When the Oregon football team takes the field to play Southern California on Saturday night, the kickoff will mark a beginning and an end for the Ducks.
As the Oregon players open up their Pacific-10 Conference schedules and begin their run toward a Pac-10 title, the Ducks say they will try to memorialize and put behind them the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11.
“Everybody’s ready,” Oregon junior wide receiver Keenan Howry said. “It’s going to be a challenge, but athletics are a good way to take your mind off everything.”
Several special ceremonies before kickoff Saturday will pay tribute to people who died in the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center in New York or the Pentagon in Washington, D.C. Oregon Athletics Director Bill Moos said that the athletics department staff “will be paying special attention to memorializing the victims” of the tragedies.
The teams will take the field for the national anthem and observe a moment of silence. The Ducks will wear American-flag decals on their helmets, among other special tributes.
Oregon linebacker Kevin Mitchell said that he and others are ready to return to the field, but not without some reservations.
“It’s good to get back onto the field, to get ready to play a game,” Mitchell said. “It just put a whole lot of things into perspective. Sports comes second.”

Mitchell, who has an aunt and uncle living in Manhattan, called the attacks “sick and twisted.” The linebacker was particularly touched by the tragedy, as he experienced long hours of waiting before he found out his relatives were safe.
“It’s just a mess,” Mitchell said. “It’s just a big mess.”
Oregon head coach Mike Bellotti said he was happy the Ducks had an open date Sept. 15, when many other teams were forced to reschedule games. The NCAA canceled all games last Saturday despite some teams’ objections.
“We had a difficult week last week,” Bellotti said. “I’m glad we didn’t have to think about things like preparing for a football game.”
Still, the Ducks have been practicing every day since the attacks, and Bellotti said a good football game could be the perfect restorative for those affected by the attacks.
“What we do out there — young, healthy people running around — I hope it’s a positive thing for people there and watching on television,” Bellotti said.

Autzen increases security
The athletics department will respond to the terrorist attacks on the East Coast with a pregame moment of silence, as well as in more tangible ways such as increasing security.
“We want to make sure the fans and players feel safe in Autzen Stadium,” Moos said.

Moos said the Ducks will take several steps to increase security at the stadium Saturday. Entrance gates will now have two lines, one for people with packages and one for those without. All packages and containers will be thoroughly searched by staff members.
The second area affecting Duck fans directly is a restriction on parking motor homes on Centennial Boulevard. The Oregon staff will not allow staging of vehicles on University property or public streets — specifically Centennial Boulevard — until five hours prior to kickoff. Also, television satellite trucks will no longer be allowed inside the stadium, as they have in the past.
Moos said the department will implement security measures that the public may not notice. He also mentioned there may be “more uniformed police officers” than before.
“We will have more people at Autzen, and in different places,” Moos said.
The athletics director said the security upgrade may apply to other sporting events as well, such as those at McArthur Court during basketball season, but that the athletics department will evaluate those venues as the seasons approach.