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About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (Oct. 28, 2003)
spots Oklahoma and Miami remain as the top two teams in the BCS poll; both control their own bowl game destinies By Mike Huguenin The Orlando Sentinel (KRT) Virginia Tech's loss is Florida State's gain. In the Bowl Championship Series standings that were released Monday, Florida State was the biggest benefici ary of the Hokies' loss to West Vir ginia last week. Oklahoma and Miami are the only major-conference unbeatens, and they remained first and second, re spectively, in the standings. Florida State moved up two spots, to third, after its victory against Wake Forest. Virginia Tech was third last week but fell out of the BCS top 1 5 after its loss. Georgia, fourth last week, is Fifth this week. USC, which was seventh last week, jumped to fourth, and Ohio State remained sixth. FSU, USC, Georgia and Ohio State have one loss, and that quartet is far ahead of the other one-loss teams. The seven BGS computers like FSU and Ohio State the best of the one-loss teams, followed by Georgia and USC. But the Trojans are third in both media polls, and they could receive a bump in the computers next week if they can beat Washington State on Saturday in lx>s Angeles. The Cougars are eighth in this week's BCS standings. Florida State will play Notre Dame on Saturday, and a victory against the Irish may not be enough to keep it ahead of lISC in the computer polls if the Trojans were to beat Washing ton State. The key thing to remember, though, is that Oklahoma and Miami are the only teams that control their destinies. If both were to win out, they would meet in the Sugar Bowl on Jan. 4 to play for the national title. Both have tough tests this week. Okla homa will host Oklahoma State, which has beaten the Sooners in each of the past two years, and Miami will be at Vir ginia Tech, which still has a shot at a BCS bowl if it can beat the Hurricanes. (c) 2003, The Orlando Sentinel (Fla.). Distributed by Knight Ridder/ Tribune Information Services. Mark Wallheiser Tallahassee Democrat Florida State’s vaunted defense has helped bump it up to third in the BCS poll. HAGER continued from page 5A Ideally, his situation puts sports into perspective. I le also puts life into perspective. Liberman had to have his surgery, lit erally, on the fly. He had some time be forehand where he knew he was going to go under the knife, but preparing for heart .surgery is realistically impossible. Your mind tells you that you're going to be OK, but your hands shake and knees buckle as your arrive at the hospital on that fateful day. 'I he after-effects of the surgery are just as tough. Sitting in the hospital for a week can be hard on anyone, but with all of the things that come with the sur gery, doubts start sitting in your mind. You become worried that any move ment will re-injure your healing chest, and painkillers help alleviate the pain but put you into a mental haze. Immediately upon returning home, you feel revived and energetic. But hav ing the ability to get up and get moti vated when every natural movement hurts for a little while is one of the toughest things to do in life. Iiberman's accomplishment is accen tuated when these factors are considered. What amazed me most about Liber man was the fact that he had come to grips with death. He told me that his doctor once asked him how he felt. 1’his was his response: 'I'm proba bly going to survive, but I've got to tell you, I'm ready to die.'" Liberman put life into perspective with that response. Everything that seems so important takes a back seat in his situation. That's where the athletic world comes in. I'm not going to lie and say that athletics shouldn't play an im portant role in society. I'm more guilty than anyone in becoming encased in the plays on the field. Sporting events are a big part of my life. But it is those that can knock sports down a peg — make the games a mi nuscule part of life, sometimes — who really have everything figured out. When it comes right down to it, whether or not Oregon defeats Washington on Satur day will make no difference eight months from now when seniors gradu ate and move into the real world. That's why it's hard sometimes to see letters to the editor in various newspapers and magazines that criti cize players and coaching staffs. It's one thing to say that someone needs to try harder on the field, but in all honesty, if that player is leaving his or her heart on the field, there shouldn't be anything to say. Calling for a coach's head when the team is playing with spirit is uncalled for. But again, to put everything into perspective, when that coach or player isn't trying their best, what's the point? Games and practices are too short to take a lazy attitude. It's too bad that a bum heart can make some people see the true value in life. Sometimes, it's a blessing in disguise. Contact the sports editor at hankhager@dailyemerald.com. His opinions do not necessarily represent those of the Emerald. PAC-10 continued from page 5A "The more you progress through the season, the tougher these games are becoming," Dorrell said. Arizona .State (4-4, 1-3 ) is slump ing after the Sun Devils were picked to finish second in the conference in the preseason media poll. They sit toward the bottom of the Pac-10 standings. "That's tough when you lose a game like that," Sun Devil head coach Dirk Koetter said Monday. "We played hard for