Eugene Oregon News

Ducks hope to overcome controversy

EUGENE -- Oregon has a proven ability to shut out distractions and play well, and the Ducks say this season should be no different.

Coming off a 12-1 season, their second straight conference championship and an appearance in the BCS championship game, the Ducks embark on this season under investigation by the NCAA.

'There's always controversy," said running back LaMichael James, a Heisman Trophy finalist last year. 'We play for the team and I play for the team. I don't play for anybody else. If you have to worry about what the fans say or what the media has to write about, you're playing for the wrong reasons."

At issue is a $25,000 payment Oregon made last year to Houston-based Willie Lyles and Complete Scouting Services for what appears to be outdated information about potential recruits. The payment was made shortly after Oregon received a letter of intent from Lache Seastrunk, a running back from Texas who had a mentoring relationship with Lyles.

If the Ducks themselves are worried in the least about the investigation, they're not showing it. In fact, their main concern is rebounding from the 22-19 loss to Auburn for the national championship in January.

'It's the biggest motivation I have in my life," junior quarterback Darron Thomas said Thomas performed admirably as a first-year starter last season, throwing for 2,881 yards and 30 touchdowns. He ran for five more scores. But more than that, he proved himself unflappable in pressure situations.

He threw for 363 yards, including a touchdown to James and the two-point conversion pass to Jeff Maehl, to tie the finale against the Tigers at 19 with 2:33 left. Auburn kicked a field goal with no time remaining for the victory.

It was Thomas' first loss as a starter.

'He's probably the toughest quarterback I've ever been around. If you look at the touchdowns that he's thrown and just put a highlight tape of the 30 some odd touchdowns he threw, and how many shots he took when he was throwing the ball, he's truly a fearless competitor," coach Chip Kelly said. 'He's really grown into the leadership role that we've asked him to being the quarterback of our football team."

James returns to the Ducks even though there was speculation that he could have been as high as a second-round pick in the NFL draft. He kept any questions at bay by announcing before the national championship that he'd return.

'I love my teammates. I think that's the big key. I don't want to let those guys down," he said recently about his decision.

Deep commitment.(General News)(Divers feel privileged to work for ...

Deep commitment.(General News)(Divers feel privileged to work for free at the Oregon Coast Aquarium): An article from: The Register-Guard (Eugene, OR)

This digital document is an article from The Register-Guard (Eugene, OR), published by The Register Guard on December 7, 2003. The length of the article is 1769 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

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