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 Chasing Akili Oregon QBs Feeley, Harrington have tough act to follow
Posted: Saturday May 01, 1999 09:50 PM
EUGENE, Ore. (AP) -- A.J. Feeley and Joey Harrington are competing for the starting quarterback position at Oregon this fall, but their real battle is against the shadow cast by Akili Smith. Smith emerged from relative obscurity last season to set school records with 3,307 passing yards and 30 touchdowns. After leading the Ducks to an 8-4 record and their fourth bowl appearance in five years, Smith impressed scouts enough to earn the No. 3 selection in the NFL draft by the Cincinnati Bengals. While Smith prepares for a rookie season that will bring him millions, if not a starting job, Feeley and Harrington struggle through spring drills in their bid to become Oregon's next great quarterback. "I think their overall progress has been slow this spring," coach Mike Bellotti said. "Maybe that's an impatience factor on my part. But I feel like, here's their chance, and they need to shake off the stage fright or whatever it may be." In Saturday's spring game, Feeley completed 12 of 19 passes for 125 yards and one rushing touchdown. Harrington was 6 of 12 for 105 yards, generating two TDs. Both quarterbacks are just learning the college game. Feeley, a 6-foot-4, 220-pound junior from Ontario, Ore., didn't throw a pass backing up Smith and senior Jason Maas last season. He played sparingly in four games as a redshirt freshman, completing eight of 10 passes for 137 yards and a touchdown. Harrington, a 6-4, 212-pound sophomore from Portland, had surgery this winter to relieve pain in the bicep and elbow of his throwing arm. He threw one pass last season -- as a tailback. The players' inexperience has shown. In Oregon's first intrasquad scrimmage April 10, Feeley completed just two of six passes for 14 yards and an interception, while Harrington was 6-of-13 for 76 yards. They played better in the next scrimmage, but the offense continued to make mental mistakes. "One time [Bellotti] wasn't pleased with our performance," Feeley said. "He came out in the press and said some things, which was a little hard for us to take, but we had a good scrimmage last week, so it was probably what we needed." For the first two weeks of drills, the quarterbacks wore red jerseys -- "candy wrappers," as Bellotti calls them -- with instructions for the defense to lay off. Last week, the special jerseys were tossed aside, and the quarterbacks' play improved amid the speed of full contact. "I think taking those weenie jerseys off was the best thing we could have done," Harrington said. "You always react better when you know people are coming, ready to knock you out." Feeley has a stronger arm, but Harrington has better footwork, said Bellotti, who sees the quarterbacks as virtually even. The coach likely won't name a starter until the fall. Lost in Smith's spectacular season is the fact that he wasn't officially given the starting job until he walked onto the field in the season opener against Michigan State. Bellotti said Smith had an average spring and made his biggest strides over the summer, which has encouraged Feeley and Harrington. "All Akili did was raise the bar, the standard of play we expect from our quarterback," Bellotti said. "Now, he achieved that in one year. Obviously, I am hoping and expecting that each of these young men, by their senior year, will be at that level. If they can get there sooner, then that's a bonus for all of us." Feeley said he knows fans can't help but compare Smith to whomever gets the nod. "It's going to be tough. I'm sure there will be a lot of expectations for us, especially following in his footsteps," he said. "But you've just got to keep in mind that we're different quarterbacks than Akili Smith. Rome wasn't built in a day."
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