Oregon Opens Season against Arizona
Scene Setter . . . Oregon looks to open its 102nd season on a successful note for the 13th time in the last 14 years as it seeks a repeat of an outcome which led to the team's three-game season-ending winning streak a year ago. The Ducks prepare to open head coach Mike Bellotti's third season with his youngest team to date as they embark on a quest they hope will lead to a fourth-straight winning season for the first time in 62 seasons. Oregon hands the quarterback reins over to first-time starter for the first time since 1994 as it looks to post its fourth win in a row over its visitors for the first time in the 22-game series history between the two schools.
The Coaches . . . Third-year head coach Mike Bellotti assumed the reins as Oregon's 30th mentor following six seasons as the most proficient offensive coordinator in school history. The former Chico State head coach (1984-88) became the Ducks' winningest first-year mentor ever in 1995 (9-3) and helped the program achieve back-to-back New Year's Day bowl appearances for the first time in school history. His two-year 15-8 Oregon ledger has elevated his overall head coaching mark to 38-33-2. Arizona head coach Dick Tomey carries a 3-4 record against the Ducks into his 11th season in Tucson, accumulating a school-record 65-46-4 ledger at the Arizona helm. The 20th-year Division I head coaching veteran owns a lifetime 128-92-7 worksheet following a 10-year stint at Hawaii.
The Series . . . Oregon has utilized a three-game winning streak to even the series at 11-11-0 in the progression which first got underway in 1937. In addition, the Ducks have successfully held serve in Autzen Stadium against the Wildcats in each of the last three confrontations, with Arizona last prevailing in Eugene in 1986 (37-17). In fact, the home team has come away with the win in 14 of the 22 meetings, with Oregon owning a 7-3 record vs. its visitors in Eugene.
Something Special . . . Statistics don't adequately describe the talent that senior tailback Saladin McCullough possesses. He accumulated his 685 yards and 15 touchdowns while playing in parts of seven games, yet that includes only two yards in his Oregon debut and exiting early on two other occasions because of injury. Averaging 12.86 points per game, his scoring average bettered that of Washington's national scoring leader Corey Dillon (12.55) had McCullough played in enough games to meet the NCAA minimum (playing in 75% of team's games) to be included among its national leaders. Eclipsing the 100-yard plateau on three occasions in his first Oregon campaign, the post- season honors candidate appeared to be at the top of his game in his team's final major scrimmage. Carrying the ball only five times, he rushed for 66 yards and two touchdowns before being given the rest of the night off.
Oregon Radio Network
Astoria: KAST (1370-AM)
Bend: KBND (1110-AM)
Burns: KZZR (1230-AM)
Coos Bay/N. Bend: KRSG (106.5-FM)
Corvallis: KEJO (1240-AM)
Eugene: KUGN (590-AM)
Florence: KCST (106.9-FM)
Grants Pass: KAJO (1270-AM)
Hood River: KIHR (1340-AM)
John Day: KJDY (1400-AM)
Klamath Falls: KAGO (1150-AM)
Lakeview: KQIK (1230-AM)
Lincoln City: KBCH (1400-AM)
Medford: KTMT (880-AM)
Newport/Toledo: KZUS (1230-AM)
Ontario/Payette, ID: KIOV (1450-AM)
Pendleton: KTIX (1240-AM)
Portland: KXL (750-AM)
Roseburg: KTBR (950-AM)
Salem: KSLM (1390-AM)
Tillamook: KTIL (104.1-FM)
Mike Bellotti Show
The Mike Bellotti Show will be televised throughout the state, featuring comments from the Oregon head coach as well as highlights from the previous week. The one-hour show can be seen each Sunday at 5 p.m. on KVAL-TV in Eugene and 10 p.m. on KWBP-TV in Portland. The one-half hour version will air on Oregon Public Broadcasting outlets Monday's at 6 p.m.
Ducks' Sports Rap
KUGN Radio (590-AM) in Eugene will produce the one hour call-in show at 6 p.m. each Tuesday, featuring Oregon football coach Mike Bellotti as well as appearances from the Ducks' other fall sport coaches. Also joining the Tuesday night network will be KUIK- AM (1360) in Portland.
Future TV Appearances
Oregon is slated for two additional live national cable telecasts this season following Thursday, with FOX Sports Net airing Oregon's visits to Stanford (Sept. 27) and USC (Oct. 25).
A Year Ago . . . Oregon overcame a 14-0 deficit after the first four minutes of the contest behind the running of tailback Saladin McCullough to post a 49-31 triumph and snap a five-game losing streak. McCullough rushed for the third-highest single-game total in school history (223 yards) and equalled a Pacific-10 Conference record with five touchdowns rushing against an Arizona defense which had given up only five TDs on the ground in the previous eight games. His rushing yardage was the most gained against an Arizona defense since 1942. The Ducks racked up 310 yards on the ground vs. a defensive unit which began the day 26th nationally against the run.
