10A
THE DAILY ASTORIAN • THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 17, 2016
CONTACT US
FOLLOW US
facebook.com/
DailyAstorianSports
Gary Henley | Sports Reporter
ghenley@dailyastorian.com
SPORTS
IN BRIEF
Lamar forces turnovers to beat Beavers
By KYLE ODEGARD
Associated Press
AP Photo/Aijaz Rahi
A dog sits in the ground after
interrupting play on the first
day of second cricket test
match between India and En-
gland in Visakhapatnam, India,
today.
Stray dog stops
play in cricket
match today
Associated Press
VISAKHAPATNAM, India
— A stray dog was 2 not out (a
batsman who is in and has not yet
been dismissed) today after inter-
rupting the second cricket test
match between India and England.
England bowler Stuart Broad’s
final over before the traditional
break for tea was cut short as
ground staff tried — and failed —
to get the brown and white dog off
the field. Outrun by their canine
opponent, increasingly desperate
tactics included throwing a shoe
in its direction.
Just when officials thought the
dog had disappeared, it returned
for a second performance with the
umpires cutting the session short
and the players going off for tea.
The hosts ended in control of
the match — if not the dog — at
317-4 in their first innings.
As well as forcing an early tea,
the dog also left its mark on the
field in another way, using the lush
outfield as a toilet.
Texans urged
to stay in room
in Mexico
Associated Press
HOUSTON — Houston Tex-
ans players are being advised by
the team not to leave the hotel and
not to order room service during
their trip to Mexico City for Mon-
day night’s game against the Oak-
land Raiders.
The game is part of the NFL’s
international series and the first
NFL game in Mexico City since
2005.
The Associated Press was
given a look at a memo distrib-
uted to the team on Wednesday
that included a page of infor-
mation concerning the trip to
Mexico, including those two
rules.
A section of the memo under
the heading “safety” had a bul-
let point with: “DO NOT leave
the hotel.” It was followed by a
line advising players to leave all
“expensive jewelry at home,” not
to bring large sums of money and
not to use ATMs.
A second section titled “health
and performance” has basic tips
like drinking only bottled water
and avoiding the consumption of
ice.
It also warned: “Eat all meals
in the meal room. DO NOT order
room service” and “DO NOT
eat outside of the team meal
room.”
The precautions the Tex-
ans have provided players are
not uncommon for any foreign-
ers traveling to Mexico. Exec-
utives visiting the city for busi-
ness are often given the same
warnings from their companies to
avoid leaving their hotels without
security.
SCOREBOARD
FOOTBALL
Friday — Washington 2B: Naselle at
Lummi Nation, 7 p.m.
Class 4A Semifinals
Saturday — Estacada vs. North Bend,
5:30 p.m., at Cottage Grove HS; Cas-
cade vs. Cottage Grove, 5:30 p.m., at
Hillsboro Stadium
Class 3A Semifinals
Saturday — Salem Academy vs. Blan-
chet Catholic, 11 a.m., at Cottage Grove
HS; Harrisburg vs. Coquille/Pacific, 2:15
p.m., at Cottage Grove HS
Class 2A Semifinals
Saturday — Heppner vs. Regis, Noon,
at Liberty HS; Kennedy vs. Stanfield, 5
p.m., at Liberty HS
UP NEXT: OREGON STATE
CORVALLIS — Colton Weisbrod’s legs were
cramping, and he felt sore and tired after a game in
which he played all 40 minutes. But if that’s what
it takes.
Weisbrod had 16 points and 12 rebounds as
Lamar forced 27 turnovers and held on to beat Ore-
gon State 63-60 on Wednesday night.
“We’re one of those teams, we’re going to fight,
we’re going to battle. . You want to be that team
that when people talk about you, they say, ‘They’re
scrappy, they go after you, they don’t give up,”’
said Weisbrod, a junior college transfer.
Marcus Owens added 15 points and seven
rebounds for the Cardinals (2-0).
Lamar coach Tic Price said that his team has to
rely on defensive pressure every game because of
his undersized players.
“We believe in getting deflections and turn-
overs. . What we were trying to do as much as pos-
sible was keep Oregon State from executing their
offense,” Price added.
The Cardinals shot only 28 percent, but had a
Oregon State plays on Friday at Nevada, picked
to finish second in the Mountain West.
