Adam Amato Photo Editor
Sophomore Kellen Clemens has started all 12 games this season, but has yet to take every snap in a single contest. He has, however,
seen most of the action during the past two games against UCLA and Oregon State.
Clemens establishing role
as leader of Oregon offense
After a comeback win over
California, Kellen Clemens
has improved each week
By Hank Hager
Sports Editor
There's a little more than 14 min
utes in Oregon's game against Cali
fornia on Nov. 8.
The Autzen Stadium crowd is get
ting a little worried. Could the Gold
en Bears, leading by three at that
point, send Oregon to its second
straight loss and fifth of the season?
All of a sudden, the lights at
Autzen go out, plunging the 56,000
plus in attendance into darkness.
That's the night the lights went on
for Oregon sophomore quarterback
Kellen Clemens.
"I would like to say the end of the
Cal game would be the big point
where I matured quite a bit," he
said. "Personally, I think we matured
and came together a lot as a team. I
really look at the Cal game, for me
personally, for the offense, for the
defense, for the special teams, for
this entire football team, where
things really turned around and
came together."
Clemens engineered a nine-play,
minute-and-a-half scoring drive that
pushed the Ducks up four, 21-17,
and gave many in the stadium a
flashback to two years ago when
Joey Harrington was leading the
Oregon offense.
i—_——-■—
Clemens isn't near that stature
just yet; the come-from-behind vic
tory in the fourth quarter was his
first and only comeback as leader of
the Ducks. But since that game, the
leaps and bounds he has made con
trolling the offense are evident.
Against UCLA a week later,
Clemens threw just shy of 200 yards
on 21 of 27 passing. Against Oregon
State on Nov. 22, he threw for just 125
yards, but ran for 64, stretching the
Beavers' defense in the 14-point win.
"I think Kellen by virtue of his
performance has become a better
leader," Oregon head coach Mike
Bellotti said. "He has gained and
earned the respect of his teammates.
It started with the come-from-be
hind victory against Cal and extend
ed through the UCLA game. Then, in
the Oregon State game, his scram
bling and decision making in that
regard was probably the difference
in the game. He didn't throw the
ball extremely well. It was not a great
game in terms of passing, but over
all, his leadership and decision mak
ing, and scrambling ability, I think
were probably one of the differences
in that football game."
It wasn't as though Clemens was
n't performing well at other parts of
the season. In Oregon's first four
games, he helped lead the team to
four wins, throwing zero intercep
tions in that span. When things went
sour against Washington State, he
didn't play well, and in subsequent
losses to Utah and Arizona State, de
fenses read his eyes and made plays.
After games against Stanford and
Washington, the pressure fell on
Clemens and the rest of the team.
Win against the Golden Bears and
the season would have a chance at
being extended. Lose and the post
season would be in jeopardy.
With the Sun Bowl on the hori
zon, it's easy to tell which route
Clemens and Oregon took.
"I think that 1 am playing more to
(offensive coordinator Andy) Lud
wig's system more now," Clemens
said. "1 think I am playing more to
his system and what he wants. I
think 1 have a pretty good grasp of
what he wants and what he has in
mind when certain plays are called."
That leadership quotient that Bel
lotti said Clemens has improved on
has certainly helped the Ducks en
route to a tie for third place in the
Pacific-10 Conference. When
Clemens and senior Jason Fife were
sharing snaps until the UCLA game,
rhythm was a factor. Neither was
able to establish their control of the
offense.
When Clemens was given the
reins against UCLA, the leadership
quotient jumped.
"He's done a good job as a
leader," senior fullback Matt Floberg
said. "He's always just had that atti
tude that he's a natural leader."
Contact the sports editor
at hankhager@dailyemerald.com.
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