New gunner will keep Ducks in the hunt

Sporting News, The, July 15, 2002 by Matt Hayes

The magazines stare back at him from bookshelves everywhere. In this summer of change, he is gripped by them. He digests every word. You know, the preseason college football annuals that say Jason Fife is no Joey Harrington; the ones that say Jason Fife is the reason the Oregon Ducks, who return most of a team that should've played for the national title last season, will be lucky to stay among the elite in the Pac-10. Even TSN's preview magazine has them pegged for fourth place.

"I saw that," Fife says, forcing a laugh.

Look, we're not dense. Fife threw all of nine passes last season as Joey Heisman's sophomore backup. Talk all you want about his rifle arm and physical ability, he hasn't played in a game that matters since high school. Yet there's one distinguishing factor that makes this transition easier than it should be: track record.

Oregon's pass-happy offense has dominated the Pac-10 the last seven years under coach Mike Bellotti, the West Coast's version of Steve Spurrier. Players come and players go, and the system keeps churning along. Tony Graziani. Akili Smith. Harrington. A.J. Feely, Harrington's backup for much of two seasons, was drafted by the Eagles in 2001. Philly coach Andy Reid, one of the NFL's most respected quarterbacks coaches, says Feely has a future in the league. And he couldn't break into the starting lineup in Eugene.

Now comes Fife, who actually pushed Harrington for the job two years ago in spring practice and has an eerily similar temperament. He's polished, he's poised, he's prepared. Experience is the only pothole.

"He's going to surprise a lot of people," says wideout Keenan Howry. "He has all the tools, and he has all the motivation."

That's not all he has. Fife will succeed because he has a support system that will enable him to eventually thrive in the offense--and make Oregon a sleeper pick for the Rose Bowl with its favorable schedule. Three starters return on the offensive line, and the Ducks have the league's best tailback (Onterrio Smith) and best receiving duo (Howry and Samie Parker). Seven starters return from an underrated defense, and the special teams are loaded.

Even a coaching shakeup in the offseason didn't cause a hiccup in this ultra-efficient machine. Oregon lost offensive coordinator Jeff Tedford to California, and Bellotti hired Andy Ludwig, one of the nation's top young assistants, from Fresno State. Ludwig was quarterback David Carr's mentor, and we all know how that turned out.

Ludwig, of course, is playing his role. He says he has two quarterbacks--including highly regarded redshirt freshman Kellen Clemens--and neither has separated from the other. But after Fifes spring game performance (12-of-15, 217 yards, four touchdowns), it's dear who the starting quarterback will be when the Ducks open the season against Mississippi State.

But physical ability, potential and a favorable system can only take a quarterback so far. Harrington was the best in school history--yep, even better than Dan Fouts and Chris Miller--because the space between his ears was stronger than his right arm. It's not about throwing a ball 70 yards. It's about making good decisions and creating unbreakable team chemistry.

If you have all those things, you have, well, Joey Harrington. And it becomes a lot easier to read those preseason magazines.

"My teammates have to be comfortable with me," Fife says. "If they have a smidgen of doubt, it can affect how they play. I know I'm unproven. But it doesn't matter where you start; it matters where you finish."

Fife isn't the only player stepping in under pressure. Here's a look at five others who will have a serious impact on a team with great potential:

WR Devard Darling, Washington State. Star receiver Nakoa McElrath is gone, and Mike Bush, the Pac-10's best wideout, will face plenty of double-teams. Coaches want to isolate Darling, a physical target, in the slot to create matchup problems.

LT Carlos Joseph, Miami. The poor kid has to step in for a player (Bryant McKinnie) who never gave up a sack. Don't feel too sorry for quarterback Ken Dorsey. Joseph (6-6, 335) is huge and full of pro potential--like McKinnie. Miami coaches thought about playing guards Ed Wilkins and Sherko Haji-Rasouli at left tackle before Joseph ended the speculation with an impressive spring.

LB Lance Mitchell, Oklahoma. A junior college All-American, Mitchell originally committed to play at Florida but signed with Oklahoma after Florida officials refused to allow him to enroll because of an academic discrepancy. Gators coaches privately fumed over the loss, and here's why: Mitchell (6-2, 245) hits and chases laterally as well as, or better than, former Oklahoma All-American inside backers Torrance Marshall and Rocky Calmus.

RB Derrick bight, Boston College. Brian St. Pierre was one of the nation's most efficient passers last season because William Green gave the Eagles a breakaway runner in the backfield. Knight, who is 5-9 but runs with power, doesn't have the home run speed of Green, but he's good enough to give the Eagles balance on offense. He'll help carry a dangerous team that has 18 starters returning much further than many believe.