Friday, September 13, 2019
NO. 16 OREGON
DUCKS (1-1)
Aug. 31: Oregon 21,
No. 16. Auburn 27
Sept. 7: Oregon 77,
Nevada 6
Saturday vs. Montana,
7:45 p.m. (PAC12)
Sep. 21 at Stanford,
4 p.m. (ESPN)
East Oregonian
FOOTBALL PREVIEW
PITTSBURGH LOOKS
TO RECOVER FROM
B3
SEATTLE
SEAHAWKS (1-0)
UGLY
Sept. 8: Seattle 21,
Cincinnati 20
Sunday at Pittsburgh,
10 a.m. (FOX)
OPENER
Sept. 22 vs. New Orleans,
1:25 p.m. (CBS)
Sept. 29 at Arizona,
1:05 p.m. (FOX)
Oct. 5 vs. California, TBA
Oct. 3 vs. Los Angeles Rams,
5:20 p.m. (FOX/NFLN/
Amazon)
Oct. 11 vs. Colorado, 7 p.m.
Oct. 19 at No. 23
Washington, TBA
Oct. 13 at Cleveland,
10 a.m. (FOX)
Oct. 26 vs. No. 20
Washington State, TBA
Oct. 20 vs. Baltimore,
1:25 p.m. (FOX)
Nov. 2 at vs. No. 24
Southern Cal, TBA
Nov. 16 vs. Arizona, TBA
Oct. 27 at Atlanta,
10 a.m. (FOX)
Nov. 23 at Arizona State,
TBA
Nov. 3 vs. Tampa Bay,
1:05 p.m. (FOX)
Nov. 30 vs. Oregon State,
TBA
Nov. 11 at San Francisco,
5:15 p.m. (ESPN)
AP Photo/Steven Senne
Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger (7) tries to scramble away from New England Patriots
linebacker Shilique Calhoun (90) Sept. 8, 2019, in Foxborough, Mass.
Steelers host Seahawks in home opener,
eager to move past a 30-point loss to Patriots
Sept. 7: Hawaii 31,
Oregon State 28
Saturday vs. Cal Poly,
1:15 p.m. (PAC12)
Sep. 28 vs. Stanford, TBA
Oct. 5 at UCLA, TBA
Oct. 12 vs. No. 11 Utah, TBA
Oct. 19 at California, TBA
Nov. 2 at Arizona, TBA
Nov. 8 vs. No. 23
Washington, 7:30 p.m. (FS1)
Nov. 16 vs. Arizona St., TBA
Nov. 23 at No. 20
Washington State, TBA
Nov. 30 at No.15 Oregon,
TBA
AP TOP 25
SCHEDULE
FRIDAY
No. 20 Washington State at
Houston, 6:15 p.m.
SATURDAY
No. 1 Clemson at Syracuse,
4:30 p.m.
No. 2 Alabama at South
Carolina, 12:30 p.m.
No. 3 Georgia vs. Arkansas
State, Noon
No. 4 LSU vs. Northwestern
State, 4:30 p.m.
No. 5 Oklahoma at UCLA, 5 p.m.
No. 6 Ohio State at Indiana,
Noon
No. 7 Notre Dame vs. New
Mexico, 11:30 a.m.
No. 8 Auburn vs. Kent State,
4 p.m.
No. 9 Florida at Kentucky, 4 p.m.
No. 11 Utah vs. Idaho State,
1:15 p.m.
No. 12 Texas at Rice, 5 p.m.
No. 13 Penn State vs. Pittsburgh,
Noon
CROSSING CONCERNS
By WILL GRAVES
Associated Press
P
ITTSBURGH — Pete Carroll
watched the tape. The Seattle Sea-
hawks coach isn’t buying what he saw
from the Pittsburgh Steelers in a lop-
sided Week 1 loss to New England.
“Opening games are always diffi cult,” Car-
roll said. “You don’t know what you’re going to
get. New England couldn’t have looked better.
Not everybody starts the way they think and not
everybody stays the way they start. (The Steelers
are) a loaded team.”
