B2
SPORTS
East Oregonian
Saturday, January 2, 2021
No. 21 Oregon pulls away from California for a 82-69 victory
Eugene Omoruyi scored 26 points
and No. 21 Oregon extended its
winning streak at home to 27 games
with win over Cal Bears
Associated Press
EUGENE
—
An
extended break allowed
Oregon’s Eugene Omoruyi
to recharge.
Omoruyi scored 26
points and the No. 21 Ducks
extended their winning
streak at home to 27 games
with a 82-69 victory over
California on Thursday
night, Dec. 31, 2020.
“Just being able able
to go home and see fam-
ily helped me lock back
in,” Omoruyi said. The
Ducks had an 11-day break
between games over the
holidays.
It was the seventh straight
overall victory for the Ducks
(7-1, 2-0 Pac-12), who led by
as many as 12 points down
the stretch. Oregon has won
eight straight against the
Golden Bears.
Matt Bradley scored
21 points, including four
3-pointers, for Cal (5-5, 0-3).
“We made some errors
and had some plays we’d
like to have back. I thought
the first half we played
really confidently and we
competed well throughout
the night,” Cal coach Mark
Fox said. “In the second
half, we just had a drought.
We put so much pressure on
Andy Nelson/Associated Press
Oregon Ducks forward Eugene Omoruyi (2) steals the ball
from California Golden Bears guard Eugene Omoruyi (00)
during the first half of their Pac 12 Conference game at Mat-
thew Knight Arena in Eugene on Thursday, Dec. 31, 2020.
our defense.”
The Ducks opened the
season with an 83-75 loss
to Missouri, but they won
their next capped by an
80-41 victory over Portland
on Dec. 19. Oregon’s game
against UCLA that was set
for Dec. 23 was postponed
because of an official tested
positive for coronavirus.
California had won three
straight, including a 70-65
victory over Seattle on Dec.
22.
Bradley went into the
game leading the league
with an average of 19.14
points, while Oregon’s
Omoruyi ranked third with
an average of 18.14 points.
Bradley missed the last
two games with an injured
ankle, but started against
the Ducks. His 3-pointer
with just over five minutes
left in the first half gave Cal
a 27-26 lead after trailing
by as many as seven points.
Makale Foreman added a 3
to extend the lead.
Aaron Estrada hit a
3-pointer to give the Ducks
36-35 lead at the break.
Chandler Lawson’s layup
put Oregon up 55-49. The
Ducks pushed the lead to
71-62 on a pair of 3-point-
ers from Chris Duarte, who
finished with 19 points and
five 3s.
“Eugene did a tremen-
dous job finishing inside,”
Oregon coach Dana Alt-
man said. “He was 10 for 11
around the basket, so just a
phenomenal job there of fin-
ishing inside.”
Two other Pac-12 games
scheduled for New Year’s
Eve were postponed. Coro-
navirus testing results and
contact tracing at Oregon
State forced the Beavers to
call off their game at home
against Stanford, while
Washington State’s game at
home against Arizona State
was also put off because of
COVID-19 protocols.
Oregon’s winning streak
at Matthew Knight Arena
is the fourth-longest active
home streak in Division I.
It is the second-longest in
school history.
Races: Miami to play at Buffalo for the first time in 30 years
Continued from Page B1
rushing last year in Houston,
so reaching the elusive 2,000-
yard level is possible.
Jacksonville (1-14) at
Indianapolis (10-5)
Indy lost a direct path
to the postseason by falling
at Pittsburgh last week. So
the Colts need to handle the
league’s worst team, then get
help.
Indianapolis needs a win
and a loss by Baltimore,
Cleveland, Miami or Ten-
nessee to make it. But Colts
veterans claim they won’t be
watching the scoreboards.
“Me personally, it will be
real easy,” linebacker Justin
Houston says. “I have a job to
do and that’s playing against
the Jags. I can’t focus on any-
thing else. If you do focus on
anything else, it will become
a distraction from what you
really have to do. I can’t let
that be a distraction.”
