SPORTS
Saturday, December 19, 2015
East Oregonian
Page 3B
College Football
Buckner, McCaffrey unanimous Players of Year
AP releases
first All-Pac-12
team since 1977
By JOHN MARSHALL
Associated Press
Christian
McCaffrey
showed off his explosiveness
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games in 2014 after being
an afterthought for most of
his freshman season. That
ratcheted up expectations
for this season, though there
were still concerns whether
he could handle the rigors
of being a featured running
back.
He handled that and so
much more, running and
catching his way into the
NCAA record book.
Stanford’s do-everything
running back was a unan-
imous pick as offensive
player of the year in The
Associated Press All-Pac-12
team announced on Friday,
capping off a big week for
the sophomore. McCaf-
IUH\ ¿QLVKHG UXQQHUXS WR
Alabama’s Derrick Henry in
the Heisman Trophy voting
on Saturday and was named
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player on the AP All-America
team the next day.
AP Photo/Ryan Kang, File
In this Sept. 26, 2015, file photo, Oregon defensive lineman DeForest Buckner (44)
breaks through the Utah offensive line during the first half of an NCAA college foot-
ball game, in Eugene, Ore. Buckner was named to the PAC-12 All-Conference team
Thursday, Dec. 17, 2015.
Oregon’s
DeForest
Buckner was a unanimous
pick as the defensive player
of the year in the AP’s
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1977. Washington State’s
Mike Leach was named the
coach of the year, edging
Stanford’s David Shaw, and
UCLA freshman quarterback
Josh Rosen was voted as
newcomer of the year
McCaffrey
was
the
obvious choice as the
Pac-12’s top offensive player
after breaking Barry Sanders’
37-year-old
record
for
all-purpose yards in a season.
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3,496 total yards and though
Sanders set the mark in two
fewer games, it was still an
impressive feat for the 6-foot,
201-pound sophomore from
Stanford who also was the
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“This is an historic year,”
Shaw said. “He did something
that no one has ever done
and has done it better than
everyone who has ever won
a Heisman. It’s phenomenal.”
Conference
champion
Stanford led the voting with
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followed by Utah with four.
Joining McCaffrey on the
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were tackle Kyle Murphy,
center Joshua Garnett, tight
end Austin Hooper, defen-
sive end Aziz Shittu and
linebacker Blake Martinez.
Buckner was named an
All-American and picked up
the Pac-12 defensive player
of the year vote after leading
Oregon with 16 tackles
for loss, 9.5 sacks and 76
total tackles. The 6-foot-7,
300-pound defensive end has
been projected as a top-10
pick in next year’s NFL draft
after deciding to remain with
the Ducks for his senior
season this year.
“I think I’ve had a really
good career here at Oregon,
it’s been fun, it’s been a
good ride, it’s been too fast,”
Buckner said. “I just want
to go out with everybody
knowing I give it my all
every time.”
Leach led an improbable
turnaround in Pullman to
earn coaching honors.
After 11 straight losing
seasons, the Cougars were
not expected to make many
waves in the Pac-12 this
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in the Pac-12 North.
But behind Leach and
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all-Pac-12
quarterback,
Washington State was one
of the conference’s biggest
surprises, knocking off
Oregon, Arizona and UCLA
on the road. The Cougars
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8-4 — their most wins since
2003 — and earned a spot in
the Sun Bowl against Miami.
“We had a lot of guys
that had never played a
game before and I think the
adjustment to the moment
being out there, it took us a
few games to adjust to that,”
Leach told a Florida radio
station this week. “But we
had a great work ethic and
just got better and better.”
Rosen was good out of
the gate, drawing attention
to Southern California with a
crisp, 351-yard, three-touch-
down performance in his
debut against Virginia.
The
highly
touted
freshman had rough games
against BYU and rival USC,
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throwing for 3,349 yards and
20 touchdowns with nine
interceptions while leading
the Bruins to the Foster Farms
Bowl against Nebraska.
“This guy is for real,”
Cornhuskers coach Mike
Riley said of Rosen.
Howard, SOU set to defend NAIA title Beavers expect
NCAA Women’s Basketball
By JOHN W. HOWARD
Daily Courier
Half a century ago, a young
Craig Howard made his way
north of Grants Pass to watch
the men at work building
Interstate 5.
The boy’s imagination
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mountain, capturing a moment
in time in post-World War
II Southern Oregon, turning
construction blasting into
Army make-believe.
He grew up to be a standout
football player, and competed
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was named after the legendary
coach Mel Ingram. He ate at
Millie’s Sandwiches when the
restaurant was new.
“I remember when Abby’s
Pizza was built,” he said,
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pretty neat deal because we
didn’t have pizza (in town).”
He played football at
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nville after graduating from
Grants Pass High in 1970, and
went on to coach football in
Florida. But Southern Oregon
never lost its charm.
