Game Day - 11-06-09

University of oregon

Vs.

stanford university

Oregon Daily emerald

Game Day Friday, November 6, 2009

dailyemerald.com

Making up for lost time PAGE 6B

le s li e m ontgo m e ry | d e s i g n er

Game preview

ORegon notes

stanford Notes

Even though they run

The Ducks, leading the Pac-

Maxwell Award semifinalist

drastically different offenses,

10 in total offense, match up

Toby Gerhart will face his

both the Ducks and the

favorably against the below-

toughest challenge this season

Cardinal rank within the

average Stanford defense

against the Ducks

top 20 nationally in rushing

PAGE 3B

PAGE 2B

PAGE 2B

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2b Oregon Daily Emerald Friday, November 6, 2009

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game preview

Running the ball a common theme Ducks, Cardinal atop the Pac-10 in rushing, despite different styles

Game day forecast

B EN SCHOR ZMAN SPORTS EDITOR

After practice on Wednesday, junior quarterback Jeremiah Masoli stood talking to reporters for more than 20 minutes, patiently answering questions and saying the right things.

Masoli is a laid-back guy by nature, with a soft voice, but there was one topic that got him thinking about things other than football: home.

The 220-pound, dual-threat athlete calls San Francisco, Calif., home, and with the No. 7 Ducks in Palo Alto playing Stanford, he’s happy his family will be able to see him play. Masoli said there will be “too many (relatives) to count” watching him play at Stanford Stadium, and he’s just excited to be close to home.

“It’s definitely nice to go back home and be around that atmosphere,” Masoli said of the Bay Area. “It’s always different when you’re back home.”

But Masoli, who is averaging 62.3 yards rushing and 161 yards a game passing, isn’t the only one who is going home. Nearly half the team calls somewhere in the state of California home, and there should be plenty of green in the stands. The atmosphere has never been known to be particularly loud at Stanford Stadium, with a couple of players comparing games there to “large high school games.”

Junior defensive tackle Brandon Bair said that it’s tough to play in there sometimes because the team feeds off the noise, but he’s sure that with the newlypainted target on their backs after taking down USC 47-20 last week, motivation will be high enough.

“It may not always be a tough environment, but it’s a tough team to go against,” Bair said.

Both teams come in as the top two rushing teams in the conference. Oregon is No. 8 in the

High of 67. Partly cloudy.

No chance of rain.

At a glance

j o n at h a n yo r k | th e s tan for d dai ly

Stanford head coach Jim Harbaugh looks to do something that no other team in the Pac-10 has done this year: beat Oregon.

nation in rushing while averaging 233.25 yards on the ground, and Stanford is No. 16 at 205.63 yards per game.

Leading the attack for Stanford will be running back Toby Gerhart, a 235-pound bruiser who runs very well between the tackles. “(He) is an amazing running back,” Bair said. “I just think they have a lot of heart.”

“They are a really scrappy team,” Masoli added. “They get after it, but so do we. We’re going to look to match that intensity. We see some things we like in their defense.”

The Cardinal will feature a smash-mouth style of football, with lots of running the football and play-action passes from redshirt freshman quarterback Andrew Luck. But the Ducks look to again run the ball a lot with their zone-read system, and if the 391 yards the team rushed for last week against a

highly-touted Trojans defense is any indication, it could be another big day for LaMichael James and company.

“I think sometimes you find something that works and we stuck with it,” offensive lineman Carson York said. “Hopefully this weekend we find something that works.”

Oregon wants to do that by setting the tempo early and keeping the Cardinal back on their heels while the Ducks attack.

The defense will also will come at Luck in waves to pressure him. The Ducks weren’t able to pressure USC quarterback Matt Barkley much until the second half, but when they did, it threw off the entire offense. “(The Trojans’) offensive line was good, and we just wore them down,” Bair said. “We just were working and working until they broke. The second half, they started hanging their heads and we started to get pressure on him

Who: No. 7 Oregon (7-1, 5-0) at Stanford (5-3, 4-2) What: Pacific-10 Conference football game When: 12:30 p.m.

Where: Stanford Stadium.

Fox Sports Northwest.

The high-flying Oregon Ducks, coming off an upset win over USC last Saturday, look to keep their seven-game win streak alive against the Stanford Cardinal. Stanford, on the other hand, looks to upset the Ducks and get back into the Pac-10 race while also becoming bowl-eligible for the first time since 2001.

and rattled him.”

That intensity comes from how hard the team works in practice. Head coach Chip Kelly has practices set up to be harder than the games, so he has fresh players the entire game.

