BAKER CITY HERALD • TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 8, 2022 A5
SPORTS
OREGON FOOTBALL
Ducks roll past Colorado, 49-10, for eighth straight win
Oregon has won eight
straight after opening
loss to No. 1 Georgia
BY PAT GRAHAM
Associated Press
BOULDER, Colo. — Bo Nix
and the Oregon offense tried out
some new and creative wrinkles.
Not that they really needed to as
a heavy favorite, but it sure was
exciting.
A halfback pass back to Nix for
a score. A linebacker plunging in
from short. An offensive tackle
switching his number to become
eligible and hauling in a short TD
pass — on his birthday, no less.
The do-everything Nix led
the charge with two passing
touchdowns, two rushing scores
and his TD grab as the eighth-
ranked Ducks resorted to some
trickery to beat Colorado 49-10
on Saturday, Nov. 5.
NFL
“We’re just dynamic,” Nix
nonchalantly said.
With the wind howling — 39
mph gusts — the Ducks (8-1, 6-0
Pac-12, No. 8 CFP) breezed to
their eighth straight win since a
49-3 loss to No. 1 Georgia in the
season opener.
The Ducks dialed up one gad-
get play after another, with offen-
sive tackle Josh Conerly Jr. catch-
ing a 4-yard TD pass to open the
scoring (“I didn’t realize until af-
ter it’s his birthday too,” said Nix,
who got him the perfect pres-
ent). Linebacker Noah Sewell got
the call, too, scoring on a 1-yard
dive. Even Nix got into the trick-
play act by catching an 18-yard
touchdown pass from tailback
Bucky Irving.
The Ducks are the first FBS
team to have a receiving TD from
an O-lineman, a receiving score
from a QB and a rushing TD by a
defensive player in the same game
since at least 1996, according to
research provided by Oregon.
“When you’re a team that’s
complete and you’re hard to
predict, it’s harder to really pre-
pare for you,” said Oregon coach
Dan Lanning, whose team was
a 33½-point favorite, according
to FanDuel Sportsbook. “For
us, they’re not really trick plays
when you execute them consis-
tently in practice.”
The Ducks have now scored
40 or more points in eight
straight games for the first time
since 2014.
“We don’t care about stats.
Stats are for losers,” Lanning said.
“I’m sure our players take pride
in it. I don’t want that to come
across the wrong way. The goal is
always to win.”
Nix turned in another strong
performance, completing 20 of
24 passes for 274 yards and two
scores. He also had two rushing
David Zalubowski/Associated Press
Oregon quarterback Bo Nix, right, hands off the ball to running back
Noah Whittington in the first half against Colorado Saturday, Nov. 5,
2022, in Boulder, Colorado.
touchdowns to give him 13 on
the ground. With his TD recep-
tion, Nix joined Marcus Mariota
(2012 and ’14) and Joey Har-
rington (’00) as Oregon quarter-
backs who’ve been on the receiv-
ing end of scores since ’96.
Irving finished with 120 yards
rushing and, courtesy of his pass,
posted an astounding pass effi-
ciency rating of 581.2.
Oregon defensive back Chris-
tian Gonzalez tormented his for-
mer team with a pair of intercep-
tions. Gonzalez earned Pac-12
All-Conference honorable men-
tion accolades last season for the
Buffaloes before transferring.
“I had a lot of fun,” Gonzalez
said.
About the only thing that
didn’t go well for Oregon was
Nix’s backward, hook-shot-look-
ing pass on fourth down near the
end zone. Even that worked out,
though, as two plays later Gon-
zalez intercepted a J.T. Shrout
pass. It set up a short Nix run to
make it 35-10.
There was a scary moment
for the Buffaloes (1-8, 1-5) in the
fourth quarter when talented
freshman receiver Jordyn Tyson
went down with what appears to
be a lower leg injury. Tyson had
five catches for 137 yards, includ-
ing an 81-yard score.
“Our thoughts and prayers
are with Jordyn,” Buffaloes in-
terim coach Mike Sanford said.
NATIONAL
BASKETBALL
ASSOCIATION
BAKER CROSS-COUNTRY AT CLASS 4A STATE MEET
Seahawks Baker boys 5th, girls 10th at state meet
hold off
Suns roll
Sofie Kaaen places 10th in girls
race, while Daniel Brown is 13th
past Trail
Arizona
in the boys; Pine Eagle’s Cooper
Blazers
Cardinals Gover 10th in Class 1A/2A event
BY BOB CONDOTTA
Seattle Times
GLENDALE, Ariz. — It was
workmanlike. Maybe at times
not all that exciting. And, for an
instant, even a little anxiety-in-
ducing.
But when it was over, the Se-
ahawks had one of the most sat-
isfying wins they’ve had in years
here Sunday, Nov. 6, a 31-21 vic-
tory over the Arizona Cardinals
that gave them a sweep over one
of their most heated NFC West
rivals.
It was also the Seahawks’
fourth straight win, improving
their record to 6-3 and keeping
them in front of the NFC West
by a game-and-a-half.
And it was achieved with an-
other stellar performance by
a Seattle defense that a month
ago was drawing comparisons
to some of the worst in team
history.