Squad Facts . . . Thirty-nine lettermen and 17 seniors are among the 99 players who survived fall camp. Yet among the 44 players listed on the Ducks' current two-deep roster (excluding kickers), 20 of them enter Thursday's season opener as non-lettermen at the Pac-10 Conference level and only 11 of the 44 are seniors. Also included among the count are four first-year freshmen -- offensive linemen Jim Adams, Lee Gundy and Ryan Schmid, as well as cornerback Tamoni Joiner (who participated in spring drills after entering school during the winter term).
Deja Vu . . . The last time Oregon returned fewer starters than this year's 11 returnees (4 offensive, 5 defensive, 2 kickers) was 1994, when the Ducks welcomed back only nine returning starters (3/6/0) from the previous year. That same year was the last time Oregon was picked to finish as low as eighth in the majority of pre-season conference polls. Ironically, 1994 was the year the Ducks captured their first undisputed Pac-10 title en route to their first Rose Bowl appearance in 37 years.
Season Openers . . . The Ducks' success ratio in season openers has certainly been commendable in recent history, with Oregon having won 12 of its last 13 lid-lifters dating back to 1984. That includes a 6-1 ledger when those openers have occurred in Autzen Stadium. The home team dropped a 24-21 verdict to Hawaii in its 1992 debut. However it marks the first time Oregon has opened the season with a conference foe since it downed Washington State (40-14) in 1991.
It's Been a Long Time . . . With three consecutive winning seasons under its belt, Oregon looks to parlay its fourth straight feat together for only the fourth time in the program's history. The Ducks have been able to extend their string of successful campaigns beyond three years on only a trio of occasions, with the last occurring from 1928- 35 (eight winning seasons spanning three coaches).
Stength of Schedule . . . The Ducks' 1997 slate features opponents who compiled a 71-56 ledger (.559) a year ago, two conference champions and five foes coming off post-season appearances. If life on the road wasn't tough enough, Oregon faces both of the league winners (Nevada and Arizona State), four of the bowl representatives (add Stanford and Washington to the previously mentioned) and adversaries accumulating a success ratio of 70 percent (42- 18) away from home.
This Week's Games
Thursday: Arizona at Oregon
Saturday: California at Houston, North Texas at Oregon State, San Jose State at Stanford, Tennessee at UCLA, Florida State at USC, Washington at Brigham Young
About Arizona . . . A four-overtime loss at California marked the beginning of a decisive stretch that saw the Wildcats drop three of their last four outings and conclude a disappointing year with their first losing record (5-6) since 1991 and only the second in 15 years. Injuries certainly played a part in the down year as Arizona was forced to play without its top wide receiver, Richard Dice, for all but six games. While its defense finished an uncharacteristic fifth in the Pac-10 in scoring defense (25.5 avg.) and seventh in total defense (385.6 avg.) a year ago, Arizona returns 10 defensive starters as well as defensive coordinator Rich Ellerson, the designer of the school's "Desert Swarm" defense who took the head coaching job at Southern Utah a year ago. Quarterback Keith Smith returns after earning Freshman All-America honors by The Sporting News.
Oregon Returning Statistical Leaders
Rushing Att. Yds. Avg. TD Game Saladin McCullough, tb 122 685 5.6 15 97.9 Derien Latimer, tb 61 268 4.4 4 38.3 Jerry Brown, tb 42 215 5.1 2 30.7 Kevin Parker, tb 59 214 3.6 2 21.4 Passing Att. Comp. Yds. Pct. TD Int. Jason Maas, qb 18 8 62 44.4 1 0 Receiving No. Yds. Avg. TD Long Damon Griffin, se 43 711 16.5 7 66 Tony Hartley, fl 25 387 15.5 1 55 Blake Spence, te 21 380 18.1 2 43 Tackles UT AT T INT TFL Peter Sirmon, ilb 45 24 69 0 0-0 Garth White, ilb 36 18 54 1 1-1 Chris Vandiver, ilb 32 17 49 0 4-22 Ryan Klaasen, ilb 29 15 44 0 4-10
Arizona Returning Statistical Leaders
Rushing Att. Yds. Avg. TD Game Keith Smith, qb 136 546 4.0 8 49.6 Kevin Schmidtke, rb 55 247 4.5 0 22.5 Charles Myles 34 132 3.9 1 12.0 Passing Att. Comp. Yds. Pct. TD Int. Keith Smith, qb 193 117 1450 60.6 11 6 Brady Batten, qb 58 31 378 53.4 4 1 Receiving No. Yds. Avg. TD Long Jeremy McDaniel, wr 31 607 19.6 3 65 Rodney Williams, wr 23 275 12.0 1 55 Mike Lucky, te 14 168 12.0 2 26 Tackles UT AT TT INT TFL Chester Burnett, ilb 98 26 124 2 9-46 Jimmy Sprotte, olb 67 27 94 0 6-32 David Fipp, fs 51 37 88 2 0-0 Joe Salave'a, dt 41 6 47 0 12-70
Skill Level . . . Some circles have claimed Oregon may have its best collection of skill players since Dan Fouts, Bobby Moore and Bob Newland roamed the sidelines in 1970. That's in reference to receivers Damon Griffin and Pat Johnson, tailback Saladin McCullough, tight end Blake Spence and quarterback Akili Smith. In fact, Lindy's ranked the team's collection of running backs second in the Pac-10 and its receivers third, while The Sporting News considered the receiving corps the sixth-best in the country.
