Ducks Prepare for Utes
EUGENE, Ore. - This weekend, Utah heads west for a Pac-10 showdown in Autzen stadium, hungry for a win after a two-game skid. The Utes feature one of the nation's largest tailbacks (both in size and # of vowels) in Chris Fuamtu-Ma'afala, but their defense is also one of the WAC's best.
Read up on the Utes in today's football notebook.
GAME 7 -- Utah (3-3/2-2) at Oregon (3-3/1-3) Saturday, October 18, 1:00 p.m. PDT (Homecoming) Eugene, Ore., Autzen Stadium (41,698)
ABOUT UTAH. . . Despite a season-opening 21-14 upset to neighboring Utah State, the Utes were rolling along with a three-game winning streak until hitting a two-game conference skid. Not helping matters has been a less than full strength running attack with 268-pound Chris Fuamatu-Ma'afala slowed by hamstring and ankle mishaps. Utah's rushing leader played in just seven quarters in the previous three games prior to last week's loss to SMU. He gained a season-high 143 yards at TCU and 102 yards vs. UTEP to give the former WAC freshman of the year ten 100-yard career rushing efforts. Junior quarterback Jonathan Crosswhite saw his string of consecutive games with a touchdown pass come to an end at five against SMU but already has thrown for over 1,000 yards. Defensively, the Utes rank 30th in the country in pass efficiency defense, 32nd in total defense (314.0) and 33rd against the run (115.3), led by two-time league defensive standout rover Phil Glover. UTAH SCHEDULE
Utah State, L, 14-21
@Louisville, W, 27-21
@TEXAS CHRISTIAN, W, 32-18
TEXAS-EL PASO, W, 56-3
@FRESNO STATE, L, 13-27
SMU, L, 19-20
O18 @Oregon
O25 NEW MEXICO
N1 @TULSA
N15 RICE
N22 @BRIGHAM YOUNG
LAST MEETING . . . Oregon accumulated 530 yards of total offense while holding Utah to only 160 yards to pace a 27-20 win which marked the first win in Mike Bellotti's tenure as the Ducks' head coach in the 1995 season opener. Yet big plays kept the defending WAC co-champions within striking distance as they scored on a 71-yard run from punt formation as well as a 97-yard interception return. Tight end Blake Spence finished the game with three catches for 83 yards.
THE SERIES . . . Oregon owns a 15-7-1 advantage in the series that dates back to 1933, however Utah has claimed a 2-1 edge since the renewal of the confrontations in 1991 following a 15-year hiatus. The Ducks maintained the upper hand in the last encounter in 1995, 27-20, and hold a 3-2 advantage in games played in Autzen Stadium.
OREGON VS. THE WAC . . . After struggling to be successful in only three of eight meetings against Western Athletic Conference foes between 1990 and '94, Oregon has regrouped to win its last four meetings against the conference's contingents the past three years to run the advantage to 7-5 in the 1990s. The Ducks have enjoyed interconference encounters with the WAC every year since 1987, with future schedules calling for the rivalry to continue through 2001. Oregon travels to Texas-El Paso next year while hosting San Jose State.
AT THE HELM . . . Utah head coach Ron McBride has accumulated a 52-37 record in his eighth campaign in Salt Lake City, guiding the Utes to four post-season appearances in the last five years and a tie for the Western Athletic Conference title in 1995. The former Arizona assistant (1987-88) sportsa 2-1 record against Oregon as the Utah mentor. UTAH STATISTICAL LEADERS
Rushing Att Yds. Avg TD Game
C. Fuamatu-Ma'afala 77 452 5.9 2 75.3
Juan Johnson, rb 81 385 4.8 6 64.2
Darnell Arceneaux, qb 17 82 4.8 0 27.3
Passing Att Comp Yds Pct TD Int
Jonathan Crosswhite 132 78 1067 59.1 9 5
Darnell Arceneaux, qb 37 20 293 54.1 2 0
Receiving No. Yds Avg TD Long
Kevin Dyson, wr 34 472 13.9 2 45
Daniel Jones, wr 27 493 18.3 5 57
Boo Bendinger, sb 14 222 15.9 1 66
Tackles UT AT FR INT TFL
Phil Glover, rov 32 23 0 0 5-13
Robert Love, ss 27 27 0 1 1-1
Mike Thomas, dt 11 26 1 0 2-5
Pene Talamaivao, ng 10 18 0 0 3-3
