■ Washington State notes
Courtesy | Washington State Athletic Department
Washington State sophomore quarterback Josh Swogger leads the Cougars and the nation’s 12th-best passing attack.
Sophomore quarterback
runs potent passing attack
The Cougars currently top the Pac-10 with a record
of 39-9 that stretches over the past four seasons
BY STEPHEN MILLER
SPORTS REPORTER
A favorable trend has developed
for Washington State in the past five
seasons. Dating back to the year
2000, the Cougars are 5-1 in games
following a bye week.
Washington State (3-1 overall, 1-0
Pacific-10 Conference) and second
year head coach Bill Doba needed
some rest after an exhausting 20-19
victory in their league-opener at Ari
zona on Sept. 25. The game was de
cided in the last minute when quar
terback Josh Swogger hit wide
receiver Jason Hill with 53 seconds
left on the clock. Despite a pair of
failed two-point conversion attempts,
the Cougars held on.
Doha took over the show in the
middle of Washington State’s current
conference-best record of 39-9 that
spans over the last four seasons. USC
has done equally well, and Oregon
has the third best record from 2001
2004 at 27-15. Doba is 12-4 as head
coach of the Pullman squad.
The Cougars’ offense has stayed
consistent this year, averaging 25.5
points and 373 yards per game.
Swogger has nine touchdown pass
es and only two interceptions on the
year. Both picks came in the season
opener against New Mexico. He
threw six touchdowns in the past
two games, and five of those were
caught by Hill.
Hill is 12th in the nation in receiv
ing yards with 104.75 per game and
leads a Washington State pass of
fense that averages 283 through the
air. The sophomore has team-highs
in touchdowns (6) and total yards
(419). He has 15 receptions and aver
ages 27.9 yards per catch.
Rushing may be the Cougars’ only
weakness. It averages 90 yards per
game, and leading rusher Chris Bruhn
has carried for 220 yards, but has no
touchdowns. The senior running back
averages 55 yards per game. Juniors
Jerome Harrison and Allen Thompson
have each scored two rushing touch
downs, accounting for Washington
State’s only scores on the ground. Har
rison is also the leading kick-off return
er with 93 yards gained.
WSU, page 12B
■ In my opinion
Bellotti deserves more credit for
handling of Incognito situation
The Richie Incognito fiasco is
finally over.
Thank goodness.
No more questions or comments.
No more ‘this guy is in our commu
nity? Oh no!’
I suffered sudden migraines every
time I heard people jump on Mike
Bellotti about his decision to bring in
the troubled youth.
I’ll admit, I had my doubts about it
as well, but for some of those in the
media, it was like blood in shark-in
fested waters.
Accusations about Oregon be
coming a second-chance university
or Bellotti caring more about win
ning than the community are
swirling the air.
I’m not brown-nosing the guy, but
credit needs to be given where credit
is due.
He didn’t have this guy come in
with an impulse. OK, he had
to give him a term scholarship be
cause of timing and classes starting
so soon, but he had rules set about
what Incognito’s conduct needed
to be.
It’s easy for us in the media to
question what a person does and
why, but we also need to recognize
CLAYTON JONES
SEVENTH INNING STRETCH
when something is done right.
Incognito didn’t comply with all of
Bellotti’s standards.
Don’t let the door hit ya where the
good lord split ya, Richie.
It’s as easy as that.
He couldn’t have handled the
whole situation any better.
But I digress.
This Saturday’s game against
Washington State is huge for the
Ducks.
If they lose, a 1-4 hole is hard to get
out of with a much-improved Stan
ford and No. 7 California still to face
on the road.
In fact, the Ducks need to bust out
of their offensive slump and show
some life.
Granted, this isn’t a team blessed
with an explosive offense, but one
would have to think its talent is way
too high to be ranked seventh in the
conference in scoring offense.
Kellen Clemens is in dire need of a
breakout game where he can regain
the confidence of his downfield pass
ing, but it motivates me when he says
he needs to just sling it.
And as every Oregon critic has
said, the key to getting the ball to
guys such as Tim Day or Dante
Rosario is opening it up. They’ve
tried, but it just isn’t happening.
One positive aspect has been
brought to the forefront of the of
fense; Terrence Whitehead is ready to
be a feature back.
The way he slams into holes and
always seems to break tackles and
turn vjjjfiat looks like a negative play
to a positive one is keeping this of
fense moving.
Oregon has the right idea of getting
the ball in No. 24’s hands as much as
possible.
The man is seventh in the confer
ence in rushing. To take a page out of
Keyshawn Johnson’s playbook —
give him the damn ball!
But maybe the biggest problem for
the flailing Ducks is their red zone
and special teams play.
JONES, page 12B
IN BRIEF
Virginia’s Marques Hagans
played quarterback, wide receiver,
running back and punt returner
last year. Four games into the 2004
season, Hagans finally has settled
in at one position.
The junior ranks fourth national
ly in passing efficiency and leads
the Atlantic Coast Conference’s
top-scoring offense.
Not bad for a guy who had thrown
just 51 passes before this season.
“Given the tasks put before him in
the first four games, (he’s done)
about as well as a rookie quarterback
could do,” Virginia coach A1 Groh
said. “I know he’s been in there a lit
tle bit before, but this is the first time
he’s ever really been the guy. ”
Hagans has thrown for 770 yards
and four touchdowns against only
one interception for the No. 10 Cav
aliers (4-0 overall, 1-0 ACC).
In a 31-10 win against Syracuse on
Sept. 25, Hagans ran for two touch
downs — including a 59-yarder on a
broken play — and went ll-for-12
for 202 yards and a score.
— The Associated Press
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