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THURSDAY
Oct. 29,1998
Best Bet
NCAA football
San Diego State at BYU
8 p.m., ESPN
After some uncertainty, Northcutt settles in
They
knew I
could make
plays
happen, so
they gave
me a
chance to
play
receiver »
Dennis Northcutt
Arizona wide
receiver
Arizona wide receiv
er Dennis Northcutt
leads the Wildcats
against Oregon this
Saturday in Tucson.
Northcutt is third in
the Pac-10 in receiv
ing yards per game
and has caught a
touchdown pass in
11 of his Iast15
games.
Daily Wildcat
Northcutt says playing several positions
early in bis college career helped him
become a better receii vr
By Scott Pesznecker
Oregon Daily Emerald
On his own time, Dennis LaMont Northcutt is a
nice guy. He enjoys the same pastimes that others do,
including dancing, reading, weight lifting and basket
ball.
However, put him on offense in a football game and
suddenly Northcutt isn't so nice. And when he found
his niche at wide receiver for Arizona last year, he be
came a nightmare to his opponents.
“He’s really quick off the line," Oregon cornerback
Eric Edwards said. “His quickness in getting in and
out of routes is exceptional. He’s a big-play receiver,
and you have to account for him being a long-ball
threat.”
Northcutt's contribution to the Wildcats this sea
son has been undeniable. He ranks fourth in the Pacif
er, and his 160.4 all-purpose yards per game ranks
him third in the Pac-10.
With a career total of 1,620 receiving yards and 117
receptions, Northcutt's ability to catch the ball has
made him one of the most successful receivers to ever
wear a Wildcat uniform. He ranks eighth on Arizona’s
all-time yardage list as a receiver and fourth in total re
ceptions.
But success as a wide receiver did not come in
stantly for Northcutt.
Starting as a freshman in 1996, he was bounced
around to tailback, cornerback and wide receiver.
While some players may have found this frustrating,
Northcutt found it beneficial.
“I had an advantage then because 1 got to play dif
ferent positions,” he says. “In high school, you play all
different positions. I felt good because 1 got to keep
doing what I had been doing before.”
The Wildcats first glimpsed Northcutt’s athletic po
tential three games into the 1996 season when he had
two interceptions playing back-up cornerback. In his
fifth game, Northcutt played wide receiver.
“From there, the coaches felt that I needed to play,”
Northcutt says. “They knew I could make plays hap
pen, so they gave me the chance to play receiver. I
started making things happen."
At the beginning of his sophomore year, Northcutt
was on the roster as the third receiver. But when Jere
my McDaniel went down with a hamstring injury in
ic-10 Conference in receiving
yards per game with a 94.8 aver
age and has caught a touchdown
passin 11 ofhislast lSgames.
The 5-foot-ll, 170-pound ju
nior is also Arizona’s punt retum
Turn to Northcutt, Page 9
Ho-Ching could return to practice before Washington game
Head coach Mike Bellotti said
freshman tailback Herman Ho
Ching is 80 percent recovered
By Rob Moseley
Oregon Daily Emerald
Oregon faces its second straight game
without the services of its top three tailbacks
when it travels to Tucson to face No. 12 Ari
zona on Saturday.
Derien Latimer will make his third start of
the season against the Wildcats, and Jason
Cooper and Jerry Brown will come off the
bench again.
“I thought Derien made a very strong
showing in the second half last week and
won that job," Oregon head coach Mike Bel
lotti said. “But we’ll still do some things
with the other tailbacks to utilize their abili
ties, but Derien will be the starter. ”
Latimer ran for 87 yards, 79 in the sec
ond half, against Southern California last
weekend and is now the Ducks’ second
leading rusher.
While leading rusher Reuben Droughns is
out for the year, freshman sensation Herman
Ho-Ching could return from strained knee
ligaments as early as next week.
Bellotti said Ho-Ching is 80 percent
healthy and back prac
ticing, although not in
pads.
“If he goes the entire
week and has no set
Oregotl backs, I would hope he
football would start to be able
... to practice next week
full-go,” Bellotti said.
“And if he survives that, then I’d love to
have him back and believe he might be able
to play next week. ”
Oregon faces Washington on Nov. 7, the
current target date for Ho-Ching’s return, ac
cording to Bellotti. The Huskies boast the
Pacific-10 Conference No. 3 defense and are
giving up just 133 yards on the ground per
game.
Ho-Ching opened the season with 54
yards on 12 carries against Michigan State
and displayed a punishing, upright running
style. He followed that game with 117 yards
and two touchdowns on 13 carries against
Texas-El Paso, against whom he scored
three third-quarter touchdowns, including
a 50-yard score on a screen pass.
The Long Beach, Calif, native injured his
knee the following game, when he record
ed six yards on two carries before being in
jured against the Spartans.
UO’s Bellotti nominated for coach ot the year
Bellotti was one of three Pac-10 coaches
recently nominated for the coach of the year
award, the Football Writers Association of
America announced Tuesday.
Rich Brooks received the same award af
ter leading the Ducks to the Rose Bowl in
1994, when the coach of the year honor was
named for legendary Alabama coach Bear
Bryant. The award was recently renamed
for just-retired Grambling coach Eddie
Robinson
Among the 10 finalists are UCLA’s Bob
Toledo and Arizona’s Dick Tomey. Wash
ington State head coach Mike Price was
honored last season when he directed the
Cougars to the Rose Bowl.
This year’s winner will be announced at
the 1998 College Football Awards Show in
Orlando on Dec. 10 and presented with the
trophy Jan. 14 in Tempe, Ariz.
The voting process involves the more
than 800 members of the FWAA, while the
final decision will be made by the FWAA
All-America Committee.
Mr. Smith comes to Oregon
F’or those fans confused by the presence
of yet another Smith on the Oregon football
team, the latest being linebacker Matt, who
had six tackles last week, here’s a quick
primer.
The 6-foot-4, 240-pound sophomore from
Grants Pass originally signed a letter-of-in
Turn to FOOTBALL, Page 8