Last Season Is No Reflection on Future Seminole QB Rix

No one would have blamed Florida State Coach Bobby Bowden if he had called the Santa Margarita High football office last November in a fit of panic.

What the heck happened to that kid Chris Rix? He’s our top recruit at quarterback. What’s going on?

Well, coach, remember how Rix was supposed to be Santa Margarita’s savior? How the senior was supposed to make the Eagles’ transition from Southern Section Division VI to Division I a smooth one after transferring from La Puente Bishop Amat, where he led the Lancers to consecutive appearances in the Division I semifinals?

Things didn’t exactly work out that way. Not even close, actually.

Despite showing flashes of promise, Rix looked tentative and edgy most of the time. He completed only 46.8% of his passes and had more interceptions (eight) than touchdown passes (three).

Rix looked fantastic when Santa Margarita Coach Jim Hartigan switched him to wide receiver for the last two games, but it couldn’t save a lost season for Rix or the Eagles. Besides, Florida State recruited Rix exclusively as a quarterback, so it wouldn’t have mattered if he’d looked like the second coming of Randy Moss.

“It was a little frustrating,” Rix said. “There were such high expectations. I tried not to dwell on it or be selfish or think, ‘Why am I here? Why did I come here?’ ”

Rix will get a chance to show Florida State coaches that last season was an aberration when he plays in the first CaliFlorida Bowl at 7 tonight at the Rose Bowl.

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Florida State stuck by Rix, who committed to the school way back on Jan. 29, 1999. When he signed his letter of intent, Rix became the first California high school player to sign with the Seminoles in the 1990s. (Travis Johnson, a defensive end from Sherman Oaks Notre Dame High, later signed with the Seminoles.)

“He’s been loyal to us and we’ve been loyal to him,” said Florida State offensive coordinator Mark Richt, who also coaches the quarterbacks. “We didn’t recruit any other quarterbacks.

“We knew what was going on [at Santa Margarita], and we didn’t particularly care. We wanted him to do well for himself and his team, but it wasn’t going to change how we felt about him.”

Seminole coaches have been smitten with Rix--who also might play center field for the Florida State baseball team--since the 6-foot-4, 210-pounder attended a camp in Tallahassee, Fla., following his junior season. They like his arm and his running ability.

Richt said Rix has a “50-50” shot to be the No. 3 quarterback this fall behind Heisman Trophy candidate Chris Weinke and backup Marcus Outzen, both seniors. Richt said Jared Jones, a third-year quarterback, will most likely be redshirted.

“I don’t know if we’ll redshirt [Rix],” Richt said. “He’s going to be competing for the starting job [in 2001], so he might need that experience.”

Rix doesn’t know if he will get the starting assignment tonight, but he has been taking many of the first-string snaps this week in practice.

He’s also gotten a chance to meet five of his future teammates, who are playing for the Florida all-star team. “They’re pretty cool guys,” said Rix, who must report to Tallahassee by July 31 for the opening day of training camp.

The tanned, blond-haired Rix, nicknamed “Rix-ahh” by his Santa Margarita teammates, certainly fits the Florida State mold when it comes to swagger. His black Ford Mustang has brown-and-gold arrows down the sides, a Florida State sticker on the hatchback window and an FSU frame around the California license plate reading “LKOUTDB,” short for “look out defensive backs.” Rix invariably wears one of his many Florida State shirts and hats, and has a gold necklace with a dangling Seminole-logo trinket. “I don’t really compare well with the laid-back or the shy quarterback,” Rix said. “I like to be a leader, I like to be vocal and make sure the guys are doing things right. I’m definitely confident. I’m going to run the ball and I’m not going to slide. I’m a make-things-happen player, kind of like Doug Flutie.”

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Phrases such as “CIF championship” and “national title” were bandied about in Rancho Santa Margarita last summer as Rix and the Eagles prepared for what promised to be an exhilarating season.

By the third game, though, as Santa Margarita stumbled to a 1-2 start, “uh-oh” became the phrase of choice. The Eagles went on to finish 6-5.

Looking back, Hartigan realizes that the expectation for Rix to carry the team was unrealistic. First, Rix joined the team with only two weeks left in summer camp, giving him little time to learn the Eagles’ complex offense.

Second, injuries to key offensive players plagued the team. In one game, Santa Margarita played without its top receiver, top running back and three starting offensive linemen.

“I only had a couple of receivers who made things happen, and they both got hurt,” said Rix, who suffered a slight shoulder injury himself midway through the season. “So we were counting on guys who didn’t have much experience. If they remembered their route and they caught the ball, which was a slim [likelihood], it was hard for them to do something with the ball.”

Said Hartigan: “In the stands they don’t understand that. They look at Chris and say, ‘Why can’t this kid get it done?’ In his defense, we weren’t at full strength, which impacted his performance.”

With the season winding down, Hartigan moved Rix to receiver for “more firepower.” The switch worked out nicely as Rix caught 10 passes for 288 yards and three touchdowns. But it was little consolation to a player whose preferred position is quarterback.

“I am a quarterback, that’s all I’ve been,” Rix said. “Coach Bowden knows that, and Coach Richt. They won’t need me to play receiver there. They’ll have guys who are faster and all-world at Florida State. My receiving days are over. I’ll be a quarterback from now on.”

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Prep Football

* What: CaliFlorida All-Star Game.

* Where: Rose Bowl

* When: 7 tonight

* Basics: Inaugural game features top high school football graduates from California and Florida. Participating players from Orange County will be Matt Grootegoed, defensive back, Mater Dei High/USC; Chris Kluwe, kicker/punter, Los Alamitos/UCLA; Joe McGuire, offensive lineman, Servite/USC, and Chris Rix, quarterback, Santa Margarita/Florida State. Halftime show will include a Quarterback Challenge, featuring nine of the nation’s best underclassmen. Among the participants will be Mater Dei’s Matt Leinart and Edison’s Richard Schwartz. Proceeds from the game benefit the Los Angeles Ronald McDonald House.

* Tickets: $10 at all Ticketmaster outlets.