Special teams play special role in Oregon victories
Oregon’s special teams
could play a pivotal role
against the Cougars
By Jesse Thomas
Sports Reporter
When freshman wide receiver Jordan
Carey got his amis wrapped around the
ball for Oregon's final score against
Michigan, he couldn't hear much of
anything through the uproar of59,000
plus fans in Autzen Stadium.
"It was so loud, it was almost
silent," Carey said. "I couldn't hear
anything; I just saw teammates run
ning towards me. I was so excited, be
ing a freshman and everything, you
just dream of making plays like that."
Carey, who is listed as a third-string
wide receiver on Oregon's depth chart,
was in on the play to act as a punt
blocker, but ended up being the hero.
The group of players who make
up special teams all walked away as
heroes in the Michigan victory as
they accounted for two touchdowns
— including the 61-yard punt return
by cornerback Steven Moore — that
gave Oregon a 15-point cushion go
ing into halftime.
Oregon head coach Mike Bellotti
preached to his team before the game
about the impact special teams could
have, and it paid off. Heading into the
Washington State game, the attention
to detail will not stop.
"It's even more important this
week, because Washington State has
great special teams people," Bellotti
said. "Their kicker (Drew) Dunning,
their punter (Kyle) Basler, those
guys are very good, if not some of
the best in the conference. They
have a dangerous return man; Sam
my Moore is scary. Every game, spe
cial teams are a huge key for us so it
never diminishes."
Moore will be a player that Oregon
will need to target, as the senior leads
the Pacific-10 Conference in kickoff
Jordan Carey (8)
celebrates with
teammates after
recovering a blocked punt
for a touchdown in the
Ducks’ 31-27 win against
Michigan.
Mark McCambridge
Senior Photographer
returns and is ranked sixth nationally,
averaging 33.71 yards per return.
"Sammy Moore is a dangerous re
turn man," said Robin Ross, Oregon
special teams coordinator. "He's
dangerous anytime he has the ball
in his hands."
Washington State's kickers pose a
threat: Dunning leads kickers in the
conference in scoring, averaging 11.8
points per game, and Basler ranks
third in the conference, averaging 44.8
yards per punt.
Oregon punter Paul Martinez has
just four games of experience, yet the
freshman kicked a 61-yard punt
against the Wolverines on Saturday.
"It just kind of happened; I didn't
hit it right on my foot," Martinez said.
"It hit the left side, (so) it keeps the
nose of the ball up and hits on the
back end of it and rocks the ball a lit
tle forward."
Martinez ranks at the bottom of the
conference in punting average at 39.6
yards per kick, the only player averag
ing below 40. The net average for the
Ducks is 38.6, as Oregon has allowed
a one-yard return average. That means
Oregon has established great field po
sition for its defense.
"He keeps working at it and he gets
better every week," Ross said of Mar
tinez. "Special teams create the field
position. The last couple of weeks
we've benefited from field position."
Even Washington State head coach
Bill Doba is aware of Oregon's recent
success on special teams and that the
Cougars will have to be just as sharp
when it comes to the details.
"That could be the determining fac
tor in this game," Doha said.
There is no doubt that Doha has
made his team aware of the positives
that come when special teams suc
ceed; examples like Sammy Moore's
97-yard kick return against Colorado
stand out.
"It's a good test for our special
teams," Martinez said. "As long as
everyone sticks to their assignments,
we'll do fine."
Contact the sports reporter
at jessethomas@dailyemerald.com.
Cougars haven t missed a step with Doba at the helm
Head coach Bill Doha has
helped Washington State
continue winning as it
defends the conference title
By Jesse Thomas
Sports Reporter
The first time Bill Doha took a head
coaching position in football was 1965.
He was in his mid 20s and a busy man
also serving as the assistant basketball
coach and a math teacher at Angola 1 ligh
in Angola, Ind.
Fast forward to the present to find a
more mature head coach, slightly aged
into his early 60s, who has been inducted
into two Hall of Fames, raised three chil
dren and has a coaching tenure spanning
more than four decades.
Doba took control as Washington State
head coach on Dec. 18, 2002, replacing
former head coach Mike Price after the lat
ter's departure to Alabama.
Doha now must go back to the days of
being 25 years old and remember what it
is like to be a head coach for the first time.
For the past 25 years, the South Bend, Ind.,
native has been an assistant coach.
"It's a different atmosphere," Doba said.
But he hasn't forgotten the most impor
tant thing to a team defending its Pacific
10 Conference championship: winning.
Under Doha's leadership, the Cougars
have jumped out to a 3-1 start, only losing
to Notre Dame in an overtime game de
cided by a field goal.
And thus far, the players remain confi
dent, especially quarterback Matt Kegei, in
what Doba can do for a program that ad
vanced to the Rose Bowl in 2003 for the
Turn to COACH, page 16
Doba
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