Jacksonville owns the top
overall selection in April’s
draft, and could carry a
15-game slide into an offsea-
son when Clemson quarter-
back Trevor Lawrence fig-
ures to be that pick.
NFC EAST
It’s quite simple, really —
at least in this woeful divi-
sion. A Washington victory
gives it the division crown.
Otherwise, the winner of the
game at the Meadowlands
gets in; we’re not getting into
any scenarios with ties.
Washington (6-9) at
Philadelphia (4-10-1)
Washington blew its first
shot to clinch a playoff spot
by losing at home to Caro-
lina. It tries again, hoping vet-
eran quarterback Alex Smith
has recovered enough from
a calf injury to go. Other-
wise, it’s journeyman Taylor
Heinicke.
“We understand the sit-
uation,” running back J.D.
McKissic said. “You can just
tell guys are laser-focused out
there (at practice). There’s not
much talking and when there
is, it’s about football. Guys
are just ready to play.”
Dallas (6-9) at New York
Giants (5-10)
An atrocious defense has
made a bit of a turnaround
in Big D: The Cowboys have
10 takeaways in their three-
game winning streak. They
had 11 in the first 12 games.
Flood:
Continued from Page B1
their blessings that the elec-
trical system that runs the
scoreboard and concession/
announcer building did not
need to be replaced.
If you build it, they
will play
The Little League field
was built by the community,
with community funding, in
the mid-1980s. It’s built on
land owned by the school
district, with a small par-
cel of the land donated by a
local farmer.
The field was strictly
used by the Little League
program until the high
school got a softball team
about 10 years later.
Ben Margot/Associated Press, File
Tennessee Titans running back Derrick Henry, left, runs past Detroit Lions outside linebacker
Jamie Collins during the second half of an NFL football game in Nashville, Tenn., on Dec. 20,
2020.
Andy Dalton has set-
tled in nicely at quarterback,
too. Ezekiel Elliott, despite
a mediocre performance in
2020, needs 63 yards rush-
ing for 1,000 this season, his
fourth such output in five
seasons.
New York has a some-
what-hobbled Daniel Jones at
quarterback and has dropped
three straight. LB Blake Mar-
tinez has 140 tackles, his
fourth straight season with at
least that many.
AFC NORTH
The Steelers broke a very
ugly three-game skid with a
massive second half to beat
Indianapolis and earn the
division title. Cleveland gets
a wild card with a win, would
need help should it fail.
Baltimore also heads to
the postseason by beating the
Bengals.
Pittsburgh (12-3) at
Cleveland (10-5)
Despite the juicy prospect
of possibly extending their
despised rivals’ postseason
exclusion, now at 17 seasons,
the Steelers will rest a bunch
of regulars, including Ben
Roethlisberger. Pittsburgh’s
52 sacks lead the NFL, put-
ting the Steelers in a posi-
tion to top the league a fourth
straight season.
Several COVID-19 issues
The field has a rich his-
tory with Little League
teams that have produced
district and state titles.
The Pilot Rock softball
team won 2A/1A state titles
in 2015 and 2016, and placed
second the next two sea-
sons.The program also has
turned out several all-con-
ference and all-state players,
and has had several players
move on to play in college.
The past eight seasons,
the Rockets were 138-51.
Thieme said the remain-
ing work on the facil-
ity should be finished by
spring, just in time for the
high school softball sea-
son and the summer Little
League program.
“As long as the state
and Little League allow it,
we will be ready to play,”
Thieme said.
remain for Cleveland, but
it should have its dynamic
backfield combo of Nick
Chubb, who’s 41 yards short
of 1,000 rushing, and Kareem
Hunt. Chubb’s got 11 touch-
downs despite missing four
games, including the earlier
loss against Pittsburgh, with
a sprained knee.
