Sports Section Editor:
lesse Thomas
jessethomas@dailyemerald.com
Monday, September 22,2003
-Oregon Daily Emerald
SPORTS
SECTION
Hank Hager
Behind the dish
New Mac
illustrates
success
Look for a symbol of Oregon's success
on the University campus.
Go ahead, I dare you. I bet you won't
find it. And you won't find it because it
can't be found.
It can't be found on the field of Autzen
Stadium or on the hardwood floors of
McArthur Court. It's not the new thunder
and green uniforms the Ducks are wearing
(OK, so green and yellow). And you won't
even find it in the Casanova Center.
Oregon's symbol of success doesn't
even have a physical foundation yet.
The Ducks' greatest symbol of the steps
the program has taken is the unbuilt are
na, which will replace one of the oldest
gymnasiums in the nation.
Honestly, five years ago, who would
have thought McArthur Court would ever
be replaced?
Duck basketball hadnt reached the
NCAA Tournament plateau in consecutive
seasons since most of our parents were in
elementary school. Duck football had seen
some successful seasons, but were still close
enough to the lean years to know that suc
cess was still just a smoke screen.
But now Oregon is in the mainstream,
a power player in the grand scheme of Di
vision 1 athletics. And since college sports
have an ever-growing appeal to advertisers,
television executives and just about any
body that breathes in this nation, the
Dudes are up there.
So that's why the proposed $90 million
to $ 130 million arena is a symbol of success,
a hue reflection of Oregon's desire to remain
above the have-nots of collegiate sports.
Athletic Director Bill Moos has taken
the Ducks to the next step since his ap
pointment in 1995, sparing no expense to
make Oregon a household name. Who
can forget the Joey Harrington billboard,
or the subsequent one in Los Angeles,
seemingly taunting USC and UCLA?
This is just the next step. A way to prove
to everyone else that the Ducks are serious.
The new arena is a symbol of everything
that has been going right with Oregon ath
letics in the past five seasons.
When California remodeled its fabled
facility, fans piled in like there was no to
morrow, recruits began using the Golden
Bears as a stepping stone and the program
didn't have to use former Cal star Jason
Kidd as a prime selling tool.
Maryland just moved into a new place,
and while they didn't win the national
championship again, the Terrapins will
now be in the forefront for years to come.
Now imagine Oregon in that scenario.
The Ducks sell out a majority of their
games and ride the fan enthusiasm all the
way to the NCAA Tournament.
And unlike a few years ago, that might
not be a fluke.
Duck basketball will reap the benefits of
years of success, first started by football,
and now being passed on to their own.
What the Oregon fans have seen is an un
precedented string of years where the
Turn to HAGER, page 15E
‘It feels like 2003’
Mark McCambridge Senior photographer
Offensive tackle Adam Snyder hoists wide receiver Demtrius Williams into the air after a
touchdown in Oregon’s first home win over Nevada, 31-23.
A 3-0 start to the 2003 season has the Ducks
in the driver's seat and looking like the team
of old, but the heart of the schedule is on its way
By Hank Hager
Sports Editor
You'll have to pardon Oregon football fans if they did a dou
ble take after the first three games this season.
The Ducks (3-0 overall, 1-0 Pacific-10 Conference as of Sept.
19) are looking quite a bit like the Oregon of old.
But the big question is, what team of old?
Is it the Ducks of2001, where they went 11-1 and finished No.
2 in the country? Or is it Oregon of last season, where a 6-0 start
gave way to a 1-6 finish, including a loss at the Seattle Bowl?
The best bet is somewhere in between the two, where eight or
nine wins help separate the Ducks from the middle of the Pac-10.
After three games, that seems like a likely number.
"It feels like 2003," sophomore quarter
back Kellen Clemens said. "Only half the
team was here for the 2001 season, and
some of the guys weren't here for the 2002 pQOTBALI
season. We've learned a lot from each of _
those two seasons — the veteran guys that
were here — and we're just taking this one game at a time.
"We're treating this as the 2003 season. We try not to look back
on either of those two seasons."
Two things are for sure: It is a different Oregon team from the
one that went 7-6 last season, and much has changed the team
that finished the 2001 season ranked No. 2 in the nation.
For one, consistency at the quarterback and running back posi
tions plagued the Ducks entering fall workouts. Would it be
Clemens or Jason Fife behind center, and who would replace On
tario Smith as the featured runner?
Better yet, would the secondary be able to bounce back from a
horrendous year?
For some, thpse questions still remain. For others, they've been
answered after the Ducks defeated Mississippi State, Nevada and
Arizona in consecutive weeks.
Regardless of the belief that 2001 was a season of its own, the
Ducks do have one main characteristic they enjoyed that sea
son: chemistry.
"I think we're a lot more together as a unit, a lot more leader
ship," senior comerback Steven Moore said. "I compare it to 11-1
because we had a lot of leaders."
Averaging 40.3 points per game through the first three, the
Ducks proved it really doesn't matter — at least at that point —
who sits behind center. Clemens started each of the first three, but
Fife came on as a more than adequate substitute each game.
When Clemens became inconsistent against the Wildcats, Fife
came in and took advantage of the Arizona defense. That, of
course, gave Clemens the chance to regroup and he worked more
magic when he came back in.
"Jason and 1 are just trusting the coaches to make that call,"
Clemens said. "I started the first three games, but I struggled early
Turn to FOOTBALL, page 19E
Ducks face easy Pac-10 home schedule
Oregon’s Pac-10 schedule has four home
games, including a homecoming rematch
against Stanford, the 2001 upset specialist
By Mindi Rice
Senior Sports Reporter
Players and coaches nationwide fear visits to Autzen Stadi
um because of its reputation as being one of college football's
loudest venues.
The Ducks will host four Pacific-10 Conference teams at
Autzen this season, including Washington State, a team the
Ducks haven't hosted since 1999.
It has also been four seasons since the Ducks have made the
trip to play Washington at Husky Stadium.
"I'm excited to go to somewhere new and play," linebacker
Kevin Mitchell said about traveling to Seattle.
Conference play began with Oregon's Sept. 13 win against
Arizona. The 48-10 victory was the Ducks' third consecutive
trip to Tucson, Ariz., and the third win in as many years.
The Ducks continue conference play Saturday as they host
Washington State. Oregon has won four of the last five against
the Cougars, having lost in 2002 in Pullman.
After the last non-conference game of the season on Oct. 3
at Utah, the Ducks resume Pac-10 play with a trip to Tempe to
Turn to OREGON, page 17E
Adam Amato Photographer
Running back Terrence Whitehead has stepped up so far in replacing former star Onterrio Smith.