Oregon daily emerald., September 28, 2005, Image 9

Oregon Daily Emerald
Wednesday, September 28, 2005
“Don’t say I don’t get along with my
teammates. I just don’t get along
with some of the guys on the team. ”
— Eagles’ wide receiver Terrell Owens
■ In my opinion
SCOTT ADAMS
INTENTIONAL GROUNDING
UO needs
to be wary
of Stanford
as spoiler
The beleaguered Cardinal comes into this
game after a much-needed bye week follow
ing its loss Sept. 17 at the hands of UC
Davis, 20-17. The loss surprised many at
Stanford (1-1), including quarterback T.C.
Ostrander who had little sympathy for his
team after the game.
“It’s hard to pinpoint one thing,” Ostran
der said. “Collectively on offense we didn’t
get the job done. I was extremely disappoint
ed in how I played.”
The Cardinal’s offense may not have got
ten the job done against the Aggies, but they
had quite an outing one week prior in An
napolis, Md., against Navy. Led by quarter
back TYent Edwards, the offense outlasted
the Midshipmen, 41-38. Edwards passed for
235 yards but has not thrown a touchdown
pass this season.
Edwards saw limited action the following
week against UC Davis after being sidelined
in the second half with an undisclosed in
jury. Ostrander took over but did not play im
pressively, going 7-17 for 108 passing yards.
As ineffective as Stanford’s passing game
was in the loss, its running game did not fare
better. The Cardinal running backs com
bined for a meager 74 yards on 30 carries.
Sophomore tailback Anthony Kimble led
Stanford with 51 yards. Kimble will have
to put up at least 50 more if Stanford is going
to have any offensive balance playing
against Oregon.
Defense almost wins games
Stanford’s defense has not only made big
plays this season, but it has also put points
on the board for the Cardinal. Last week the
defense recovered a pair of first-half fumbles
returned for touchdowns. In the first quarter,
senior inside linebacker Kevin Schimmel
mann recovered a fumble in UC Davis’ end
zone, putting Stanford ahead, 10-0. One
quarter later, the defense struck again as fel
low linebacker Michael Craven picked up a
loose ball and returned it 54 yards for the de
fense’s second touchdown of the game. Sad
ly enough for the Cardinal, it marked the last
time it scored in the game. Stanford also re
covered a fumble for a touchdown against
Navy, bringing its season total to three.
First-year head coach Walt Harris said his
team deserves to lose any game it plays as
badly as it played last week.
“The bottom line: When you lose, you
lose,” Harris said. “It doesn’t matter if it’s
Davis or USC. When you play like that, you
will lose every game. ”
A kicker you can count on
Harris has one of the best kickers in the
Pacific-10 Conference in senior Michael
Sgroi. The Plymouth, Mich., native has start
ed three years now for Stanford and drove
home a 48-yard field goal against the Aggies
last week. He has fully recovered from a
ADAMS, page 10
Ducks set their sights on Stanford
Mike Bellotti turns to extra
conditioning to help his team
rebound from Saturday's loss
BY SHAWN MILLER
SPORTS REPORTER
Whether it is punishment or preparation up
for interpretation, there is no question that
conditioning is a major focus during football
practice this week.
Even head coach Mike Bellotti was seen jog
ging and back-peddling to inspire the troops.
“At this point in the season there still is a
need to continue conditioning,” Bellotti said.
“We are still getting into game shape for some
of the younger players, and they have to get
through some of the bumps and bruises that
will slow down some of our veteran players.”
Oregon is coming off a 45-13 defeat to top
ranked USC, a game in which the Duck de
fense allowed five touchdowns in the
second half.
“Our conditioning was a factor in the sec
ond half in that we did not seem to be in
shape, our defense especially, staying on the
field that long,” Bellotti said.
The Ducks gave up nearly 600 yards in total
offense, and USC was 10 of 14 on third-down
conversions.
“As players we didn’t really think it was
conditioning, but coach felt it was the case, so
we did some extra running today,” Oregon
cornerback Justin Phinisee said after Mon
day’s practice. “That’s what football is all
about, running around, making sure you are
in shape.”
It is especially important for everyone to be
on the same page Saturday as the Ducks travel
to Palo Alto, Calif., to face the Stanford Cardi
nal, a team known for playing to its competi
tion level.
Oregon quarterback Kellen Ciemens and the Duck offense were tackled by USC Saturday. The Ducks have
focused on conditioning in practice this week in preparation for playing Stanford.
“Stanford right now is probably as danger
ous as they have ever been,” Oregon quarter
DacK Keiien uemens
said. “They play up
or down according
to the team they
are playing. They
play to the levei of
their competitors,
and we will get their
best game.”
The Cardinal may he especially dangerous
after a bye week followed a 20-17 loss to Divi
sion I-AA UC Davis, considered the most hu
miliating defeat in Stanford history by many in
the sports world.