Anibal Ortiz/The Gazette-Times
Oregon State guard Ronnie Stacy (2) shoots
a layup while defended by Lamar University
forward Josh Nzeakor (11) during the second
half of an NCAA college basketball game in
Corvallis on Wednesday. Lamar won 63-60.
whopping 71 attempts.
Drew Eubanks had 17 points, a career-high
18 rebounds and six blocks for the Beavers (2-1).
Jaquori McLaughlin added 15 points.
“They just were tougher than us men-
tally, physically. Our guys didn’t respond.
We knew they were going to play that way,”
Beavers coach Wayne Tinkle said.
Last year, Oregon State’s season high in turn-
overs was 18.
The Beavers trailed 54-48 when they resorted to
fouling with 1:13 remaining. The Cardinals left the
door open by shooting 8 of 13 on free throws.
With 1.5 seconds left, Lamar led 63-60 and had
Torey Noel at the line but he missed his second free
throw. Oregon State’s Tres Tinkle, the coach’s son,
launched a half court desperation heave that wasn’t
close. The Cardinals led 29-25 at the break after
forcing the Beavers into 18 first-half turnovers.
An Owens’ 3-pointer with 16:15 remaining gave
Lamar a 39-29 lead. The Cardinals stretched their
advantage to 12 points.
Oregon State responded with a 12-0 run, capped
by a McLaughlin layup, to tie the game at 41, but
the Cardinals regained a cushion.
A look at some of the Pac-12’s unsung heroes
By ANNE M. PETERSON
AP Sports Writer
EUGENE — Every team has one
of them: A player who hasn’t got-
ten much attention from outside the
program but has made a significant
impact on his teammates.
It might be a scout-team regular,
or even a walk-on. It might be some-
one who just grinded it out every day
and never complained.
At Oregon, that guy is senior run-
ning back Jarret LaCoste.
LaCoste was a walk-on at Ore-
gon two years ago when the Ducks
went to the first College Football
Playoff championship game. He’s
since become a key contributor on
the scout team — last week he was
tasked with simulating Stanford’s
Christian McCaffrey.
Ask his teammates and they’ll all
say he’s a beast in the weight room,
helping younger players to keep up
their offseason lifting regimens.
LaCoste, who played this sea-
son against Washington and gained
55 yards on 10 carries, has already
graduated and he’s about to embark
on a job with a Portland accounting
firm. He was never on scholarship
during his career with the Ducks —
but he jokes he’s gotten some stylish
Nike team gear.
“Honestly, I never would have
dreamed I was going to play Divi-
sion I football, ever,” he said. “So
my expectations just from the start
were low, I was like, ‘Wow, I’m
just so honored to be on this team,
I can’t believe they let me on. This
is awesome.’ But then I thought, ‘I
feel very privileged and honored to
be on this team, so I better give them
everything I can and never let any-
one down.”’
Arizona
Arizona tight end Josh Kern was
originally recruited by then-coach
Mike Stoops as a quarterback but
switched positions after a redshirt year.
He’s had only had a dozen touches.
But Kern has been the heart of
the Wildcats. He gave the eulogy for
senior outside linebacker Zach Hem-
mila, who died in his sleep in August.
Kern also spoke at the funeral of fan
Andrew Valdez, a local teen who lost
his battle with cystic fibrosis last year.
“I’ve never had to worry about
him doing the right thing,” coach
Rich Rodriguez said. “He’s a leader
AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill
UCLA quarterback Mike Fafaul passes during the first half of an NCAA college football game against Ore-
gon State in Pasadena, Calif., Saturday. Fafaul was a walk-on who became a starter.
AP Photo/David Zalubowski
AP Photo/Timothy J. Gonzalez
Arizona tight end Josh Kern (17)
warms up before an NCAA col-
lege football game in Boulder,
Colo., in October.
Oregon State safety Devin Chap-
pell during an NCAA college foot-
ball game in Corvallis on Saturday.
in the community. He’s our top ser-
vice guy. I don’t know if you can
be a better role model for all of our
players than Josh Kern.”
His teammates echoed the
sentiment.
“People don’t see the stuff that
goes on inside of here, but like when
we come home from a game and get
off the bus, Josh is like, ‘Hey, you
need you ride?”’ running back Sama-
jie Grant said. “Josh, even though he
hasn’t been playing like he wants to, is
still bringing it every single day.”
