East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current, September 06, 2019, Page 11, Image 11

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    Friday, September 6, 2019
NO. 16 OREGON
DUCKS (0-1)
Aug. 31: Oregon 21,
No. 16. Auburn 27
Saturday vs. Nevada,
4:30 p.m. (PAC12)
Sep. 14 vs. Montana,
7:45 p.m. (PAC12)
Sep. 21 at No. 23 Stanford,
TBA
Oct. 5 vs. California, TBA
East Oregonian
FOOTBALL PREVIEW
NEW
SEATTLE
SEAHAWKS
ERA
Sunday vs. Cincinnati,
4:05 p.m. (CBS)
Sept. 15 at Pittsburgh,
1 p.m. (FOX)
Sept. 22 vs. New Orleans,
4:25 p.m. (CBS)
IN CINCINNATI
Sept. 29 at Arizona,
4:05 p.m. (FOX)
Oct. 3 vs. Los Angeles Rams,
8:20 p.m. (FOX/NFLN/
Amazon)
Oct. 11 vs. Colorado, 7 p.m.
Oct. 19 at No. 14
Washington, TBA
Oct. 13 at Cleveland,
1 p.m. (FOX)
Oct. 26 vs. No. 22
Washington State, TBA
Oct. 20 vs. Baltimore,
4:25 p.m. (FOX)
Nov. 2 at vs. Southern Cal,
TBA
Oct. 27 at Atlanta,
1 p.m. (FOX)
Nov. 16 vs. Arizona, TBA
Nov. 23 at Arizona State,
TBA
Nov. 30 vs. Oregon State,
TBA
B3
AP Photo/Gary Landers
Bengals coach Zac Taylor, the newest member of the NFL’s under-40 coaching fraternity, will make his de-
but on Sunday as the head man in Cincinnati in perhaps the most challenging circumstances possible.
Nov. 3 vs. Tampa Bay,
4:05 p.m. (FOX)
Nov. 11 at San Francisco,
8:15 p.m. (ESPN)
Nov. 17 BYE
Bengals begin with test against Seahawks
OREGON STATE
BEAVERS (0-1)
Aug. 30: Oklahoma State 52,
Oregon State 36
Saturday at Hawaii,
8:59 p.m. (Facebook Watch)
Sep. 14 vs. Cal Poly, 1:15 p.m.
Sep. 28 vs. No. 23 Stanford,
TBA
Oct. 5 at UCLA, TBA
Oct. 12 vs. No. 13 Utah, TBA
Oct. 19 at California, TBA
Nov. 2 at Arizona, TBA
Nov. 8 vs. No. 14
Washington, 7:30 p.m. (FS1)
Nov. 16 vs. Arizona St., TBA
Nov. 23 at No. 22
Washington State, TBA
Nov. 30 at No.16 Oregon,
TBA
AP TOP 25
SCHEDULE
FRIDAY
No. 24 Boise State vs.
Marshall, 6 p.m.
SATURDAY
No. 1 Clemson vs.
No. 12 Texas A&M, 12:30 p.m.
No. 2 Alabama vs.
New Mexico State, 1 p.m.
No. 3 Georgia vs.
Murray State, 1 p.m.
No. 4 Oklahoma vs. South
Dakota, 4 p.m.
No. 5 Ohio State vs.
Cincinnati, Noon
No. 6 LSU at No. 9 Texas,
4:30 p.m.
No. 7 Michigan vs. Army, Noon
No. 10 Auburn vs. Tulane,
4:30 p.m.
Dec. 2 vs. Minnesota,
8:15 p.m. (ESPN)
SET THEM LOOSE
By TIM BOOTH
Associated Press
S
EATTLE — Welcome to being an
NFL head coach, Zac Taylor.
The newest member of the NFL’s
under-40 coaching fraternity will
make his debut on Sunday as the head
man in Cincinnati in perhaps the most challenging
circumstances possible.
Taylor and the Bengals will open in Seattle,
facing a Seahawks team expected to be a con-
tender in the NFC with the new highest-paid
player in the NFL in quarterback Russell Wilson,
the highest-paid inside linebacker in the league in
All-Pro Bobby Wagner and a brand new shiny toy
to unveil after the acquisition of pass rusher Jade-
veon Clowney.
