Finally Playing Leading Role, Perry-Smith Gets Rave Reviews

It has been the story line of dozens of great Broadway musicals and hundreds of lousy Hollywood movies.

The kid dreams of seeing his name in lights, so he crashes the backstage door, does any work to keep his name in, takes acting lessons until he finally gets to be an understudy, gets to work an occasional matinee and then, one glorious day, the star gets laryngitis.

A star is born.

In Eugene, Ore., Tony Graziani’s laryngitis is nearly gone. Or to put it in real-world terms, the partially torn knee ligament that has impaired his greatest asset as the Ducks’ quarterback--mobility--is almost healed. Ryan Perry-Smith is about to return backstage after four games for the Oregon ages.

Or is he? Can you say quarterback controversy?

Oregon Coach Mike Bellotti can’t, or won’t. “We don’t have two healthy quarterbacks yet,” he said Wednesday, adding that Graziani was at about 85%-90% effectiveness.

“I’ve talked with Tony already,” Bellotti said. “I’ve told him the situation. We’ve lost the last two games, but Ryan isn’t the reason we’ve lost. He’s played exceptionally well. . . . When Tony gets back, we can have some head-to-head competition.”

Head-to-head competition between two senior quarterbacks almost halfway through their final seasons.

“Well, you don’t want to get the two against each other,” Bellotti said. “There is the fragility of the team psyche to consider. One guy is doing the job. But I think back to the Fresno State game and the first half of the Nevada game. Tony was doing the best job of his life, or certainly of his career here at Oregon.”

Graziani was lost to the Ducks in the second quarter against Nevada on Sept. 7. He had led an overtime victory over Fresno State, and he had already passed for 227 yards against the Wolfpack when the knee went. Perry-Smith was called on to win the game, 44-30.

He passed for 133 yards in the second half and was just warming up.

Against Colorado State in a 35-28 victory: 395 yards and two touchdowns. Against Washington State in a 55-44 loss: 291 yards and three touchdowns. Against Arizona State in a 42-27 loss: 468 yards and three touchdowns. Only three interceptions in four games.

His 1,287 yards are more than anyone’s in a similar span at Oregon.

And now. . . .

“Tony Graziani has to prove that he’s 100% and able to prove himself before we would take Ryan off the field,” Bellotti said.

Graziani was last season’s Pacific 10 Conference leader in total offense with 2,840 yards. He had won the 1995 starting job largely on his efforts in relief of now-departed Danny O’Neil in a 1994 game against USC in the Coliseum. Graziani passed for 287 yards and beat USC, 22-7, to send the Ducks winging to the Rose Bowl.

His competition was Perry-Smith, but really there was no competition. Graziani had arrived in Eugene from Modesto, Calif., with strong credentials and the promise of stardom.

Perry-Smith had come from Sacramento without a scholarship. Only Nevada Las Vegas was willing to give him one.

“Las Vegas isn’t my kind of town,” he said.

Graziani was born in Las Vegas.

The two had been roommates as freshmen, but Graziani had the scholarship and Perry-Smith was one of six walk-on quarterbacks.

Two seasons later, Perry-Smith had earned a scholarship. He also had a job--holding for extra points and field goals--and a position on the depth chart: third-string quarterback, behind O’Neil and Graziani.

And then second string, behind Graziani.

And he had a reputation as a good team guy, a guy who was satisfied with his backup role, who was simply glad to have a uniform.

It was only partially true.

“You always kind of hope for the opportunity,” he said. “I was never content to be the backup. It was more that I was accepting a role on the team. I always had confidence in myself. I always prepared myself as though I was going to play, but it’s different when you don’t know you are playing.”

He found that out last season, when the Ducks were about to play Illinois. Graziani had sprained his throwing shoulder the week before, against Utah, and Perry-Smith was called on to play against the Illini.

He responded with two interceptions and a fumble in the first half. Then he led the Ducks to three second-half touchdowns and a 34-31 victory.

Graziani returned the next week to lead a 38-31 victory over UCLA and Perry-Smith was backstage again.

He didn’t complain.

“No, because he always respected the seeding,” said UCLA offensive coordinator Al Borges, who had the same role with Oregon last year. “He knew that Graz was a good football player who had accomplished a lot. . . . He knew that Graz had earned the position, and he accepted his role and did one hell of a job behind him.”

Graziani and Perry-Smith have remained friends through five years of competition, with Graziani always in front on the football field and Perry-Smith on the golf course.

Perry-Smith maintains that the two are alike only in that they play the same position. And even in that, they are different.

Graziani is a left-handed scrambler, Perry-Smith a right-handed pocket passer.

Perry-Smith is a logo-wearing preppy who drives a BMW.

“Perry dresses like a guy with a hyphen in his name,” Borges says.

Graziani wears thongs, combs his hair when he thinks about it and works in a shower when he can.

Graziani passed Oregon to the Cotton Bowl last season.

Perry-Smith has passed himself into the Oregon record books.

“Certainly, we have what I call a positive dilemma in that we have two quarterbacks who can play and move this football team,” Bellotti said. “If Tony is back and his ability to play is a reality, then we’ll start looking at what we can do to utilize one or the other or both. It’s very difficult at this point to take the ball out of Ryan’s hands.”

Perry-Smith has made it difficult.

And he is realistic about his future. If he falters against UCLA on Saturday night in Eugene, Graziani is waiting.

“Tony needs to get well,” Perry-Smith said. “He’s not 100% yet. He’ll get in there and get himself back.

“I felt like I was filling in for him in the third game. Who knows from there and from now? It’s up to the coaches, and who knows what they will do? I can only do so much. I don’t know when they will do it [make a switch back to Graziani].”

And Perry-Smith will return backstage, only this time with a scrapbook full of press clippings.