C3
THE ASTORIAN • SATURDAY, OCTOBER 5, 2019
FOOTBALL PREVIEW + ANALYSIS
NO. 13 OREGON
DUCKS (3-1)
SEATTLE
SEAHAWKS (4-1)
Aug. 31: No. 16. Auburn 27
Oregon 21,
Sept. 8: Seattle 21,
Cincinnati 20
Sept. 7: Oregon 77, Nevada 6
Sept. 15: Seattle28,
Pittsburgh 26
Sept. 14: Oregon 35,
Montana 3
Sept. 22: New Orleans 33,
Seattle 27
Sept. 21: Oregon 21,
Stanford 6
Sept. 29: Seattle 27,
Arizona 10
Saturday vs. California,
5 p.m. (FOX)
Oct. 11 vs. Colorado, 7 p.m.
Thursday: Seattle 30,
L.A. Rams 29
Oct. 19 at No. 15
Washington, TBA
Oct. 13 at Cleveland,
10 a.m. (FOX)
Oct. 26 vs.
Washington State, TBA
Oct. 20 vs. Baltimore,
1:25 p.m. (FOX)
Nov. 2 at vs.
Southern Cal, TBA
Oct. 27 at Atlanta,
10 a.m. (FOX)
Nov. 16 vs. Arizona, TBA
Nov. 3 vs. Tampa Bay,
1:05 p.m. (FOX)
Nov. 23 at No. 20
Arizona State, TBA
Elaine Thompson/AP Photo
Seattle Seahawks QB Russell Wilson scrambles before making a short touchdown pass to RB Chris Carson Thursday.
Nov. 30 vs. Oregon State,
TBA
Nov. 17 BYE
WITH WILSON PLAYING THIS WELL SEAHAWKS CAN
HIDE THEIR FLAWS
By TIM BOOTH
Associated Press
OREGON STATE
BEAVERS (1-3)
Aug. 30: Oklahoma State 52,
Oregon State 36
Sept. 7: Hawaii 31,
Oregon State 28
Sept. 14: Oregon State 45,
Cal Poly 7
Sept. 28: Stanford 31,
Oregon State 28
Saturday at UCLA, 6 p.m.
(Pac-12)
Oct. 12 vs. No. 17 Utah, TBA
Oct. 19 at California, TBA
Nov. 2 at Arizona, TBA
Nov. 8 vs. No. 15
Washington, 7:30 p.m. (FS1)
Nov. 16 vs.
Arizona State, TBA
Nov. 23 at No. 19
Washington State, TBA
Nov. 30 at No.13 Oregon,
TBA
AP TOP 25
SCHEDULE
FRIDAY
Cincinnati 27
No. 18 UCF 24
SATURDAY
No. 3 Georgia at Tennessee,
4 p.m.
No. 4 Ohio State vs. No. 25
Michigan State, 4:30 p.m.
No. 5 LSU vs. Utah State, Noon
No. 6 Oklahoma at Kansas,
Noon
No. 7 Auburn at No. 10 Florida,
12:30 p.m.
R
ENTON, Wash. — Russell Wilson is
great at covering up fl aws.
He’s done it throughout his career
since arriving in Seattle. If the offen-
sive line wasn’t playing at its best, or
the run game was stagnant, Wilson found a way to
make up for it in some capacity. It’s partly why the
Seahawks have been so successful during his previ-
ous seven seasons.
But there’s something different about Wilson this
year. His play has elevated, again. Wilson is play-
ing with an effi ciency that’s hard to match and if it
continues at this level, he’ll fi nd himself in the MVP
conversation.
And the latest example of just what Wilson means
to the 4-1 Seahawks may be one of the best perfor-
mances of his career.
Wilson wasn’t perfect in Seattle’s 30-29 win over
the Los Angeles Rams on Thursday night. But no one
on the fi eld had a greater impact. That’s usually the
case for most quarterbacks, but whether it was using
his feet to escape the clutches of Aaron Donald and
others, or making the correct read and a timely throw,
Wilson’s night against the Rams may be hard to top.
