Sports Editor
Hank Hager
hankhager@dailyemerald.com
Oregon Daily Emerald
SPORTS
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Wednesday, November 19,2003
Defensive
efforts
lead way
for Ducks
Oregon’s defense is on a roll as
the Ducks head into a pivotal
game with Oregon State Saturday
By Hank Hager
Sports Editor
Jerry Matson's interception 18 seconds
into Saturday's game started it.
The rest of the Oregon defense ended it.
The Ducks held UCLA to 13 points Saturday,
including just six in the second half.
One week after limiting California to 188
passing yards and 106 rushing yards, Oregon
made a stand.
DOCK
FOOTBALL
"I thought we played pretty well," line
backer Kevin Mitchell said. "We gave up
_two field goals and a
touchdown. I don't
think we gave up too
many total yards
and once we got
comfortable, we
started tb figure out what they were doing.
We were able to stop the run and played
the pass real well."
The Bruins managed 327 total yards of
fensively, with 249 coming through the air.
However, starting quarterback Drew Olson
completed 29 of 49 passes and was sacked
six times.
Defensive end Devan Long led that cate
gory with two sacks, while linebacker
Mark McCambridge Photographer
The Duck defense held UCLA to 327 total yards Saturday in a 31-13 win in Los Angeles.
David Martin and defensive linemen Igor
Olshansky, Junior Siavii and Quinn
Dorsey each had one.
Oh, there was also Matson's interception,
the first of his career. He ended up running it
back for a 22-yard touchdown.
"It was more than fun, it was almost sur
real," he said. "I just couldn't really believe
it was happening to me. It's hard to remem
ber the play. This is really exciting for me, es
pecially personally, because this is probably
the biggest play I've ever made, in a big
game. Something I can have forever."
Special Ducks
The Oregon special teams units have seen
their fair share of ups and downs this sea
son.
An up, after a punt return by senior Steven
Moore that sent Oregon on its way to a 31
27 victory over Michigan.
A down when Washington State was able
to get to Oregon punter Paul Martinez and
block two punts, including one for a touch
down.
Turn to FOOTBALL, page 8
OSU bowl berth
dependent on
Civil War win
The Beavers are looking for a major
bowl berth; a win against the Ducks
would help them out in their quest
By Hank Hager
Sports Editor
The year was 2001.
Oregon State was 5-5 entering its Civil War contest with
Oregon on Dec. 1. A national audience looked to Autzen
Stadium, the 46,000-plus fans in attendance and the game
between the Beavers and Ducks.
At stake for Oregon was a berth to die Fiesta Bowl. For
the Beavers, a win would mean a bowl invitation. A loss,
and a 5-6 season would haunt them until the 2002 season.
In what many could consider Oregon's most significant
Civil War victory — because of the spot in the Fiesta Bowl —
the Ducks squeaked out a 17-14 win on a rain-soaked Satur
day. The Beavers couldn't get their offense going behind quar
terback Jonathan Smith and missed playing in a bowl game
for the first time in two years.
Saturday's game at Autzen between the Ducks and
Beavers doesn't have the same do-or-die feeling for Oregon
State, but a major bowl bid is on the line. Win, and the
Beavers are guaranteed at least a third-place finish in the Pa
cific- 10 Conference.
Lose, and Oregon State is relegated to, at best fourth. 'Hie
difference could mean a trip to the Holiday Bowl, Sun
Bowl, or Insight Bowl, among others.
"Fortunately, the game comes at a crucial point of our sea
son, " Oregon State running back Steven Jackson said. "Major
bowl bids are on the line. We want to finish the season out
with three conference wins, and we had a good start toward
our goal last weekend."
If the Beavers defeat Oregon and then follow up with a
victory over USC on Dec. 6, they could find themselves in a
tie for second place in the Pac-10. That would leave the Tro
jans in the Rose Bowl, most likely, and set the Cougars and
Turn to OSU, page 6
Yioulos, Dubuc pace Club sailing to second at regatta
The Oregon Club sailing
team finishes second at
the North North Regatta
Kirsten McEwen
Sports Freelancer
The North North Regatta gave the
Club sailing team a finish to build a
program on.
