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■ In my opinion
Ducks need fans' support for the
entire game, not just first half
Do the approximately 15,000 fans
missing in attendance at the start of
each second half at Autzen Stadium
this season have an effect on the
momentum of the game?
A variety of loyalties range from
extreme support (Duck fans who
stay in the stadium during half
time), to convenient support (fans
who live it up at tailgate parties un
til they are sober enough to return).
The bottom line is that nobody
knows for sure whether those fans
have a negative effect on the Ducks.
What people do know is that Ore
gon has hit a roadblock entering the
third quarter at home this season.
The Ducks have given up points
in each of the last two home games
and nearly did so again against Di
vision I-AA Montana in the first
home game. Then-No. 23 Fresno
State nailed a field goal to tie the
game on the first possession of the
second half on Sept. 17. One week
later against top-ranked USC, the
TYojans scored a touchdown just
one minute 46 seconds into the
second half.
If a quarter of the fans are miss
ing for the first possession of the
second half, that deflates not only
the crowd but the Ducks as well.
And it shows, as the Ducks have al
lowed the momentum to swing in
consecutive home games against
ranked opponents.
SHAWN MILLER
FULL-COURT PRESS
My solution: Get your seat back
in your seat before kickoff.
It is easy to remember and does
n’t require mental aptitude to follow.
Halftime is 20 minutes. Say it
takes a good five minutes to walk to
and from the bathroom, a conces
sion stand or a tailgate. I’m sure it
doesn’t take more than 10 minutes
to stand in line for a stall or some
food, so that leaves a tailgate party
as being the only excuse to be late
to the second half.
I understand that when you get
there, it takes time to fire up the
grill, cook the food and chow it
down. And hey, Oregon has owned
a halftime lead at each game, so it
isn’t like you will miss an important
series of the game if you are five
minutes late. Wrong.
Sometimes the first series of the
second half is the most important
part of the game. It has everything to
do with momentum, and in the end,
do you think things would be
different had Oregon shut down USC
on its first drive of the second half?
I’m not blaming the fans for a
lack of a defensive stop to open the
second half, I just think the crowd
could do its part to help the team.
Obviously the fans aren’t going to
win or lose a game for the Ducks,
but when Autzen Stadium is ranked
among the top 10 college football
stadiums in the nation, it isn’t be
cause of its special hot dogs or luxu
rious restrooms.
The fans are the reason programs
are afraid to visit. The fans are the
energy and the electricity the Ducks
use to zap their opponents. The
fans are a major reason in the sign
ing of top-caliber athletes.
The Ducks need each and every
fan in attendance for the entire
game. It is ridiculous to see thou
sands of fans leaving with several
minutes to play in the first half and
returning several minutes into the
second. I’m sure every stadium has
its fair share of “fair weather” fans,
but I think Autzen has too many.
Too many people leave too early
and return too late.
I have one simple question to
those fans: Are you here to watch
your Ducks or are you here to say
you were at the game?
smiller@dailyemerald.com
■ In my opinion
Old cliches come through in the
clutch with advice for the Ducks
Sports, most notably football,
are notorious for their painfully
drab cliches.
The list is quite lengthy — we
brought our “A” game, we finally
got the monkey off our backs, it was
a total team effort, there’s no I in
team, we win as a team and lose as
a team, we beat ourselves, we
didn’t get the job done, my hat is off
to them.
Yet one of the oldest, most com
monly used cliches — “Take it one
game at a time” — may never be
more true than now for the Oregon
Ducks, coming off a monumental
road win against previously ranked
Arizona State.
It was a win that saw the Ducks
rack up 512 total yards of offense com
pared with 330 for the Sun Devils.
Oregon held Arizona State’s
ground attack to a mere 53 yards.
That will win a lot of games for
the Ducks.
The weapons are there. The lead
ership is there. And after an emo
tional conference victory away from
Autzen Stadium, the confidence
should be there.
The biggest key for Oregon down
the stretch may be its ability to not
overlook anybody.
The Ducks final five opponents,
including the Huskies, have a
combined 13-13 record.
LUKE ANDREWS
EXCESSIVE CELEBRATION
After Saturday’s game with
Washington, Oregon heads to Ari
zona to face a Wildcats squad that
has lost eight of its last 10 Pacific-10
Conference games.
Should the Ducks defeat the
Huskies and Wildcats — two teams
with a combined 2-8 record — Ore
gon will be 7-1, bowl eligible and
entering its bye week to prepare for
Cal. The 18th-ranked Bears (5-1
overall, 2-1 conference) are ar
guably the toughest remaining team
on Oregon’s schedule, but the
Ducks will have the benefit of play
ing them at home.
Washington State awaits in Pull
man a week after Cal. The Ducks
and Cougars have engaged in some
epic battles in Martin Stadium, in
cluding Oregon’s 41-38 comeback
win last season. Oregon has won
four out of the last five games on the
road against WSU, dating back to a
51-29 win during the 1998 season.
Washington State (3-2, 0-2) has
appeared vulnerable at home as
well this season, losing to lowly
Stanford 24-21 a week ago.
A win in Pullman would set the
Ducks up nicely for the Civil War
with Oregon State, which, because
of its exposed secondary, is likely
trembling in Corvallis with the
thought of Kellen Clemens and Ore
gon’s new powerful spread-offense.
The offense is clicking and the
defense looks fast and stingy. Ter
rence Whitehead is back and the
backfield looks as strong as ever.
If the Ducks play with the
purpose they did last week against
Arizona State, there’s not an
unbeatable team remaining on
the schedule.
“It feels good,” senior defensive
end Devan Long said of having a 5-1
record. “But 5-1 could easily be 6-5.
We have got to keep focus on every
game and not get ahead of our
selves and not get cocky. If we start
thinking about (upcoming games),
bad things will happen.”
So, while the future gleams with
encouragement and the schedule
paves the possibility for a storybook
season, the cliche continues to ring
true: The Ducks cannot afford to
look past anybody.
landrews@dailyemerald. com
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