Seattle Seahawks
first in NFC West
at midway point
The Seahawks snapped a three-game losing streak
with wins against San Francisco and Carolina
BY JIM COUR
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
KIRKLAND, Wash. — Finally,
the Seattle Seahawks’ offense is
generating yards like everyone fig
ured it would.
The Seahawks finished the first
half of their schedule with a 42-27
victory at San Francisco, good
enough for sole possession of first
place in the NFC West.
Following a three-game losing
streak that jolted the confidence of
the team and coach Mike Holmgren,
the Seahawks have won two straight
with consecutive 400-yard offensive
performances.
Holmgren said Monday that his of
fense is clicking almost as well as it
was at the end of last season when
the Seahawks got back into the play
offs after a three-year absence.
“I would say it’s close,” Holmgren
said. “I’ve been fairly pleased the last
two weeks with our execution and
how we've done things.”
It doesn’t matter to Holmgren that
Seattle’s consecutive wins have
come against Carolina and the 49ers,
two 1-7 teams.
“Yesterday, the 49ers were the
lOth-rated defense in the league com
ing into that game,” he said. “I was
pleased with how we did things yes
terday for the most part.”
In completing a sweep over
their division rival, the Seahawks
got a 17 for 28, three-touchdown
game from their Pro Bowl quarter
back, Matt Hasselbeck, and a 160
yard, two-touchdown perform
ance from their Pro Bowl running
back, Shaun Alexander.
Despite missing a week of practice
because of a sprained right ankle,
Darrell Jackson caught five passes for
114 yards and two touchdowns.
Holmgren is still marveling at
the touchdown catches by Jack
son, a third-round draft choice in
2000 who has developed into Seat
tle's receiving star. He leads the
team with 45 catches for 670 yards
and four touchdowns.
Alexander leads the NFC with 879
rushing yards and nine touchdowns.
“I think we’re just at the begin
ning,” Alexander said of Seattle’s of
fense. “We’re just getting hot and
from here we want to carry on. ”
When the Seahawks started off 3
0 this season, Alexander asked back
up quarterback Tfent Dilfer, who
quarterbacked the 2000 Baltimore
Ravens to the Super Bowl title, if the
team was good enough to win the
Super Bowl.
“TVent said, ‘Well, we've got the
talent, but we’ve got to see how we
respond to something bad happen
ing like losing three games in a row,’”
Alexander said.
|
wsZrfayt/st /
Monday 6pm - 12am
Large PBR pitchers $5.00 Everyday
2841 Wilamette • 484-1727
Despite victory against CSU
Utah's BCS standings decline
Though the Utes remain undefeated, a slip in the polls
could cost them a spot in the Bowl Championship Series
BY RALPH D. RUSSO
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
A perfect record probably isn’t go
ing to be enough to get Utah into the
Bowl Championship Series.
The unbeaten Utes slipped one
spot to seventh in the BCS standings
Monday, a drop that could cost them
a berth in one of the four big-money
bowl games.
The top five in the BCS stayed the
same with Southern California, Okla
homa and Auburn leading the way,
followed by California and Wisconsin.
The top two teams in the final
standings will play in the Orange Bowl
on Jan. 4 for the BCS national title.
Utah is trying to become the first
team from a non-BCS conference
(Mountain West) to play in a BCS
game. The Utes can secure a spot in
what probably would be the Fiesta
Bowl — which delivers a payout of
about $14 million — if they finish in
the top six.
Just like two weeks ago when
Utah moved up to sixth, Utes coach
Urban Meyer heard from his wife that
the team had dropped.
“She had a little reaction. 1 won't
use the language she did,” he said.
“In three weeks we’ll have a reaction.
There’s too much football to be
played yet.”
Meyer, when asked if the BCS sys
tem should be changed, said “Is the
sky blue? Absolutely. And it will hap
pen. Logical thinking will eventually
take over. ”
Texas’ 56-35 comeback victory
over Oklahoma State on Saturday
boosted its BCS grade to .7904.
The Utes aren’t getting enough
bounce in the polls and computer
rankings because of their lopsided vic
tories over conference opponents.
Their grade 1.7511 j went up slightly al
ter a 63-31 win over Colorado State.
Utah held its positions in The As
sociated Press Top 25 (seventh) and
coaches poll (eighth) this week, but
the Utes dropped in the computer
rankings from sixth to eighth.
Utah finishes its season with games
at Wyoming on Saturday, and at home
against BYU the next week. TWo wins
would ensure a second straight MWC
title. The league champ gets a Liberty
Bowl berth, which pays $1.35 million.
