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About Eugene weekly. (Eugene, Oregon) 1993-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 28, 2003)
at Utah on September 9th. Since Oregon visits Utah three weeks later, Cal’s performance versus the Utes will provide scouting information and a measuring stick. The Golden Bears will probably be underdogs (underbears?) in most of their games, including a home matchup with the Southern Mississippi Golden Eagles who will contend for the Conference USA title. In what could be a scramble for the bottom three spots in the Pac-10, look for Tedford’s superior coaching to give Cal the edge over Stanford and Arizona. Hopefully the Ducks can take care of their business and the Golden Bears on November 8th in Eugene. UCLA BRUINS Saturday, November 15, 12:30 p.m. (PST) Rose Bowl, Pasadena Series Record: UCLA leads, 37-20 Head Coach: Karl Dorrell (1st year) 2002 Record: 8-5, 4-4 (tied for fourth in Pac-10) As usual UCLA has a plethora of talent and just needs to get it to perform efficiently to produce a season the administration and alumni can crow about. But that is always easier said than done in L.A. Just ask Bob Toledo, the former Bruin head coach who posted 7-4 and 8-5 records his last two years and got fired anyway. His successor, Karl Dorrell, was a wide receiver for UCLA in the 1980’s and coached for 12 years collegiately and most recently directed receivers for the Denver Broncos. The fact that he has no experience as a head coach has raised some eyebrows around Westwood, but these critics will surely give Dorrell one season to get things right. D EF E N SI V E E ND Seven offensive starters return from a unit that DA VE B A LL averaged 29.8 points last year. Dorrell and first-year offensive coordinator Steve Axman will have to decide which sophomore quarterback will take the first snap, Drew Olson (6-2, 223) or Matt Moore (6-4, 181). After the now-departed Cory Paus was injured, Moore started one game and Olson started the last four. Sophomore tailback Tyler Ebell (5-9, 180), with six 100-yard games and 10 touchdowns last year, is expected to be the chief ball carrier. Senior Akil Harris (6-0, 213) started four games and is a high quality backup. Junior fullback Manuel White (6-3, 247) is solid, whether running, catching or blocking. Junior wideout Craig Bragg (6-2, 190) caught passes for 889 yards and 9 touchdowns and led the league with 16 yards per punt return. (Oregon fans may recall that Bragg Illustrated Ducks I llustrated UPCOMING ISSUES SEPT 4 Nevada Football Game Preview SEPT 11 Arizona Football Game Preview SEPT 18 Michigan Football Game Preview SEPT 25 Washington Football Game Preview INSIDE EUGENE WEEKLY! To a d v e r t i s e i n D u c k s I l l u s t r a t e d please contact us at 484-0519 18 AUGUST 28, 2003 Ducks I llustrated had 230 receiving yards against the Ducks last year and nearly won the game by himself.) On the other flank sophomore Junior Taylor (6-2, 197) will take the place of senior Tab Perry, who is academically ineligible and having shoulder surgery while he redshirts this season. Sophomore center Mike McCloskey (6-5, 272) and both junior guards, Steven Vieira (6-6, 305) and Eyoseph Efseaff (6-3, 305) second team All Pac-10), return. But there will be new bodies at tackle, as All Pac-10 performers Mike Saffer and Bryce Bohlander have moved on. Seven starters also return on defense led by two senior linemen, DE Dave Ball (6-6, 275) and DT Rodney Leisle, (6-3, 288), both of whom have been voted second-team all-conference. pretty darn good linebackers, senior Brandon Chillar (6-3, 230) and sophomore Spencer Havner (6-4, 229), are back; they combined for 170 tackles and four interceptions last year. Both safeties and one cornerback return to a solid secondary. Junior Ben Emanuel II (6-3, 203), sophomore Jarrad Page (6-1, 200) and junior CB Matt Ware (6-3, 201) will have to break in a new guy at the other corner spot, where three-time all-conference selection Ricky Manning used to roam before getting a job with the Carolina Panthers. On special teams the Bruins will have a new placekicker and punter, so this is