With the challenge ahead, Taylor hasn’t taken
much time to think about the context of his fi rst
game as a head coach.
“You don’t allow yourself to think about it, to
be quite honest,” Taylor said. “There’s so many
other things on my mind this week. ... Right now,
that’s too hard to think about.”
Taylor is taking the reins after 16 seasons where
Marvin Lewis was in charge in Cincinnati. While
Lewis was mostly successful with the Bengals, he
could never break the stigma of going winless in
seven playoff appearances during his tenure.
Clowney had 18½ sacks the past two seasons
combined and is an immediate upgrade for Seat-
tle’s defensive line after trading Frank Clark to
Kansas City in the offseason. But he’s not the only
pass rushing defensive end set to make his Seat-
tle debut. Ziggy Ansah only returned to practice a
week ago, but is set to play against the Bengals. If
fully healthy, the Ansah and Clowney partnership
could end up being among the best pass rushing
duos in the league.
“It’s going to take us a while to get to our best.
We are just so new, brand new guys,” Carroll said.
“We’ll see how it goes. Our expectations will be
really high as we move forward.”
WHAT’S IN STORE?
Taylor played his regulars sparingly during the
preseason and went with simple schemes, so the
Seahawks aren’t quite sure what they’ll be get-
ting from Cincinnati’s new offensive and defen-
sive systems and coordinators. Taylor will call the
offensive plays in addition to his head coaching
duties. Running back Giovani Bernard is excited
to fi nally show the Bengals’ new look.
“We defi nitely held back plenty,” Bernard said.
“We’re just really excited for this week. It’s an
opportunity for us to show everyone what we can
do.”
HOLD THE LINE
RUNAWAY TRAIN
Cincinnati’s offensive line has been a problem
the past few years, and it’s in precarious shape
heading into the opener. The Bengals drafted
rookie left tackle Jonah Williams in the fi rst round,
but he’s out indefi nitely with a severe shoulder
injury. Left guard Clint Boling retired before the
start of camp because of a blood clot. Left tackle
Cordy Glenn was in concussion protocol this
week, leaving Andre Smith in line to play against
Seattle. The line had penalties and miscommuni-
cations during preseason and can’t afford that to
continue in Seattle.
“When you’re playing in noise, you just
have to have great communication,” quarter-
back Andy Dalton said. “We know it’s going to
be loud, the fi rst game of the year and Seattle’s
already a loud place. We can’t have the mistakes,
we can’t be jumping offside, we can’t do the stuff
that will set you back.”
Last year the Seahawks had the top rushing
offense in the NFL, averaging 160 yards per game
and only a little bit of contribution from Wilson.
Expect more of the same from Chris Carson
and the rest of Seattle’s running backs.
Carson rushed for 1,151 yards in the regular
season last year and the Seahawks are expecting
much of the same this year. But there is hope that
Carson won’t be alone in carrying the load. Look
for Rashaad Penny and C.J. Prosise to get addi-
tional carries to balance out the work.
PERFECT MARK
The Bengals will be trying to accomplish
something that hasn’t been done since Carroll
arrived in 2010. Over the previous nine seasons,
Seattle is 14-0 in home games in September. One
stat on Cincinnati’s side: Dalton is 2-0 in his career
against Seattle.
No. 11 Florida vs. UT-Martin,
4:30 p.m.
No. 13 Utah vs. Northern Illinois,
10 a.m.
No. 14 Washington vs.
California, 7:30 p.m.
No. 15 Penn State vs. Buff alo,
4:30 p.m.
No. 16 Oregon vs. Nevada,
4:30 p.m.
No. 17 Wisconsin vs. Central
Michigan, 12:30 p.m.
No. 18 UCF at FAU, 4 p.m.
No. 19 Michigan State vs.
Western Michigan, 4:30 p.m.
No. 20 Iowa vs. Rutgers, Noon
No. 21 Syracuse at Maryland,
Noon
No. 22 Washington State vs.
Northern Colorado, 2 p.m.
