Oregon Daily Emerald
Thesday, October 19, 2004
“I’m tired of hearing about money, money,
money. I just want to play the game,
drink Pepsi and wear Reebok. ”
Shaquille O’Neal | Miami Heat center
■ Duck football
Oregon’s Devan
Long (92) and
Robby Valenzuela
(99) have a
discussion with an
official during their
28-14 victory over
Arizona Saturday.
Face time with the
officials was
frequent in
Saturday’s game
as the Ducks were
penalized 11
times.
ERIK R. BISHOFF
Photographer
Penalty accumulation sinking Ducks
'Stupid' penalties that cost Oregon several scoring opportunities top list
of areas to improve before Saturday's game against the Cardinal
BY CLAYTON JONES AND JON ROETMAN
SPORTS EDITOR & SENIOR SPORTS REPORTER
A certain issue is becoming a progressively
bigger problem for the Oregon football team.
The Ducks are being flagged at a dismal rate.
Eleven penalties and 114 yards on Saturday
didn’t keep the Ducks from losing to Arizona
but did take them out of scoring drives. If it
was a closer game, the penalties might have
made the difference.
“I think we had an opportunity to score a
lot more points than we did, and that is unfor
tunate,” Oregon quarterback Kellen Clemens
said of the penalties’ impact. “There is still
plenty of work to be done.”
Oregon head coach Mike Bellotti’s patience
is wearing thin with his players and with
what he calls “stupid” penalties; those that
happen before the snap, after the whistle, and
penalties that don’t have to do with the play.
Out of the 11 penalties against Arizona,
eight could be classified in this realm.
Oregon committed three false starts, a per
sonal foul, an illegal block to the back (cost
ing Justin Phinisee a touchdown), a kick
catching interference penalty, a roughing the
passer penalty and an unsportsmanlike con
duct penalty for Anthony TYucks’ semi-truck
honk request.
The Ducks have the most penalties in
Pacific-10 Conference, averaging 98.3 yards
per game. The next most penalized team in
the Pac-10 is Oregon State, averaging nearly
20 yards less per game at 79.5.
On top of that, Oregon’s opponents are av
eraging a mere 48.5 yards per game in penal
ties. The Ducks are penalized almost half a
football field more than their adversaries
each game.
Bellotti has already implemented his so
called “tours of Autzen Stadium” punish
ment, but he said some of the penalties are
occurring because of pure selfishness.
“You have to subjugate your ego for the
team,” Bellotti said.
Moving on up
Arizona State quarterback Andrew Walter
continues to climb the Pac-10 career passing
yardage list, moving into ninth place after
throwing for 181 yards against top-ranked
Southern California Saturday.
PENALTIES, page 10
■ In my opinion
BRIAN SMITH
LEFTY SPECIALIST
The sports
world has
entered Fall
Madness
Somebody, please, I need TiVo. Desperately.
It’s the only way I can keep up on all the
sports going on right now.
Baseball playoffs, NFL regular season
and college football. It’s a good time to be a
sports fan but also a bad time, because it’s
hard to stay current on everything that is
going on.
There are so many things that 1 could
write about that I can’t narrow it down to
just one.
Anyone watching the National League
Championship series? Anyone? Anyone?
1 couldn’t very well write an entire col
umn on the Blue-TUrf-BCS-Bustin” Broncos
of Boise State. After all, as soon as I make a
“smurf turf” reference, the column would
(and should) end there. But seriously, the
Broncos have no shot to ruin the computer
rankings with a Bowl Championship Series
average of .4309. Comparatively, the BCS
number-one ranked USC has an average
of .9912.
Not happening, Boise State.
I would write on the New England Patri- •
ots’ amazing 20-game winning streak*, but
I can’t because the streak is over two sea
sons. Because Tiger Woods didn't win the
Grand Slam of golf because his victories
were over two seasons, the Patriots need
that dreaded little asterisk until they go 16
0 in the regular season. Sorry, technicali
ties. You understand. Daunte Culpepper
and his pace for 5,651 yards and 58 touch
downs? See below.
So instead, I offer you a “blog” version
of a column in the futile attempt to look
like I understand all in the world of sports.
I’m glad Oregon got rid of that Andy
SMITH , page 10
■ Club Sports
Club hockey team sweeps Gonzaga out of the rink
After capturing two wins at home against the Zags during the weekend,
the Ducks gain confidence for their Pac-8 season opener this Friday
BY KIRSTEN MCEWEN
FREELANCE REPORTER
Five players scored in the match, with all of
the goals coming in the first and second peri
ods. Forward Ted Martin scored Oregon’s fifth
and final goal of the game with 3:16 to go in the
second period. Oregon was held scoreless in the
third period, but the Ducks held off a two-goal
comeback by the Bulldogs and went on to
win their first non-conference game of the
season,5-4.
“We definitely had some nerves the first
game,” defender Whit Ackerman said. “No one
knew what to expect, but we calmed down a bit
in Saturday’s game.”
In the second game of the series, forward
Ryan Jones scored Oregon’s only two goals of
the contest as the Ducks swept Gonzaga,
winning 2-1.
Oregon’s success during the weekend can be
attributed to freshman goalie Matt Nuernberg’s
play. Coordinator Justin Keeland said his team
would have struggled if Nuernberg had not
played as well in front of the net.
“Our goaltender kept us in both games,” Kee
land said. “He’s one of the best goaltenders we
have had in a while.”
The Ducks will compete in the American Col
legiate Hockey Association’s Pac-8 League,
which includes California, Stanford, UCLA,
Southern California, Washington, Washington
State and Western Washington.
Last year, Oregon struggled during the regu
lar season, winning only eight games and fin
ishing with an 8-15 record.
This season, the players predict a different
outcome.
“We are more serious, have a good group of
guys and the talent level is much higher,” Ack
erman said. “This year, people are coming out
and playing to win. People aren’t just coming
out to have a good time.”
In addition to 14 new names on the roster,
Oregon also welcomes a new coaching staff.
According to forward Ben Winegar, head coach
Scott McCallum has changed the tone of
the program.
“We practice twice as much and twice as
hard,” Winegar said. “We do a lot more dry
land training, and we make the most out of
every practice. ”
Ackerman said Oregon’s toughest competi
tion will be Washington and defending Pac-8
champion Cal. USC will be another force in
league play, but the Ducks do not face the TYo
jans during regular season action.
Although Oregon is content with its 2-0 non
conference record, the Ducks know this week
end was a mere warm-up for games to come.
“If we thought this game was tough, all I
have to say is wait until we start playing teams
in the Pac-8,” Ackerman said.
The Ducks will host their first Pac-8 season
games when they take on Stanford at 7:30 p.m.
Friday and Saturday at the Lane County Ice Are
na. Stanford is the only team the Ducks swept >#
last season.
Kirsten McEwen is a freelance
reporter for the Daily Emerald