Oregon Feature
Smith was a Her
man Trophy con
tender and led the
nation in passing ef
ficiency earlier this
season by combining
a cool demeanor in
the pocket with arm
strength and quick
ness rarely seen be
fore in an Oregon
quarterback
Nick Medley/Emeral
(( That’s
what it is —
a revolution.
African
Americans
are now
being sought
after at
quarterback
because of
their athletic
ability. ”
Akili Smith
UO quarterback
Akili Smith reflects on his career, future
The Ducks ’ senior quarterback
sat down recently to discuss
his collegiate experience at
Oregon and what lies ahead
By Joel Hood
Oregon Daily Emerald
From his tumultuous first season on
and off the football field to his remark
able assault on the Heisman Trophy race
and the Oregon record books this season,
quarterback Akili Smith has had his
share of media attention.
Few athletes in Oregon’s rich history
have had quite the impact that Smith has
in less than two full seasons. On the eve
of the Ducks’ most heated rivalry, Smith
reflects on his time here at Oregon, the
unique pressures of being a black quar
terback and how he has been treated by
the media, the fans and his teammates.
Tell me about the decision process to come to
Oregon.
It was a combination of the coaches
presenting themselves real well. There
wasn’t a lot of B.S. The recruiters came to
my house and met with me and my dad
Nick Medley/Emerald
Smith’s scrambling ability has helped him
become a double threat at quarterback.
and told us about the success the school
has had. Oregon has won more Pac-10
games than anyone over the last five or
six years. That made a big difference.
The tradition at quarterback was a
huge factor, as well as the opportunity to
play with Saladin McCullough, Pat John
son and those guys.
You played minor league baseball with the
Pittsburgh Pirates' organization out of high
school. How close were you to pursuing a ca
reer in pro baseball?
Every time I would do poorly in base
ball I would think about football. Foot
ball has always been my first love. I al
ways talked to my dad about playing
football, about making it to the NFL. I
would sit at home on Sundays.
What did you learn from that experience that
you can apply at Oregon?
Just being on your own and making all
the decisions you need to at a young age.
I was away from home at 17 years old
across the country. It really helps you
mature quickly. You have to learn to take
care of yourself. I had a lot of money, but
I was surrounded by a lot of people I did
n’t know very well, so it was hard.
Why is quarterback such a difficult position to
play?
The object is to slow the quarterback
down. Every way you look at it, if the
other teams can slow the quarterback
down, they have an excellent chance of
winning. Being a quarterback and just
preparing is so hard. When you’re a quar
terback you have to know exactly what
everyone on the offense is doing.
During my first year I was never really
comfortable. It really took working with [of
fensive coordinator Jeff] Tedford over the
summer and being with the program over
the summer for me to feel comfortable.
What drives you crazy on the football field?
When I make a mistake. And I get up
set when my teammates make a mistake
that I know they’re capable of doing.
I remember seeing you bark at Derien La- -
timer last week against Arizona after he
missed a blocking assignment on a blitz.
Those are the things we should take
care of. If you get physically beat on a
play, hey, that’s a given, but if you make
Emerald
Smith has gone from tossing a baseball in
the minors to rifling footballs at Oregon.
a mental mistake, that hurts more.
You're the first black quarterback to play for
Oregon. There isn’t a large African-American
contingent on this campus. Did you think
about that when you chose to come here?
It never really entered my mind. I was
just so grateful that the coaches were giv
ing me an opportunity to play.
I always hear rumors about there being a lot
of African-American athletes at Oregon State
who feel there are a lot of racist undertones at
that university. Is it fair to say that's a
statewide problem?
To be quite honest, Oregon is more of a
predominately white area, but it’s a great
place. I’ve just come out here and tried to
lay low and stay focused on what I have
to do. Even though you’re an athlete and
a racial minority, they’ll treat you fine.
This is a peaceful town and they got a lot
of rules to punish you if you make a bad
decision. If you make the right decisions,
you’ll have fun out here.
Turn to SMITH, Page5B
Ducks-Huskies
rivalry among
best in college
Hugh McElhenny, Napoleon Kauf
man, Corey Dillon, Rashaan Shehee
... Braxton Cleman?
It’s no secret why Washington has fallen
off this season. Entering Saturday’s North
west grudge match with Oregon, the
Huskies rank seventh in the Pacific-10 Con
ference in rushing with just more than 100
yards per game. That total is less than half
the number Washington ran for when it
dominated the conference in the early
1990s.
But the Ducks don't want to hear any sob
stories.
Since Oregon lost tailback Reuben
Droughns for the remainder of the season af
ter its UCLA loss, the Ducks’ ground attack
has been nonexistent. Derien
Latimer rushed for just 87
yards two weeks ago against
Southern California and
only 47 yards last week
against Arizona.
The team who runs the
ball more effectively Satur
day will win the game, pure
and simple.
Speaking of runs — this
series seems to have been
nothing but. The Ducks have
Opinion
Joel
Hood
won three ot their last four
games against Washington, including a 31
28 victory in Seattle last season. But before
that stretch, the Huskies had a streak of five
in a row and three streaks of six in a row.
But that’s not what fans think about first
when they talk about this series. Fans talk
about the hatred, respect, intimidation and
all the rest when Washington is next on the
Ducks’ schedule.
In his weekly teleconference, Oregon
head coach Mike Bellotti said Washington
was not the Ducks’ No. 1 rival, but that, of
course, it was still Oregon State.
Not even close. The Oregon-Washington
rivalry in the 1990s is not only the best ri
valry in the Pac-10, but one of the top five in
the entire country. Regardless of what the
Ducks do the remainder of the year, this sea
son will be a failure in the eyes of the play
ers, the fans and the media if Oregon cannot
extend its win
streak against the
Huskies.
Interestingly, Ore
gon’s last home vic
tory against Wash
ington ended with
Kenny Wheaton
sailing down the
sideline for the
game-clinching
touchdown. While
“the pick” is cer
tainly the most
memorable moment
from Oregon’s Rose
Bowl season in
1994, it’s probably
not the single most
dramatic play in
this series’ history.
Last season, Oregon
(i Duck fans
hate Husky
fans for the
same reason
that siblings
fight at the
dinner table —
elbow room.
The Northwest
just simply
isn’t big
enough for two
national
powerhouses.
wide receiver Pat
Johnson caught the
ga m e - w i n n i n g -
touchdown with less than a minute to play
and sent the then-No. 6 Huskies into a three
game tailspin to end the regular season.
While the players themselves downplay
the importance of this particular game at
this particular point in this particular sea
son, don’t look for the magnitude of Satur
day’s game to be lost on Oregon’s fans. Duck
fans hate Husky fans for the same reason
that siblings fight at the dinner table — el
bow room.
The Northwest just simply isn’t big
enough for two national powerhouses.
Joel Hood is sports editor of the Emerald. He
can he reached via e-mail at hood@glad
stone.uoregon.edu.