No. 23 Stanford at Southern Cal,
7:30 p.m.
No. 25 Nebraska at Colorado,
12:30 p.m.
FAR WEST
SCHEDULE
FRIDAY
Sacramento State (1-0)
at Arizona State (1-0), 7 p.m.
SATURDAY
Lindenwood (Mo.) (0-0)
at E. Washington (0-1), 1:05 p.m.
San Diego State (1-0)
at UCLA (0-1), 1:15 p.m.
UC Davis (0-1)
at San Diego (0-1), 2 p.m.
Simon Fraser (0-0)
at Portland State. (0-1), 2:05 p.m.
Stony Brook (1-0)
at Utah State (0-1), 4:30 p.m.
Cal Poly (1-0)
at Weber State (0-1), 5 p.m.
Central Washington (0-0)
at Idaho (0-1), 6 p.m.
Tulsa (0-1)
at San Jose State (1-0), 6 p.m.
Arkansas State (0-1)
at UNLV (1-0), 7 p.m.
Minnesota (1-0)
at Fresno State (0-1), 7:30 p.m.
N. Arizona (1-0)
at Arizona (0-1), 7:45 p.m.
No. 16 Oregon looks to rebound against Nevada
Line: Oregon by 24 ½.
Series record: Oregon leads 6-1.
WHAT’S AT STAKE?
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Dec. 15 at Carolina,
1 p.m. (FOX)
Dec. 22 vs. Arizona,
4:25 p.m. (FOX)
Dec. 29 vs. San Francisco,
4:25 p.m. (FOX)
BENGALS-
SEAHAWKS
CAPSULE
OPENING LINE
Seahawks by 7
2018 RECORD VS. SPREAD
Cincinnati 9-7, Seattle 9-5-2
SERIES RECORD
Cincinnati leads 11-9
LAST MEETING
Bengals beat Seahawks 27-24,
Oct. 11, 2015
AP PRO32 RANKING
Bengals No. 30, Seahawks No. 7
BENGALS OFFENSE
OVERALL (26), RUSH (21), PASS (24)
BENGALS DEFENSE
OVERALL (30), RUSH (28), PASS (25)
SEAHAWKS OFFENSE
OVERALL (18), RUSH (1), PASS (27)
SEAHAWKS DEFENSE
OVERALL (16), RUSH (13), PASS (17)
STREAKS,
STATS & NOTES
Seahawks open at home for just sev-
enth time in past 20 seasons. • Pete
Carroll enters 10th season as Sea-
hawks head coach. He needs two
wins to become fi fth active coach
with 100 total wins. • Last season
Russell Wilson joined Peyton Manning
as only QBs with at least 3,000 yards
passing and at least 20 TD passes
in each of fi rst seven years. Wilson
became highest-paid player in NFL
after new contract extension in off -
season. • Seahawks led NFL in rush-
ing at 160 yards per game last season.
RB Chris Carson rushed for 1,151 yards
• WR Tyler Lockett becomes fea-
tured No. 1 wide receiver after retire-
ment of Doug Baldwin. • Off ensive
line returns four starters anchored by
LT Duane Brown. Uncertain if new G
Mike Iupati (calf) will play. • DE Jade-
veon Clowney acquired in trade
with Houston last week. Clowney had
18 ½ sacks combined past two sea-
sons. Clowney and DE Ziggy Ansah
expected to make Seattle debuts. •
All-Pro LB Bobby Wagner signed
$54 million, three-year extension over
summer. • New K Jason Myers was
Pro Bowl selection last season with
Jets after released by Seahawks. •
Fantasy tip: Bengals’ rush defense
ranked near bottom of NFL last sea-
son. For a team set on running ball, it
could be big Week 1 for Carson.
Thursday Game
Green Bay at Chicago, 5:20 p.m.
