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About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (Sept. 1, 2005)
■ Oregon notes Ducks anticipate another strong season start Odds are stacked in Oregon's favor; the team is 8-2 in season opening games and 3-1 on the road BY LUKE ANDREWS FREELANCE REPORTER The last time Oregon and Houston met was 22 years ago, when the Ducks defeated the Cougars 15-14 in Eugene. Including Oregon, Houston is 10-19 all-time against the Pacific-10 Conference, with the last win coming against Arizona State in 1990. The Cougars, however, are 0-7 versus the Pac-10 since 1993. The most recent common opponent for the Ducks and Cougars came last season when both teams traveled to Oklahoma. The Sooners trounced Houston 63-13 and defeated the Ducks 31-7 a week later. ■ Houston notes Offense will decide Cougars' wins and losses this season Houston's mediocre defense leaves the team's record in the hands of the offensive line and QB Kevin Kolb BY SCOTTJ. ADAMS FREELANCE REPORTER After punching their tickets for Hawaii two years ago to play in the 2003 Hawaii Bowl, the University of Houston Cougars lost their touch last season. The Cougars managed only three wins, all notched against sub .500 teams. Houston fell out of the gate in its opener against Rice 10-7 and never recovered, thus making this sea son’s opener against Oregon a prime chance to right the ship. Cougars third-year head coach Art Briles has tuned his offense to put up numbers similar to last year’s. Houston was 28th in the na tion in passing yards per game in 2004. With a satisfactory at best defense, the production of Hous ton’s offense will be the supreme factor deciding wins and losses, and it all starts with junior quarterback Kevin Kolb. Kolb was placed on the preseason watch list for the Maxwell and Davey O’Brien Awards and passed for nearly 3,000 yards last season. With a dismal average of 138.3 rushing yards per game in 2004, the Cougars were without a decent run ning attack, but senior tailback An thony Evans and seven other starters from last year’s roster re turn, including two receivers and three veteran offensive linemen. Sophomore wide receiver Donnie Avery leads the corps, but watch for senior Vincent Marshall to challenge the Ducks with deep routes over the middle from the slot. Aside from defense, Houston’s biggest weakness this year will most likely be its special teams. Junior kicker Justin Laird will handle all kicking assignments this season in place of Dustin Bell, who struggled with kicking field goals more than 30 yards last year. Laird punted last season for Houston, but managed only 39.8 yards per punt and did not receive any help from the punt cov erage team that yielded a 31.7 yard net average. The 2005 season opener could not have come any quicker for Houston, a team that wants nothing more than to make last year’s record a distant memory. Briles is excited for the opener against Oregon and feels confident witlThis squad. “We are just going to line up and HOUSTON, page 9 Bellotti, Ducks typically strong in openers Under head coach Mike Bellotti’s di rection, the Ducks are 8-2 in season opening games, including a 3-1 record on the road. In addition, Oregon has accumulat ed a 31-9 regular season and bowl game record against non-conference opponents during Bellotti’s tenure. However, five of the nine losses have occurred in the last three seasons, one of which was last year’s disappointing home loss to Indiana, a team that fin ished the season with only three wins. OREGON, page 9 022717 QUALITY NEW AND USED EQUIPMENT • Fitness Equipment • Golf • Skateboards • In-Line Skates • Baseball/Softball • Frisbee Golf • Bicycles • Water Sports • Hockey We buy your old gear! 342-4041 2598 Willamette Eugene • M-F 10-7 Sat 9-6 • Sun 12-5 AVAILABLE in stores NOW! featuring TUP SMASH HIT “ALCOHOL AfttSTA - g'2005 JM5 MtvSiC 022970 CD World | 3215 West 11th Ave. Suite B Vl.tjljLW li 'l»^ Vf* f AiTiil.«Ai> 111 J. •'.*