Maybe, but Pittsburgh (0-1) didn’t exactly look
like one against the defending Super Bowl cham-
pions. The offense managed a measly fi eld goal.
The defense let 42-year-old Tom Brady do what-
ever he wanted whenever he wanted, just like
always. Steelers coach Mike Tomlin called it the
football equivalent of laying an egg.
Carroll and the Seahawks (1-0), however,
remain wary. Pittsburgh’s proven plenty resilient
during the long and largely successful marriage
between Tomlin and quarterback Ben Roethlis-
berger. The Steelers are 8-1 after losses by at least
20 points during Roethlisberger’s 15-plus years in
the league. Carroll doesn’t expect another clunker
in Pittsburgh’s home opener, which means his
team needs to play better than it did in a Week 1
victory over Cincinnati.
LEGION OF GLOOM?
It was eye-opening to see Andy Dalton throw
for a career-high 418 yards against Seattle in
the season opener. Part of Dalton’s success was
because of Seattle’s game plan of allowing the
Bengals to complete throws underneath. Where
Seattle ran into problems were two big plays that
both went for touchdowns, including a 55-yard
strike to John Ross that safety Tedric Thompson
badly misplayed.
Seattle isn’t expected to make any changes,
other than the addition of veteran Jamar Taylor,
who was signed this week. But the Seahawks
know they must be better on the back end against
Roethlisberger and the Steelers.
“We understand we’re playing a really good
quarterback, and he probably seen the same fi lm
that they saw. So they’re going to try to attack us
in the pass game,” Seattle’s Bobby Wagner said.
Brady sliced up the Steelers for 341 yards and
three scores, many of his 24 completions coming
on shallow crossing patterns that allowed Julian
Edelman and company to have the ball in open
space. Though Seahawks quarterback Russell
Wilson tends to look downfi eld more than Brady,
Pittsburgh’s defense knows until it shows it can
stop the crossing routes, they’ll keep seeing them.
“It’s a copycat league,” said nickel back Mike
Hilton. “We know it’s something we need to shore
up by working on our communication.”
OFF THE EDGE
Jadeveon Clowney had a strong debut with
Seattle, playing 48 of 77 plays — more than
expected — while getting a sack and defl ecting a
pass he nearly intercepted. Perhaps more impor-
tantly, the presence of Clowney forced Cincinnati
to give him extra attention and allowed others on
Seattle’s defensive line to stand out. Quinton Jef-
ferson had the best game of any defensive lineman
with six tackles and two sacks.
That pass rush could get even better for Seat-
tle this week if Ziggy Ansah is healthy enough to
play. Ansah was inactive last week after soreness
developed in his surgically repaired shoulder. If
Ansah plays, he’ll likely have a restricted number
of plays, but it will be the fi rst chance to see him
in action with Clowney.
GROUND GAME
Seattle led the NFL in rushing last season at
160 yards per game. It was a far greater strug-
gle in the opener as Cincinnati loaded up against
Seattle’s run game and held the Seahawks to 72
yards on the ground. Part of the problem was
Seattle’s inability to sustain drives and going
three-and-out six times. The lack of total plays
limited Chris Carson to just 15 carries and Seat-
tle to 25 total rushes as a team. Expect the run to
be a priority.
“We have to be more consistent, we’ve got to
stay ahead of the sticks, we have to be more effec-
tive running the ball on early downs,” Carroll said.
The Steelers were even worse. Pittsburgh man-
aged just 32 yards rushing in New England, 7 of
them coming on a scramble by the 37-year-old
Roethlisberger. Pittsburgh will try to get the run-
ning game going without fullback Rosie Nix, who
is out with a knee injury.
No. 15 Oregon vs. Montana,
7:45 p.m.
No. 16 Texas A&M vs. Lamar,
4 p.m.
No. 17 UCF vs. Stanford,
12:30 p.m.
No. 18 Michigan State vs.
Arizona State, 1 p.m.
No. 19 Iowa at Iowa State, 1 p.m.
No. 21 Maryland at Temple,
Noon
No. 22 Boise State vs.
Portland State, 7:15 p.m.
Oregon gets Pac-12 After Dark matchup
Line: No Line.