He threw four touchdowns on just 23 pass attempts.
He averaged 15.8 yards per completion, while adding
another 32 yards rushing. Wilson has 12 touchdowns
and zero interceptions through fi ve games. He is fi nd-
ing ways of making plays out of nothing. His TD pass
to Tyler Lockett was the best example . It appeared
Wilson’s only option was throwing it into the fi rst
row of the stands, only to pick out a small sliver of
space and allow his wide receiver a chance to make a
remarkable toe-tapping catch.
It was one highlight in a night full of them.
“I know a lot has been said about his perfor-
mance thus far this season, but he’s been doing this
every year,” Seattle’s Duane Brown said. “He’s just
amazing.”
WHAT’S WORKING
Remaining confi dent in Chris Carson despite fum-
bling issues in the fi rst three weeks has paid off. In
the span of fi ve days, Carson rushed for 104 yards
against Arizona and had 118 yards rushing on 27 car-
ries against the Rams. It was a heavy load in a short
period, but reinforced how important Carson is to
what Seattle wants to be offensively.
He also scored the winning touchdown on a fourth-
and-goal play in the closing minutes.
“We knew it was going to be tough sledding in
the beginning, but we stuck with it, and in the fourth
quarter we knew it was going to open up,” Carson
said.
WHAT NEEDS HELP
In both halves, Seattle’s two-minute defense was
ripped apart. Jared Goff was 6 of 8 for 50 yards and
was helped by a roughing-the-passer call on the fi nal
drive of the fi rst half that was capped by a 9-yard TD
pass to Cooper Kupp. Then after Seattle had to punt
back to the Rams with 1:38 remaining in the fourth
quarter, Goff completed 6 of 9 passes for 77 yards to
get Los Angeles in position for Greg Zuerlein’s fi eld-
goal attempt that missed with 11 seconds left.
They were obvious passing situations with time
dwindling, but Goff was a combined 12 of 17 for 127
yards over the two possessions.
“It was frustrating it didn’t work out exactly the
way we wanted it to. They had something to say
about that,” Seattle coach Pete Carroll said. “They
changed some things and we had to fi x them. I think
both the two-minute drives bothered me. ... Those are
things I think we can fi x and we learned something.”
STOCK UP
Who knew that Jamarco Jones could play guard?
Not even Jones, apparently. Never asked to play the
position before at any level of football, Jones was
thrust into action on Thursday night after D.J. Fluker
was lost to a pulled hamstring. Jones has been an
offensive tackle throughout his football career, but
started to get worked in a little at guard in practice the
past few weeks just in case he was needed.
Turned out he was. And his fi rst task was fac-
ing the Rams’ stout defensive front that was causing
Wilson problems from the start. Carroll came away
impressed with what Jones was able to do in a diffi -
cult situation.
The former fi fth-round pick out of Ohio State
missed all of last season with a knee injury.
No. 8 Wisconsin vs. Kent State,
Noon
No. 9 Notre Dame vs. Bowling
Green, 12:30 p.m.
No. 11 Texas at West Virginia,
12:30 p.m.
No. 12 Penn State vs. Purdue,
Noon
No. 13 Oregon vs. California,
5 p.m.
No. 14 Iowa at No. 19 Michigan,
Noon
No. 15 Washington at Stanford,
7:30 p.m.
No. 16 Boise State at UNLV,
7:30 p.m.
No. 21 Oklahoma State at Texas
Tech, Noon
No. 24 SMU vs. Tulsa, 4:30 p.m.
FAR WEST
SCHEDULE
FRIDAY
San Jose State 32
New Mexico 21
SATURDAY
Idaho State (2-2) at Montana (4-1),
12 p.m.
Arizona (3-1) at Colorado (3-1),
1:30 p.m.
Weber State (2-2) at Idaho (2-3),
2 p.m.
Marist (1-3) at San Diego (1-2), 2 p.m.