In 2011, he returned to the
Rogue Valley with a dream —
to build a championship-caliber
team with hometown kids.
Five years later, Howard is
set to lead Southern Oregon
University to its second
consecutive NAIA title game
on Saturday, a rematch with
Marian (Ind.) University in
Daytona Beach, Fla.
The Raiders won it all last
December, a swift delivery of
an early promise from Howard
when he took the job.
“I told (the administration)
we could win a national title
within four years,” Howard
said. “We did it.”
SOU
Marian
Raiders
Knights
(11-2)
(11-2)
Saturday, 3 p.m.
at Daytona Beach, Fla.
Broadcast: watchESPN.
com , ESPN3
They know that, and they’ve
responded.”
Scottow said “love” was
one of the main attractions
since he arrived in 2012, a year
the Raiders went 9-3 and nearly
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Ashland Daily Photo/Al Case
“For me, it’s really been the
Southern Oregon quarterback Austin Dodge (3), of
Vancouver, owns every relevant NAIA passing record same since I’ve been here,” he
during a brilliant four-year Raiders career.
said. “It’s a team that’s built on
love and a relationship between
But before Howard arrived, the program immensely, and the players. It’s a bond we
the Raiders carried only a it’s great to have a purebred share, and the last few years,
handful players from Southern Southern guy at the helm.”
Consistency, both with we’ve learned we can win
Oregon on their roster. He
remembers watching the Civil Howard’s coaching staff and under any circumstances.”
The Raiders trailed Eastern
War game between Oregon with his players, has been a
Oregon by three touchdowns
and Oregon State, and noticing focus from day one.
the big schools lacked local
While retaining assistant in the fourth quarter earlier this
players as well.
coaches and convincing players season, and won. They went
Those players, guys like to stick around for their entire into overtime in Dillon, Mont.
Howard, needed a place to careers has been a successful and won. They took NAIA
venture, that’s not where powerhouse Carrol College to
shine.
overtime, and won.
Now, SOU carries 11 Howard places his success.
All of the wins without
players from Southern Oregon,
“We’re building success
including four from Grants on success, and that builds the last year’s quarterback Austin
Pass. Junior Matt Retzlaff, from belief system so the guys feel Dodge, who holds nearly every
South Medford, has become like this team is going to win,” NAIA passing record.
Tanner Trosin transferred
a standout with 43 receptions Howard said. “We go after guys
for 686 yards. North Medford ZLWKJUHDWFKDUDFWHU¿UVWDQG, from American River Junior
alumnus Jeremy Scottow has want to walk into the locker College this fall, and has aver-
37 catches for 508 yards and room and trust them and love aged more than 200 passing
them. Love is an important part yards per game with 15 passing
two scores.
The Raiders (10-2) have in the program.”
touchdowns as the starter under
Howard said others have center.
worn an ‘RV’ on the back of
their helmets since 2012 as a questioned, at times, his
But Trosin isn’t the be-all-
approach to make love a end-all of this group of Raiders.
nod to the Rogue Valley.
“To me, it’s really special,” priority.
“This year has been a team
Scottow said. “(Howard) hasn’t
“It’s easy to say, but hard RI ¿JKWHUV DQG VFUDSSHUV´
forgotten where he comes to do,” he said. “We’ve been Scottow said. “There’s not
from, and he wanted to give able to accomplish that, and a game except (Montana
back to the community where we have a genuine love for State-Northern) that has come
he grew up. It’s helped out the players in our program. easily.”
best shot from Vols
By STEVE GRESS
Corvallis Gazette-Times
When the Oregon State
women’s basketball schedule
was announced, one of the
dates that got circled right
away was Dec. 19.
That’s when one of, if not
the most storied programs
in women’s basketball,
Tennessee, was to come to
Corvallis for a showdown of
ranked teams.
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The No. 7 Beavers will
take on the No. 14 Lady Vols
at 6 p.m. in what could be a
packed Gill Coliseum.
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can focus on it more and it’s
our focal point of the week,”
Oregon State junior Sydney
Wiese said after practice
Thursday night. “But at the
same time you want to treat
it like just another game.
“It’s another opportunity
to get out there, see what we
can do as a group, see how
we handle whatever they
throw at us because they’re a
very talented team, very well-
coached team. So it’s going to
be a lot of fun to see how much
we’ve progressed throughout
the year and see where we’re
at right now in the season.”
Where the Beavers are
is undefeated (8-0), having
passed a few tests early.
But Tennessee, which
comes in with a 7-3 record
and having lost three of its
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setback at No. 15 Stanford
on Wednesday night, hasn’t
held up its end of the bargain
#14 Tennessee #7
Oregon St.
Volunteers
Beavers
(7-3)
(8-0)
Saturday, 6 p.m.
at Gill Coliseum
TV: PACN
after starting the season No.