He also has them believing that the key to success is looking only at the next day. The Ducks are so focused that they don’t even care that a potential Rose Bowl berth is at stake if they lose even one game the rest of the way. “(We looked ahead) in years past and it didn’t work for us,” tight end Ed Dickson said. “Basically, everyone has bought in to the system and we’re following it and do what we got to do: Win the day.” b sc hor zm an @dai ly e m e r a ld.co m

stanford notes

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Gerhart’s power key for Cardinal Stanford’s running back has accrued 994 rushing yards this year LUCAS CLARK SPORTS REPORTER

Stanford senior running back Toby Gerhart was named one of the 16 semifinalists for the Maxwell Award earlier this week, which is given to the nation’s most outstanding player in college football, but as the Cardinal (5-3, 4-2 Pacific-10 Conference) gear up to take on the hard-hitting Oregon defense, Gerhart will face his toughest challenge yet.

Through eight games Gerhart has carried the ball 195 times for 994 yards and 13 scores. His mark of 124.3 yards per game leads the Pac-10, while ranking third in touchdowns to only Oregon State’s James and Jacquizz Rodgers, who have each tallied 15 on the year.

“I think Gerhart is one of the top running backs in the country,” Oregon head coach Chip Kelly said.

Last season, Oregon was able to hold Gerhart to 21 yards on eight carries en route to a 35-28 win, though this year’s Cardinal team looks to be a much bigger challenge.

“They play fast, they play physical,” Kelly said. “We expect a battle.”

Redshirt freshman Andrew Luck has been a welcome

j e n n y p e g g | th e s tan for d dai ly

Pac-10 leader in rushing Toby Gerhart has led by example. To date, he has carried the ball 195 times for 994 yards and 13 touchdowns.

surprise to the Stanford offense at the quarterback position, as he’s completed 114 of 196 passes for 1,825 yards, nine touchdowns and only three interceptions. In his eight starts, Luck has put together the highest passer efficiency rating in the Pac-10 with 148.5, while completing 58.2 percent of his passes.

“The QB brings a lot to the table,” Oregon freshman free safety John Boyett said. “Stanford’s coaches do a good job of using his skills in their offense.”

The 6-foot-4-inch, 235-pound signal caller was the No. 5 overall high school recruit coming out of the state of Texas — the same class as Oregon running back

LaMichael James — and has been able mesh with a talented Stanford receiving corps so far this year.

“The difference between them this year and last year is the play of Andrew Luck,” Kelly said. “I think he’s one of the top quarterbacks around and he’s only a freshman.”

Kelly continued to say that with a quarterback like Luck under center, the Stanford offense becomes much more balanced, making it harder for defenses to gang up on the run game alone.

Luck’s favorite targets on the perimeter have been junior Ryan Whalen, who leads the team with 39 receptions for 647

yards and three touchdowns, and sophomore Chris Owusu who has pulled down 26 catches for 459 yards and four scores.

“They like the play-action pass,” sophomore cornerback Javes Lewis said. “Teams that run the ball well like to complement it with the play action, so we have to get our eyes right and read our keys.”

Owusu is also one of the more versatile return men in the Pac10, returning 19 kickoffs for 668 yards and three touchdowns. His average of 35.2 yards per return ranks second in the conference behind the Ducks redshirt freshman Kenjon Barner, who ranks fifth nationally, at 35.4. Senior cornerback Richard Sherman has also provided additional scoring as a punt returner for Stanford, fielding 14 punts for 143 yards and a touchdown.

“They can beat you both ways,” Kelly concluded. “With Gerhart, obviously they can run the ball as good as anybody in the country. They’ve got an outstanding offensive line. They run a lot of varied schemes.”

Stanford will undoubtedly need all the scoring help it can get in order to compete with the red-hot Oregon offense, but one thing in the Cardinal favor is the home field advantage. Stanford is unbeaten at home this season and has won eight of its last nine dating back to the final game of the 2007 season. lc l ark@dai lye m e r a ld.co m

Friday, November 6, 2009 Oregon Daily Emerald 3b

CATCHING UP WITH »

Oregon notes

Ducks ride seven-game win streak into Palo Alto

jeff maehl

Oregon has become the highest-rated oneloss team in the BCS

The Emerald recently caught up with junior wide receiver Jeff Maehl. We found out that the 6-foot-1-inch pass catcher really likes to fish, and even though he’s in Por tland Trail Blazer country, he’s a die-hard Los Angeles Lakers fan.

Oregon Daily Emerald: What’s your major?

Jeff Maehl: Sociology.

ODE: What do you want to do with that?

JM: I have no clue yet, man. I wanted to be a business major, but the grades didn’t hold up in the first couple of years so it didn’t work out too well.

ODE: If you weren’t playing football, what sport would you be playing?

JM: Basketball.