Instead, in the span of a
month — starting with a 19-9
win over Arizona on Oct. 16 in
Seattle — the Seahawks have
morphed into one of the best
defenses in the NFL, keying the
team’s surge to the top of the
NFC West.
Seattle held Arizona to just
one offensive touchdown in the
first three quarters before al-
lowing a late touchdown as the
clock was running out.
And when Arizona briefly
grabbed the lead — and seem-
ingly the momentum with a
pick-six by linebacker Zaven
Collins early in the third quarter
— Geno Smith calmly led the
Seahawks on touchdown drives
on their next three possessions
to retake the lead.
Smith finished the game 26-
of-34 for 275 yards and two
touchdowns, with his passer rat-
ing brought down to 106.9 due
to the pick-six.
But more important, Smith
helped Seattle convert seven
straight third downs on the two
second-half TD drives, once
throwing a pass to Tyler Lockett
to convert a third-and-12 and
another time scrambling for 18
yards to convert a third-and-7.
A Smith pass of 9 yards to
Lockett gave Seattle the lead for
good in the third quarter at 17-
14 following after the pick-six.
The 30-yard defensive score
put the Cardinals ahead 14-10 at
the 9:18 mark of the third quar-
ter and for an instant seemed to
indicate that weird things might
again be happening in Arizona
— where strange things usually
happen for the Seahawks.
Instead, the Seahawks scored
on their next three possessions
on drives of 75, 81 and 85 yards
to put away the Cardinals and
send a team that a year ago
started the season 7-0 to 3-6.
Arizona cut the lead to three
with a 6-yard Kyler Murray pass
to Zach Ertz with 3:35 left.
But the Seahawks drove 85
yards in five plays for a 5-yard
TD run by Kenneth Walker
III with 2:14 that put the game
away.
Arizona drove 83 yards on
nine plays the first time it had
the ball, which seemed fore-
boding.
Baker City Herald
EUGENE — With a pair of sopho-
mores leading the way, the Baker boys
finished fifth and the girls were 10th in
the team standings at the Class 4A state
cross-country meet on Saturday, Nov. 5 at
Lane Community College.
Sofie Kaaen was Baker’s top individual
finisher, placing 10th in the girls race.
Fellow sophomore Daniel Brown was
13th in the boys race.
In the team standings, the Baker boys,
with 167 points, were just 3 points behind
fourth-place Marist Catholic, at 164. The
Dalles won the team title with 57 points.
La Grande won the girls team title.
In the boys Class 2A/1A race, also at
Lane Community College, Pine Eagle se-
nior Cooper Gover placed 10th in a time
of 16:53.9.
“State was a great success,” Baker coach
Suzy Cole said. “The boys team goal was
to place fourth or better at state and we
missed that by 3 points. So that was dis-
appointing for the kids, but they did ev-
erything they could have and you can’t do
any better than that.”
Cole said Kaaen, who set a season
personal best, finishing the 5-kilometer
course in 20:20.5, ran “a very impressive
race for a sophomore.”
“She stayed tough in a group of about
five or six runners battling for the sixth to
10th medal positions,” Cole said. “When
that happens it makes it even more of a
mental and physical race knowing that
she could not give up any positions if she
wanted to medal. She hung in there really
tough even with another runner making
one last move on her the last 100 meters.”
Cole said she was pleased with all seven
Baker girls. Freshman Gwen Rasmussen
was Baker’s second runner, finishing 38th
overall in 21:54.5.
“With half the team running at state for
the first time, they all worked together re-
ally well and ran like a team,” Cole said. “I
am very proud of them and the way they
have competed all season.”
On the boys side, Cole said Brown was
in the back of the pack in the first half
mile but moved up steadily, running a
season personal best of 17:30.2.
“He is still learning his best race strat-
BY DAVID BRANDT
Associated Press
Stephanie Brown/Contributed Photos
Left: Baker sophomore Daniel Brown nears the finish line at the Class 4A state cross-coun-
try meet Saturday, Nov. 5, 2022, at Lane Community College. Brown finished 13th to lead
Baker to a fifth-place finish in the team standings. Right: Baker sophomore Sofie Kaaen with
her 10th-place medal at the Class 4A state cross-country meet on Saturday, Nov. 5, 2022, at
Lane Community College.
egy and becoming his own runner more
and more,” Cole said. “Last year he was
36th at state, so looking forward to what
next year might have in store.
“Thaddeus Pepera also ran really tough,”
Cole said.
“He knew he had to go out hard and he
did just exactly that and hung on for a long
time, but unfortunately there was just too
much race. Thaddeus did just what he had
to do so I am really proud of his courage.”
Freshman William Spriet set a personal
season record, finishing 36th, and Baker’s
second finisher, in 18:08.8.
“William Spriet continues to grow as a
runner,” Cole said. “He started the season
out being our 10th runner and every race
he kept getting stronger and more confi-
dent. He is physically and mentally tough
and has great potential in his career.”
Cole said the state meet was a fitting
conclusion to the season, with both the
boys and girls teams qualifying.
