Oregon daily emerald., April 06, 2000, Page 13A, Image 13

Herman Ho-Ching was scheduled as the starting tailback for spring, but he won’t be catching any more passes like the one above unless he catches up with his schoolwork and gets reinstated by the school.
Emerald
Football
continued from page 11A
here,” Bellotti said. “You spend all
winter lifting in an individual ba
sis, and then this is what I consider
the team building situation, where
we can actually go out and gener
ate some chemistry and unity.”
When Harrington and the of
fense were going through drills,
there were two notable absences.
Herman Ho-Ching, who would
have been listed as the No. 1 tail
back this spring, and probable
starting tight end LaCorey Collins
have been dismissed from school
for academic reasons.
The loss of both players is huge,
but especially at tailback where
there is just one player on the
spring depth chart who played last
season. Jermaine Hanspard, who
currently also runs track, will get
ample opportunity to show what
he can do in the backfield after
converting from the cornerback
slot.
Bellotti uses his words carefully
when addressing Ho-Ching’s situ
ation. Ho-Ching, who rushed for
494 yards and five touchdowns in
two seasons, must take classes at a
junior college in the spring and at
Oregon in the summer to have a
chance to play in the fall.
“As I understand it, the only
thing I can say officially is that he’s
not enrolled in school,” Bellotti
said. “So wishful thinking, there’s a
chance he could be here. Really, it’s
up to Herman at this point. ”
Collins, who had 35 catches for
513 yards and eight touchdowns
in three seasons, may be remem
bered most for “LaCorey’s Leap.”
It occurred in the fourth quarter of
Oregon’s 47-28 win over Texas-El
Paso on Sept. 11. Harrington’s
pass to Collins was well off the
mark, but Collins leapt and snared
the darting football with one hand
— his off hand, mind you — and
completed the 27-yard pass play
to set up the final touchdown of
the afternoon.
Current Ducks realize the im
pact Ho-Ching and Collins could
have had, but echo the opportuni
ty it gives to other players.
“Yeah, it’s a tough blow, but
guys will step up,” outside line
backer Garrett Sabol said. “It’s go
ing to be hard. I mean, Herman
was probably the best running
back I’ve ever seen and it’s too bad
what happened with him. ”
“The loss of certain players will
certainly affect you,” cornerback
Brian Johnson said. “But the guys
that we have here know the sys
tem and know how to play. It’s
their turn to shine.”
Also out for next season is sen
ior tailback Jason Cooper, who was
forced to miss his senior season
due to a nagging foot injury. Re
serve kicker Arash Emami and
tight end Danny Pulido have left
the team for personal reasons,
while inside-linebacker Ruben
Vaughan has been dismissed for
disciplinary reasons.
There is a bright spot, however,
in the return of cornerback Rashad
Bauman. Bauman suffered a sea
son-ending knee injury last spring,
and Monday marked his return to
action.
“It’s nice to have him back,” Bel
lotti said. “I think that he’s healthy,
he just needs to take it easy. I know
he’s glad to be back, and we’re glad
to have him.”
Bellotti will be keeping a close
eye on a number of positions,
where players will try to fill the
roles vacated by the 22 highly re
spected seniors.
“My concern is at defensive tack
le, the safety position and filling out
the starting five in the offensive
line,” Bellotti said. “The greatest
competition in my mind will be at
the linebacker positions.”
L A
Saturday, April 8. Hayward Field. 2 pm.
Top Collegiate Teams. Record Setting Athletes. Fast Times.
U of 0 Faculty & Staff - general admission is just $2 with ID. UO Students - admitted free with Student ID.
Kids Zone open from 1-3 with activities, prizes, UO Track & Field Trading cards, the Duck and more.
A victory lap for the kids and an autograph session will follow the meet.
subject to availability
Tickets: 346-4461