Clemens, Fife continue duel
after successful dual rotation
Oregon coaches haven’t determined
who will take more snaps against
Nevada, which is fine for now
By Jesse Thomas
Sports Reporter
So who will start this week?
Sophomore Kellen Clemens or sen
ior Jason Fife?
The real question is: Does it
really matter?
Clemens was the starter and led
Oregon to three first-quarter touch
downs against Mississippi State last
week. Fife entered the game with five
minutes to go in the first and led the
Ducks to another touchdown.
Fife was a perfect 8 of 8 on the
night for 111 yards and two touch
downs, one of which he ran in.
Clemens finished 14 of 21 for 247
yards and three touchdowns.
Oregon proved two things: No. 1, a
two-quarterback rotation does work;
and No. 2, the bottom line is to get
the win.
"We got a 'W,' so that works,"
Clemens said. "That's most important
and that's the thing that lason and I
try and keep in mind."
Oregon head coach Mike Bellotti
was pleased with the results as well.
"What we did last week was
very successful," Bellotti said. "Jason
Fife maybe had his best game of
his life, he was 8 of 8. He was per
fect, basically.
"Our productivity at the quarterback
position was very good. I was pleased
with Kellen, too. They both did very
good things and their mobility certainly
played a role in our success."
Clemens and Fife alternated ap
proximately three series apiece, al
though Clemens took the majority of
the snaps late in the game.
The stats show that the strategy
was successful. But, individually, the
two said it was difficult to establish
a rhythm.
"It was different, I'll give you that,"
Fife said. "We didn't know how it was
going to work, we both just prepared
ourselves the best we could."
For the rest of Oregon's offense it
hasn't been a struggle; the team has
practiced using a dual rotation from
the beginning.
"We've been working with them
all fall so I'm kind of adjusted to
both of them," wide receiver
Demetrius Williams said. "They
both get the job done the same way
and that's all we're trying to get ac
complished."
In past years, Oregon has had a
one-quarterback offense where the
Adam Amato Emerald
Quarterback Kellen Clemens led Oregon to 21 first quarter points and 247 yards Saturday.
starter plays most or the game. But
Bellotti is seeing improvement from
both Fife and Clemens because the
two compete on a daily basis for the
starting position.
"I think the competition will al
ways continue to make them better,"
Bellotti said. "That's the basis for
most everything we do. Having to
compete everyday, you don't lose
your edge, you never become com
placent, you're always working hard
er to get better."
Yes. But who will start this week?
"I have no idea if I'm still the starter,
if we re going to start over from square
one or what. I don't know yet,"
Clemens said Monday at practice.
Bellotti does remain confident that
he will stick with a two-quarterback
rotation for the time being. And until
one quarterback stands out, Bellotti
will stay with what works.
"The biggest thing is if someone
separates themselves through their
performance, then we'll consider do
ing something else," Bellotti said.
Contact the sports reporter
at jessethomas@dailyemerald.com
With scoring streak on the line,
BYU must defend 28-year record
The Trojans, fresh off shutting
out Auburn, look to end BYU’s
351-game scoring streak Saturday
By Jesse Thomas
Sports Reporter
Here's an interesting situation
to remember:
USC walks into a stadium packed
with more than 86,000 fans on na
tional televi
sion and shuts
out previously
ranked No. 5
Auburn, 23-0,
on Saturday.
"We didn't
do a lot of fancy things," USC coach
Pete Carroll told the Daily Trojan.
"We just played ball. ”
It was USC's first opening shutout
in 30 years and first shutout of a top
GAME
of the m
week
10 team since 1962. Now, USC re
turns to Los Angeles Coliseum on Sat
urday to face unranked BYU in its
home opener.
BYU does not have a single player
on its roster who was alive the last
time the Cougars were shut out.
The Cougars have an NCAA
record streak of 351 games without
being shut out, dating back to 1975
when they were shut out by Arizona
State, 20-0.
So could BYU's 28-year record
be broken Saturday at 5 p.m. by
the Trojans, whose top-notch de
fense held Auburn to 43 yards rush
ing? Maybe.
The two teams have never met.
USC and Stanford are the only two
Pacific-10 Conference teams that BYU
hasn't yet faced. The Cougars have a
.357 winning percentage against Pac
10 teams and USC has an .801 per
centage in home openers.
The quarterback matchup should
be one to watch as sophomore Matt
Berry connected on 31 of 46 attempts
for 276 yards, the third-best perform
ance of his career.
And for USC, sophomore Matt
Leinart didn't appear to miss a beat
in trying to replace former quarter
back Carson Palmer. Leinart went 17
of 30 for 192 yards and one touch
down in his first career start for USC.
He threw his first career passes
against Auburn after taking just
three snaps last season.
"Jason played hard," Auburn
coach Tommy Tuberville told the
Daily Trojan. "He was running
around for his life."
Contact the sports reporter
at jessethomas@dailyemerald.com
Keep your dole or
LOSE YOUR LICENSE
Under Oregon's new MIP law, drivers under 21
who fail to appear in court on an alcohol-related
offense will automatically lose their drivers license.
It's just one more reason why driving sober is the
way to go.
s
Drive Sober. ?f>e Way to Go
Transportation Safety - ODOT
$ s
You’ve got the Domino’s
Student Value Menu
Order by number!
#1 12” Pizza with your favorite topping.$5.99
#2 12” One-topping pizza & two cans of coke.$7.99
#3 14" One-topping pizza & Cheesy Bread.$7.99
#4 14” One-topping pizza & Clnna Stlx.$7.99
#5 14” One-topping pizza & 2-liter Coke.$7.99
#6 Two 12” one-topping pizzas.$9.99
#7 12” One-topping pizza & 10 Buffalo Wings.$9.99
14” One-topping pizza, Cheesy Bread & 2-liter Coke.$9.99
12” Nine-topping Exravaganzza.$9.99
017098
• Add a second 12” for only $4
• Add a second 14" for only $6
• Extra toppings $1 per pizza
muXTBCl
BOTOSj
Willamette and Springfield
Monday - Thursday: 4pm -1 am
Friday and Saturday: 11am - 2am
Sundayz: 11am-1am
River Road
Monday - Thursday: 4pm - Midnight
Friday, Saturday & Sunday: 11am - Midnight
343-3030
2568 Willamette • Eugene
746-3030
1135 Mohawk • Springfield
343-0842
1355 River Road • Eugene
Limited delivery areas. $1 delivery charge.
Expires 12/31/03. Valid student ID required.
CRAND OPENING/
Two Great Tastes Wrapped Into One!
Northwest meets southwest: the best of Baja fare and quality Pacific Northwest seafood
♦
♦
Join Our Celebration!
3510 W. 11th Ave * Eugene * 344*4067
Present this coupon and receive a *
FREE regular soft drink with the
purchase of any entree or burrito y
* at regular price. * *
No cash value Not valid with other coupons or discounts. One coupon valid per person Expires 9/30/03 #43
You're always close to campus.
. .> www.dailyemerald.com