<r.RID PROFILE*
Horton performing with strength at free safety
Brilliant in games against BYU, UCLA
H> Ashley Conklin
Emerald Sports Reporter
I he emergent e ot I In* t )regon
defense anil the emergent e nt
I)erek 1 lorton h.is pl.i\ ml .1 Ini;
rule ill the Dm ks rise to being
.1 fniithall pott ei in the !’.u iln
It) ( i illtelein e
When I lurliin I n st i nine In
Oregon in I'in', .mil appearing
in l'liti. as a redshirt freshman
the l)ui ks were anything hut
good nil deten.se Oiegon has
i Imihed hat k til lespei Inhibit
with its pl.yt and defensivelt
thanks to an altitude ( hange
among the group
In the past it tt as alw at s an
ns in them' thing the senior
starting tree safety said It
erytmdv would alvvavs hlame
somebodt else It was always
the linebai kers unit’s hiult or
the delensive trout's fault or it
was the sei unitary s fault Now
plating together as a
w e re
unit
1'he "> tool I 1 till pound
Horton play ed just about
evervthing m his i In
high school ho played c cirnor
hack hut moved to free safety
and staitod the lust game of his
sophomore season An ankle
m|im lore eel him out ol the
line-up though and he lost Ins
starting |oh to junior college
Iranslei Thom kaumeior
After strong safety Anthony
Newman graduated to the Ni l.
in PIH~ Horton was inserted .it
that position so that defensive
coordinator Denny Schuler
could utilize the talents of both
haumever and I lorton
lies a natural tree safety
and that's where he started out
at ' Sc huler said lie played
strong salety last year so yve
c ould yet he and huumey ei in
the line-up .It the same tillle
hut lie's muc h more c omfort
ahh at tree salety
1 lorton interr eptecl three
passes last sr.lsOll .111(1 U.IS .1
strung defender against ihr
run lie finished Ihr season
ss ilh Mi l.n k les .nnl ss .!'> third
.inning defensive players lit lu
l.d p1.1 \ s
As guud .is | lotion u.is Inst
simsoii uni' look .it his phis tills
siMsiin slums svhs lie's inure
.idrpt .it tier s.ilrls svllrrr he
i .in pi.is i enlerfirld instead nl
pi.is mg i lu.se In the line as all
strung s.duties ilu
* * l_ft_. —■
Derek Horton
I Ici'l .1 lui more i omfortable
,il free s,lifts Horton said
Strung saints pist wasn't lor
me and I didn't feel comfort
able plas mu it
Horton is sei ond on the team
w ith lour interceptions behind
i ornerbai k Ohris Oldham not
iniludmg a lumble he picked
out of the air at Brigham
Young He also has one olhel
tumble re<..overs is fourth on
the scpiad with tel talkies and
leads all defensive players in
total plavs
Si lluler lor one has been
pleased with the plus of Horton
and thinks he has been more
impressive I ban ka times ei
"lie s mm h better than
kaumever stoppmu the inn and
eipialls as good as kaumeser
cmrrmtt ihr pass Schulrr
said llrirk ll.is rc.lllv bios
sumi'il min .1 lop i alihrr -ill
i onlrrrm i' pl.l\i'i
Although Horton has devcl
opi'il into one of fhr lop drtrn
SISl hai ks m lfi»' f'<n Hi In'
It.iso I rot ci\ ml (i lot of 11-10)4111
lion lor Ins outstanding pia\
w lift li might In- <fo in port lo
lli.- p|,i\ of Oldham wiilrh
i onsidt ri’d onr of tin- lop dr
frlisix r t><i( ks m fhr nation
( In is li.is got most o! tin- .it
li-nlion hnl Drrrk luis plavrd
nisi as vvidl " Si hult’r said
Hr s had 111 good ((illiirs ill a
row and hr's improu-d in rvrry
onr I l ouhln I hr happirr with
llOVv hr s playrd
Ilorton has hrrn vri\ imprrs
sivr ill I hr I )ni ks Iasi two
gaums against Hilgham Young
and I'd. A
I frspilr a 4"> I I loss lo Ihr
( '.oligars. Horton had Ihr onr
fumble In- |in krd oil m a da\
w In-1r 11 was hard lo "point fin
gns al anyhod\
I sualls it's oni- person w ho
does something wrong that gets
Mamed for the loss, but that
das the whole defense had .1
had game He knew \s e were a
better defensive team than
that "
The Dinks showed that last
week m a :t8-~0 w in over the
Hruins in which the Oregon de
tense couldn't stop t’t'I.A in
the lirst halt and the Bruins
couldn't move the hall in the
sei ond lull!
Horton made two key (days
to help the cause by breaking
up a tout lldoss u pass on
l'( LA's opening drive of the
second half and later intercept
mg a p.iss and returning it 14
s aids to set up a I)uc k sc ore
Horton also had I I lac kies and
was instrumental in shutting
dow n the Brum running atlac k
III the sec ond halt
Head coach Rich Brooks has
also been impressed with Hoi
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Derek Horton has been described as a “natural" free safety
since his return to that position this year.
ton's plav and said the Ni l.
st outs arr ret ogni/.ing Horton's
ri’i i*nl sin c.rss
"Derek Horton has played
outstanding lootball. Urooks
said "He doesn't gel the ink or
the credit or anything because
most ol that has been going to
('hris Oldham
'The hist two weeks he has
i learlv played heller than an\
player on our defense " Urooks
added Against BYU and
l '( I A lie u.is outstanding
lie's tome up with some turn
overs and made some ke\ tat k
les I |e s j11sI done a stipei job
t hie group ol people th.it
Ills play hasn't gone unnoticed
lii is the (NFL) scouts who have
been asking tor a lot ot film on
him.'' he said. ‘'They're very
high on him.''
While it's hard to evaluate
who will or will not make it in
the NFL. Schuler likes Horton's
i ham es
"1 think he has the ahilit\ to
play in the Ni l. under the right
circumstances." Schuler said
"You can't sac somebody is .1
can't miss player because very
tew people are
"lie's as close an athlete to
Anthony as am hody l'\e had
he added, "so I think he deli
nitek has .1 shot
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