clemens have been split
ting time with the starting unit in
practice this week.
With Fife, Oregon (7-5) lost five of
its final six games while finishing
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nintn in me raciric-iu t^onrerence
in passing at 232.8 yards per game.
And while it’s hardly fair to point the
finger at one individual for Oregon’s
struggles, it may be time for a change
at quarterback.
"We will have two
quarterbacks in the
bowl game, but I don't
know who will start"
Mike Bellotti
Oregon head coach
It may be inevitable, anyway.
Clemens is clearly the future quar
terback, and is in a position Joey
Harrington found himself in three
years ago while backing up A.J. Fee
ley (now the starting quarterback for
the Philadelphia Eagles). Midway
through his sophomore year, Har
rington supplanted Feeley as the
starter, and the rest, well, is history.
Harrington obviously made the
most of his opportunity. Clemens is
still waiting for his. But he shouldn’t
nave to wait long.
With a national audience watch
ing on ESPN, Clemens should see
significant action in the Seattle
Bowl, something he has not had
much of this season.
Clemens started the third quarter
of Oregon’s 42-14 loss to Washing
ton, but his first pass was intercept
ed. He played just two series before
Fife was brought back in.
In five games, Clemens has com
pleted 4-of-9 passes for 40 yards with
one touchdown and one interception.
The Oregon coaches have made
it clear that this bowl season, with
little fanfare compared to the
Ducks’ Fiesta Bowl charge last sea
son, is as much about preparing for
next year as it is for ending this
season with a win.
For Clemens, that means proving
himself in every opportunity. Could
he head into spring practices as the
top quarterback?
“We can’t really worry about that
right now,” Clemens said.
Certainly, Fife has taken his lumps
in his first season. Clemens could
easily experience the same it he s
given the opportunity next season.
But isn’t it at least worth a try, given
Clemens’ heralded prep career?
A native of Bums, Clemens was
the only player in the state to attract
All-American attention and was rat
ed the third-best prep quarterback
in the nation by PrepStar magazine
as a senior. He passed for 3,226
yards and 37 touchdowns while
rushing for 15 more scores in his fi
nal prep season.
But that’s in the past, and Oregon
needs a spark for the future. Is
Clemens the answer? In the 19 days
he has to prepare as Oregon’s quar
terback, starter or not, Clemens has
the opportunity to create an even bet
ter opportunity for himself next year.
Fife’s opportunities have seemed
to run dry. Clemens’ first one starts
now, and may just lead to bigger and
better things.
Contact the senior sports reporter
at adamjude@dailyemerald.com.
His views do not necessarily represent
those of the Emerald.
Wake Forest
continued from page 2B
squeaker to Florida State.
Finally, Wake Forest won its fi
nal home game of the season, a 30
27 victory over Navy, then traveled
to College Park, Md., and lost to
the Terps.
“We played a terrible first half,
but I think we showed we can play
a little bit in the second half,”
Wake Forest head coach Jim
Grobe told the Winston-Salem
Journal after the Maryland game.
“It just wasn’t enough.”
On the offensive side of the ball,
Wake Forest is led by quarterback
James MacPherson. The senior
from Tucson, Ariz., has completed
55 percent of his passes this
season for 1,596 yards and six
touchdowns.
Senior Tarence Williams leads
the Wake Forest ground game with
825 yards and, along with fresh
man runner Chris Barclay, is the
focus of the offense. The two have
combined for 1,612 yards, and the
Deacons as a team average just
less than 240 yards per game on
the ground.
Defensively, Wake Forest, like
Oregon, is susceptible to the long
passing play, although the Deacons
allow just 238 yards in the air per
game. However, they have not
been able to stop the run, high
lighted by the 161 yards per game
they allow.
Senior defensive end Galvin Pace
was named a first-team All-Ameri
can last week, Wake Forest’s first se
lection since 1992.
“I am very honored to be chosen
as an All-American,” the Dou
glasville, Ga., native said. “I give all
the credit to my teammates
and coaches. Because of them,
I have been able win to some
individual honors.”
However, Pace has a broken fibu
la — an injury that kept him on the
sidelines against Maryland — and
Wake Forest has not said if he will
play in the Seattle Bowl.
There is a bit of controversy
surrounding the Demon Deacon
football program. Despite being
the man attributed with building
the Wake Forest football team into
a semi-power, Grobe has been
looking into the head coaching
spot at Baylor.
The Bears have an open position
after finishing the season 3-9 and
have courted Grobe. He admitted
Baylor has made contact with him,
but he has yet to schedule an inter
view with them and declined to say
whether he would.
“I’m flattered they’re interested
in me — very flattered,” he said.
“But I have nothing more to report
right now.”
No member of the Demon Dea
cons has acknowledged the rumors
have been distracting, but Wake
Forest Athletics Director Ron Well
man said he expects Grobe to re
main with the program.
“Every situation is unique unto
itself, but the relationship Jim and
I have has always been a very open
and candid relationship,” he said.
“I know that I trust him that if
there was ever a situation where
he would get involved, he would
come back and we would just dis
cuss that situation and what is
good for him and what is good for
our program.”
Contact the sports reporter
at hankhager@dailyemerald.com.