ODE: Were you a good player in high school?

JM: Yeah, I was pretty good. Probably if Oregon didn’t offer for me to come play football, I would have gone to a smaller school and played basketball.

ODE: What kind of player were you? Were you more of an athletic type, a dunker or a shooter?

JM: I did a little bit of everything in high school.

The competition wasn’t the greatest in California. I averaged like 25 points a game in high school.

ODE: OK, well what’s your favorite thing to do outside of sports?

JM: I like to golf, I like to fish. I haven’t done a whole lot up here. I like to bass fish more than river fish. But, uh, I like to play video games and just hang out.

ODE: What’s your favorite video game?

JM: Any sports game. NBA Live, NCAA football, any of those. Call of Duty, too.

ODE: What’s your team in NBA Live?

JM: Man, I have a bunch of them. Probably the Lakers though because they’re my team.

ODE: You’re a Lakers fan?

LUCAS CLARK SPORTS REPORTER

j ac k hu n t e r | Photog r aph er

Junior quarterback Jeremiah Masoli and redshirt freshman LaMichael James lead Oregon’s rushing attack, which is No. 8 in the nation in rushing offense.

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JM: Yeah, I get a lot of grief up here because of Portland, but yeah, I’m a big Lakers fan.

ODE: You talked about liking golf. What’s the lowest you’ve shot?

JM: I don’t even know. Probably four or five over par on 18 holes.

ODE: What was your greatest shot on the golf course?

JM: I came like two inches from a hole-in-one and that was the closest I’ve ever gotten.

ODE: Why did you decide to come to Eugene?

JM: It was the atmosphere, the people up here and it reminded me a lot of where I’m from. I’m from Northern California in Chico, and Chico is very similar to Eugene. And how friendly people are up here and stuff, it’s just a welcoming place to come to.

ODE: So are you looking forward to going to Palo Alto?

JM: Definitely. I heard there’s about 50 people going to the game, so I’m excited to play in front of them.

Practice

SY’S MATTERS

$

j ac k hu n t e r | photog r aph er

at our

the Ducks jumped out to a 17-3 lead less than 11 minutes into the game but gave up 14 in the second quarter to take a 20-17 lead heading into halftime. The game was eventually capped by an 11-play, 74-yard drive that resulted in a three-yard touchdown run by Oregon running back LeGarrette Blount with six seconds remaining on the clock.

The score was Blount’s second of the half as the Ducks squeaked by with a 35-28 win.

Kelly said in early October that if Blount meets the set-up requirements and returns to the playing field, that the Nov. 7 game at Stanford would be the earliest possible opportunity for him to do so. But with no official announcement made this week, it is still unknown if Blount will be suited up come Saturday.

Off-the-field distractions haven’t been a factor for the Oregon squad so far this season, and will doubtfully be one this weekend.

“The reason I feel we have so much success isn’t in the talent, it’s not in our speed, it’s our unity,” said junior defensive lineman Brandon Bair.

“We just love playing together.

We look forward to every day coming out here on the field and practicing.”

your

last week.

“Obviously, the more weapons you have, the better off you are,” Oregon head coach Chip Kelly said. “He certainly makes it very difficult for the defense because of how talented he is.”

The Ducks actually feature two players on the Pac-10’s top-10 rushing list for the season, with Masoli coming in ninth with 436 yards on 72 carries and eight touchdowns.

But as of late, the Oregon passing attack has provided a much-needed equalizer for the Ducks.

Against Pete Carroll’s Trojan defense last week, Masoli completed 19 passes for 222 yards, which included a 17yard touchdown strike to junior wide receiver Jamere Holland in the back of the end zone.

“They get after it,” Masoli said of the Stanford defense.

“But so do we. We’re going to look to match that intensity.

We see some things we like in their defense.”

Stanford’s defense has allowed 126.4 yards rushing and 239.9 yards passing per game this season, which could prove detrimental against the conference’s top-ranked offense.

When the Cardinal visited Autzen Stadium last season,

23902

After handing national powerhouse USC its worst loss in more than a decade, the Oregon Ducks (7-1, 5-0 Pacific-10 Conference) will respond with a quiet trip down to Palo Alto, Calif., to take on the Stanford Cardinal at Stanford Stadium.

And following a long week of hype surrounding the victorious Halloween night matchup, the Ducks were able to get back to business this week and return to the mindset of taking it one game at a time.

The Ducks, who climbed to No. 8 in the Bowl Championship Series standings this week behind the nation’s seven remaining unbeaten teams, are 2-1 on the road this season and will take their current sevengame winning streak into hostile territory on Saturday.

“We’re just taking it one game at a time,” said Oregon junior defensive back Talmadge Jackson III. “Taking it day by day, and letting things pan out from there.”