S. Utah (1-4) at Portland State (2-3),
2:05 p.m.
N. Colorado (1-4) at
Northern Arizona (2-3), 4 p.m.
Montana St. (4-1) at Cal Poly (2-2),
5 p.m.
Liberty (3-2) at
New Mexico State (0-5), 5 p.m.
Eastern Washington (2-3) at
Sacramento State (2-2), 6:05 p.m.
San Diego State (3-1) at
Colorado State (1-4), 7 p.m.
Washington (4-1) at Stanford (2-3),
7:30 p.m.
Boise State (4-0) at UNLV (1-3),
7:30 p.m.
Nov. 11 at San Francisco,
5:15 p.m. (ESPN)
No. 13 Oregon is fresh off a bye for Cal
WHAT’S AT STAKE?
Dec. 15 at Carolina,
10 a.m. (FOX)
Dec. 22 vs. Arizona,
1:25 p.m. (FOX)
Dec. 29 vs. San Francisco,
1:25 p.m. (FOX)
L.A. RAMS-
SEATTLE STATS
L.A. Rams 6 7 13 3 — 29
Seattle
7 7 7 9 — 30
First Quarter
La—FG Zuerlein 47, 12:24.
La—FG Zuerlein 32, 4:55.
Sea—Lockett 13 pass from Wilson
(Myers kick), :49.
Second Quarter
Sea—Metcalf 40 pass from Wilson
(Myers kick), 8:08.
La—Kupp 9 pass from Goff (Zuer-
lein kick), :06.
Third Quarter
La—Gurley 8 run (Zuerlein kick),
12:07.
Sea—Moore 10 pass from Wilson
(Myers kick), 5:45.
La—Gurley 1 run (run failed), 3:07.
Fourth Quarter
Sea—FG Myers 42, 13:37.
La—FG Zuerlein 36, 9:19.
Sea—Carson 5 pass from Wilson
(pass failed), 2:28.
A—68,988.
LA
SEA
First downs
24
25
Total Net Yards
477
429
Rushes-yards
18-82 43-167
Passing
395
262
Punt Returns
2-16
1-0
Kickoff Returns
0-0
1-33
Interceptions Ret.
0-0
1-0
Comp-Att-Int
29-49-1 17-23-0
Sacked-Yards Lost
0-0
1-6
Punts
3-51.0 4-47.5
Fumbles-Lost
1-1
1-1
Penalties-Yards
6-45
5-45
Time of Possession
24:42
35:18
NFL STANDINGS
AMERICAN CONFERENCE
EAST
W L T Pct
New England 4 0 0 1.000
Buff alo
3 1 0 .750
N.Y. Jets
0 3 0 .000
Miami
0 4 0 .000
PF
122
76
33
26
PA
27
63
70
163
SOUTH
W L T Pct PF PA
Houston
2 2 0 .500 78 78
Indianapolis 2 2 0 .500 94 102
Jacksonville 2 2 0 .500 84 84
Tennessee
2 2 0 .500 91 62
W
4
2
2
0
L
0
2
2
4
T
0
0
0
0
Pct
1.000
.500
.500
.000
NATIONAL CONFERENCE
EAST
W L T Pct
Dallas
3 1 0 .750
Philadelphia 2 2 0 .500
N.Y. Giants
2 2 0 .500
Washington 0 4 0 .000
SOUTH
New Orleans
Tampa Bay
Carolina
Atlanta
W
3
2
2
1
L
1
2
2
3
T
0
0
0
0
PF
135
79
90
70
WEST
San Francisco
Seattle
L.A. Rams
Arizona
W
3
4
3
0
L
0
1
2
3
PA
94
102
74
93
PF PA
107 56
110 105
87 97
66 118
Pct PF PA
.750 84 92
.500 123 117
.500 95 80
.250 70 99
NORTH
W L T Pct PF
Green Bay 3 1 0 .750 85
Chicago
3 1 0 .750 66
Detroit
2 1 1 .625 97
Minnesota 2 2 0 .500 84
KEY MATCHUP
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Dec. 8 at Los Angeles Rams,
5:20 p.m. (NBC)
WEST
Kansas City
Oakland
L.A. Chargers
Denver
If the Ducks can run the table and
win the Pac-12 title, they might still
have a chance at the College Football
Playoff, but the fact that the league’s
top teams have been upset in confer-
ence play doesn’t help their cause.
