Page 10 Portland Observer, Septem ber 29, 1982
Sport Talk
I f the United States Football
League gels o ff to a successful start,
the N F L may have some genuine
competition. The new league has al
ready forced the established NFL to
start it's player draft in January in
stead o f the customary June date.
The University o f Georgia’s Her-
schel W alker, the most celebrated
collegian in the land, and rightfully
so, says: “ I f they start talking to
me, I owe it to myself to listen
seriously.” And that folks is prob
ably why Commissioner Pete Ro
selle of the NFL decided to move up
the d raft. Because when Herschel
W alker talks, everybody listens.
Walker, who is only a junior, could
give the USFL instant respectability.
The same kind of respectability one
Joe Namath gave to the then fledg
ling A F L . Walker has said repeat
edly that the NFL doesn't hold any
particular glamour edge in his
world. Walker has said in the past
that he considers himself a football
player and if the USFL thinks
enough of him to talk, than he will
certainly listen. Although W alker
admits that he hasn’ t yet been ap
proached the guess here is that it
won’t be long before some USFL
representative comes knocking at
M r. Walker’s door.
And how about Frank R obin
son’s San Francisco Giants? Robin
son has his team only one game be
hind the league-leading Los Angeles
Dodgers after sweeping a three
game series from the world cham
pions and all this in the Dodgers’
own back yard. Wouldn’t it be nice
to see a man of color directing a
team fighting it out before millions
of world series fans?
And while we’re on the subject of
men of color it was particularly nice
to see Jackie Robinson commemo
rated on a stamp by the U.S. gov
ernment. It was some 35 years ago
that Jackie brought the walls of dis
crimination down by becoming the
first black player ever to play in the
major leagues.
Jackie retired from the game 26
years ago and died ten years ago,
but he will never be dead in the eyes
o f most black Americans. Jackie
was a hero o f tremendous magni
tude.
How do you spell relief? Well, TV
has shown us one way, but for the
University o f Oregon Ducks it ’ s
spelled O-F-F-E-N-S-E.
After going three games without a
single T D by the offensive unit they
fin ally accomplished the same
against the Washington Huskies
Not only did they score their first
touchdown but went on to score
three.
It has always been a great rivalry
between these two teams. Sure the
Huskies, under Don James, have
dominated the Northwest for the
derdogs. And fo r sure they were
ready on this cool, rainy September
day. To see how ready these Ducks
were yours truly left his warm com
fortable seat in the press box to go
visit the Duck bench. What I ob
served was this: The mood of all the
players was intense.
Senior quarterback Kevin Lusk,
from Seattle's Tyee High School,
was the announced starter. But as
the warm up drills took place it was
Sophomore Mike Jorgenson, from
Ontario, working with the first unit.
Jorgy appeared nervous but ready
as he barked instructions to his unit.
His passes were on target and his
spirals were as tight as a rope. In
fact, as he worked out my mind kept
going back two years ago seeing
Reggie Ogburn going through the
same drills, and I thought could this
happen again. And Jorgy, on this
day, did remind one of the ex-Duck
QB, Ogburn, who was a master at
running the option.
Across the field a roar was heard
as the flamboyant Husky pep band
was getting their student body ready
for the Oregon Ducks. Now, if you
haven’t seen the Husky pep band
then you’ve certainly missed a treat.
And if the football team is rated
number one in the nation, then their
band can’t be too far behind.
People laughed when Coach
James talked of being worried about
the Ducks.
A fter all everyone knew that the
boys from Eugene had no offense.
Everyone knew about the lack of of
fensive imagination the Ducks were
afflicted with. And d id n 't we all
know that this Husky defensive
team had only given up one touch
down in three games. And, for sure,
they all kind of smiled when James
spoke seriously of being worried.
That smirk lasted about as long as it
took the Oregon offense to move 80
yards with the opening kick-off to
score on a 20-yard halfback pass
from H arry Billups to flanker Os
borne Thomas. Thomas made a
brilliant leaping catch in the Husky
end zone that touched off a near riot
on the Oregon bench.
It was celebration time, right on.
This was a different Oregon team.
The imagination that the offense
lacked in the previous three losses
was now back.
This looked like the days of old
when the Ducks could move the ball
against anyone. On second and
three Jorgenson shot o ff a shovel
pass to Lataria Johnson that gained
a good 11 yards. D eja-vu. Aha!
Brooks was going at them, pulling
all the stops.
By halftim e the Huskies had
stretched out a 10-7 lead, but re
membering what happened two
years ago, when the Ducks trailed
10-6 at halftime, kept the normally
boisterous Husky fans a little quiet.
They, too, had to be thinking deja
vu.
The Husky team has stated re
peatedly that they pay little atten
tion to their lofty ranking, number
one by AP and number three by
U P I, but that doesn't hold true with
their fans. After Oregon took a 21-
17 lead into the fourth quarter the
grumbling began. " I f this team [the
Huskies] is number one I ’ll eat my
hat," one disgruntled fan cried. Ev
eryone within earshot seemingly
voiced the same opinion o f their
Huskies. " I f we play Oregon like
this," shouted on fan, " I hate to see
w hat’ ll happen when we take on
U C L A .”
The Ducks were up for this game.
They opened up their offense and
by Ron Sykes.
Sports Editor
were delightful to watch. Lusk, re
placing the injured Jorgenson, went
deep to the dependable split-end
Greg Moser, and Moser responded
by making a near impossible grab
between two Husky defenders. In
fact Moser was so good on this day
that Don James had to switch strong
safety Roger Tarver over to the right
corner in place o f Bill Stapleton,
who was being man-handled by Mo
ser. Except for those 52 seconds in
the fourth quarter where the Hus
kies capitalized on two Lusk inter
ceptions and one fumble that re
sulted in three quick Washington
scores, the 0-4 Ducks looked like a
4-0 team.
This game, for sure, was much
closer than the 37-21 score would in
dicate.
And who knows what would have
happened had Mike Jorgenson not
gone down in the second quarter.
The way the 6-0, 185 pound Ontar
ian ran the team on this day was
magnificent. Perhaps Brooks just
may have found the man he’s been
searching for. Oregon fans had a lot
to cheer about and when the Ducks
took their brief 21-17 lead in the
third quarter, suddenly lemon and
green could be seen and heard
throughout sections 26-30, where
most loyal Ducks were seated. Just
as Oregon may have found a quar
terback .. .Coach Don James pos
sibly has found a tailback.
With the celebrated Jacque Rob
inson bothered by injuries and
Freshman sensation Mike Vindivich
nursing a pinched nerve, the 5-11,
190 pound Sophomore Sterling
Hinds came on to do a job. Hinds,
from Mississauga, Ontario, gained
103 yards on 20 carries. And the
young man can play.
Perhaps this Husky team didn’t
look like number one on this partic
ular afternoon, but they are loaded
and hurt. And when they are heal
thy they will be good. Believe one
thing and that is they are deep.
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