That philosophy has helped the Ducks climb to the top of the Pac-10 standings in scoring offense, rushing offense, red zone offense, scoring defense, pass defense and red zone defense.

The powerful rushing attack, which averages 233.3 yards each outing, has helped the Ducks to score more than 35.6 points per game.

Redshirt freshman LaMichael James — named the Pac10 offensive player of the week after rushing for 183 yards and a touchdown against USC — has put together a remarkable season thus far as Oregon’s top rusher.

“You can’t say enough about his play,” junior quarterback Jeremiah Masoli said.

“His long runs definitely give us a jolt. Besides that, he just grinds it out for five yards after breaking four tackles is something that we really need on this team.”

James ranks third in the Pac10 in rushing with 918 yards on 131 carries for seven touchdowns, and wrote his name in the Oregon record books yet again as he reached the century mark for the fifth time on the season. With one more 100-yard game, he will take sole possession for the most 100-yard games by an Oregon freshman after breaking his own single-game record again

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4b Oregon Daily Emerald Friday, November 6, 2009

2009 uo schedule

BY THE NUMBERS

september 3 12 19 26

at Boise State (L, 19-8) vs. Purdue (W, 38-36) vs. Utah (W, 31-24) vs. California (W, 42-3)

October 3 10 24 31

vs. Washington State (W, 52-6) at UCLA (W, 24-10) at Washington (W, 43-19) vs. USC (W, 47-20)

November 7 14 21

at Stanford, 12:30 p.m. vs. Arizona State, TBA at Arizona, TBA

December 3

vs. Oregon State, 6 p.m.

5

september at Washington State (W, 39-13) at Wake Forest (L, 17-24) vs. San Jose State (W, 42-17)

October 3 10 17 24

vs. UCLA (W, 24-16) at Oregon State (L, 28-38) at Arizona (L, 38-43) vs. Arizona State (W, 33-14)

7 14 21 28

35.63

vs. Oregon, 12:30 p.m. at USC, 12:30 p.m. vs. California, TBA vs. Notre Dame, 5 p.m.

Points per game scored by the Ducks this season, the ninth-best mark in the nation

67 94.88

37

Career rushing touchdowns for former Stanford running back Tommy Vardell, Stanford’s career best. Current Stanford running back Toby Gerhart is second with 29.

National ranking of Stanford wide receiver Chris Owusu in kick return yardage per return.

The sophomore from Westlake Village, Calif., has averaged 35.16 yards per return.

November

31.88 Points per game scored by the Cardinal this season, the 24th-best mark in the nation

Stanford’s average time of possession, the 13th-best mark in the nation. The Cardinal figure to use clock control to their advantage against Oregon.

National ranking of Oregon running back Kenjon Barner in kick return yardage per return. The redshirt freshman from Riverside, Calif., has averaged 35.36 yards per return.

6

2009 stanford schedule

5 12 19

32.16

Percentage of Oregon quarterback Jeremiah Masoli’s touchdown passes thrown to tight end Ed Dickson this season

2

Opposing teams’ passing efficiency rating against the Ducks, the fourth-best mark in the nation

2-21

Stanford’s record against ranked teams since 2002. The Cardinal are 2-2 in their past four games against ranked opponents.

2009 Oregon Statistical leaders

Number of times Oregon has been 5-0 in Pac-10 play since the conference was reconfigured in 1978 to include 10 teams. The last time the Ducks were 5-0 in the Pac-10 was 2000.

2009 stanford Statistical leaders

Rushing

ATT

gain

loss

AVG

TD

Rushing

ATT

gain

loss

AVG

TD

L. James

131

941

23

7.0

7

T. Gerhart

195

1025

31

5.1

13

J. Masoli

72

535

99

6.1

8

A. Luck

39

261

46

5.5

1

K. Barner

43

242

8

5.4

2

S. Taylor

30

194

4

6.3

2

passing

ATT

Pct

YDS

TD

YPG

passing

ATT

Pct

YDS

TD

YPG

J. Masoli

160

60.6

1127

6

161.0

A. Luck

196

58.2

1825

9

228.1

receiving NO.

YDS.

AVG.

TD

LONG

receiving NO.

YDS.

AVG.