Series: Ducks lead 7-0-1.
Idaho St. (1-0) at Utah (2-0), 1:15 p.m.
Idaho (1-1) at Wyoming (2-0), 2 p.m.
KEY MATCHUP
Western New Mexico (0-1) at
Northern Arizona (1-1), 3 p.m.
Oregon’s defense against Mon-
tana’s offense. The Grizzlies’ offense
has been humming along so far this
season, led by senior quarterback
Dalton Sneed, who is averaging 348
yards passing. Montana’s offense is
ranked seventh nationally at the FCS
level, averaging 520 yards. But Ore-
gon’s defense looks to be adjusting
well to new defensive coordinator
Andy Avalos’ system. One standout
has been freshman Mase Funa, who
No. 24 Southern Cal at BYU,
12:30 p.m.
No. 25 Virginia vs. Florida State,
4:30 p.m.
FAR WEST
SCHEDULE
SATURDAY
Air Force (1-0) at
Colorado (2-0), 10 a.m.
North Texas (1-1) at California (2-0),
1:15 p.m.
Weber St. (1-1) at Nevada (1-1), 4 p.m.
San Diego St. (2-0)
at New Mexico St. (0-2), 5 p.m.
Oklahoma (2-0) at UCLA (0-2), 5 p.m.
Stephen F. Austin (0-2)
at Southern Utah (0-2), 5:05 p.m.
Northern Colorado (0-2)
at Sacramento St. (1-1), 6 p.m.
Lehigh (0-2) at UC Davis (1-1), 7 p.m.
Texas Tech (2-0) at Arizona (1-1),
7:30 p.m.
of 192 set in 1998. Louie-McGee
has 1,928 career receiving yards.
He returned a punt for a 74-yard
touchdown last week against North
Alabama.
Oregon: Quarterback Justin Her-
bert threw for 310 yards and fi ve
touchdowns against Nevada. All fi ve
of those TDs went to different receiv-
ers. The Ducks are averaging 46.8
points per game at Autzen Stadium in
the senior QB’s starts. He’s thrown a
touchdown pass in 30 straight games,
the longest current streak in the nation.
He’s also fronted by an offensive line
that has a combined 163 career starts.
WHAT’S AT STAKE?
Oregon seeks to continue its upward
trajectory after a season-opening loss
to Auburn. The Ducks are coming off
a 77-6 rout of Nevada last weekend.
With both Washington and Stanford
suffering early-season losses in con-
ference play, Oregon could mount
a bid for the Pac-12 North. But the
team has Montana fi rst before fac-
ing the Cardinal in the league opener
next week. The Grizzlies have faced
just three other nationally ranked
teams: No. 16 Iowa in 2006 and No.
7 Washington in 2017. Montana’s sea-
son-opening wins came against South
Dakota and North Alabama.
No. 23 Washington vs. Hawaii,
4:30 p.m.
Nov. 24 at Philadelphia,
5:20 p.m. (NBC)
Dec. 2 vs. Minnesota,
5:15 p.m. (ESPN)
Dec. 8 at Los Angeles Rams,
5:20 p.m. (NBC)
Dec. 15 at Carolina,
10 a.m. (FOX)
OREGON STATE
BEAVERS (0-2)
Aug. 30: Oklahoma State 52,
Oregon State 36
Nov. 17 BYE
FACTS & FIGURES
AP Photo/Chris Pietsch
Oregon’s Bryan Addison, left, and Dae-
wood Davis celebrate a fourth-quarter
interception that Davis ran back for a
touchdown against Nevada.
leads the league with four tackles for
loss. Funa had two sacks in the win
over Nevada.
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Montana: Senior receiver Jerry
Louie-McGee needs just three catches
to break Raul Pacheco’s career record
Oregon has won 24 straight non-
conference games at home. ... Ore-
gon has had 12 players score a touch-
down this season, tied for most in the
nation with Baylor and Maryland.
... The Grizzlies have four intercep-
tions this season to lead the Big Sky.
... All of the games between the two
teams have been played in Eugene.
