Bowl Championship Series - Players to Watch - No. 6 Washington at No. 25 Oregon

Friday, December 13, 2002
Players to Watch - No. 6 Washington at No. 25 Oregon
By Mike Diegnan
BCSfootball.com

WES CALL

School: Washington
Year: Senior
Position: Right tackle
Ht/Wt: 6-7, 310
Hometown: Petaluma, Calif.

Year	Games	Starts	Rush avg.
2000	3	3	190.7
1999	11	1	189.7
Career	14	4	---

Autzen Stadium is small compared to other Pac-10 home sites. Oregon packs in less than 47,000 each weekend, but 47,000 screaming Ducks can make a lot of noise. Just ask UCLA. The Bruins flew into Eugene on a Duck hunt as the No. 8 team in the country. They left as endangered species.


	Washington's Wes Call will battle the Ducks' defensive line and crowd.

The Bruins made five false start penalties in the first half alone en route to a 29-10 humbling loss. Three consecutive early movements forced Bob Toledo to have Ryan McCann punt on third down to save his offense any more humiliation.

Washington starts an experienced offensive line this Saturday against the Ducks (ABC, 3:30 p.m. ET). The same unit has started the first three games and three of the five started all 12 games last season. But the O-line will face a tough Oregon defense and crowd.

The biggest concern will be at right tackle, where Wes Call will start. In his second year at UW after excelling at Santa Rosa Junior College, Call must concentrate hard this weekend on hearing the signals of quarterback Marques Tuiasosopo. Once the ball is snapped, Call will often be matched up against Oregon end Saul Patu, who has been an honorable mention Pac-10 performer each of the last two years and already has 3.5 sacks and seven tackles-for-loss this year.

The stadium may be small, but the 12th Man will be a factor in the Huskies' game plan this weekend. How Wes Call performs under the pressure and helps Tuiasosopo silence the Ducks will be vital to Washington continuing its perfect season.

KURTIS DOERR

School: Oregon
Year: Senior
Position: Punter
Ht/Wt: 6-2, 215
Hometown: Waterford, Wis.

Year	Punts	Avg.	Net avg.	In20	Blk
2000	23	38.5	36.1	9	1
1999	59	41.7	40.9	19	2
Career	82	40.3	39.6	28	3

Field position will be a vital part of Saturday's contest. In its three wins, Oregon used field position to take control of the game. In their lone loss, the Ducks lost the field position war. One of the key players in the field position battle is punter Kurtis Doerr, a senior from Wisconsin, who was a Second Team All-Pac-10 in 1999.

Doerr has started where he left off last year when he averaged 41.7 yards per kick and nailed 19 punts inside the 20 and seven inside the 10. This year, he is booting nearly 40 percent of his kicks inside the 20 and does not allow many to be returned. Oregon's coverage team has been excellent, as a scant five punts have been returned for an average of 3.6 yards per return. Washington will look for a big return from freshman Derrick Johnson, who has yet to break free this year and likely won't this weekend. He is averaging just 4.6 yards a return, his longest being 12 yards.

Oregon coach Mike Bellotti also has a secret weapon in Doerr if he chooses to fake. A former high school quarterback, Doerr thrice executed fake punts to perfection last year.

The one area that is of concern for the Ducks is that Doerr has struggled with blocked punts. In the loss to Wisconsin, the Badgers' Ryan Marks burst through the line and got a piece of a Doerr kick and fell on it for a Wisconsin touchdown. Last year, he was blocked twice.

A victory could propel Oregon to the top of the Pac-10, and Doerr's foot is an integral part of the team's game plan.

Mike Diegnan is the editor of BCSfootball.com.

ALSO SEE

Brant: Tuiasosopo is the key

Player Q&A -- Washington nose tackle Larry Tripplett

Weekend preview: September ends with a bang

Danielson: Dantzler setting the ACC on fire

5 things to watch

AUDIO/VIDEO

Oregon head coach Mike Bellotti descibes the home field advantage his team has against the University of Washington.
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RealAudio: 14.4 | 28.8 | 56.6

ABC's Terry Bowden says Oregon will pull an upset this weekend against University of Washington.
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UW's nose tackle Larry Tripplett talks about the football being a very instinctual game.
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UW's nose tackle Larry Tripplett comments on Steve Emtman bridging the gap between coaches and players as he helps out the Washington football program.
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UW's nose tackle Larry Tripplett disscusses how the fans play a major role in games and gives energy to an athlete.
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RealAudio: 14.4 | 28.8 | 56.6

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