|
|
 |
 |   |
|
EVENTS Fantasy Central Inside Game Video Plus Statitudes Your Turn Message Boards Email Newsletters Golf Guide Cities 
CNNSI.com GROUP
COMMERCE | |
PASADENA, California (Ticker) -- Joey Harrington engineered another comeback and Oregon now controls its fate in the Pac-10 Conference. Harrington completed a one-yard touchdown pass to Josh Line on 4th-and-goal with 9:56 remaining and the seventh-ranked Ducks watched a long field goal attempt sail wide right on the final play of the game to defeat No. 16 UCLA, 21-20. The 500th win in school history came with the help of Harrington, who had an average game statistically but led the Ducks on an eight-play, 70-yard drive in the fourth quarter. "We've been in that situation before and done what we've needed to do," Harrington said. "This is a great feeling sitting on top. This is the best defense we've played against all season." Harrington, who also scored on a six-yard run to open the scoring, completed a 35-yard TD pass to Justin Peele to set up the TD pass to a wide-open Line, who has just six catches all season. "I knew that call would work. It was a great call," Line said. "I gave a little fake and I got wide open." It was the ninth time that Harrington, a Heisman Trophy candidate, led the Ducks to a comeback victory in the fourth quarter. Harrington, who is 23-3 as a starter, completed just 13-of-23 passes for 195 yards without an interception. UCLA had two more chances, one after Cory Paus completed a 19-yard pass to Brian Poli-Dixon near midfield. But the Bruins had trouble moving the ball from there and Chris Griffith missed a 50-yard field goal attempt on the final play of the game. "I approached it just like practice," Griffith said. "I felt comfortable, but unfortunately it was just a bad kick." Griffith had connected on field goals of 20 yards in the third quarter and 37 yards in the third. On UCLA's previous drive, cornerback Steve Smith intercepted a pass from Paus at the Oregon 30. Paus completed 14-of-22 passes for 321 yards while playing with a thumb injury. The Ducks (9-1, 6-1 Pac-10), who are idle until a game with Oregon State on December 1, are one of just two conference teams with one loss. The other is Washington State, which lost to Oregon earlier this season. Washington, another Pac-10 team that began the day with one loss, was defeated at Oregon State on Saturday. "We're going to prepare for Oregon State like it's a bowl game," coach Mike Bellotti said. "We're in total control of our own destiny." Oregon improved to 17-3 in November under Bellotti and stayed alive in the national title picture. UCLA (6-3, 3-3), at one point a contender for the national title, suffered its third straight loss. The Bruins played without DeShaun Foster, the nation's third-leading rusher who was declared ineligible by the school after the NCAA made UCLA aware of a possible "extra benefits" violation. Akil Smith started in his place and gained 79 yards on 29 carries and a score. The Bruins did welcome back Poli-Dixon, who caught six passes for 149 yards after missing three games with a separated shoulder. "We had some distractions this week, but we had a great effort and just came up short," Bruins coach Bob Toledo said. "The guys who filled in did a really good job." Maurice Morris rushed for 129 yards on 14 carries and one touchdown for Oregon, marking the fourth time he has reached 100 yards this season. Harrington opened the scoring with his six-yard run before the Bruins answered on a one-yard TD run by Harris. With the help of a roughing-the-punter penalty, Morris put the Ducks up 14-7 with a one-yard TD run before the Bruins answered on the two field goals by Griffith. Paus led the Bruins on a 15-play, 97-yard drive that ended with a one-yard TD run by Manuel White that gave the Bruins a 20-14 lead early in the fourth quarter.
|
