Fife Is No Lame Duck
Oregon quarterback Jason Fife knew he would be playing under a long shadow this season.
So far, though, the task of succeeding Joey Harrington hasn’t caused the junior from Lake Elsinore much distress, even when Harrington, a rookie with the Detroit Lions, was greeted with enthusiastic applause by appearing on the sideline before Oregon’s opener at home against Mississippi State.
“I had the mind-set this season I wasn’t going to let it bother me,” Fife said. “I wasn’t going to let having to step into that situation get to me.”
Anyway, Fife points out there are perks to being around the Harrington family.
“All of Joey’s female cousins came up for my autograph after the game,” he said. “That made it all right.”
Fife realizes he isn’t going to make Oregon fans forget Harrington, among the most successful quarterbacks in school history and a Heisman Trophy finalist last season. But Fife is showing he can do a competent job.
By playing within his capabilities in a balanced offense, Fife has helped guide the Ducks to a 6-1 record, 2-1 in the Pacific 10 Conference, and a No. 14 ranking entering Saturday’s game against No. 15 USC (5-2, 3-1) at Autzen Stadium.
The 6-foot-4, 219-pound Fife is ranked second in the nation in passing efficiency and has earned praise for his steady play from Coach Mike Bellotti, who says it’s difficult to compare Fife with Harrington.
“Jason Fife is a different quarterback, and I think the best thing he’s done is not really try to be the next Joey Harrington,” Bellotti said. “He’s just trying to be the best Jason Fife. He’s the second-most efficient passer in the nation and that’s the best way to describe Jason in my mind -- as an efficient quarterback.”
Fife, the former understudy, said he still talks regularly with Harrington, usually to compare plays on their respective teams.
“We talk football,” Fife said. “We’re not really coaching each other.”
Fife already received an on-field education by watching Harrington lead Oregon to Pac-10 titles the previous two seasons and to a 25-3 record as a starter. Like his predecessor, Fife has demonstrated a flair for engineering comebacks.
After passing for three touchdowns and running for another in his first college start, a 36-13 win over Mississippi State, Fife rallied Oregon to a 28-24 victory over Fresno State by marching the Ducks 43 yards in four plays for the winning touchdown on a two-yard run by Onterrio Smith with 1:07 to play.
Fife came through again Oct. 12 against UCLA. After scrambling away from pressure on third down, he found wide receiver Keenan Howry for a 74-yard scoring pass play in the fourth quarter that held up as the difference in a 31-30 victory at the Rose Bowl.
In seven games, Fife has completed 109 of 179 passes (60.9%) for 1,614 yards and 15 touchdowns, with only two interceptions. His quarterback rating of 162.1 is second to Philip Rivers of North Carolina State (170.8) among Division I players.
Fife’s attitude is that he doesn’t need to do anything spectacular to propel a talented Oregon offense that features Smith, the Pac-10’s leading rusher, and receivers Howry, Samie Parker and Jason Willis.
“I want to make sure I’m doing everything possible to help the team win,” said Fife, still upset about the interception he threw on Oregon’s final possession last week in a 45-42 loss to Arizona State. “I don’t want to throw any more [interceptions]. I don’t want to make bad decisions.”
USC Coach Pete Carroll regards Fife as the latest in a long line of distinguished Duck quarterbacks, a fraternity that includes Norm Van Brocklin, Dan Fouts, Chris Miller, Bill Musgrave, Danny O’Neil, Akili Smith and Harrington.
“He’s picked up right where Joey left off, so they’re really in good shape,” Carroll said.
Fife grew up a UCLA fan in Huntington Beach before moving to Lake Elsinore, where he attended Temescal Canyon High and helped the Titans reach the Southern Section Division VIII final as a senior in 1998, losing to Bloomington, 24-22.
He credits Temescal Canyon Coach Bob Burt for helping him develop as a quarterback. Fife never played organized football before high school and was a linebacker and receiver on the freshman team.
“My freshman year in high school, I couldn’t throw a spiral,” he said. “But I was determined to play quarterback. My sophomore year, I approached Coach Burt and said, ‘Hey, I want to be the JV quarterback.’ ”
Through hard work, Fife achieved his goal and became the varsity starter as a junior.
When UCLA didn’t recruit Fife -- the Bruins instead signed Venice’s J.P. Losman, who abruptly left UCLA and transferred to Tulane -- he chose Oregon, albeit by default. Oregon and California were both recruiting Kyle Boller of Newhall Hart. When Boller chose Cal, Oregon offered Fife a scholarship.
“I’m grateful Boller went to Cal so I could come to Oregon,” Fife said.
He wasn’t a first choice, but Fife may have the last laugh. A victory over USC would keep the Ducks in contention for a berth in the Rose Bowl, something Boller, Losman and USC’s Carson Palmer, another highly recruited quarterback, have never achieved.
Fife acknowledged he will be motivated against the Trojans.
“I grew up a UCLA fan,” he said, “so it’s that much more incentive to beat SC.”