TD

LONG

E. Dickson

30

397

13.2

4

36

R. Whalen

39

647

16.6

3

46

J. Maehl

25

306

12.2

1

58

C. Owusu

26

459

17.7

4

63

D. Davis

13

145

11.2

1

23

C. Fleener

11

145

13.2

-

42

Defensive

Solo

AST

Total

TFL/YDS sacks

Defensive

Solo

AST

Total

TFL/YDS sacks

C. Matthews

26

25

51

4.0-22

2.5-22

C. Snyder

34

27

61

1.0-11

1.0-11

J. Boyett

33

17

50

1.0-3

-

B. McNally

35

17

52

2.5-8

-

J. Lewis

36

12

48

3.0-11

1.0-5

C. Amajoyi

16

24

40

1.5-3

-

S. Paysinger

23

18

41

4.0-7

1.0-2

W. Powers

23

10

33

5.0-30

3.0-27

T. Jackson

26

7

33

1.5-5

-

T. Kelser

17

11

28

11.0-67

7.0-58

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Friday, November 6, 2009 Oregon Daily Emerald 5b

owen marecic (48) fullback

casey matthews (55) middle linebacker

At 6 feet, 1 inch and 244 pounds, Marecic is the rare pro-style fullback paving much of the way for running back Toby Gerhart. To date, Gerhart has plowed ahead for 124.3 yards per game (best in the Pacific-10 Conference),

PLAYERS TO WATCH

and Marecic has chipped in with five catches for 100 yards and two rushes for seven yards and a touchdown. The Ducks initially had trouble shedding blocks against USC’s talented offensive line, and Marecic acts almost as a

sixth member of the line.

Matthews is Oregon’s leading tackler (51, including four for loss) and will be directing the defense against one of the best running backs the Ducks have seen this season.

starting lineups stanford

oregon

Defense

Special Teams

Offense

Defense

Special Teams

DE: Thomas Keiser

PK: Nate Whitaker

WR: Ryan Whalen

DE: Will Tukuafu

PK: Morgan Flint

WR: D.J. Davis

DT: Sione Fua

KO: Nate Whitaker

LT: Jonathan Martin

DT: Brandon Bair

KO: Rob Beard

LT: Bo Thran

NT: Ekom Udofia

P: David Green

LG: Andrew Phillips

DT: Blake Ferras

P: Jackson Rice

LG: Carson York

DE: Chase Thomas

KR: Chris Owusu

C: Chase Beeler

DE: Kenny Rowe

KR: LaMichael James

C: Jordan Holmes

SLB: Will Powers

PR: Drew Terrell

RG: David DeCastro

SLB: Eddie Pleasant

PR: Kenjon Barner

RG: Mark Asper

MLB: Clinton Snyder

LS: Zach Nolan

RT: Chris Marinelli

MLB: Casey Matthews

LS: Michael Clay

RT: C.E. Kaiser

WLB: Shayne Skov

HLD: Bo McNally

TE: Jim Dray

WLB: Spencer Paysinger

HLD: Nate Costa

TE: Ed Dickson

LCB: Quinn Evans

WR: Chris Owusu

LCB: Anthony Gildon

WR: Jeff Maehl

FS: Bo McNally

QB: Andrew Luck

FS: John Boyett

WR: Lavasier Tuinei

SS: Delano Howell

FB: Owen Marecic

ROV: Javes Lewis

QB: Jeremiah Masoli

RCB: Johnson Bademosi

RB: Toby Gerhart

RCB: Talmadge Jackson III

RB: LaMichael James

offense

M att h e w s p h oto by j ac k hu n t e r | P h oto g r ap h e r ma r e c i c p h oto c o u rt e s y o f s ta n f o r d at h l e t i c m e d i a s e rv i c e s

Points of debate Lucas Clark: There is no question that the Oregon offense has finally found its stride; we saw that last week during the Ducks 47-20 win over then-No. 4 USC. Led by redshirt freshman LaMichael James, who carried the ball 24 times for 183 yards and a touchdown, and junior quarterback Jeremiah Masoli with 13 carries for 164 yards and a score, the Ducks looked the best I’ve seen them all year. Redshirt freshman Kenjon Barner and senior Andre Crenshaw each reached the end zone on the ground as well, which leads me to believe that the Stanford defense that gives up more than 300 yards of total offense per game could be in a world of trouble early on.

Wyndam Makowsky: Certainly. Stanford has struggled against fast teams that can get to the edge. This was evident against both Wake Forest’s speedy running back rotation and Jacquizz Rodgers of Oregon State. Even if Stanford is able to shut down James, for example, Masoli and the reserves can continue to hurt them. It could get

The following is an excerpt from an e-mail debate between Emerald sports reporter Lucas Clark and Wyndam Makowsky of The Stanford Daily

ugly. That said, the Cardinal has made some serious modifications to its defense (with some young guys filling in). Now, the difference between the Sun Devils and Ducks is massive, so we have yet to see how many of these young guys will perform, but the early returns are good.