4 in the preseason poll.
Still, the Beavers know
the talent the Lady Vols have
and aren’t about to look past
them.
“We know they’ve
lost a few games but that
doesn’t tell who they are,”
said senior Deven Hunter.
“So we know that for sure
they’re going to come back
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get back on track. It will be
a good game and you know
they’re going to come out
and give it their all.”
Wiese said the team has
pretty good tunnel vision
and knows that each team,
no matter how they are
playing, will be up to face
them this season.
“I think Marquette proved
that to us, too,” Wiese said,
alluding to a 65-58 victory
in which the Beavers had to
rally from 10 down in the
third quarter. “Everybody
is going to bring their best
against us and we have to be
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of ranking, regardless of
who’s injured on their team,
who’s injured on our team,
it’s going to be a competi-
tion. I know (Tennessee) is
going to bring their A game.”
MLB
Iwakuma happily back in Seattle after failed Dodgers deal
in Seattle,” and the Mariners
couldn’t be happier.
“A lot of things happened
SEATTLE — Throughout in the last week. It was
Hisashi Iwakuma’s free like a big wave going up
agency, the Seattle Mariners and down,” Iwakuma said
an
interpreter.
remained in contact, and the through
team moved swiftly when the “Eventually I was able to
pitcher unexpectedly became sign here, and this is where I
wanted to be.”
available again.
Seattle moved quickly
How quick? Less than
KRXUV DIWHU ¿QGLQJ RXW to retain Iwakuma after he
Iwakuma was back on had originally agreed to a
the market, the Mariners deal with the Los Angeles
completed a deal with the Dodgers. Iwakuma says after
going through a physical
Japanese-born right-hander.
“I feel like this was a great with the Dodgers earlier this
opportunity for us to reunite week, the team indicated it
with a guy we always felt wanted to “renegotiate” the
should have been with the originally agreed upon terms.
That’s when Dipoto,
Mariners,” Seattle general
Seattle’s new GM, swooped
manager Jerry Dipoto said.
Iwakuma
was
back in and added another proven
in Seattle on Friday after arm to his rotation. Assis-
agreeing to to a deal that tant general manager Jeff
guarantees $12 million and Kingston told reporters the
could be worth $47.5 million Mariners had no issues with
over three years if he pitches the results of Iwakuma’s
physical at the end of the
190 innings per season.
He opened his news regular season.
“We were comfortable
conference by saying in
English, “The Bear is back with (his health) from the get
By TIM BOOTH
Associated Press
AP Photo/Ted S. Warren
Seattle Mariners pitcher Hisashi Iwakuma listens to a
question as he talks to reporters, Friday, Dec. 18, 2015,
in Seattle. Iwakuma, who has been with the Mariners
since 2012, signed a new one-year contract with the
team for the 2016 season.
go,” Dipoto said.
The Dodgers had no
comment
about
what
happened with Iwakuma.
“I don’t know if I was
stunned. It was unfortunate,”
Iwakuma said. “I’m here
today, and in the end it
worked out for me.”
And it worked out for
Seattle to add another expe-
rienced starter and provide
another layer of depth to
its rotation. Finding a way
to re-sign the right-hander,
who turns 35 in April, was a
priority for Seattle entering
the offseason. There were
several reports Dec. 6 of
a $45 million, three-year
agreement between Iwakuma
and the Dodgers, pending a
physical, and the Mariners
then acquired left-handed
starter Wade Miley from
Boston.
Iwakuma was 9-5 with
a 3.54 ERA in 20 starts last
season for the Mariners,
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his career in August against
Baltimore. He was 4-2 with
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seven starts.
Iwakuma has pitched
his entire U.S. career with
Seattle, going 47-25 with a
3.17 ERA in 111 games.
“The Mariners stayed
connected with me from the
very beginning to the very
end and that helped me a lot,”
Iwakuma said.
Iwakuma gets a $1 million
signing
bonus
payable
through December 2017 and
a $10 million salary this year.
Seattle has $10 million
options for 2017 and 2018,
and Iwakuma would get a
$1 million buyout if either
option is declined. The
2017 option would become
guaranteed at $14 million if
he pitches 162 innings next
year, and the 2018 option
would become guaranteed
at $15 million if he pitches
162 innings in 2017 or 324
combined in 2016 and ‘17.
In every season, he can
earn $500,000 each for 150
innings pitched and each
additional 10 through 190.
He receives a full no-trade
provision, eight business
class plane tickets annually
between Japan and the U.S,
an interpreter and a trainer
with a $100,000 salary.
When the contract ends, he
will become a free agent
again.
Dipoto said the structure
of the deal was different
from what the club’s offer
during the season. He praised
ownership for going beyond
the prospective budget to
bring Iwakuma back.
“Everybody ended up
walking away from this
happy with the result,”
Dipoto said.