“All the kids have been just amazing this
year,” Cole said. “They race with all their
heart and do what is asked of them every
day. We are really going to miss our se-
niors, Thaddeus Pepera, Jordan Mills, Seth
Mastrude and Angel DeArcos. I could not
ask for better leadership, both on the team
and on the course. My team, and especially
us coaches, are going to miss these four
young men.”
Class 4A state cross-country meet
BAKER BOYS INDIVIDUAL RESULTS
• Daniel Brown, 13th, 17:30.2
• William Spriet, 36th, 18:08.1
• Thaddeus Pepera, 38th, 18:09.7
• Hunter Bingham, 48th, 18:16.8
• Jordan Mills, 58th, 18:30.0
• Angel De Arcos, 66th,18:38.9
• Nathaniel Jensen, 78th 19:12.1
BAKER GIRLS INDIVIDUAL RESULTS
• Sofia Kaaen, 10th, 20:20.5
• Gwen Rasmussen, 38th, 21:54.5
• Maddy Gagnon, 48th, 22:22.2
• Annastasia Johnson, 69th, 23:44.6
• Katie Spaugh, 75th, 24:09.0
• Paige Marlia, 85th, 24:49.6
• Sage Cuzick, 86th, 24:58.6
OREGON STATE FOOTBALL
Beavers lose heartbreaker at Washington
kept alive its slim hopes of
finding a spot in Las Vegas
in the conference title game.
“Credit to those guys for
finishing the game better
than we did ultimately,” Or-
egon State coach Jonathan
Smith said.
“It was back-and-forth
battling. Some missed op-
portunities out there and
they made one or two more
plays than us.”
Huskies get game-
winning field goal with
8 seconds left
BY TIM BOOTH
Associated Press
SEATTLE — Michael Penix
Jr. has accomplished plenty in
his first season as the quarter-
back at Washington. He added
a game-winning, fourth-quar-
ter drive to the list on Friday
night, Nov. 4.
Peyton Henry made a 22-
yard field goal with 8 seconds
left to cap a 92-yard scoring
drive, and Washington held off
No. 23 Oregon State 24-21 to
preserve its hopes in the Pac-
12 championship game race.
The Huskies took over at
their own 3 with 4:33 left and
Penix led the march downfield
against the Beavers’ stingy de-
fense.
Penix was 9 of 13 for 66
yards on the drive, including
key third-down conversions to
Devin Culp, Ja’Lynn Polk and a
Naji Saker for The Oregonian
Oregon State’s Kitan Oladapo (No. 28) breaks up a pass intended for
Washington’s Jalen McMillan but is called for pass interference as the
No. 23 Beavers face the Huskies in a Pac-12 football game at Husky
Stadium in Seattle on Friday, Nov. 4, 2022. Washington won 24-21.
diving catch by Cameron Da-
vis. Penix’s push pass to Giles
Jackson for 12 yards got the
Huskies to the Oregon State 2.
After a pair of incompletions,
the Huskies set up for the short
field goal and Henry delivered
the winning kick.
“We knew if we gave them
the ball back we probably
wouldn’t have got it back,” Pe-
nix said. “We wanted to make
sure that we took advantage of
that drive and make sure we
got down there and got some
points on the board. And it
was great that we took up all
that clock.”
Washington (7-2, 4-2 Pac-
12) won its third straight and
PHOENIX — The Phoenix
Suns got beat in dramatic fash-
ion by the Portland Trail Blazers
on Friday night, Nov. 4.
In response, they made sure
there was zero doubt about Sat-
urday’s outcome.
Devin Booker scored 24
points, Chris Paul added 15 and
the Suns cruised to a 102-82 win
over the Trail Blazers.
“We have a team full of sore
losers,” Suns coach Monty Wil-
liams said.
“That’s what
“I knew
the way
good teams
that we
do — make
lost last
night, we’d
adjustments,.
get an in-
We had a
tentional
effort to-
chance to do
night on
both ends.
that tonight.”
Defen-
— Devin Booker
sively, I
thought
we were
locked in.”
The teams were playing each
other for the second straight
night. The Blazers won 108-106
on Friday when Jerami Grant hit
a baseline jumper at the buzzer.
By comparion, Saturday’s
game was a snoozer. The Suns
pushed to a 61-40 halftime lead
and had a comfortable advan-
tage throughout the second half.
“That’s what good teams do
— make adjustments,” Booker
said. “We had a chance to do
that tonight.”
Phoenix has the best record in
the Western Conference with a
7-2 mark. Both of the losses have
come to the Blazers, who fell
to 6-3. The teams have already
completed their three-game se-
ries in the regular season.
Grant scored 14 points and
rookie Shaedon Sharpe added
13. The Blazers were held to
their season low in points.
“We didn’t pass the ball
enough,” Blazers coach
Chauncey Billups said. “Kind of
played a little one-on-one too
much in the first half. That is an
elite defense.”
The Blazers were again play-
ing without their high-scoring
backcourt of All-Star Damian
Lillard and Anfernee Simons
because of injuries. The two
have combined to average 53
points per game.
Booker scored 16 points
while Paul had 13 before half-
time. The Blazers shot just
34.8% from the field in the first
half.
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