... The status of Oregon grad trans-
fer Juwan Johnson was put at 50-50
for Saturday’s game by Ducks coach
Mario Cristobal. Projected to start
at receiver at the start of the season,
Johnson has missed both games with
a soft tissue injury.
— Associated Press
Dec. 22 vs. Arizona,
1:25 p.m. (FOX)
Dec. 29 vs. San Francisco,
1:25 p.m. (FOX)
SEAHAWKS-
STEELERS
CAPSULE
OPENING LINE — Steelers by 3½
RECORD VS. SPREAD — Seahawks
0-1; Steelers 0-1
SERIES RECORD — Tied 9-9.
LAST MEETING — Seahawks beat
Steelers 39-30, Nov. 29, 2015
LAST WEEK — Seahawks beat Ben-
gals 21-20; Steelers lost to Patriots 33-3
AP PRO32 RANKING — Seahawks
No. 10, Steelers No. 15
SEAHAWKS OFFENSE — OVERALL
(29), RUSH (25), PASS (29).
SEAHAWKS DEFENSE — OVERALL
(23), RUSH (4), PASS (31).
STEELERS OFFENSE — OVERALL
(24), RUSH (30), PASS (13).
STEELERS DEFENSE — OVERALL
(26), RUSH (15), PASS (27).
STREAKS, STATS AND NOTES —
Seahawks scoreless in last two vis-
its to Pittsburgh. Seattle’s 2-7 in Steel
City. ... Win would make Seahawks
coach Pete Carroll fi fth active coach
with 100 career victories. ... Seat-
tle QB Russell Wilson needs two
TD passes to reach 200 in career. He
would be fi fth fastest in league his-
tory to reach mark. ... Wilson’s sec-
ond career game vs. Steelers, threw
for 345 yards and fi ve TDs vs. Pitts-
burgh in 2015 win in Seattle. ... Wilson
has thrown two TD passes or more in
12 of past 13 road games.
NFL STANDINGS
AMERICAN CONFERENCE
EAST
W L T Pct
Buff alo
1 0 0 1.000
New England 1 0 0 1.000
N.Y. Jets
0 1 0 .000
Miami
0 1 0 .000
SOUTH
Tennessee
Houston
Indianapolis
Jacksonville
W
1
0
0
0
L
0
1
1
1
PF
17
33
16
10
PA
16
3
17
59
T Pct PF PA
0 1.000 43 13
0 .000 28 30
0 .000 24 30
0 .000 26 40
NORTH
W L T
Pct PF PA
Baltimore 1 0 0 1.000 59 10
Cincinnati 0 1 0 .000 20 21
Cleveland 0 1 0 .000 13 43
Pittsburgh 0 1 0 .000 3 33
WEST
Oakland
Kansas City
L.A. Chargers
Denver
Pct
1.000
1.000
1.000
.000
PF
24
40
30
16
PA
16
26
24
24
NATIONAL CONFERENCE
EAST
W L T Pct
Dallas
1 0 0 1.000
Philadelphia 1 0 0 1.000
Washington 0 1 0 .000
N.Y. Giants
0 1 0 .000
PF
35
32
27
17
PA
17
27
32
35
SOUTH
New Orleans
Carolina
Atlanta
Tampa Bay
W
1
1
1
0
W
1
0
0
0
L
0
0
0
1
L
0
1
1
1
T
0
0
0
0
T Pct PF PA
0 1.000 30 28
0 .000 27 30
0 .000 12 28
0 .000 17 31
NORTH
W L T
Pct PF PA
Green Bay 1 0 0 1.000 10 3
Minnesota 1 0 0 1.000 28 12
Detroit
0 0 1 .500 27 27
Chicago
0 1 0 .000 3 10
WEST
San Francisco
L.A. Rams
Seattle
Arizona
W
1
1
1
0
L
0
0
0
0
T
0
0
0
1
Pct
1.000
1.000
1.000
.500
PF
31
30
21
27
PA
17
27
20
27
NFL SCHEDULE
Thursday’s Game
Tampa Bay at Carolina, 5:20 p.m.
Sunday’s Games
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’s Game
Cleveland at N.Y. Jets, 5:15 p.m.