Baltimore (10-5) at Cin-
cinnati (4-10-1)
During their four-game
winning streak, the Ravens
have averaged 37 points
and 233.3 yards rushing per
game. QB Lamar Jackson
has thrown eight TD passes
and run for four scores during
that stretch.
NFC WEST
The Seahawks own the
division crown and could
get the top overall seed. In
LA, the winner of Cardi-
nals-Rams advances.
Arizona (8-7) at Los
Angeles Rams (9-6)
The Cardinals need a win
to get a wild-card spot, while
the Rams require a win or
a loss by the Bears. Nor-
mally, with Rams coach Sean
McVay 7-0 against Arizona
— six wins by double dig-
its and a 233-84 aggregate
score — that would not seem
too challenging. But quarter-
back Jared Goff, as inconsis-
tent as he has been, could be
severely missed after thumb
surgery. His replacement,
John Wolford, would make
his first NFL start.
Arizona’s defense has
come around. Over the past
three games, it has 17 sacks,
14 tackles for loss, eight
forced fumbles and 24 quar-
terback hits. LB Haason Red-
dick has 7½ sacks and six
forced fumbles over the past
three games, and a career-
high 12½ sacks this season.
Seattle (11-4) at San
Francisco (6-9)
The high-scoring Sea-
hawks have won 12 of the
past 14 in the series. They
will be no worse than the No.
3 seed in the NFC playoffs,
can move up to No. 2 with a
win and loss by Green Bay,
and could be the No. 1 seed
with a win and losses by both
the Packers and Saints. With
20 points on Sunday, Jan. 3,
the Seahawks would set a
franchise record for a season
with 453.
The Niners are playing
their third “home” game in
Arizona after being relocated
because of coronavirus pro-
tocols. They lost the first two,
but won at this stadium as the
road team last week vs. the
Cardinals.
AFC EAST
No, not the Patriots on top.
For the first time since 1995,
Buffalo won this division,
snapping New England’s
11-year run. Of course, the
Patriots had Tom Brady for
those seasons.
Miami (10-5) at Buffalo
(12-3)
The Bills have won the
past four meetings to match
their longest win streak over
the Dolphins since a team-
best six-game run spanning
the 1987-89 seasons. But
with a victory, Miami would
clinch only its third postsea-
son berth since 2001. It can
even get in with a loss and
help elsewhere.
Miami will play at Buf-
falo in January for the first
time since 1991. In Decem-
ber, it has lost three in a row
there by a combined score of
85-33. But the Dolphins have
allowed the NFL’s fewest
points at 18.8 per game, and
could lead that category for a
full season for the first time
since 1998.
New York Jets (2-13) at
New England (6-9)
Can the Jets, already guar-
anteed the No. 2 overall pick
in the draft, finish by winning
three straight games in what
likely is Adam Gase’s last
outing as coach?
The Patriots have won the
past nine meetings. The Jets
haven’t won in Foxborough
in the regular season since
2008.
The Saints clinched even
if they finish with the same
record as the Bucs because
they swept Tampa Bay.
New Orleans (11-4) at
Carolina (5-10)
The Saints get the No. 1
seed with a win, a Packers
loss and a Seahawks win.
New Orleans is seeking to
become the first team to fin-
ish 6-0 in the NFC South
since the division was formed
in 2002. And Alvin Kamara
comes off a game for the
ages: an NFL record-tying
six TDs (all rushing) against
the Vikings. He leads the
NFL with a franchise-record
21 touchdowns.
Carolina has a pair of
1,000-yard receivers in D.J.
Moore and Robby Anderson.
Atlanta (4-11) at Tampa
Bay (10-5)
Brady helped the Bucs
smash their playoff drought
dating to the 2008 season,
and has been in postseason
form the past few weeks. The
old man (43) might get some
time off in this one before a
likely wild-card game at the
NFC East “winner.”
