Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (Oct. 22, 2004)
■ In my opinion Tim Day, Oregon offense will explode against Stanford Tim Day moved gingerly around practice Monday with a protective boot on his sore right foot. Oregon’s massive tight end sported his trademark grin, however, because the device was only precautionary. In fact, with 12 receptions, 237 yards and a pair of touchdowns dur ing Oregon’s last two games, it ap pears Day has returned to form as an intimidating pass-catching force. Unless, of course, Pacific-10 Con ference coaches have found a way to incorporate a plastic shoe into their defensive schemes. With the latter being unlikely, Ore gon’s offense should continue to flour ish with the resurgence of Day and wide receiver Demetrius Williams. Williams followed up his 12-catch, ION RO LIMAN ROUGHING THE PASSER 126-yard performance at Washington State with a nine-catch, 153-yard ef fort against Arizona. The duo has re-energized the Ducks’ downfield passing game and showed both could get open in con secutive contests for the first time this season. “We’re starting to get consistent now,” Day said. “It’s what we needed to do all season. We are back, and I think our big players are starting to step up. We’re starting to roll.” The Ducks’ ability to stretch the field vertically has made their offense legit. Defenses can no longer focus on stopping running back Terrence Whitehead or eliminating shovel pass es and underneath crossing routes. Williams pointed to a more relaxed Kellen Clemens as the catalyst for Oregon’s success. The junior quarterback has thrown for more than 300 yards in each of the last two weeks and is second in the Pac-10 in passing yardage. Clemens has also made smart deci sions, playing five straight weeks without throwing an interception. ROETMAN, page 9B Oregon: Clemens nears Fife's consecutive TD record Continued from page 4B In the Ducks’ 30-24 season-open ing loss to Indiana alone, they turned the ball over seven times and forced only two turnovers. Clemens has eleven, looking for twelve With his touchdown last week against Arizona, junior quarterback Kellen Clemens extended his streak of consecutive games with a touch down pass to 11. Clemens is now one behind former Duck Jason Fife, who threw a touchdown in each of the 12 games in 2002. Other Duck notables include Heisman Ttophy finalist Joey Harrington, who compiled a streak of eight (2000-01), and Akili Smith, whose eleven straight games in 1997 98 leave him tied with Clemens. Anyone got a ticket? For the seventh straight year, the Ducks have set a record for football season ticket sales. The Ducks have already sold 40,725 season tickets, surpassing the old record of 40,435, set last year. Oregon has extended its string of consecutive sellouts at home to 33. The smallest crowd the Ducks have attracted since Autzen Stadium was remodeled was 55,187 vs. Idaho in 2002. No bye this year Because the Ducks did not open their regular season until Sept. 11, they will be forced go the entire sea son without a bye week. With Bel lotti, Oregon has compiled a 10-1 record coming off a bye week in his nine years as head coach (two byes in 2001 and 1996). The last time Oregon completed a season without a bye was 1994, the last time the Ducks played in the Rose Bowl. briansmith@dailyemerald.com Stanford linebacker Kevin Schimmelmann leads the Cardinal with 43 tackles. The junior has played strong safety, outside linebacker and middle linebacker during his career at Stanford. ,4 Courtesy Stanford Athletic Department Stanford: Rushing gets 99-yard TD return Continued from page 5B last week’s interceptions. The senior comerback leads the team in picks this year with three. Stanford’s secondary this season consists of all returning players and will be a key factor for suc cess against Oregon’s pass offense. "We need to play well and pressure the passer,” Teevens said. “We've done a decent job through the course of the year of forcing the quarterback to throw the ball and find a receiver quickly. We've been okay at not allow ing a lot of big pass plays. Those have been minimized by the fact that we play a lot of zone coverage.” Moore and more Stanford’s offense has greatly im proved this season compared to last year. In 2003, the Cardinal averaged 16.9 points per game and 283 yards of total offense. In 2004, its total offense has improved to 389 yards per game, and Stanford has averaged 28.8 points through six contests. In the Cardinal’s first possession of the season, wide receiver Evan Moore caught a 22-yard touchdown pass. Since then, Moore has racked up a team-high 407 yards on 23 receptions. The 6-foot-7 sophomore has scored five touchdowns. Besides Moore, wide-outs Mark Bradford and Justin McCullum have each tallied 20 receptions this season. Tight end Alex Smith is the Cardinal’s leader with 25 catches. Moore and Bradford, both two sport athletes, are also involved with the Stanford basketball program. Bradford is a point guard, and Moore is a highly regarded power forward. Wise gains Hidden behind a young offensive line (four sophomores, one junior) and Stanford’s sophomore quarterback, Trent Edwards, lie two experienced running backs. Junior J.R. Lemon and senior Kenneth Tolon have treaded se rious yardage and have scored eight of Stanford’s 11 rushing touchdowns. Each rusher has a different style of running, which has made tracking these players a task for the opposition. Lemon leads the team with six touchdowns and 397 yards in 72 at tempts on the ground. Tolon has amassed 274 yards on 62 carries. What's in a name? Junior T.J. Rushing has a fitting last name for the game he plays. As Stanford’s primary kickoff returner, Rushing has averaged 33.6 yards per return, which is best in the Pac-10 and fourth in the NCAA. In 10 returns, Rushing has accumu lated 336 yards, one of which he took downfield for a 99-yard touchdown re turn against Brigham Young. Rushing has recorded 20 tackles - four for a loss - and one fumble recovery in six games as a comerback. He has started two games for Stanford. stephenmiller@ dailyemerald. com Renelle DENMAN $199 Double Frame and Mattress, Cover not included Sofa by day / Bed by night Delivery Of Setup AMERICAN MATTRESS MANUFACTURING Buy Factory Direct & Save 4075 W. 11th *343-2690 Open Mon.-Fri. 9 a.m.-8 p.m., LjiaftJ .Sat, 9,a„fp.,-6 p.m., Sun 11a.m.-5 p.m. $49 TWIN MATTS $109 QUEEN SET Renelle GIBSON $179 Double Frame and Mattress, Cover not included • Homemade Soups ♦ Fresh Salads • Fresh Pizza • Hamburgers • Fish & Chips # Pastas • Ribs • Microhrewed Beer and full bar
