Oregon daily emerald., October 13, 2004, Image 9

“I make love to pressure. ’’
Stephen Jackson | Indiana Pacers
■ Duck football
Ducks sain momentum with win over Cougars
Oregon players and coaches are
optimistic after Saturday's 41 -38
victory at Washington State
BY JON ROETMAN
SENIOR SPORTS REPORTER
After Oregon’s dramatic come-from-behind
victory against Washington State on Saturday,
the Ducks greeted their Martin Stadium cheer
ing section with the exuberance of a team that
had just won the Rose Bowl.
Athletes swapped high-fives with ecstatic
fans and released thunderous roars of pleas
ure. But it was the actions of two Oregon
coaches at the opposite end of the field that
truly epitomized the emotional 41-38 win.
As head coach Mike Bellotti prepared for
television interviews, receivers coach Dan Fer
rigno rushed the dean of Pacific-10 Confer
ence coaches and delivered a hug with more
force than most linebackers use on a given
tackle. Bellotti’s ensuing smile lit up the dark
ening Palouse sky and showed signs of a feel
ing the Ducks hadn’t experienced for quite
some time: relief.
Oregon’s win against Washington State was
more than just a barn-burning display of of
fensive authority. It was a victory that put the
Ducks back into the hunt for the Pac-10 title
and helped them avoid their first 1-4 start
since 1982, when Oregon lost eight of its first
nine games and finished 2-8-1.
“Those guys did not give up,” Bellotti said of
his players after the game. “They never lost
faith despite some unbelievable (Cougar) plays
and some unbelievable (officiating) calls.
“These kids ... I love ’em.”
Offensive tackle Adam Snyder said Satur
day’s win lifted a lot of pressure off the team’s
shoulders and should act as motivation for
the rest of the season.
“It’s something we needed to do,” Snyder
said. “When you see that reward I think it’s a
big, positive influence.”
Clemens hosed
Oregon quarterback Kellen Clemens’ career
performance on Saturday was strong enough
to warrant nomination for the Cingular/ABC
■ Duck volleyball
Attendance
increases as
Pac-10 play
heats up
Oregon is struggling to keep up
with a conference featuring six
nationally ranked teams
BY STEPHEN MILLER
SPORTS REPORTER
Oregon is starting to feel the repercussions
from losing the spark plug of its attack. The
Ducks were outscored 208-151 in two losses
last weekend against Arizona and Arizona
State. Without Lauren Westendorf’s 5.06 kills
per game, Oregon’s crippled offense has not
found an immediate resolution to its struggle.
Sophomore Sarah Mason earned 26 of Ore
gon’s 80 kills in the last two matches. She is av
eraging 3.86 kills per game, which is eighth in
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Erik R. Bishoff | Photographer
Kellen Clemens, seen here against Indiana, threw for 437 yards and had a hand in all six of Oregon’s
touchdowns. Despite his career performance, California’s Aaron Rodgers became the Pac-10 Player of the Week.
Sports All-America Player of the Week award,
but wasn’t good enough for Pac-10 Player of
the Week honors. The Burns native completed
36 of 55 passes for 437 yards and three touch
downs and also rushed for 36 yards and three
more scores, but lost out to California quar
terback Aaron Rodgers. The junior completed
29 of 34 passes — including tying an NCAA
record 23 in a row — for 267 yards and a
touchdown during a 23-17 loss to top-ranked
Southern California.
Clemens’ passing yardage total was the sev
enth-highest in Oregon history, five yards shy
of Akili Smith’s 442-yard performance against
Eric Hastings finished the tournament tied for 14 th place, while
Gregg LaVoie and Joey Benedetti also had solid performances
BY SCOTT J. ADAMS
FREELANCE SPORTS REPORTER
The Oregon men’s golf team dropped two
spots in Tuesday's final round to finish ninth
at the Alister Mackenzie Invitational in
Fairfax, Calif.
Sophomore Eric Hastings finished the
three-round tournament in a tie for 14th af
ter shooting his third consecutive round of
72 at the par-71, 6,583-yard Meadow Club.
The tie for 14th was Oregon’s highest fin
isher and also was a personal best for Hast
ings, surpassing his tie for 24th at the North
west Collegiate Classic last month.
