Senior free safety
Keith Lewis
earned the
Ducks’ Defensive
Player of the
Week award after
his performance
in the Sept. 6
game against
Nevada.
Mark
McCambridge
Senior
Photographer
Cork in the ^Bottle
Keith Lewis has bounced
back from a sub-par 2002
season to be the senior
leader of the secondary
By Hank Hager
Sports Editor
If Keith Lewis ever enrolled in a
public speaking course at Oregon,
you can bet he'd be one of the best
in the class.
Of course, after you've taken on an
entire Washington football team,
there shouldn't be much in your way.
The senior, who sometimes lets
more than his play on the field do
his talking, is a brash — but aggres
sive — free safety who has carved a
niche in the Duck program. Much
like since-departed Rashad Bauman,
Lewis isn't afraid to talk up his game
and try to induce his opponent into
retaliating.
Against the Huskies last season,
Lewis ate his words and was even si
lenced by Oregon head coach Mike
Bellotti before the Ducks lost 42-14.
But, normally, his chatter on the field
leads to Oregon's defensive stops, and
for him, big-time interceptions.
"That's just his personality," senior
cornerback Steven Moore said. "It's
just something he does. We just take
it in stride. He talks, but it's all fun —
as long as he can back it up, which he
does — so there's no problem."
Lewis has emerged as the corner
stone of tlie Oregon defense, and he
can be considered one of the best
members of any secondary in the Pa
cific-10 Conference.
His numbers speak for themselves:
A career-high 88 tackles in 2001, and
five interceptions last season. Entering
this season, Lewis had accounted for
191 tackles, including 11.5 for a loss,
and eight interceptions while starting
24 games.
This year, he has collected 14 tack
les and two interceptions as the Ducks
have shown that last season's defen
sive misplays were more of a fluke
than the norm.
"If the defense puts together a com
plete game, I know I will have done
my best" Lewis said. "Until then, I'm
not satisfied."
A key example of his importance to
the secondary can be traced back to
the 2001 season. The Ducks, 6-0 en
tering their Oct. 20 game with Stan
ford, fell to the Cardinal, 49-42.
Lewis, however, didn't get a chance
to step on the field that day. Then a
sophomore and the team's leading
tackier at that point, he had suffered a
severe ankle sprain the week before in
Oregon's 48-7 victory over California.
Back then, Bauman led the defense.
But with the loss, Lewis showed his
importance to the outcome of games.
"It was just heartbreaking," Lewis
said of the loss. "Everything just
seemed to fall apart. It killed me. That
probably right there will stick with me
for the rest of my life. Just not being
able to play in that game when we
were that close to the national cham
pionship game."
Last season, he was hampered by
injuries for most of the year. A foot in
jury slowed his speed and range on
the field, even though he had a career
high five interceptions.
Combine the injury with the lack of
experience in the team's secondary —
Moore and whoever else played cor
ner were in their first season of starts
— and you've got a recipe for disaster.
Disaster was exactly what the team
got. Another 6-0 start fell into the
depths of a 7-6 finish.
This year is a different mentality for
the Ducks. The 7-6 year is remem
bered, but not dwelled upon.
"I feel re-energized, for the most
part," Lewis said. "I just feel good.
Hopefully I'll get an injury-free sea
son. There's always the bings and
bangs, but for the most part, I've been
healthy this year."
When Lewis suffered through last
season, injuries and all, a decision on
his future became clearer. While On
terrio Smith and George Wrighster de
cided a senior year at Oregon was not
valuable enough and left early for the
NFL, Lewis thought otherwise.
The defense had been maligned for
most of the year, and he hadn't been
in tip-top shape. Also, his speed had
been in decline, so his physical abili
ties after last season would not have
been well-represented.
"I think it was pretty easy of a deci
sion," Lewis said, "me not finishing
the way I wanted to finish last year.
And not just me personally, but also
for the team. To come in a winner,
then leave a loser was not the way I
wanted to leave, anyway. I think we
have a lot to prove this year."
The Oregon defense is happy to
have him back.
Moore and Lewis are the senior
leaders, while sophomore Justin
Phinisee and junior Marley Tucker
round out a group that has everything
to prove, and really nothing to lose
this season.
After finishing 115th in the nation
out of 117 Division I teams last sea
son in yards allowed per game, the
group is allowing 225 yards per
game this season. That figure puts
them at 80th in the nation — not a
great ranking — but one that is far
improved from last season.
Don't doubt Lewis' presence for
that difference.
He has "meant a lot (to the defense
this year)," Phinisee said. "Everybody
knows Keith. The free safety is impor
tant in this defense. He's kind of like
the cork in a bottle. If he's not there,
then everything spills out.
"He knows the corners are going
to fight for him more. Last year,
everything was on the corner's shoul
ders and he was looking out for us,
helping us in a time of need. But this
year he knows we're capable of one
on-ones, and so he can do his job a
little bit more."
Now, the hard part starts for Lewis
and the Oregon secondary. Michigan,
led by quarterback John Navarre and
an up-and-coming receiver in Braylon
Edwards, comes to Autzen Stadium to
test Oregon's 3-0 record.
The secondary has shown its ability
to play with confidence this season.
Lewis, who is tied for second on the
team in tackles, has been a beneficiary
of its improved capabilities.
But the game against the Wolver
ines is like nothing any current Duck
Turn to LEWIS, page 12
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Under Oregon's new MIP law, drivers under 21
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way to go.
Drive Sober. The Way fe Go.
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