Pre-Season Honors . . . Below is a sampling of some of the honors bestowed upon a few of Oregon's individual standouts by a sampling of a few of the preseason publications:
WR LaCorey Collins -- Nation's Top-10 Redshirts (Lindy's)
WR Damon Griffin -- 1st-team all-conference (Football News, Sporting News, Street & Smith's, Preview Sports Pub.); Honorable Mention All-America (Street & Smith's)
KR Pat Johnson -- 2nd-team All-America ret. specialist (Athlons); 1st-team all-conference (Sporting News)
TB Saladin McCullough -- 1st-team all- conference (Sporting News); Honorable Mention All- America (Street & Smith's)
QB Akili Smith -- Pac-10 Newcomer of the Year (Preview Sports Pub.); Offensive Newcomer of the Year (Sporting News); Nation's Top-10 JC Transfers (Lindy's)
PK Joshua Smith -- 1st-team all-conference (Preview Sports Pub.)
TE Blake Spence -- 2nd-team all-conference (Lindy's, Sporting News)
Injury Report . . . While it seems that Oregon has had more than its share of bumps and bruises thus far, only a handful of hopefuls have actually been ruled out for the season opener at this point. Freshman offensive lineman John Bello (right foot) and outside linebacker newcomer Ruben Vaughan (left knee) both have underwent surgery to take care of pre-existing injuries and will be lost for the season while starting wide receiver Damon Griffin (right thumb) will be lost for a minimum of four weeks after undergoing surgery to repair ligament damage.
Offensive Explosion . . . One of the elements Mike Bellotti has stressed this fall is the need for more consistency from an offense which has experienced the growing pains resulting from an inexperienced line and quarterbacks. Yet he's quick to point out that the explosiveness which epitomized last year's unit may not necessarily be a thing of the past. The Ducks' offense, which accounted for no fewer than 17 school records last season, put together 10 scoring drives of less than one minute. While averaging 449 yards and 34.4 points a game in 1996, Oregon's offense accounted for 477 total yards and 46 points over the final three games.
Defensive Improvement . . . While there's no denying the numbers which pointed toward Oregon's most generous defense in 19 years, that doesn't account for the improvement resulting from the maturity of the 12 first-year lettermen who played extensive roles on the defensive side of the ball. Once that occurred, a unit which was responsible for allowing opponents 32.4 points and 437 yards of total offense for the season stiffened to the tune of 316.3 yards of offense and 22.3 points over the course of the final three games.
Quarterback Battle . . . It's a position the Ducks have been fortunate not to be in too often in the recent past, but head coach Mike Bellotti has said he probably won't decide upon his opening-day starter until just before kickoff. Junior Jason Maas and transfer Akili Smith have waged a tight dual for most of the fall, with Smith posting the better statistics in the final intrasquad scrimmage (11-18, 126 yards, 1 TD). However Maas was at the controls for two of the first- team's 35-yard scoring drives while Smith was able to muster only one longer than 10 yards. As a back-up quarterback at Oregon the past two years, Maas has made appearances in only five games, completing nine of 20 passes for 66 yards and one touchdown. Smith drew raves at Grossmont Community College as one of the nation's top junior college prospects. In the 14 years since Chris Miller was pulled from his redshirt year in the ninth game of the 1983 campaign and given the starting quarterback job, only four players (Miller, Bill Musgrave, Danny O'Neil and Tony Graziani) have assumed the starting role without taking into account those playing because of injuries.
Best of the West . . . Oregon remains the winningest Pacific-10 Conference program spanning the past three years. During the stretch, the Ducks have accumulated a 24-12-0 ledger. Washington and USC both stand one victory shy of Oregon's total, with the Huskies sporting a 23-10-1 mark and the Trojans a 23- 11-2 record.