California’s stock rose after upset
wins over Washington and the SEC’s
Mississippi, but the Golden Bears
are coming off a 24-17 loss at home
to Arizona State. Cal will be with-
out starting quarterback Chase Gar-
bers indefi nitely because of an appar-
ent shoulder injury that he suffered
against the Sun Devils.
California: LB Evan Weaver leads
the nation with 78 tackles and 43 solo
tackles. He’s averaging 15.6 tackles
per game. He had an eye-popping 22
tackles against Mississippi, which is
Dec. 2 vs. Minnesota,
5:15 p.m. (ESPN)
NORTH
W L T Pct PF PA
Cleveland 2 2 0 .500 89 91
Baltimore 2 2 0 .500 135 100
Pittsburgh 1 3 0 .250 76 88
Cincinnati 0 4 0 .000 57 110
Line: Oregon by 18.
Series record: Cal leads 40-39-2.
Oregon QB Justin Herbert against
California’s stingy defense. The
Golden Bears have held their last
12 opponents to under 25 points —
the longest such streak in the coun-
try. Four of those opponents did not
score a touchdown. This season,
they’re holding teams to 18.6 points.
That’s going to be tough against Her-
bert, who has 13 touchdown passes
in his last three games. He’s one of
just four quarterbacks nationally with
two fi ve-touchdown games this sea-
son. And Herbert has nine career TDs
against Cal, tied for his most against
an opponent.
Nov. 24 at Philadelphia,
5:20 p.m. (NBC)
PA
69
45
95
63
T Pct PF PA
0 1.000 96 54
0 .800 133 118
0 .600 146 134
1 .125 74 115
NFL SCHEDULE
Tony Avelar/AP Photo
Oregon quarterback Justin Herbert (10) throws against Stanford during the fi rst
half Sept. 21 in Stanford, Calif.
the most against an SEC team in 15
years. He has 12 straight games with
10 or more tackles, the longest streak
in the country.
Oregon: Hard not to watch Herbert.
The senior has thrown a touchdown
pass in 32 straight games, the longest
streak in the nation. He’s thrown 174
passes without an interception. This
season he has 14 total touchdown
passes — ranking seventh nationally
— and they’ve gone to eight differ-
ence receivers.
FACTS & FIGURES
The Ducks haven’t allowed a
touchdown in three straight games
for the fi rst time since 1933. Oregon
has also held three straight opponents
to single-digit point totals for the fi rst
time since 1968. ... Cal has won three
straight road games for the fi rst time
since 2009. ... Cal coach Justin Wilcox
was a defensive back for Oregon from
1996-99. ... UCLA transfer Devon
Modster will start in Garber’s place.
— Associated Press
Thursday’s Game
Seattle 30, L.A. Rams 29
Sunday’s Games
Atlanta at Houston, 1 p.m.
Minnesota at N.Y. Giants, 1 p.m.
Baltimore at Pittsburgh, 1 p.m.
Jacksonville at Carolina, 1 p.m.
Buff alo at Tennessee, 1 p.m.
Chicago vs Oakland
at London, UK, 1 p.m.
Tampa Bay at New Orleans, 1 p.m.
New England at Washington, 1 p.m.
Arizona at Cincinnati, 1 p.m.
N.Y. Jets at Philadelphia, 1 p.m.
Denver at L.A. Chargers, 4:05 p.m.
Green Bay at Dallas, 4:25 p.m.
Indianapolis at Kansas City, 8:20 p.m.
Open: Detroit, Miami
Monday’s Game
Cleveland at San Francisco, 8:15 p.m.