Document text
56 °F Forecast | Road Cams Sunday, October 10, 2004 Today's News | Classifieds | Autos | Homes | Jobs | Tempo | Health | Community | Home Delivery SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics Tempo AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map SPECIAL SECTIONS Since We Asked Outdoor Journal Menu Guide How To Guide Wellness Connection Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Wedding Guide Rogue Valley's Finest EXTRA Newspaper in Education Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People MARKETPLACE Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Classifieds Place an ad eSouthernOregon Automotive Communities Entertainment Publications Recreation Calendar CUSTOMER SERVICE Frequent Questions Advertising Information Home Delivery Employment Contact Us Media Kit Network Affiliate Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Email Story to a Friend October 3, 2004 Oregon having Devil of a time beating ASU Duck Notes By TIM PYLE for the Mail Tribune EUGENE � A new nemesis has emerged for the University of Oregon football team. And that foe had no problem exposing what have become familiar deficiencies for the Ducks this fall. For the third straight season, Arizona State knocked off Oregon, claiming a 28-13 victory under the Saturday night lights at Autzen Stadium. The Sun Devils now own the longest winning streak against the Ducks of any Pacific-10 Conference foe. In improving to 5-0 overall, 21st-ranked ASU (2-0 Pac-10) took advantage of what have become the Ducks’ routine maladies: penalties, red zone shortcomings and an inability to establish a downfield passing game. Advertisement Oregon (1-3, 0-1 Pac-10) now needs five wins in its final seven games — all Pac-10 contests — to avoid its first losing season since 1993 and extend a streak of seven straight bowl appearances. "It is not an excuse, but it seems that we don’t have the experience to step up at times," Oregon head coach Mike Bellotti said. "We are somewhat of a young team with young kids who are going to continue to grow." FLAGS AGAIN FLEW against the Ducks on Saturday. Entering the game as the worst in the Pac-10 with 96.3 yards in penalties per game, Oregon committed nine infractions for 73 yards in the first half alone. The Devils’ two first-half TD drives were aided by 30 yards in personal fouls. First, sophomore free safety J.D. Nelson’s face-mask foul added 15 yards to Hakim Hill’s 22-yard scamper for ASU, taking the ball to the Ducks’ 30-yard line. Two plays later, senior quarterback Andrew Walter tossed a 22-yard TD to sophomore tight end Jamaal Lewis. The second scoring march advanced from UO’s 39 to the 24 on senior defensive tackle Robby Valenzuela’s roughing of Walter. Following an incompletion, Walter found sophomore wide receiver Terry Richardson for a 24-yard score and 14-6 Devil lead. Oregon finished with 10 penalties for 83 yards, while ASU committed six for 73 yards. "There were too many penalties and that was probably my fault," Bellotti said. "We had a lot of intensity and it was unfortunate that it turned into some no so smart penalties." IN KEEPING WITH THEIR early-season trend, the Ducks struggled inside the red zone in the first half. On drives that reached the Devils’ 5- and 10-yard lines — including first downs at the 7 and 13, respectively — Oregon settled for Jared Siegel field goals of 22 and 34 yards. ASU, conversely, pushed into the end zone all four times it penetrated the Ducks’ 30. Oregon converted a fourth-and-two from the Devils’ 13 to set up its lone TD. One play after junior quarterback Kellen Clemens hit senior receiver Keith Allen for a clutch first down, Clemens’ shovel pass to junior tailback Terrence Whitehead turned into a 9-yard score. That cut the Ducks’ deficit to 21-13 with 2:13 to go in the third quarter. Oregon began the game with a conference-worst 61.5-percent red zone scoring rate (seven TDs and a field goal in 13 attempts) and now has earned eight TDs on 16 trips inside its opponents’ 20. "We have to get better, especially in the red zone — that’s where you have got to score points," said senior left tackle Adam Snyder. "You can’t walk away with field goals against the No. 21 team in the nation." CLEMENS COMPLETED nine passes to wideouts, but four of those came on the Ducks’ last-ditch drive after ASU took command with a 28-13 lead with 3:07 remaining. Overall, Clemens was 17 of 31 for 177 yards and a touchdown. Four wide receivers accounted for 100 of those yards. Just 27 of Oregon’s 65 receptions entering the game were to wideouts. And only 331 of 726 total passing yards went to the Ducks’ receivers. Clemens’ longest completion Saturday was a 27-yard hookup with freshman Cameron Colvin on the final possession, as Oregon again was unable to muster anything close to a vertical passing game. "There were big plays to be made that we didn’t make," Clemens said. Junior Demetrius Williams (four catches for 47 yards), Allen (two for 14) and senior Marcus Maxwell (two for 12) were the receivers besides Colvin to contribute. Whitehead caught a team-high five passes for 45 yards. THE DEVILS’ PAUCITY OF tailbacks was the subject of much consternation in Tempe, Ariz., prior to the game. Hill, a 215-pound junior, put those worries to rest by exploding for 134 yards on 25 carries. His 56-yard burst in the third quarter set up his 1-yard plunge for a 21-6 ASU cushion. The 100-yard performance was the second of Hill’s career and best rushing effort by a Devil this season. He did his damage despite a broken bone in his right forearm. Fellow tailbacks Randy Hill (injured) and Loren Wade (suspended) were unavailable, so Hill was basically ASU’s lone rushing option. "He was fantastic," Devils head coach Dirk Koetter said. "Playing with a cast and all, we couldn’t have asked for more. We thought we could establish a running game on them." ASU compiled 119 rushing yards overall. Bellotti said the attention the Ducks had to pay to ASU’s vaunted passing game helped Hill find running room. "I think, again, when you play Arizona State you have to focus on Walter and (receiver Derek) Hagan," Bellotti said. "But that’s no excuse." BY HOLDING ASU scoreless in the first quarter, Oregon broke the Sun Devils’ scoring string. ASU had scored in all 16 quarters played before being blanked through the initial 15 minutes. The Ducks didn’t tally in the first for the third time in their four games. LOWELL DEAN of Kaizer, a Medford High star prior to his Oregon career from 1962-64, was an honorary captain. A two-way tackle, Dean played in the 1964 East-West Shrine Game and ’65 Hula Bowl. He helped the Ducks to a 21-14 victory over Southern Methodist in the ’63 Sun Bowl and enjoyed perhaps his finest moment when he scored the game’s only touchdown on a tackle-eligible play in a 7-0 win over Washington in ’64. Mail Tribune Home Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life Opinion - Politics | AP News | Archives | Site Map E Southern Oregon | Classified Copyright © 1997-2004 Mail Tribune. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions Website Feedback ADVERTISERS A D V E R T I S E R S SPECIAL SECTIONS Auto Finder Job Finder Home Finder Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Tempo Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Since We Asked Outdoor Journal Moving to Southern Oregon? Volunteer Opportunities