But how the races play out in the
Big 12, Pac-10, Southeastern Confer
ence and Big Ten depend on where
the Utes play in the postseason and
their own games.
The AP media poll and ESPN/USA
Today poll each account for one-third
of a team’s BCS grade. Six computer
rankings make up the other third.
Texas is ahead of Utah in both polls,
sixth in the AP, seventh in the coaches.
Utah is one of six unbeaten teams
in Division I-A, along with USC, Ok
lahoma, Auburn, Wisconsin and
Boise State.
IN BRIEF
Oregon's Carolyn Ganes
to redshirt 2004-5 season
Forward/Center Carolyn Ganes de
cided to take a redshirt for the 2004-5
season, Oregon head coach Bev
Smith announced Monday.
The junior from Saskatoon,
Saskatchewan averaged 5.8 points
and 2.6 rebounds last season in 28
games, including one start. Ganes
tied for the team lead in scoring her
freshman year, averaging 10.9 points
per game, and was chosen as an hon
orable mention All-American Fresh
man by womenscollegehoops.com.
She had a career-high 25 points her
freshman year against Brigham Young.
Ganes ranks second all-time at
Oregon in career free-throw percent
age with 81 percent.
Oregon men's tennis team
successful in Hawaii
During the first day of the Hilton
Waikoloa Village USTA Futures Tour
nament, senior Manuel Kost won
both of his qualifying draw matches
and will advance to play in the main
draw starting Wednesday.
Kost, ranked No. 30 in the nation,
disposed of Billy Heiser of Vernon
Hills, 111., in three sets, 4-6, 6-3, 7-5.
Then Kost defeated Blake Muller of
Santa Barbara, Calif., in straight
sets, 6-4, 6-4, to advance to the
main draw of the tournament.
Junior Markus Schiller had a suc
cessful run at the tournament after
defeating Travis Smith of the Uni
versity of Hawaii, 6-1, 6-1, in the
first round and then defeating
teammate Chad Wilson 7-6, 6-1 to
make it to advance.
Schiller’s streak came to an end
when he lost to Adrian Bohane of
Ireland in straight sets, 6-1, 7-5. Bo
hane is ranked third in the tourna
ment and registers a professional
ranking of 1,027.
This tournament has both profes
sional and amateur players in it. The
top seed of the tournament, Frederick
Nielsen of Denmark, is currently
ranked No. 473 professionally.
— Clayton Jones
Heisman: QB Hopefuls battle for trophy
Continued from page 9
He has led the Utes to wins over
Texas A&M, Air Force and Colorado
State.
The knock on Smith is the fact
that Utah has played a much easier
schedule than the likes of Oklahoma
or Southern California. If Smith is to
stay in the race, it is imperative that
he finishes undefeated and in the
top six in the final BCS standings. If
Utah goes to a BCS bowl, Smith
should get the Heisman. If they lose,
gaudy numbers aren’t going to sway
any voters his way.
Matt Leinart, QB USC
If not for last year and the fact that
USC is the top-ranked team in the
country, Leinart would be getting far
less attention than he is. Leinart has
thrown for 2,068 yards with 20 touch
downs and five picks. His numbers are
comparable to Oregon’s Kellen
Clemens, who has thrown for 2,230
yards, 18 touchdowns and five picks.
So here is how 1 see it shaking out.
Leinart will split votes with team
mate Reggie Bush, who currently sits
fifth in the race, nullifying both of
them. Smith will receive an invite to
New York, but even with a BCS
berth, he won’t be able to impress
voters enough to forget about the two
Sooners in front of him.
Finally, with Peterson questionable
due to a shoulder injury, and White
heating up, White has the edge. Pe
terson will be given a fair shake, but
in the end I don’t see the voters giv
ing a freshman the trophy, especially
not when there is a senior quarter
back right in front of him.
Now 1 only have about 840 hours
to find out if I am right.
Just a note, Duck fans, be gentle
with the Heisman Ttophy on Satur
day. We don’t need White receiving
the trophy with duct tape on it be
cause an Oregon fan dropped it and
snapped the head off.
Then again, it would be funny.
So please, manhandle it with pride.
briansmith@ daily emerald, com
To place an ad, call (541) 346-4343 or stop by Room 300 Erb Memorial Union
E-mail: dassads@dailyemerald.com Online Edition: www.dailyemerald.com
Room 300, Erb Memorial Union, P.O. Box 3159, Eugene, OR 97403
'ASIAN
MOTIVE
Preventive Maintenance
Specialists for 29 Years.
1917 Franklin Blvd., Eugene
Find what you need. ’ HDDE
Sell what you don't. H classifieds
The Other Coast