four quarters, but we didn't execute well enough on offense or de fense to get the win." Trojans overpower Dawgs l ISC stormed into I lusky Stadium and left few survivors. The Trojans (7-1, 3-1) scored 20 points in the first half and allowed Washington 14, but a 23-point sec ond half squelched any chance of a Husky (4-4, 2-2) comeback. USC picked up the 43-23 win. "This is a win we will always cher ish because it has been a while since SC played well here," Trojans head coach Pete Carroll said Saturday. "It was something that we wanted to ac complish." The Trojans' 43 points are the most scored by a Washington opponent at 1 lusky Stadium since 1989. Cougars bungle Beavs Wild times led to a Cougar victory Saturday in Pullman, Wash. Washington State (7-1, 4-0) took a 14-0 lead 10 minutes into the first quarter, but the Beavers put together six consecutive scores — two touch downs, four field goals and one safety — to take a 25-14 lead. Their scoring string was broken by a Cougar safety, but Oregon State (5 3, 2-2) added a field goal and went ahead 28-16 in the third quarter. On the other side of the field, Washington State scored three touch downs in the first six minutes of the fourth quarter, capturing the lead for the final time, 36-28. "It shows great character for this team to hang in there, stay in there and keep battling," Cougar head coach Bill Doha said Saturday. I'he Beavers added a safety as time ran out for a 36-30 final score. "We needed a couple more plays to get another shot," Oregon State head coach Mike Riley said Saturday. "It was a game of big plays and momen tum changes." Injuries hinder Huskies The hit parade rolled along in Seat tle on Saturday. Washington was al ready without the services of leading rusher Rich Alexis, who suffered a deep-thigh bruise on Oct. 18 against Oregon State. Adding to their pain was a first-quarter injury to No. 2 re ceiver Charles Frederick. "(Frederick's) injury changed a lot of factors in the game," Washington head coach Keith Gibertson said Sat urday. "(Without him) you have to go out there and play three freshmen and Reggie Williams, where out of one re ceiving group, Reggie is the only vet eran.guy." Frederick's injury has yet to be com pletely determined as of Monday. Original reports said he sustained a shoulder injury, but Gilbertson said Monday that Frederick's injury also includes the clavicle. Golden Bears run amok UCLA's Drew wasn't the only Pac 10 player to have a big rushing day. California's Adimchinobe Eche mandu rushed for a career-high 201 yards, leading his team's 327-yard rushing attack. - - — The Golden Bears (4-5, 2-2) sought revenge of last season's 52-41 loss to Arizona and found it on the ground. The 327 yards is Cal's highest rushing total since 1992. "To run the ball as much as we did today does not happen very often," California head coach Jeff Tedford said Saturday. "We were just having success today." Echemandu is the Pac-10's second leading rusher following Saturday with an average of 97.9 yards per game "He's shown flashes of breaking tackles," Arizona head coach Mike Hankwitz said. "He sure did that to us today." Contact the senior sports reporter at mindirice@dailyemerald.com. "Sound Trekking Through the Soul of Israel" Amen: Internationally ranewned tsneU musicians will pertorm music from ttieir latest album, MWlavah, and discuss their ongoing efforts to QfasssrOOtS peace activism 7:30 Agate Hall Tuesday, October 28th FREE ADMISSION TENNIS continued from page 5A tournament." Panova prevailed despite having to overcome cramps and soreness until her final match on Sunday. "She's battled through a lot of ad versity with leg cramps going through numerous three-setters," Schyllander said. "She just stepped up when she needed to and did her thing." The Russian native entered the tournament as the No. 3 seed and be came the favorite in the quarterfinals j~ Premier Travel • Airfare Specials!!! • Frankfurt - $289.00* Copenhagen - $539.00* Beijing - $588.00* Sydney - $841.00* ‘tax fiot iiK’liaL'il. rkStriclKwis mii> .tcpiy Subictl to vh.iitsic w ithoot itctux. Kurail Passes issued on-site!!! K-nuul: fares@luv2travel.com 1011 Harlow 1747-0909^^ ^Student Travel Experts when the top two seeds were ousted early. No. 1 seed Erin Burdette of Stan ford withdrew from the tournament in her first match because of injury. Second-seeded Chloe Carlotti of Fres no State was defeated in the third round of the tournament. Panova overcame six opponents in the three-day tournament to be come the ITA Northwest Regional Champion. She defeated her first opponent, Santa Clara's Erica Barnes, in three sets, 3-6, 6-4, 6-2. Panova then breezed through her next two match McKENZIE RIVER GOLF COURSE W* invito you to play our beautiful golf court* along th* tcenic McKenzie River, with immaculate greent and a mature, manicured landtcape. Located off Deerhorn Road Hwy. 126 to Holden Creek, crott bridge to Golf Court* See why we are the jewel on the river. 41723 Madrone Weekdays Mon-Fri £ $10-9 holes C $17 -18 holes withrtK) ID u es in straight sets to move into the quarterfinals. She went on to beat two seeded opponents — No. 7 Claire Carter of Washington and 12th seed ed Margarita Karnakhova of Sacra mento State — to advance to the sin gles finals. The win adds to her growing list of accomplishments as a Duck, last year, she was voted the Pacific-10 Women's Tennis Player of the Year and swept the Pac-10 singles titles at the indoor and outdoor championships.
