Sports Editor
Hank Hager
hankhager@dailyemerald.com
Wednesday, October 8,2003
Oregon Daily Emerald
SPORTS
Best bet
NHL: Anaheim at Dallas
5 p.m., ESPN
Mark McCambridge Senior Photographer
Quarterback Jason Fife said the Ducks need to find the spark that helped them to a 40 start to begin the season.
Ducks remain close
in spite of losses,
look for intensity
Oregon's goal now is to dig itself
out of the hole created by two
straight losses after Friday
By Hank Hager
Sports Editor
This is where the Ducks' team chemistry
and leadership will come in handy.
Members of the
Oregon football
team have spoken
FOOTBALL season a^oui the
_ team's improved
leadership from last
year. With the Ducks struggling — having
lost their last two games — that leadership
and chemistry will have a chance to shine.
"I think that this week, especially, the
senior leaders and the older guys on the
team, we're going to have to look to each
other to make sure we're picking people
up, we're having fun out there and making
sure things get done," senior quarterback
Jason Fife said.
Oregon is coming off a 17-13 loss to
Utah on Friday, a game the Ducks con
trolled point-wise until the fourth quarter.
Fife said the Ducks have lost the "in
tensity and fun" that helped lead them to
a 4-0 record to start the season. Since
then, the Ducks suffered a 55-16 blowout
loss at the hands of Washington State and
the loss to the Utes.
"1 don't think it's going to be very hard
to get it back," Fife said. "Now that we
know what's missing, it's just a matter of
turning the dial back up. I don't know how
we lost it. We just lost that little spark, but
we'll be able to bring it back this week."
Oregon had a players-only meeting be
fore Monday's practice after the team
watched game tapes. Fife said the short
meeting's purpose was to re-emphasize
head coach Mike Bellotti's points that had
been made earlier.
The Ducks sit in the middle of the Pa
cific-10 Conference with a 1-1 league
record and are among a handful of teams
behind Washington State and Oregon
State, both at 2-0.
Arizona State is Oregon's opponent Sat
urday, with a bye-week coming after that.
The game against the Sun Devils is a re
match of last season's shootout. Arizona
State hung 35 points on the board in the
second half at Autzen Stadium in that
game en route to the 45-42 win.
"We really are pretty close as a team this
year," Jerry Matson said. "The things that
happened last year should not happen this
year because we are really tight. Hopeful
ly, that benefits us."
He talks, but not in vain
If it looked as though Pams Warren had a
chip on his shoulder when the Ducks visited
Utah on Friday, then that was the case.
The junior caught 10 passes for 54 yards
against Oregon The wide receiver was
playing in his first game against the Ducks
since transferring from Oregon after the
2001 season.
He predicted before the game that the
Utah offense would be able to overcome
Oregon's defense enough to give the
Utes the win.
The Ducks stopped Utah, for the most
part, but the lltes' offense — which con
sisted of many unconventional formations
and plays — was too much in the end.
"We knew what to expert," Matson said.
"They ran a lot of the stuff we saw on tape.
Definitely the speed of it, how quickly it
happens, was different than in practice.
Ilie coaches told us in practice we could
n't simulate it. I think the speed of it
Turn to FOOTBALL, page 9
Tight-knit Ducks
pushed by energy,
‘family’ attitude
Senior Courtney Nagle returns to action in
filling the role as Oregon's leader on the courts
Alex Tam
Freelance Reporter
Many athletes and coaches will agree that good camaraderie
is a key element toward the success of any team sport.
_ Oregon women's tennis head coach
g g Nils Schyllander expressed that exart
1-# UP Ur 1U sentiments after watching the Ducks
TENNIS practice the past two weeks.
- "Our team right now has lots of ener
gy," Schyllander said. "It is like a family
atmosphere and we have a very tight-knit group."
Freshman Dominika Dieskova achieved her first singles win
in her college career last weekend at the Riviera/ITA Women's
All-American Championships in Los Angeles. It is a positive
start for the women after suffering through a tough schedule
and untimely injuries last season.
Although the Slovakian native is one of the younger play
ers, Schyllander believes her play does not reflect her inexperi
ence at the college level.
"Experience-wise, right now, she is a junior and senior,"
Schyllander said. "She'll be a very good player."
Senior Courtney Nagle competed Tuesday at the All-Ameri
can Championship qualifying rounds at UCLA. She was
Turn to TENNIS, page 9
Geoff Thurner Oregon media services
Eric Logsdon was selected to the Pacific-10 Conference All-Academic
honorable mention team last season.
Travel decreases,
Ducks focus on
class schedules
Rest for the Oregon men and women gives each
team’s athletes a chance to focus on school
Scott Archer
Freelance Reporter
It was a slow week for cross country.
However, the women were in action Sat
- urday, finishing sixth overall at the
DUCK Willamette Invitational in Salem. Other
TDACC rniINTDV w‘se' women s team has been resting
I/IUIOO vUUH I Iff from the Willamette Invitational. Seniors
Eri Macdonald and Magdalena Sandoval
are preparing to travel as individuals to the
Pre-NCAA Invitational in Cedar Falls, Iowa.
The men's team was idle and will continue to be until they at
tend the Pre-NCAA Invitational on Oct. 18. They will travel along
with Macdonald and Sandoval.
Although the men will have a total of three weeks off before
traveling to the meet, the break has not been easy.
"We have been making positive steps attitude-wise since our
race at (Roy Griak Invitational)," junior Eric Logsdon said. "But
we won't get real answers until we travel again."
Logsdon also said that the team does not have any major
changes that need to be made. However, the team's success
"cornes down to being focused and taking care of business."
Turn to HARRIERS, page 8