Consolation Prize

Three consecutive 3,000-yard seasons.

That’s an achievement Villanova quarterback Chris Boden has within his grasp this season.

Boden, who played at San Clemente High, is in his third season as a starter for the Wildcats, who are ranked 11th nationally in Division I-AA this season.

After passing for 3,707 yards as a sophomore and 3,050 last season, Boden is well on the road to 3,000 again this season with 1,361 yards after five games.

A week ago against Pennsylvania, Boden completed 33 of 43 passes for 424 yards, breaking the single-game school record for yards passing he set last year. It’s one of 18 school records he holds.

“He’s had a great run here,” Villanova Coach Andy Talley said. “And I think he’s more dangerous this year because of all the experience he’s had. He’s like having a coach on the field. He has a great arm, and he’s extremely accurate. He puts the ball right on the money every time.”

Boden’s passes were intercepted only five times in 13 games his sophomore season, and only 11 times last season in 11 games.

Boden might not be playing for Villanova if a quarterback the Wildcats recruited had not changed his mind and decided to go elsewhere.

“Not too many schools recruited me, and Villanova was the only school that offered me a scholarship,” Boden said. “Villanova had offered scholarships to two other quarterbacks before that, but then one of those scholarships came open, and I was happy to get it. I didn’t have a whole lot of other options.”

Boden said the fact that he started only his senior season at San Clemente might have been a factor in not being heavily recruited by Division I-A programs. He was a backup his junior year behind Jeff Carlin, who later played at Navy.

As a senior at San Clemente, however, Boden passed for 2,592 yards and 22 touchdowns. His top receiver was Trevor Insley, who leads the nation in receiving this season at Nevada.

“I’ve been fortunate to have a good offensive line and good receivers every year I’ve played,” Boden said.

Two of Boden’s top receivers this year are former Orange County players, Murle Sango and Steve Ward. Sango is a sophomore who played at El Toro High, and Ward is a junior from Servite.

“Sango has become a great receiver,” Boden said. “He’s really stepped up his game in the last year. And we’ve been able to work out together on our own a lot when we’re both home for the summer.”

Brian Finneran was Boden’s top receiver his sophomore season. Villanova was unbeaten and ranked No. 1 at the end of the regular season but lost to Youngstown State in the second round of the NCAA Division I-AA playoffs. Finneran, who played at Santa Margarita High and is now with the Philadelphia Eagles, won the Walter Payton Award as the Division I-AA player of the year that season.

Boden will be a leading candidate for the award this season if he continues on his present pace, and Talley said he believes Boden, 6 feet 2 and 215 pounds, also is capable of playing in the NFL.

“The pro people who come through here seem to like him,” Talley said. “I think he could be a second or third quarterback for some NFL teams right now, based on what I’ve seen.”

Boden would welcome an opportunity wherever it might be. “If someone wants me to keep playing, that would be great,” Boden said. “Eventually, I’d like to be able to coach on the college level.”

DROUGHNS SITTING OUT

Oregon running back Reuben Droughns didn’t make the trip with the Ducks to Seattle for Saturday’s game against Washington and is questionable for next Saturday’s game against UCLA in the Rose Bowl.

Droughns, who played at Anaheim High, suffered a separated rib and torn cartilage in the first quarter of last weekend’s game against USC.

Oregon has a bye the week after UCLA, and Coach Mike Bellotti might choose to keep Droughns out to get him ready for the final five games.

Droughns, who has gained 323 yards and scored four touchdowns in four games, missed the last six games last season with a broken leg. He ranked fourth in the nation in rushing at the time of the injury last season.

NOTEWORTHY

Tailback Marvin Smith, who played at Servite High, is leading Azusa Pacific in rushing after four games with 271 yards in 51 carries, an average of 4.8 per carry. Smith played at Fullerton College as a freshman and San Bernardino Valley College as a sophomore. Azusa Pacific was ranked No. 1 among NAIA teams at the start of the season, but dropped out of the top spot after a 38-34 loss to Humboldt State.

Freshman Keenan Howry has moved into the starting lineup at Oregon, giving the Ducks two former Los Alamitos players as starting wide receivers. Senior Tony Hartley is Oregon’s top pass catcher.

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