Sports Editor
Peter Hockaday
peterhockaday@dailyemerald.com
Thursday, April 17,2003
— Oregon Daily Emerald
Sports
Best bet *
NHL Playoffs:
Edmonton at Dallas
4:30 p.m., ESPN2
Front-passer?
Kellen Clemens is looking to take advantage
of his opportunities and earn Oregon!*
starting quarterback spot
Spring football
Hank Hager
Sports Reporter
The moment sits in a season-long lowlight reel
that defined Oregon’s 2002 season.
Autzen Stadium, filled to the brim as the Ducks
take on hated rival Washington, welcomes quarter
back Kellen Clemens onto the field at the start of
Oregon’s first drive of the third quarter. It is
Clemens’ first game action since Oregon played
Portland State almost two months ago.
In Clemens’ first pass attempt, Washington cor
nerback Derrick Johnson steps in front of Duck re
ceiver Keenan Howry, picking off the quarterback’s
crisply thrown but off-target pass.
“It wasn’t the first pick of my career and it won’t
be my last,” Clemens said. “It was my first one in
college, but it won’t be the last. That’s part of the po
sition. You’ve got to push through it and stay men
tally tough.”
It’s easy for Clemens, now embroiled in a quarter
back competition with Jason Fife during Oregon’s
spring practices, to look back at the play and pick out
the positives. After a season that saw the Ducks fall
from No. 5 in the country midway through the year to
eighth place in the Pacific-10 Conference, it’s hard.
But Clemens is doing just that.
There is no true starter at the position so far for
the Ducks. Fife is listed as No. 1 on the depth chart,
but in reality, he could be wearing “1A” on the
back of his jersey. Clemens, on the other hand,
could very well don “1%”
Head coach Mike Bellotti likely isn’t going
to name a starter until fall camp, and both
know that.
“I don’t even think we’re thinking
about it,” Fife said. “We’re just com
k ing out here and playing and doing
^k the best we can. ”
So now, for Clemens, a redshirt sophomore-to
be, learning from last season’s perils can only
make him better.
That includes a stint in the Seattle Bowl, Oregon’s
reward for finishing the regular season with a 7-5
record. Clemens eventually finished the game 19-of
31 for 161 yards and one touchdown, coming in after
watching from the sidelines for the first three series
of the game.
He knew he was coming in, having heard from
Oregon’s coaches one week prior to the game against
Wake Forest. Still, it would be tough for the former
Bums High School star to adjust.
“When we got on the bus to go to the game, I sat
down and was sitting right behind (offensive guard)
Joey Forster,” Clemens said. “He turned around and
looked at me, and I’m sure my eyes were the size of
golf balls, and he asks, ‘are you nervous?’
‘“Yeah, I’m nervous.’ He looked at me and said,
‘Don’t be nervous. At the chance of failing, be excited
about the opportunity you’ve got to show everybody
what you’ve got.’ I said, ‘Wow, this guy, who was a
freshman All-American, has enough confidence in
me to say that.’ I couldn’t wait to get on the field.”
The Ducks were lambasted by Wake Forest, 38
17, ending the dire season on a low note. What the
game did do, however, was open the door for
Clemens to possibly step in and take over the start
ing opportunity.
“Personally, each one of us wants to start for this
football team,” Clemens said. “But at the same time,
there’s something much more than Jason or I or Ja
son and I combined. And that’s the Oregon Ducks
winning some games this year.”
At Oregon’s first scrimmage, held last Saturday,
neither Clemens nor Fife played particularly well.
Clemens, specifically, was 8-of-13 for 102 yards and
one score. The touchdown throw came in his first se
ries of the day, when Kellen Taylor beat Marques
Binns on a 44-yard toss.
But Clemens, who stands 6-foot-2 and looks as
though he could stand in as a linebacker, has the ca
pability of doing much more, especially in Oregon’s
scrimmages to come.
And yet, on the same token, he has a lot of room
Turn to Clemens, page 10
Track heads
to ‘mountain’
in Golden State
The Oregon men and women will send contingents
down to the Mt. SAC Relays this weekend
Track and field
Peter Hockaday
Sports Editor
After winning the Pepsi Team Invitational, the Oregon men’s
and women’s track teams are peaking. But they don’t want to
summit this season quite yet, even if this weekend’s meet is on
a mountain.
Actually, the Mt. San Antonio College Relays only sound like
they’ll take place on a hillside. In reality, the track in Walnut,
Calif., will be flat enough for the Ducks, who will compete in the
meet today through Saturday. And the amount of talent at Mt.
SAC — one of the biggest regular-season meets of 2003 — will
look to some Ducks like Everest looks to a climber.
Not that the Oregon athletes don’t relish the challenge.
“It’s going to be tough competition, but I love competition,”
high jumper Jenny Brogdon said. “We all do.”
Brogdon is one of 27 women who will make the trek to Mt.
SAC. Fourteen men will head south. For those Ducks, one of the
keys this weekend and the rest of the regular season is pacing.
With a new NCAA Regional-qualifying program that has lower
standards than in the past, most of Oregon’s stars have already
qualified for the regional meet on May 30, where they will try to
make NCAAs. That means the rest of the season is building to
ward that regional meet rather than making an explosive NCAA
qualifying mark. Brogdon shared her perspective.
Turn to Track, page 10
fiAMItttttlAi
Adam Amato Emerald
Travis Anderson (52) and Matt Scherer (98) will try to qualify for the
NCAA West Regionals in the 400this weekend at Mt SAC
Softball sweeps
doubleheader
Oregon shuts out Portland State in both games
on Wednesday in Portland
Softball
Mindi Rice
Sports Reporter
No. 20 Oregon needed a lift after losing two of three week
end games to Pacific-10 Conference rivals No. 2 UCLA and No.
3 Washington.
The Ducks (23-13 overall, 3-7 Pac-10) found just that as
they successfully shut out Portland State (13-21, 5-3 Pacific
Coast Softball Conference) — 4-0 and 5-0 — in a doublehead
er on Wednesday.
“I thought we played very well in both games today,” head
coach Kathy Arendsen said. “Offensively we were clicking and
I thought all of our pitchers did a tremendous job. These are
very important wins for us as we aim to reach the postseason.”
Freshman pitcher Amy Harris led the Ducks in the pitching
circle while senior infielders Alyssa Laux and Lynsey Haij led
Oregon at the plate.
In the first game, Harris and junior Anissa Meashintubbv
combined to throw a four-hitter in the Ducks’ 4-0 shutout of
Portland State.
Oregon opened the scoring in the third inning as the Ducks
moved a baserunner around the diamond with key hits.
Sophomore second baseman Erin Goodell led off the inning
with a walk. Goodell advanced to second on a single to right
field by third baseman Haij.
A sacrifice fly by senior designated player Amber Hutchison
moved Goodell up to third. She then scored on a throwing er
ror by Portland State catcher Rose Rutledge.
The Ducks added three insurance runs in the fourth as
Turn to Softball, page 10