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About Eugene weekly. (Eugene, Oregon) 1993-current | View Entire Issue (Nov. 13, 2003)
G AME P REVIEW Saturday, November 15 12:30 p.m. (PDT) Rose Bowl Pasadena, California Radio: Oregon Sports Network (Jerry Allen, Mike Jorgensen) Live TV: None by Jim Nakadate Series Record: UCLA leads, 37-20 Head Coach: Karl Dorrell (1st year), 6-4 2002 Record: 8-5, 4-4 (tied for fourth in Pac-10) 2003 Record: 6-4, 4-2 THE DUCKS are coming off a hard- fought 21-17victory over California. “It was a dark and rainy night,” but the Webfoots put together an inspired, gutty effort to pull out a win. Head coach Mike Bellotti pushed enough of the right buttons, quarterbacks Kellen Clemens and Jason Fife were hot at different times and the patchwork Oregon defense showed enough remarkable determination to secure victory. Terrence Whitehead and Dante Rosario ran the ball just enough to keep the Cal defense honest, while Samie Parker, Demetrius Williams and TE Tim Day made clutch catches. Igor (no last name needed), LB Kevin Mitchell and the Keystone Kops secondary stopped the Golden Bears when it counted. It was a team win made all the sweeter because of all the off-the-field problems and on-the-field injuries endured by the Ducks this year. At this point of the season almost everyone is playing hurt, with adverse weather conditions making it even tougher to give it “the old college try,” but last Saturday the Ducks persevered and were rewarded. And in so doing, temporarily silenced some of the critics calling for coaches to get fired. Because the Ducks wear those cool, metallic helmets and play at greater distances from the fans (than, say basketball players), it’s easy for the casual fan to assume that “a Duck is a Duck” and they are pretty much “interchangeable parts.” When a player comes out of the game with an injury, the coach can just stick another guy out there and everything will be fine, right? Not so. Not all players are created equal, or know all the plays, or have experience. Anyone who has coached any team sport at any level knows this. UO basketball fans know that when Luke Jackson or Catherine Kraayeveld is sitting on the bench, the dynamics on the floor are going to be considerably different. But that’s because we can see the faces of all the players and can instantly identify the five who are out there and what they can do, whether they are wearing numbers or not. On the other hand, in football, with substitutions on almost every play and eleven positions to keep track of, casual fans really don’t know who’s on the field unless they look at the uniform numbers. (Why do you think certain players who make a big plays want to take off their helmets as soon as possible? So that fans can match a face with the deed. Personal recognition.) The Oregon football team has suffered an inordinate number of injuries this year, several of which have been season- or career-ending. Of course, the coaches would like the offense to be more productive and the defense to be stingier, but will never use injuries as an excuse. That would be a vote of no-confidence in the reserves who will be playing. (Remember that the defenders of the Alamo had a lot of determination and esprit de corps, but that was not enough. Would you blame the defeat on bad “coaching” by William Travis, Jim Bowie and Davy Crockett?) In sports you gotta have the horses and they’ve gotta be healthy. Fans who discount injuries and simply blame losses on the coaches really have no clue. The Ducks will suit up on Saturday and give it their all. There may be fewer Oregon fans than usual to support them, but you can bet that the Ducks will be supporting each other. THE BRUINS found the weather in the Palouse to be quite dissimilar to the balmy climes of La La Land, as Washington State bashed the Bruins, 31-13. It was their second straight loss following a stunning 21-14 defeat by Stanford, the week after the Ducks whitewashed the Cardinal, 35-0. New head coach Karl Dorrell, was a wide receiver for UCLA , coached for 12 years collegiately and was receivers coach for the Denver Broncos. The fact that he had no prior experience as a head coach raised some eyebrows when he was hired, but with a surprising six wins already in Photo courtesy: UCLA Media Services OREGON vs. UCLA DE D v B . the bag it looks like he he has gotten a few things right already. Sophomores Matt Moore (6-4, 181) and Drew Olson (6-2, 223) have been splitting snaps all year and have their own QB controversy going. Against WSU Moore threw 11-for-29, 138 yards, one TD and two picks, while Olson went 7-for-12, 82 yards and one pick. UCLA’s main ballcarrier has been sophomore Tyler Ebell (5-9, 180), who racked up 105 yards on 12 carries against the Cougars. Frosh Maurice Drew is his backup. Junior Craig Bragg (6-2) and senior Ryan Smith (6-3) are the next big and tall problems for the Duck secondary. (Bragg had 230 receiving yards against the Ducks last year and nearly won the game by himself.) In the WSU game Bragg caught five balls for 72 yards and one TD, while Smith snagged five for 60 yards. Two seniors, DE Dave Ball (6-6, 275) and DT Rodney Leisle, (6-3, 288), were second-team all-Pac-10 last year and continue to lead the defense. Linebackers Brandon Chillar (6-3, 230, senior) and sophomore Spencer Havner (6-4, 229) have been solid. Sophomore Jarrad Page (6-1, 200) and juniors Matt Ware (6-3, 201) and Matt Clark (5-9, 171) fly around sideline-to-sideline in the secondary. THE MATCH UP Oregon needs one more win to be bowl-eligible. Since the weather will be better in Pasadena this week than it will be in Eugene next week (when the boisterous Beavers come to town), the Ducks need to air it out and take advantage. It will be interesting to see if offensive coordinator Andy Ludwig continues to put Rosario and Day in the backfield together, and if he can resist the temptation to throw long and incomplete on first down. Duck defensive coordinator Nick Aliotti will again have to exhort his line to get more pressure, his linebackers to cover the crossing routes, and his DBs to get taller. He is stuck with the athletically gifted, but mentally challenged FS Keith Lewis, so Duck fans can only hope that Lewis’ next bonehead move doesn’t cost his team this game, which is very winnable. The Bruins also needs one more win to go bowling, and after the Ducks, they finish with #2-ranked USC. Currently in third place in the Pac-10, the Bruins could be looking at the Sun Bowl or Holiday Bowl. But losses to Oregon and USC could put them in line for basket- ball tickets. Here we go again: Who wants it more? GAMETIME QUESTIONS 1. Will confidence from the Cal game carry over against the Bruins? 2. Will the Ducks dazzle the Bruins with their “undefeated” lightning yellow jerseys? 3. Will the Ducks who prepped in the L.A. area find inspiration playing in front of their home folks? 4. Will a long field goal prove to be the difference again this year? 5. Will the Pac-10 officials favor Oregon’s opponent again this week? THE BOTTOM LINE The Ducks think they can win, what about you? The Plucky-Ducks-Get-Lucky Prediction: Oregon 20, UCLA 17 The Poultry-Is-Paltry Prediction: Bruins 31, Ducks 16 BOTTOM LINE PREDICTIONS Other Pac-10 games on Saturday: LET US SHUTTLE Helmet to Helmet Who Has the Edge? YOU IN OUR The Edge goes to 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. Oregon’s O-line vs. UCLA’s D-line Duck air attack vs. Bruin pass defense UO ground game vs. UCLA run defense Duck OC Andy Ludwig vs. Bruin DC Larry Kerr UCLA’s O-line vs. Duck D-line UCLA air attack vs. Oregon pass defense UCLA ground game vs. Duck run defense Bruin OC Steve Axman vs. Duck DC Nick Aliotti Special Teams The Overall Edge: It’s a Push Oregon UCLA UCLA UCLA Oregon UCLA Oregon Oregon Push - Cal 30, Washington 26 - Stanford 25, OSU 24 - WSU 37, ASU 16 - USC 52, Arizona 14 2004 XC 90 VOLVO EXPERTS Alpine Import Service Exclusively Volvo PARTS ON LABOR GUARANTEED ONE YEAR REGARDLESS OF MILEAGE 541.726.1808 • 12th & Main, Springfield DucksIllustrated NOVEMBER 13, 2003 5