Colorado
At Colorado, quarterback Sefo
Liufau pointed to junior corner-
back Andrew Bergner, who joined
the Buffaloes last season as a
walk-on and provides the offense
He learned he’d make his first
career start during warmups before
the Bruins’ game at Washignton
State on Oct. 15. In a 52-45 loss
to Utah back the following week,
Fafaul set school records for com-
pletions and pass attempts (40-for-
70) while amassing 464 yards pass-
ing with five touchdowns.
He got his first career win — and
the game ball — last week when the
Bruins defeated Oregon State 38-24.
“He’s everything that you want
in a quarterback in terms of study-
ing the game and it being serious to
him,” coach Jim Mora said.
Oregon State
with a challenge during practice.
“Sometimes you can’t always
get the best looks from your scout
team, sometimes you don’t have the
depth,” Liufau said. “Sometimes you
don’t have the players to go out there
and give us a half-decent look. He’s
done a really good job this year of
going out there and playing ball.”
UCLA
Some unsung heroes are players
who paid their dues for years and
were finally rewarded with a shot.
At UCLA that guy is quarterback
Mike Fafaul, a former walk-on who
became a starter.
A fifth-year senior, Fafaul was a
scout team regular while the starting
job was held by Brett Hundley and
later Rosen. Last season he appeared
in just one game.
Sometimes an unsung hero can be
a senior who has just worked unself-
ishly throughout his career. At Ore-
gon State that’s safety Devin Chap-
pell, who has had to shift positions
because of injuries that have struck
the Beavers’ defense. Chappell,a
walk-on transfer from nearby West-
ern Oregon, started eight games last
season, and this spring his teammates
named him one of the captains.
“Devin is one of those guys. He’s
a self-made guy,” coach Gary Ander-
sen said. “He walked on, got a schol-
arship — which was so important
to him. He’s a good player in this
league and he’s proven. He’s a team
captain and a great leader. He would
definitely be labeled a grinder.”
Stanford guard Johnny Caspers, a
fifth-year senior, is much like that, too,
Cardinal Coach David Shaw said.
Seahawks putting hopes of run game on Prosise, Rawls
By TIM BOOTH
AP Sports Writer
RENTON, Wash. — Thomas Rawls is back
practicing with Seattle for the first time since Week
2. C.J. Prosise showed last week that he could be
a solution for the Seahawks’ underachieving run
game.
And Christine Michael has once again been dis-
carded by the Seahawks.
There are definitive changes that Seattle has
made in an attempt to spark the 30th-ranked run-
ning offense in the NFL, centered on the belief that
the combo of Rawls and Prosise can be the answer.
“We’re going with guys that we want to go
with,” Seattle coach Pete Carroll said. “We’re
excited about where we’re moving and think it’s
going to fit together really well. You’ll find out.
You’ll have a chance to see what you think here in
a couple weeks.”
The makeover of Seattle’s run game took a
drastic turn in the past few days. First was Pro-
sise becoming the primary ball carrier in last Sun-
day’s 31-24 victory over New England , relegating
Michael to a supporting role. Prosise had 17 car-
AP Photo/Charles Krupa
New England Patriots defensive lineman Trey
Flowers chases Seattle Seahawks running
back C.J. Prosise during the first half of an NFL
football game Sunday in Foxborough, Mass.
ries for 66 yards, while Michael was on the field for
only 11 plays and touched the ball just six times.
Seattle finished with 96 yards rushing as a team,
which is still a meager total compared to what the
Seahawks have done in the past, but was their high-
est since Week 3.
It was clear that a shift was happening and
Michael’s time as the primary running back was
ending, despite rushing for 469 yards and six touch-
downs. But the move to waive Michael and replace
him on the roster with undrafted rookie Troymaine
Pope was a clear indication of what Seattle wants
the hierarchy to be going forward.
“C.J. did a really good job. He’s doing the things
we like seeing in him. We look forward to con-
tinue growing with him. That’s one,” Carroll said.
“Thomas coming back, that’s two, and we’re all
really excited about that. We’ve been waiting for
that to happen.”
A year ago, Rawls was a breakout star, rushing
for 830 yards and four touchdowns in seven starts
while filling in for injured starter Marshawn Lynch.
Rawls was on pace for a 1,000-yard season, despite
getting limited carries early, before suffering a bro-
ken ankle in December against Baltimore.
Assuming he makes it through practice with-
out setbacks, Rawls isn’t likely to be thrown back
into carrying a huge load against Philadelphia.
Before getting hurt in the first half of the Week
2 loss at Los Angeles, Rawls had just 19 car-
ries for 25 yards and no run of longer than eight
yards.