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About East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current | View Entire Issue (Nov. 10, 2018)
SPORTS Saturday, November 10, 2018 East Oregonian Page 3B Rams eager to rebound from 1st Buffs could get star receiver back for loss, sweep Seahawks series Saturday vs. Cougars By GREG BEACHAM AP Sports Writer LOS ANGELES — Although the Los Ange- les Rams hadn’t lost a game until last week, their spectac- ular season has featured sev- eral close calls. Not many were closer than their 33-31 victory just five weeks ago in Seattle, where the Seahawks racked up 190 yards rushing, intercepted two passes by Jared Goff and came agonizingly close to a huge NFC West win. With the second-place Seahawks (4-4) visiting the Coliseum on Sunday for the rematch, the Rams (8-1) have a chance to essentially end the division race with seven weeks to go. The Rams aren’t looking that far ahead, but Aaron Donald hopes Los Angeles will learn from that narrow win in Seattle — and a 45-35 loss at New Orleans last week. “We’re in a good place, and we’re locked in,” said the Rams’ superstar defensive tackle, second in the NFL with 10 sacks. “We play these guys twice a year, so we’ve got respect for them. We’ve just got to get after them.” The Rams have never lost back-to-back regular-sea- son games in their 1½ sea- sons under Sean McVay, but they’ve thrived primarily on the strength of an offense that has been able to out- score nearly every opponent, including the Seahawks. NFL scoring leader Todd Gurley rushed for three TDs in Seat- tle, and the Rams kept the ball out of Russell Wilson’s hands in the final 3:38 by running out the clock. The Seahawks also are coming off a loss after the Chargers won in Seattle last week, but the Seahawks know they can beat the Rams because they did it last sea- took on more urgency when Buffaloes receiv- ers Jay MacIntyre (con- BOULDER, Colo. — cussion) and K.D. Nixon Star sophomore Laviska (hip) got hurt last week at Shenault Jr. indicated on Arizona. So, Shenault’s social Instagram that he’d be back on the field Saturday media post was an encour- when slumping Colorado aging sign as the Buffs hosts No. 10 Washington prepared for the Cou- gars (8-1, 5-1, No. 8 CFP) State. His return would pro- who are the Pac-12’s last vide a big boost for the remaining hope for a Col- lege Foot- banged-up PAC-12 FOOTBALL ball Playoff B u ff a l o e s berth. (5-4, 2-4), Coach who were MacIntyre once the last doesn’t remaining want to unbeaten m a k e team in the Wash. St. e x c u s e s , Pac-12 but Colorado Cougars b u t now face Buffaloes (8-1, 5-1) a c k n o w l - the pos- (5-4, 2-4 ) sibility of e d g e s Saturday, 12:30 p.m., at missing Shenault’s Folsom Field, Boulder out on a injury TV: ESPN bowl berth was a that was in their grasp backbreaker. “I think when you take two weeks ago before they blew a 28-point sec- a Heisman Trophy can- ond-half lead to lowly Ore- didate out of the picture, gon State. it’s a big deal,” MacIntyre “The return of 2Live ..” said. “If you had taken Shenault posted Sunday Rashaan Salaam off the night. ’94 team, I don’t know Buffaloes coach Mike they might still have been MacIntyre was more cau- really good, they had a lot tious, saying Shenault of great players. But you “did a little bit” in his take a Heisman Trophy can- return to practice Monday didate out at the time he left, but labeling him “still day he was leading the country in every category kind of to day.” “Hopefully we’ll get like (Washington State QB him back sometime before Gardner Minshew). “If you take Minshew the year is over,” Mac- Intyre said. out, it might change Wash- The Buffs were 5-0 ington State. We haven’t when Shenault got hurt at had our best football player USC, and Colorado lost on the field since halfway that game and the next through the USC game, so three without the super- he only played five and a star receiver who had six half games.” TD receptions and five Another subplot in the TD runs before getting 12th meeting between the Cougars and Buffaloes: injured. Magic Minshew: Min- Shenault was a Heisman hopeful as he shew is the nation’s lead- piled up 780 yards on 60 ing passer with 3,517 receptions and 87 yards on yards, 27 TDs and seven 15 rushes, and his return interceptions. By ARNIE STAPLETON AP Sports Writer AP Photo/Scott Eklund, File In this Oct. 7 file photo, Los Angeles Rams running back Todd Gurley celebrates after scoring a touchdown during the second half of an NFL football game against the Seattle Seahawks in Seattle. With the second-place Seahawks (4-4) visiting the Coliseum on Sunday for the rematch, the Rams (8-1) have a chance to essentially end the division race with seven weeks to go. NFL Seattle Seahawks (4-4) L.A. Rams (8-1) Sunday, 1:25 p.m., at L.A. Memorial Coliseum, Los Angeles, TV: CBS son at the Coliseum. Even if the division race might already be out of hand, they’ve got a chance to begin their playoff rally with a statement victory. “We can’t allow them to score as many points as they put up,” Seattle linebacker Bobby Wagner said. “We feel like we did a really good job against the run for the most part. We have to find a way to do that, make them one-di- mensional, make sure Todd doesn’t get into the end zone as many times as he did.” More things to watch in this NFC West showdown: Tough check Donald has sacked Wilson eight times in their careers, more than any other quar- terback. But Donald and the Rams didn’t manage to sack Drew Brees last week, and they still have something to prove to the Seahawks — par- ticularly to guard D.J. Fluker, who wasn’t impressed by the toughness of the Los Angeles defense in the clubs’ previous meeting. The Seattle offensive line- man said the Rams “want to be pass rushers,” but hadn’t “seen a team go out there and actually take it to them.” Donald had no interest in starting a public discussion this week: “We’re just going to go out there and play a game and let our play speak for us.” Gurley goes Gurley has scored a touch- down in a franchise-record 12 straight games, and his 868 yards rushing are the NFL’s most by a whopping 162 yards over Pittsburgh’s James Connor. Gurley’s 16 TDs this sea- son are the most in the league and the second-most in NFL history through nine games, trailing only Jim Brown’s 17 in 1958. That’s the challenge facing Seattle’s run defense, which is giving up 4.8 yards per attempt — tied for fourth- worst in the league — but has been effective in stretches. “We can’t allow them to score as many points as they put up” — Bobby Wagner, Seattle linebacker WE HEAR YOU! 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