After battling the wind and snow in
_ their last regat
^ ta at the Co
\^IUID lumbia Gorge,
QinUlHhC the North
%#|JUi 1.3 North Regatta
- in Seattle pro
vided the
Ducks with an opportunity to sail
their new boats and test the team's ca
maraderie. The regatta was held at
Sand Point on Lake Washington .
It was there that the Ducks placed
second overall — their best finish ever.
"It's just inconceivable how long
and hard we have worked for some
thing like this," sailing coordinator
George Yioulos said.
The Ducks finished 20 points behind
first place Washington after sailing in 10
races in two days of competition.
Yioulos attributed the team's sec
ond-place finish to first-year skipper
Rob Dubuc. Dubuc sailed with Maria
Wong in one of the team's new boats.
"Rob put on a clinic this weekend,"
Yioulos said. "Everyone was asking
me where I found him because he was
literally schooling everyone."
Oregon's other boat was sailed by
Yioulos and Jenny Donner. Both boats'
scores were totaled together at the end of
the regatta. Oregon's score beat nine oth
er boats and three other schools includ
ing Portland State, Western Washington
and University of British Columbia.
"We worked extra hard to prepare
Turn to CLUB SPORTS, page 8
Danielle Hickey Senior Photographer
Junior libero Katie O'Neil and the Ducks end their season Friday.
Ducks battle frustration of ASU loss
Oregon prepares for the
season's final matches
while trying to forget about
its loss to Arizona State
By Jon Roetman
Sports Reporter
It has been a difficult week of practice
for the Oregon volleyball team.
While the Ducks have been preparing
for their final matches of the season
against Stanford and
p. I m California, Oregon
UP UP players have had to
VOLLEYBALL battle the frustration
_ stemming from Fri
day's loss to Arizona
State. The Ducks played their most com
petitive match of the season against the
Sun Devils, but Oregon's inability to fin
ish strong led to a 3-1 (30-28, 27-30, 30
28, 30-28) loss.
Head coach Carl Ferreira said the team
started its final week of practice in a little
bit of a funk, but he and the rest of the
coaching staff have continued to motivate
players and keep them focused on the up
coming matches.
"The team is a little frustrated that they
let (the Arizona State match) get away,"
Ferreira said. "They started the week off a
little slow in practice, but there's nothing
that they're going to do to give me an op
portunity to stop supporting them."
Oregon will close out its season with
matches against the No. 7 Cardinal on
Thursday and the No. 9 Golden Bears on
Friday. The Ducks were swept by both
teams Sept. 18 and 19.
Setting the table
Freshman Heather Madison proved last
week that she belongs as a setter in the Pa
cific-10 Conference. Filling in for injured
sophomore Jodi Bell, Madison finished
with 28 assists Thursday against Arizona in
her first-ever collegiate start. The following
night against Arizona State, Madison set
an Oregon season-high with 53 assists,
while playing with the poise of a veteran.
Madison said after getting her first col
legiate start out of the way against the
Wildcats, she was able to just relax and
play against the Sun Devils.
There was "a lot less (pressure)," the
former Gresham 1 ligh School All-Ameri
can said. "There's still pressure but 1
changed my perspective and just went out
there and played. I simplified it. It's just a
game and it's the same thing I've done a
million times."
Looking ahead
Along with focusing on the season's fi
nal two matches, junior libero Katie
O'Neil said she has thought about next
season on occasion and feels Oregon has
a bright future. She added that the Ducks
will eliminate many of the youthful errors
that plagued the team this season.
"I'm guilty of looking ahead," O'Neil
said. "We're still young but it's a good
way to be optimistic. It's hard not to
think that next season we'll be one more
year experienced and we'll not make the
Turn to VOLLEYBALL, page 6