KEY MATCHUP
Nevada: Kicker Brandon Tal-
ton. The true freshman hit a 56-yard
fi eld goal in the fi nal minute to give
the Wolf Pack its 34-31 victory over
Purdue. It was the third-longest kick
in Nevada history. Talton, who had
Dec. 8 at Los Angeles Rams,
8:20 p.m. (NBC)
NFL SCHEDULE
Oregon looks to get the season
back on track after its loss to Auburn
in the opener. Had the Ducks won, it
could have created a path to the Col-
lege Football Playoff if everything
broke Oregon’s way. Those chances
took a big hit with the loss. But things
are not all gloomy, as Oregon is still
the favorite to win the Pac-12 North.
Nevada is coming off a come-from-
behind victory over Purdue in its
opener.
Nevada quarterback Carson Strong
against the Oregon defense. Strong,
who redshirted last year, is the fi rst
freshman quarterback for Nevada
since 1996. He fared well in the
opener against Purdue, throwing for
295 yards and three touchdowns. Ore-
gon is still breaking in a new defense
under Andy Avalos, who joined the
Ducks in the offseason after seven
seasons at Boise State. The Broncos
beat the Wolf Pack in each of the last
two seasons.
Nov. 24 at Philadelphia,
8:20 p.m. (NBC)
AP Photo/Ron Jenkins
Oregon off ensive linemen Penei Sewell, left, and Jonah Tauanu’u walk off the fi eld
after the Duck’s 27-21 loss to No. 10 Auburn in Arlington, Texas.
just learned the day before that he had
secured the job as the team’s kicker,
was given a scholarship following the
victory.
Oregon: Quarterback Justin Her-
bert. The senior is still the dean of
quarterbacks in the Pac-12 despite
the loss to Auburn. Hampered in the
opener by the absence of expected
starting receiver Juwan Johnson,
Herbert threw for 242 yards and a
touchdown.
FACTS & FIGURES
Nevada’s only win in the series
came in the fi rst meeting in 1947. ...
The game will feature brothers on
opposite sides: Nevada senior line-
backer Gabriel Sewell is big brother
to Oregon left tackle Penei Sewell, a
sophomore. And they’re not the only
Sewells who play: Brother Nephi is a
defensive back at Utah. ... Oregon has
won 24 straight games against non-
conference opponents at Autzen Sta-
dium. ... Nevada third-year coach Jay
Norvell is 1-1 against the Pac-12: The
Wolf Pack lost to Washington State in
2017 but beat Oregon State in 2018. ...
Nevada running back Toa Taua, last
year’s Mountain West Freshman of
the Year, ran for 56 yards on 12 car-
ries with a touchdown against Purdue.
— Associated Press
Sunday’s Games
Atlanta at Minnesota, 10 a.m.
Baltimore at Miami, 10 a.m.
Tennessee at Cleveland, 10 a.m.
Kansas City at Jacksonville, 10 a.m.
Washington at Philadelphia, 10 a.m.
L.A. Rams at Carolina, 10 a.m.
Buff alo at N.Y. Jets, 10 a.m.
Cincinnati at Seattle, 1:05 p.m.
Indianapolis at L.A. Chargers,
1:05 p.m.
San Francisco at Tampa Bay, 1:25 p.m.
N.Y. Giants at Dallas, 1:25 p.m.
Detroit at Arizona, 1:25 p.m.
Pittsburgh at New England, 5:20 p.m.
Monday’s Games
Houston at New Orleans, 4:10 p.m.
Denver at Oakland, 7:20 p.m.
Thursday, Sept. 12
Tampa Bay at Carolina, 5:20 p.m.
Sunday, Sept. 15
Seattle at Pittsburgh, 10 a.m.
Indianapolis at Tennessee, 10 a.m.
Arizona at Baltimore, 10 a.m.
New England at Miami, 10 a.m.
L.A. Chargers at Detroit, 10 a.m.
Dallas at Washington, 10 a.m.
Jacksonville at Houston, 10 a.m.
San Francisco at Cincinnati, 10 a.m.
Buff alo at N.Y. Giants, 10 a.m.
Minnesota at Green Bay, 10 a.m.
Kansas City at Oakland, 1:05 p.m.
Chicago at Denver, 1:25 p.m.
New Orleans at L.A. Rams, 1:25 p.m.
Philadelphia at Atlanta, 5:20 p.m.
Monday, Sept. 16
Cleveland at N.Y. Jets, 5:15 p.m.