NFC NORTH
AFC WEST
Should the Packers beat
their biggest rivals, they
secure the NFC’s only bye,
ensuring the path to the Super
Bowl goes through Lambeau
Field. Shiver!!!!
A Chicago win puts the
Bears into the postseason
and eliminates the loser of
Cardinals-Rams.
Green Bay (12-3) at Chi-
cago (8-7)
Although the Packers
clinched the division a while
ago, they need to go full-out
because a loss could sink
them to the third seed.
“We both have something
to play for,” says Aaron Rod-
gers, who’s led Green Bay
to five consecutive victories.
“We’re playing for the (No.) 1
seed, they’re playing for their
playoff lives, so there’s a lot at
stake for both squads. We got
after them a few weeks ago;
they’ve been playing a lot
better since then. We know
Not much suspense here.
Los Angeles Chargers
(6-9) at Kansas City (14-1)
The reigning Super Bowl
champion Chiefs can match
the 2011 Packers for the
best record by a Super Bowl
champion with a win. They
already have set a club record
for victories in a season and
have won 10 straight games.
One more would break the
franchise record, but coach
Andy Reid will be resting a
bunch of regulars.
LA has won three in a row
and seemingly found a fran-
chise quarterback in rookie
Justin Herbert.
Las Vegas (7-8) at Den-
ver (5-10)
If finishing .500 in their
first season in Sin City means
anything to the Raiders, then
there’s some significance
here. Otherwise, well, there’s
plenty of other NFL action to
pay attention to.
what kind of game it’s going
to be.”
Minnesota (6-9) at
Detroit (5-10)
And we know what kind
of game this will be: worth
ignoring.
NFC SOUTH
Seahawks: ‘DK’s gonna still be out there’
Continued from Page B1
In his first matchup
against the 49ers earlier
this season, Metcalf had
12 catches for 161 yards
and two TDs. The sea-
son as a whole has been
the exponential jump the
Seahawks were hoping to
see but weren’t sure if it
would happen because of
the offseason disruptions
caused by the COVID-19
pandemic.
“Just to break a record
that’s been standing for so
long, it’s just a blessing just
to be in this position and
an amazing opportunity I
have in front of me,” Met-
calf said.
While Metcalf seemed
to be posting big games
week after week earlier in
the season, his numbers
have taken a dip since his
first matchup against the
49ers. Metcalf did have a
huge game against Phila-
delphia in Week 12, when
he had a career-best 177
yards on 10 catches, but
the chunk plays that made
Seattle’s offense so potent
have been limited. Take
away his big game against
the Eagles, and Metcalf has
just seven catches of 16 or
more yards since Week 10.
He had 16 catches of 16 or
more yards in the first eight
games of the season.
Offensive
coordina-
tor Brian Schottenheimer
said it’s because coverages
have changed. Teams are
playing softer with more
safeties over the top, lead-
ing Seattle to run more or
throw shorter passes.
“DK understands that.
He’s a really smart football
player. He’s like, ‘These
guys are playing really,
really soft. OK, how can I
impact the game?’” Schot-
tenheimer said. “Maybe
it’s in run blocking or
maybe it’s in third down.”
The competition has
certainly been a factor.
During that stretch, he’s
been shadowed by the likes
of Jalen Ramsey twice,
Patrick Peterson twice and
James Bradberry. Still,
Metcalf has at least five
catches in five straight
games.
Metcalf is also hoping
Tyler Lockett has a few
passes go his way on Jan.
3. Lockett needs 36 yards
against the 49ers to reach
1,000 for the season. That
would make Lockett and
Metcalf just the second
combo in team history to
reach 1,000 yards in the
same season, joining Brian
Blades and Joey Galloway,
who did it in 1995.
“DK’s gonna still be out
there. Tyler’s gonna be out
there. We’re going to have
our (running) backs. So
we don’t care how we do
it. We still believe we’re
one of the top offenses in
the NFL,” Schottenheimer
said.