LC: The Cardinal defense definitely has some talented athletes, and offensively, Oregon head coach Chip Kelly had nothing but good things to say about senior running back Toby Gerhart and freshman quarterback Andrew Luck. Luck is an interesting case to me. He has a great body for a quarterback at the collegiate level and has proven that he can spread the ball around to a lot of different receivers. But, Oregon has faced two freshman starting quarterbacks so far this season with Jeff Tuel of Washington State and Matt Barkley last week against USC, and neither had a great deal of success against the Pac-10’s top-ranked Oregon pass defense. The secondary is getting healthier by the week and will look to slow down

the Stanford aerial attack.

WM: The one glaring advantage that the Cardinal has is that while Oregon’s defense is fast, it’s not particularly big. That plays directly into Gerhart’s strengths — he likes nothing more than to pound the ball straight up the middle. Luck has evolved nicely over the past few games, but a heavy dose of Gerhart early on will be integral to a Cardinal victory. Furthermore, speaking of physical offensive players, Stanford does have one of the strongest wide receivers in the Pac-10 in Ryan Whalen, and a gigantic and effective tight end rotation. Since he started at Stanford, Jim Harbaugh has emphasized smash-mouth football, and if the Cardinal can stay true to that, then they could prosper. As for Luck, I agree, he will be tested — T.J. Ward is one of the most underrated players in this country. But Luck did face a very good defensive backfield on the road in Arizona, and still went for over 400 yards.

His combination of intelligence, arm strength, accuracy, pocket presence, mobility and leadership make him one of the nation’s most talented young passers. I am far less concerned about the Cardinal offense than I am about their defense — if Masoli and company are performing like they did against the Trojans, then Luck and Gerhart are going to have to engineer scoring drives practically every time they’re on the field.

LC: Your last thought basically summed up the game in its entirety. Over the course of the first half last week, it looked like whoever controlled the ball last was going to win, as the teams kept scoring at will, but it brings me to my final point, which are special teams. The Ducks forced six USC punts last week, while only having to punt one time. Kicker Morgan Flint is 32-32 on extra point attempts this

season and is 10-12 on field goals, while Barner has filled in nicely as a return man for Walter Thurmond III. Stanford’s Chris Owusu has tallied 1,176 all-purpose yards this season, which shows just how dangerous he can be, though the Ducks have yet to allow a punt or kickoff return for a touchdown this season. The special teams battle could prove to be the X-factor.

WM: Stanford’s return game and coverage units are both exemplary. Owusu practically wrapped up Pac-10 honors after the first four weeks of the year, and new punt returner Drew Terrell has shown a natural knack for the role. Meanwhile, the kick and punt coverage units are made up almost entirely of fast defensive backs and linebackers who get downfield quickly and do a nice job of containing.

It’s no secret that special teams coach D.J. Durkin is one of the rising stars on the West Coast. But, when it actually comes to kicking the ball, Stanford has some issues. Kicker Nate Whitaker has noticeably tired as the year has progressed — his kickoffs continue to lose velocity and his field goal attempts have become more inaccurate. Meanwhile, the punting job has been up for grabs all season, and neither David Green nor Daniel Zychlinksi has been able to lock it down.

One final note: the Cardinal plays exceptionally well at home. They’ve lost only once in the past two year (to USC, who they were tied with at half time). This season, they’ve destroyed all four opponents they’ve faced at Stanford Stadium — literally beaten them into submission. It is a stark contrast to their road performance, where they can look lost. It adds another twist to an already intriguing matchup. lc l ark@dai lye m e r a ld.co m

6b Oregon Daily Emerald Friday, November 6, 2009

Back where he belongs T.J. Ward has finally recovered from his high ankle sprain and is making a major impact in the secondary B EN SCHOR ZMAN | SPORTS EDITOR

On Boise State’s first drive of the second half on Sept. 3, senior free safety T.J. Ward stepped up and hit Bronco running back Jeremy Avery. It was his 11th tackle of the game, and it would also be his last.

Ward was helped off the blue turf, and he limped to the sideline with a high ankle sprain. Many assumed he would be back in two or three weeks, but instead it was a month and a half. Week in and week out, Ward watched from the sidelines as his team marched through the schedule.

He was doing light running drills before the UCLA game on Oct. 10, but he was scratched at game time. It wasn’t until Oregon played Washington on Oct. 24 that he finally played again. He finished with five tackles while splitting time, and for him it was just a relief to be past his injury and back where he belongs: on the football field.

“Yeah, it was tough,” Ward said of the five games he was out for. “Anytime I’m not on the field doing what I love to do it’s hard. Even with the winning — I was ecstatic that we were winning — but me not being on the field was tough. I wanted it so bad.”

