He’s Following a Passing Fancy : Football: Former Woodbridge quarterback Fred Schweer, who went from hero to villain at Oregon State, seeks fresh start at New Mexico.

Fred Schweer has found a little peace in the warmth of Albuquerque, where the air is a little thinner and, perhaps, fresher.

The New Mexico football team opens its season on Saturday against Texas El Paso and Schweer, a transfer from Oregon State, is playing the UTEP quarterback on the scout team in practice.

He’s used to roles.

Last season, Schweer played:

--The hero. As a redshirt freshman, he led the Beavers to their first victory over Arizona in his first start.

--The villain. Caught shoplifting at the student store, he was issued a citation by campus police. Within days it became a major scandal in Corvallis.

--Finally, the victim of circumstance. A change in coaches brought a change in philosophy. He found himself a drop-back passer in an option offense.

So the heat of New Mexico is preferable to the heat of Oregon.

“I was in the spotlight last year,” said Schweer, a graduate of Woodbridge High School. “Everything I did, good or bad, was magnified. In a way, this is a fresh start.”

Schweer, a sophomore, enjoys the anonymity at New Mexico. As a transfer, he is required to sit out one year.

The time, he said, will be good. It will give him time to learn the system and adjust to a new school.

“My plan is to help the team any way I can,” Schweer said. “If that means running the scout team, then that’s what I’ll do. I’ll wait for my chance.”

He knows that opportunities can spring up at any moment.

Schweer led Woodbridge to a Southern Section championship as a junior and helped the Warriors to the title game the next season. He threw for more than 3,000 yards during his two-year career.

Oregon State Coach Dave Kragthorpe was impressed with Schweer’s arm and leadership abilities. When Schweer came to Oregon State in 1989, Kragthorpe referred to him as the team’s quarterback of the future.

The future arrived in the sixth game last season.

With starting quarterback Matt Booher sidelined because of injuries and ineffectiveness, Schweer was given the start against Arizona, which was more like a sentence.

The Beavers, who had won only 15 games in the previous five seasons, had lost nine in a row. They had never beaten the Wildcats, a 12-game streak dating to Arizona’s entry into the conference in 1979.

But Schweer, who had played sparingly in the first five games, led Oregon State to a 35-21 upset. He threw for 167 yards and completed several key passes, including one for a 22-yard touchdown.

It turned out to be the Beavers’ only victory last season.

“It was a big victory, the guys went crazy,” Schweer said. “It was really a team win. Actually, I really didn’t do that good.”

Nevertheless, the next day an Oregon newspaper ran the headline, “ Schweer Ecstasy ,” and the hype was on. Schweer was besieged by interview requests and became an overnight sensation.

All for a 10-for-28 passing performance.

“It got very confusing,” Schweer said. “I tried to downplay it as much as I could. I mean, 10 of 28 was not a good day. But things got out of control.”

Suddenly, Schweer was a celebrity. Friends from Woodbridge called to congratulate him and strangers would say hello to him on campus.

In a community of about 40,000, Oregon State football is big news in Corvallis. Oregon State winning is even bigger.

“Everyone made a big deal out of it,” said Kragthorpe, now an assistant coach at New Mexico. “It was Fred’s first start, so he got a lot of the credit.”

And another start.

Schweer completed nine of 20 passes for 162 yards in a 55-24 loss to Washington State. He started four games last season and completed 28 of 73 passes for 448 yards and two touchdowns and had three passes intercepted.

“I think people up there were happy to see the young players step in and do good things,” Schweer said. “I guess they were looking for something positive. With so many young players, the future looked good.”

But not for Schweer.

The Tuesday before the USC game, Schweer walked out of the student store with a magazine and was stopped by campus security. He was given a citation and let go.

“I made a mistake and I learned from it,” Schweer said.

When Kragthorpe found out, he contacted the head of campus security.

“He assured me it was no big deal,” Kragthorpe said.

The next day, Schweer’s name was plastered across the newspapers, with headlines that said he had been arrested.

Kragthorpe and Schweer deny that he was taken into custody. Both said Schweer merely had to appear in court and pay a fine.

“What was weird was a few weeks earlier, a couple of our players had been arrested for assault,” said an Oregon State official, who asked not to be identified. “Not a word of that in the newspaper. But Schweer takes a magazine and it’s big news.”

Schweer was as baffled by this treatment as he was by the earlier hype.

“I thought both were blown out of proportion,” he said. “I guess being the starting quarterback made me the center of attention.”

Schweer said the incident was not the reason he left Oregon State, but admits that Albuquerque, with about 400,000 people, is preferable. The New Mexico team faces less scrutiny.

“It’s quieter around here for sure,” he said.

Schweer picked New Mexico, in part, because Kragthorpe had landed there as an assistant.

Schweer also likes the passing offense the Lobos use.

After firing Kragthorpe, Oregon State hired Jerry Pettibone, who had been a coach at Oklahoma and Nebraska. Under him, the Beavers’ quarterback would have to be mobile.

Schweer had a minus-19 yards rushing last season.

Pettibone met with Schweer and outlined his offensive philosophy, but could not convince the quarterback to stay.

“I understand why he made the decision he made,” Pettibone said. “We were going to run the option more. He was recruited to throw the ball.”

Schweer looked at several other schools, including Wyoming and Memphis State. He made his visits during spring practice, and New Mexico was the easy winner.

“I already feel like I’m a part of this team,” he said. “Of course, I would like to play right away. Who wouldn’t? But I’m looking forward to improving my skills and knowledge.”

And, this time, finding the right role.