an area where questions remain to be answered. UCLA has two tough road games at Colorado and Oklahoma, which will provide a difficult proving ground for Dorrell’s new staff, their schemes, and inexperienced players. They do get to play Washington and Arizona State at home, but have to go to Pullman to take on Washington State the week before hosting Oregon. Whether the Bruins or the Ducks are in better shape late in the season will determine the winner of this one. OREGON STATE BEAVERS Saturday, November 22, 12:30 p.m. (PST) Autzen Stadium, Eugene Series Record: Oregon leads, 53-43-10 Head Coach: Mike Riley (3rd year), 8-14 2002 Record: 8-5, 4-4 (tied for fourth in Pac-10) After four years in Corvallis head coach Dennis Erickson has gone back to the NFL with the San Francisco 49ers. After four years in the NFL Mike Riley has returned to coach the Beavers. It’s the second go around for Riley who was in charge in 1997 and 1998 before he was lured to the Big Time, but he is glad to be home. (He led Corvallis High to the state title in 1970.) This time he has a lot more talent to work with, as well as a $12 million practice facility. The starting offense returns nearly intact with only one tackle and a wide receiver to replace. Junior quarterback Derek Anderson (6-6, 227) R U N N IN G B AC K put up some gaudy numbers in the first three S TE V EN J A CK S O N games last year: a 66% completion rate for 1,041 yards, 12 touchdowns and zero picks. But these were accomplished against Eastern Kentucky, Temple and UNLV. Reality came calling the rest of the season in the form of astute defensive coordinators, trickier schemes and better athletes. In the next eight games Anderson completed 39% of his throws for 1,637 yards, eight TDs and 12 interceptions. In his final two games he improved to 51%, 689 yards, five TDs and only one pick. So the big question is, “Which Derek Anderson will show up this year?”. Leading wide receiver James Newson, a 6-1, 208-pound senior, can catch anything thrown in his zip code, as shown by last year’s 74 receptions for 1,284 yards and 12 scores. And senior tight end Tim Euhus (6-5, 251, Churchill High grad) is a big, sure-handed target; he averaged 17.5 yards on 22 catches last year. Hauling the mail will be junior running back Steven Jackson, who is big (6-3, 229), has great speed and power, and merely led the Pac-10 last year with 1,690 yards and 17 runs that finished in the end zone. All-conference last year, he is a probable Heisman candidate this year. Junior center Matt Brock (6-2, 301), junior guard Kanan Sanchez (6-3, 344) senior guard David Lose (6-2, 317), and junior tackle Doug Nienhuis (6-6, 299) form the nucleus for what could be one of the best O-lines in the Pac-10. With only five starters returning on defense therein lies the rub. The guys coming back are very good, but there may be too many holes to fill to stop the explosive and innovative offenses they will face this fall. On the D-line senior tackle Dwan Edwards (6-3, 305) and junior end Bill Swancutt (6-4, 260) were both honorable mention All PAC-10, with Edwards making 50 tackles and Swancutt getting 56 stops and leading the team with 11.5 sacks. Senior linebacker Richard Seigler (6-3, 229) started his first game as a freshman three years ago and hasn’t missed one yet. Last year he made an impressive 99 tackles, got three interceptions and was named first team all-conference. This year he’s up for the Butkus Award. Senior strong safety Lawrence Turner (5-11, 194) and junior free safety Mitch Meeuwsen (6-3, 210) combined for 100 takedowns last year, but their pass covering duties were undoubtedly made easier by the presence of a pair of excellent cover corners, Terrell Roberts (second team All Pac-10) and Dennis Weathersby (now a Cincinnati Bengal). OSU’s schedule starts out favorable with five of the first seven games at home, including conference favorites ASU and Washington. But in their last five contests the Beavers face WSU, Oregon and USC on the road. If the Beaver defense fails to gel, Oregon could have the upper hand in the Civil War on November 22nd. But hold on, Ducks! One game at a time...