Oregon State won the tournament by sev
en strokes after a final round of 283, four
strokes under par. In second place was No.
20 Purdue with 855 and California was third
with a 856. Two other Pacific-10 Conference
teams finished in the top ten with No. 22
Washington at ninth and Stanford at tenth.
In individual play, Northwestern’s Dillon
Dougherty and Purdue’s Bobby Bennett tied
for first with 6-under-par 207s.
Oregon freshman Joey Benedetti fell after
a promising first two rounds. He finished in a
tie for 33rd after an 8-over-par 79.
Springfield native Justin St. Clair shot a 3
over-par 74 in the final round to finish the
tournament in 39th place. Junior Gregg
LaVoie finished tied with St. Clair after also
shooting a 74 in the final round.
LaVoie and Benedetti were the only Ducks
to shoot an under-par round. LaVoie shot a
70 in the second round while Benedetti also
shot a 70 in the first round.
Oregon finished the second round clinging
to a one-stroke lead over Illinois. The Ducks
carded a team score of 580, placing them
seventh after the second round.
The Ducks were aided with youthful sup
port from Benedetti, who led the team with
an even-par 142. Benedetti ended the sec
ond round tied for eleventh in the tourna
ment. Benedetti’s career-best two-round
scores of 70 and 72 left him six strokes be
hind tournament leader TLavis Bertoni of Cal
Poly. Bertoni finished the second round at
136 after a first-round 69 and an improved
second-round 67.
Washington in 1998. Bill Musgrave’s 489-yard
effort against BYU in 1989 tops the list.
Clemens’ 473 yards of total offense ranks sec
ond all-time behind Musgrave, who amassed
498 yards during his 1989 performance.
Bellotti said Clemens deserved conference
honors.
“Yeah, I’m a little surprised,” Bellotti said of
Rodgers winning the award. “Kellen put up
record numbers in a winning effort against the
No. 2 defense in the conference and had a hand
in six touchdowns.
“I know those statistics are unmatched in our
conference this past week. I know Aaron is a
good quarterback and tied a record for efficiency,
which is important, but I do think winning and
the overall aspect of the game is important."
Oregon teammates said Clemens’ play down
the stretch of Saturday’s win was inspirational.
“The way he composed himself was unbe
lievable,” Snyder said. "Looking at him helped
us on the offensive line to bring us down for a
second and do what we needed to do to win.”
Haymakers
The Oregon offense had four players each ac
count for more than 100 yards of offense on Sat
urday, with two surpassing the 200-yard mark.
Wide receiver Demetrius Williams busted
out of his season-long slump by catching 12
passes for 126 yards. While the junior failed
to reach the end zone, his ability to get open
created opportunities for his teammates.
Tight end Tim Day had the best game of his
career, catching eight balls for 152 yards and a
pair of touchdowns. Bellotti said the Ducks
forced the ball into the 268-pounder across
the middle of the field.
Lost amid Oregon’s impressive aerial dis
play was the performance of running back
Terrence Whitehead. The junior totaled 237
yards, with 166 coming on the ground. The
Los Angeles native is now eight yards short of
the 500-yard mark for the season.
In all, the Ducks gained 646 yards of total
offense against the Cougars, including 393 in
the second half.
jonroetman@ dailyemerald, com
■ Men's golf
Ducks finish ninth at Stanford tourney
Hastings matched his first-round score
with an encore 72, bringing his score to two
strokes over par at 144. Like Benedetti, Hast
ings finished in a tie, but for 17th place after
two rounds.
St. Clair continued his consistent ways with
a decent second-round performance which
found him six strokes over par at 148 after the
second round.
St. Clair sat tied at 42nd place with team
mate LaVoie, who shaved an impressive eight
strokes off his first-round score to end the sec
ond round with a birdie 1-under-par after the
second. LaVoie was the only Oregon player to
finish the second round with a score better
than his first round.
Oregon State continued to dominate team
play and finished atop the field tied for first
with Northwestern at 565 after the second
round of play.
Pac-10 Conference foe California found
themselves alone in fourth place at 569, fol
lowed by Kansas State and Cal Poly tied at
572 after two rounds.
Stanford, the hosting school, sat one stroke
behind Pacific with a 593, good enough for
12th place after the second round.
Scott J. Adams is a freelance reporter
for the Daily Emerald