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FOGGY Temp: 33 °F Wind: CLM at 0 mph Monday, December 9, 2002 SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map EXTRA HomeLife Magazine W3 Magazine Jobs @ Mail Tribune Tempo A & E Oregon CarZone Wellness Connection Real Estate Newspaper in Education Prime Times Outdoor Journal Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People CLASSIFIEDS Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Find Everything E SOUTHERN OREGON Automotive Communities Entertainment Publications Recreation Calendar ABOUT US FAQ What's New Advertise Home Delivery Classified Ad Contact Us Media Kit Email Story to a Friend November 17, 2002 Commentary This was not what the Ducks had in mind By TIM PYLE Mail Tribune EUGENE — Bitter rival Washington the opponent. The last home game of the season. Senior day for 14 Ducks. The Oregon football team may have been out of the running for championships or a top-tier bowl game before Saturday, but the promise was still there for what could have been a glorious mid-November day in front of an Autzen Stadium-record 57,112 fans for the Ducks. Instead, Oregon’s worst nightmare came to life. Or maybe it was even worse. Washington scored 42 unanswered points — 28 breaking a 14-all halftime tie — to pound the Ducks, 42-14, and hand Oregon its worst home loss since a 41-7 pasting by Stanford on Oct. 18, 1986. "Any loss hurts if you’re a competitor," said senior defensive end Seth McEwen, the Medford native playing his last home game as a Duck. "It hurts, man. It hurts." Oregon (7-4 overall, 3-4 Pacific-10 Conference) started in fine fashion, scoring on its first two possessions to build a 14-0 lead by 6:09 of the first quarter. But that was it for a Duck offense that has been grounded in consecutive outings — one offensive touchdown at Washingston State last week — like never before under Mike Bellotti. "Our offense lost momentum when the weather hit," said Bellotti, the eighth-year head coach. "And unfortunately, it never recovered." The Huskies (6-5, 3-4), however, were unaffected by a steady rain, posting 479 yards in total offense and taking advantage of every Oregon mistake, like two costly third-quarter turnovers. Record-breaking junior quarterback Cody Pickett was 26-of-37 for 316 yards and four touchdowns against two interceptions. Spectacular sophomore wide receiver Reggie Williams snared 14 catches for 198 yards and three scores, culminated by back-to-back long TDs to put the game away in the fourth quarter. Even junior tailback Rich Alexis and Washington’s previously inept ground game got into the mix, with Alexis rumbling for 122 yards and two scores on 30 carries. "We got into a rhythm with our passing game, and the O-line opened everything for us," said Williams, who, all in a day’s work, broke the Huskies’ career receiving-yardage mark (he now has 2,194 yards) and tied the Autzen record for receptions in a single game. "To come in and play with the crowd talking and the team talking made the win even sweeter," said Pickett, who broke the Pac-10 marks for single-season passing yardage (3,818) and completions (305). Rather than the Ducks celebrating the careers of a group of very successful seniors with one last home hurrah, it was Washington doing the dancing, capped by a prolonged post-game jig. "It does hurt," said senior wide receiver Jason Willis, who slid to haul in a 37-yard TD from junior quarterback Jason Fife for a 14-0 edge in the first quarter. "We didn’t think it would ever come to this extreme." Oregon now must regroup and prepare for next Saturday’s Civil War at Oregon State’s Reser Stadium in Corvallis. "We can’t get that one back," said McEwen, who was in on one tackle for loss and knocked down a Pickett pass Saturday. "It’s over. ... I really wanna win. And I just try harder. If something goes wrong, I really try harder." Saturday’s smackdown at the hands of the hated Huskies, however, will be a difficult defeat for any Duck to forget. Reach reporter Tim Pyle at 776-4483 or e-mail [email protected] Printer Friendly Version Email Story to a Friend Subscribe Archive: Click to Search M Mail Tribune Home Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life Opinion - Politics | AP News | Archives | Site Map E Southern Oregon | Classified Copyright 1997-2002 Mail Tribune. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy web master feedback A D V E R T I S E R S