1 ney ve naa two
weeks to prepare and
have to feel the
agony of that loss to
UC Davis,” Bellotti
said. “We’re prepared
for their best football
game, and we need
to De prepared to matcn it Decause we are on
the road. You can’t rally or spar with the home
team — you have to knock them out.”
FOOTBALL, page 10
“That's what football is all about,
running around, making sure you
are in shape. ”
Justin Phinisee | Oregon cornerback
■ Club Hockey
Oregon looks to defend its Pac-8 title
The reigning Pac-8 conference champions go into their season
with many new faces on their roster for the second straight year
BY WILL SEYMOUR
FREELANCE REPORTER
Usually, losing 12 players to graduation is
n’t the best way to start a title defense. On the
other hand, why change a formula for suc
cess? Despite having to replace almost half of
its squad for the second consecutive year, the
Oregon’s Club Sports men’s hockey team
looks to build upon last year’s success by tak
ing advantage of an exciting blend of youth
and experience.
Last season, the Ducks found themselves in
more than their fair share of high scoring af
fairs. Oregon scored five or more goals in 17 of
its 28 contests in 2004, but this year the game
plan might be to aim for the shutout.
“We have such a solid group of defensemen,
and that cuts down on the number of shots 1
see,” sophomore goaltender Matt Nuernberg
said. Among that solid group is senior Jordan
Guffin, who is looking to build on last year’s
progress. “We’re looking to continue our mo
mentum,” Guffin said.
He is just one of the starting defensive play
ers returning this season. He will again be
joined by fellow senior Mike Boggs and junior
Mike Roley, and together they should present a
formidable obstacle to opposing offenses.
The Ducks hope to be dangerous with the
puck as well, thanks in large part to two of
Oregon’s most prolific scorers from last year’s
championship team. Senior Justin Savich and
sophomore Cal Brackin will once again be in
tegral parts of the Ducks’ attack, having ac
counted for a total of 73 points (goals and as
sists) in last year’s campaign. These two
potent weapons will be featured on the same
line this season, making Oregon a bigger
threat to score during its shifts.
As nice as a repeat of the Pacific-8 Confer
ence championship would be for the Ducks,
they have their sights set on bigger accom
plishments. The Ducks finished last year
ranked as the No. 9 team in the West region, a
ranking that was posted before Oregon’s win
over Washington in the Pac-8 title game. The
top four ranked teams from each region ad
vance to a national cnampionsmp tourna
ment. With a good showing, the Ducks would
find themselves in the national picture.
“We’re playing a more difficult schedule
this year, hoping to get a shot at nationals”
said Guffin.
Further aiding Oregon’s chances for a deep
postseason run, the last two spots to nationals
from the West region will be awarded after
an eight-team tournament, instead of being
based entirely on coaches’ rankings as in pre
vious years.
The Ducks won’t have the luxury of easing
into the season, but they will be lucky enough
to enjoy home-ice advantage for some of the
most important games on the schedule.
Among the biggest will be the rematch of last
year’s Pac-8 championship when the Washing
ton Huskies come to Eugene for a season
opening two-game set Oct. 14 and 15. In addi
tion to being at home for the first series of the
year, Oregon is the host for this year’s Pac-8
tournament to be held Feb. 10-11. The Ducks
hold their games at Lane County Ice at the
Lane County Fairgrounds; admission is $5
for adults and $2 for students. The puck for
both games in the Washington series will drop
at 7 p.m.
IN BRIEF
Oregon goalie captures
Pac-10 weekly honor
Freshman goalkeeper Jessie Chatfield of the
Oregon women’s soccer team was honored
yesterday as the Pacific-10 Conference
Women’s Soccer Player of the Week for the
week of Sept. 20-26. Chatfield shut out South
Dakota State Friday 2-0 at Pap£ Field for her
third consecutive scoreless night, bringing her
shutout total this season to a school record
five, good enough for first in the Pac-10.
Chatfield has set another school record at
Oregon with her minutes scoreless streak of
275:45. Chatfield has played a pivotal role this
year in helping Oregon (6-1-1) to its best start
in school history. It was unknown whether
or not she would even be starting this year
at goalkeeper, but Chatfield has risen to
the occasion, posting a solid 0.97 goals
against average.
Heading to Laramie, Wyo., this weekend
for the Brown and Gold Tournament, Chat
field, like her teammates, is impressed with
her team’s success and would like to see them
continue playing smart on the road.
“I’m definitely excited about our start,”
Chatfield said. “The elevation and weather in
Wyoming will be a factor for us, but if we play
a controlled game we should be fine. ”
The Player of the Week honor is the first for
Chatfield in her sprouting career as a Duck
and Oregon’s third weekly honor all-time.
— Scott J. Adams