And a week removed from leading the No. 7 Ducks to a momentous 47-20 bombardment of USC with 10 tackles and an interception, the Bay Area native is ready j ac k hu n t e r | Photog r aph er to go home.

Senior free safety T.J. Ward moves to tackle wide receiver Devin Aguilar of Washington in one of three games he’s played this season. Ward sat “I missed half my season, so it feels good out five games because of a high-ankle sprain suffered against Boise State, but now he’s ready for the home stretch. to be able to come back and play in front and then he came to Oregon as a walk-on a good experience. I love it up here. It’s a force on the field, where he’s known for of all my friends and family and just put in 2005. Since then, he’s worked his way beautiful state, a beautiful city and I love laying bone-crunching hits on opposing on a show for them,” Ward said. “It’s nice from scout team star to full-time starter. our football experience and the things wide receivers. to have the support. You see people you This year he was tagged as a pre-season we do.”

“It’s good to get T.J. back,” head coach haven’t seen in a long time.”

Ward’s passion for football is evident Chip Kelly said. “We finally have our only All-Pac-10 member, and it was supposed Ward played football for the football to be his and Walter Thurmond III’s in everything he does. When he was re- senior in the secondary back and it’s good habbing, he would sometimes work too for T.J. It was a long, nagging injury and it’s powerhouse De La Salle High School in defense to lead.

“It’s been good,” Ward said. “There has hard and have to tone down his workouts good to have him back because he’s such a Concord, Calif., just a short drive from downtown San Francisco. There, he was a been a lot of ups and downs and I’ve had for fear of re-aggravating his ankle. His physical presence and a leader.”

“Obviously he’s a great hitter,” defensive part of a record 151-game winning streak, to go through a few things, but it’s been teammates and coaches also know he’s a

lineman Brandon Bair said. “T.J. comes up and fills holes and he lays some hits on people that they’re going to remember for years, and that definitely brings some energy to the team as well.”

“That presence is amazing,” cornerback Talmadge Jackson III said.

“Everyone knows T.J. is a great player and everybody expects that big hit at one point, but he’s a good tackler first.

He’s been here for years; he’s a great, great player.”

That energy was definitely there against the Trojans. Ward was all over the field, breaking up passes and ganging up on USC players.

“After the first hit all the nerves and jitters are out, but you still aren’t in the mid-season shape like if I had been playing before,” Ward said.

But that will come, his teammates say. They’re just happy to have him back, especially with all of the other injuries in the secondary.

“It’s been real nice,” cornerback Javes Lewis said. “Having T.J. (back) has allowed me to move to a corner. It’s been a blessing in disguise for our defense having another strong guy out there.”

It’s been a blessing in disguise for the whole team coming into the last four games of the season. The Rose Bowl is in sight, and although no one on the team will dare mention those two words, they realize the importance of winning the rest of their games. And Ward will lead by the same philosophy he’s practiced since being a walk-on in 2005: just keep working hard.

“It’s just not letting anything stop you,” Ward said, “whatever the naysayers may say or tell you what you can’t do. You know your potential and you just can’t let anyone stop you and just do it.” b sc hor zman@dai lye m e r a ld.co m

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Friday, November 6, 2009 Oregon Daily Emerald 7b

In my opinion | Robert Husseman

How Oregon can go to the Title game Ranked eighth in the Bowl Championship Series standings and seventh in the Associated Press poll, Oregon has established itself as the nation’s top one-loss team in the eyes of the nation. Should the Ducks (7-1, 5-0 Pacific-10 Conference) hold serve in their remaining four conference games, they will be mortal locks to make their first Rose Bowl appearance since 1994.

Most Oregon fans, understandably, think the Ducks are capable of much more. Say, an appearance in the BCS National Championship Game.

However, the Ducks do not control their own destiny. Seven undefeated teams remain in their path, waiting for their shot at the national title. Here are my predictions for what will happen to college Still on His football’s undefeet feated teams (all rankings from the AP poll): No. 1 Florida (Southeastern Conference) The Gators have the easiest

schedule of any undefeated team in college football. The only hope for Gator detractors is for South Carolina and former Florida coach Steve Spurrier to upstage college football’s best team to date. There is, however, the SEC championship game ...

No. 2 Texas (Big 12 Conference) The Longhorns’ 41-14 victory over Oklahoma State represented the last major challenge on the schedule, as the Big 12 title game should not be in issue. Kansas and Texas A&M should, at the very

least, put up a fight.

No. 3 Alabama (SEC) The Crimson Tide’s offense is no sure thing against LSU’s defense, but Oregon will likely be jumped by LSU in the event of an upset. Look out for Auburn, which may have found confidence in its upset of No. 24 Ole Miss last week.

