Wary Eugene cops plan 'party patrol'

COLLEGE FOOTBALL: No. 10 Oregon will face No. 4 USC on Saturday; drunkenness followed 1998 Halloween game

The Associated Press | • Published October 29, 2009

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Eugene police are preparing for a rowdy Saturday when the 10th-ranked Oregon Ducks play host to No. 4 USC on Halloween.

Officers with the department’s “party patrol” will focus on a student-heavy neighborhood just west of campus where drunken riots have occasionally spilled into the streets.

One of the worst incidents there unfolded on Halloween in 1998, when 12 people were arrested after rioters caused damage and injuries. Just like this year, that particular Halloween fell on a Saturday.

University and student body officials are planning dozens of on-campus activities from 8 p.m. to 2 a.m. as an alternative to off-campus parties.

WSU to keep visiting Qwest

Washington State athletic director Jim Sterk said Wednesday he expects the Cougars to continue playing one home football game at Seattle’s Qwest Field every year.

“As an institution, it’s a positive for us to play there,” Sterk said.

Earlier this year, Sterk had discussed ending the annual game at Qwest that started in 2002.

Sterk said negotiations on a new contract with Qwest are encouraging, and he continues to talk to the Oregon Ducks about the possibility of moving their 2010 conference game with WSU from Pullman to Qwest.

Howie Stalwick, for The News Tribune

Pair arrested in stabbing

Several witnesses identified the man charged with fatally stabbing University of Connecticut football player Jasper Howard, prosecutors said.

Two people arrested in the stabbing of 20-year-old Howard on Oct. 18 were arraigned in Rockville Superior Court in Vernon, Conn. John William Lomax III, 21, is charged with murder while his co-worker, 20-year-old Hakim Muhammad, is charged with conspiracy to commit assault.

Police have not discussed a motive.

Several witnesses reported seeing Lomax and Muhammad involved in a minor altercation with others outside a university-sanctioned dance that night. They were described as being “in a rage” when they went to Lomax’s car and returned with knives. Witnesses identified Lomax as the person who stabbed Howard.

Ineligible Bryant undecided

All-America receiver Dez Bryant says he hasn’t decided yet whether he’ll enter the NFL draft after the NCAA ruled that he will be ineligible for the rest of his junior season at Oklahoma State.

“As of right now, I’m just thinking about what’s going on right now. This is what I’m focused on,” Bryant told ESPN.

Bryant has missed the past four games for the 13th-ranked Cowboys (6-1 overall, 3-0 Big 12 Conference) after being declared ineligible for lying to an NCAA investigator looking into Bryant’s offseason meeting with former NFL player Deion Sanders.

Oklahoma State has appealed.

Walker to watch Tebow

Georgia Hall of Famer Herschel Walker, who met Florida quarterback Tim Tebow at the 2007 Heisman Trophy presentation, will attend Saturday’s game between Georgia and Florida in Jacksonville, Fla.

Tebow tied Walker’s Southeastern Conference record for career rushing touchdowns last week with the 49th of his career. He could break the mark Saturday in his hometown — and maybe just as fittingly — against Walker’s Bulldogs.

“It’s an honor to be even mentioned or tied with Herschel,” said Tebow, who won the Heisman in 2007, the 25th anniversary of Walker’s Heisman.

Extra points

Heisman-winning Oklahoma quarterback Sam Bradford had successful surgery on his right shoulder. He plans to enter the NFL after his recovery. … The Chick-fil-A Bowl and the ACC have agreed to a four-year extension that will keep the conference’s first selection after the BCS going to the game at the Georgia Dome through 2013.