■ In my opinion
Do we all expect too much from Oregon every year?
It’s their chance to redeem
themselves.
It’s their chance to show the whole
country that last weekend’s loss to
traditional Big Ten Conference cellar
dweller Indiana was a fluke.
It’s their chance to prove to the
fans that there is hope for the season.
The Ducks, who play at No. 2 Ok
lahoma on Saturday at 12:30 p.m.,
now look to bounce back from the
turnover-happy game that marked
last Saturday’s loss.
However, were the expectations
too high here in Eugene before
the season?
Since the Joey Harrington era,
and even before that with the
1995 Rose Bowl team, Duck fans
have come to expect big things
from their team every year.
Since 1995, Oregon has made a
bowl game nine straight seasons. Not
bad for a program that made a total
of just nine bowl games in the 87
years before that. In the more recent
bowl games, the Ducks have a 4-5
record, including two losses in a row
the last two years.
This past weekend, Oregon fans did
n’t take long to express their frustration
toward their team when the booing be
gan near the end of the second quarter
in the 30-24 loss to Indiana.
As the players entered the locker
rooms for halftime, an enormous show
er of boos flooded Autzen Stadium for
the first time in a very long while.
A home crowd — which usually
reserves its booing for the visiting
ALEX TAM
HOLDING COURT
team, the referees or a poorly created
mascot — simply kicked down its
team even further as the Ducks
trailed by 23 points after the first half.
The expectations just continue to
rise at Oregon, year after year.
The question is, were the expecta
tions set too high for this school’s
football team this year?
Every year, fans continually set
lofty goals for their Ducks. Those
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include finishing at the top of the Pa
cific-10 Conference, going to a high
profile bowl game, winning and then
doing it all again next time.
The Ducks have made their imprint
on the country as a program that will
make a bowl game every year. But I
think it’s still safe to say that Oregon, as
a football program, still has a little ways
to go before it is considered among the
elite programs in the country.
Is Oregon up in the same ranks as
Miami, Florida State, Florida, Texas,
USC or even this weekend’s oppo
nent, Oklahoma?
No, not yet, but close.
Could it eventually be?
Yes, it’s possible.
Certainly, building a traditionally
winning program helps out, which
is what head coach Mike Bellotti has
done in the past decade. In his nine
seasons at the helm of Oregon foot
ball, Bellotti has accumulated 75 vic
tories out of 109 games. He is just
seven wins shy of tying former Ore
gon head coach Len Casanova as the
second-winningest football coach in
school history.
That winning tradition always at
tracts big name recruits. It also helps
to have a $3.2 million state-of-the-art
locker room.
The building blocks are in place
here for a national championship
contender every year.
But still, are they there yet?
A simple no, not yet.
Losing to an Indiana team in the
home opener in front of at least
57,000 does not happen at an elite
football program.
Seven turnovers, including four
fumbles in the first quarter and two
interceptions on the last two drives,
cannot happen at all.
I believe, though, that Oregon will
eventually be one of the elite football
programs in the country.
We’ll just see how far the Ducks
are from it after their game in Nor
man, Okla., this weekend.
alextam@ daily emerald, com
■ Oregon notes
Oregon's injuries
heal and look to be
healthy for Sooners
Day is 100 percent, Ngata suffers only postgame
soreness and Phinisee is probable for Oklahoma
CLAiTON JONES
SPORTS REPORTER
Though a stress fracture kept him
from practicing as much as he would
have liked, it appears Oregon’s all
conference tight end Tim Day is at
full strength and ready to go against
Oklahoma.
Day said his stress fracture is com
pletely healed and a slight injury last
week hasn’t hampered his practices.
He is getting all his repetitions in with
the first team.
“I tweaked my knee during the
week of the Indiana game,” Day said.
“I’m doing everything 100 percent,
full-go at practice and will be ready. ”
Day didn’t start the game against
Indiana for precautions, but had two
receptions for 32 yards. He will have
to be a bigger part of the offense if the
Ducks want to pull off the upset
against No. 2-ranked Oklahoma.
Day said he understands that his
staying healthy will be one of the
keys to the team’s success against
Oklahoma.
“Now I’m better and ready to go
get the Sooners,” Day said.
Oregon’s late-season success last
year was the team’s ability to throw
to an array of receivers and to uti
lize Day’s pass catching skills.
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