No. 4 Cincinnati (Big East Conference) The most difficult remaining schedule of any of the undefeated teams. Connecticut and West Virginia are talented, even though neither team has put it together.

Pitt could enter the game against the Bearcats as a top-10 team with enough attrition.

No. 5 Boise State (Western Athletic Conference) Oregon fans will be rooting like hell for Idaho on Nov. 14, the resurrected in-state rival that became bowl eligible this season for the first time in a decade. Beware, Broncos, of Nevada on Nov. 27: The Wolfpack boasts the nation’s strongest rushing attack.

No. 6 TCU (Mountain West Conference) The Nov. 14 game against Utah

will decide the conference title, and only a TCU victory will secure a BCS bid for the Mountain West.

Wyoming, which lost to Utah 22-10 last week, will also give the Horned Frogs a fight.

No. 8 Iowa (Big Ten Conference) The only game in which an undefeated team will likely not be favored takes place next weekend, as the Hawkeyes travel to Ohio State.

Should Iowa pass that test, it will still likely be on the outside looking in for the BCS title game.

r hu s s e man@dai ly e m e r a ld.co m

pac-10 roundup

USC trying to bounce back at ASU Washington State at No. 21 Arizona (12:30 p.m. Saturday) The Cougars are desperate to end a five-game losing streak after falling 40-14 to then-No. 25 Notre Dame last weekend. Senior running back Dwight Tardy gathered 72 yards on only eight carries, but freshman quarterback Jeff Tuel threw two interceptions and the Cougar defense gave up an alarming 592 total yards. Two weeks ago, the Wildcats earned their third Pacific-10 Conference victory over a struggling UCLA team.

Though sophomore quarterback Nick Foles threw three interceptions and the offense combined for five total turnovers, Arizona still emerged with a 27-13 victory behind stellar defensive play.

The Bruins were held to just 211 total offensive yards, and none of the three quarterbacks they used guided the team into the end zone.

Key stat: Last year, the Wildcats had 531 yards of offense in a 59-28

UCLA is officially in a tailspin, having lost its first five Pac-10 matchups. The Bruins came tantalizingly close to their first conference victory last weekend against Oregon State before ultimately falling 26-19. Quarterback Kevin Prince finished the day with 323 yards and two touchdowns, and sophomore wide receiver Nelson Rosario totaled a career-high 152 yards. Washington comes off a much-needed bye week after a 43-19 drubbing at the hands of Oregon. All eyes will be on junior quarterback Jake Locker, who has thrown four interceptions in his last two games and could have a tough time against the conference’s second best pass-defense.

UCLA allows only 197.6 yards per game and has intercepted 12 passes this season.

Key stat: Locker has thrown for over 200 yards in all but two games this year.

Oregon State at No. 23 California (4 p.m.)

The Beavers’ confidence continues to grow as they have now won

Pick the Pac Lucas: 17-6 Patrick: 17-6 USC at Arizona state

No. 12 USC at Arizona State (5 p.m.)

Embarrassed by a Halloween blowout against Oregon, the Trojans will look to come out firing on all cylinders against Arizona State. The Trojans defense should be particularly motivated after giving up 47 points and 613 total yards to the Ducks offense. Freshman quarterback Matt Barkley will also look to improve upon his performance last week, as he threw for two touchdowns but only 187 yards. The Sun Devils are coming off a heartbreaking 23-21 loss to California at home. Senior quarterback Danny Sullivan threw for 244 yards but had two interceptions, and Arizona State’s defense gave up 408 total yards.

Key stat: USC has not lost back-to-back games since the 2001 season.

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three of their last four games. Not surprisingly, their resurgence has been keyed by the Rodgers brothers. Against UCLA last week, junior wide receiver James Rodgers ran for the winning touchdown with 44 seconds remaining, finishing with 106 yards receiving to go along with 28 rushing. Running back Jacquizz Rodgers, meanwhile, did just about everything for the Beavers. The dynamic sophomore ran for 112 yards, caught seven passes for 92 yards, and even threw for a touchdown. Senior quarterback Sean Canfield also seems to be hitting his stride and has gone without an interception in each of his last three games.

California, meanwhile, seems to have put embarrassing losses to Oregon and USC behind it and has won three straight. Most recently, the Golden Bears eked out a 23-21 victory over Arizona State. Junior quarterback Kevin Riley threw for 351 yards and two touchdowns, while junior running back Jahvid Best had 124 total yards and a touchdown. Kicker Giorgio Tavecchio kicked three field goals, including a 24-yard game-winner with 21 seconds left.

Key stat: Over his last three games, Riley has thrown for 8 touchdowns. He had thrown only

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8b Oregon Daily Emerald Friday, November 6, 2009

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