A few minutes before Oregon’s third scrimmage was to begin Thursday, the Ducks were practicing their kick-offs and returns.
Kick after kick, small return after small return. Nothing too special.
But then an elusive Duck caught the kick and cut right, then left, then right and left again. He shaked and baked two more defenders, before being tackled around 40 yards later.
“Whoa, there!” one Oregon fan yelled. “Who was that?”
“I don’t know,” his friend responded. “But we better hold on to him whoever he is.”
“Let me see that roster,” the first guy said. “Hmm… number 2? Oh hey, it’s that new guy, Onterrio Smith!”
“Onterrio… I think we’re going to like this guy,” the friend said.

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Onterrio Smith has been flattered by the welcome he has received by his Oregon teammates and the Eugene community. He wasn’t sure how he would be treated after transferring to Oregon from Tennessee under controversial circumstances.
Almost a year ago, on May 3, Smith was kicked off the Tennessee football program for “repeated violations of team policy,” which later was reported to be marijuana use. There also was his Jan. 15, 2000, arrest for allegedly hitting the mother of his daughter, which Smith was later found innocent of in court.
So to say that Smith, a 5-foot-11, 200-pound tailback, is happy to have a fresh start as a Duck would be an understatement.
“I would say I’m fortunate and also blessed because my career could have easily ended,” Smith said. “The day I got kicked out of Tennessee could have been the last of it right there. But I have been brought in here with open arms and I really have a lot of love for that.”
Smith has top-notch talent, that much has never been in question. But now he also realizes how important the game of football is to him and how much he enjoys being a part of a quality Division I program.
Smith was a highly sought-after recruit as a 1998 SuperPrep All-American while at Grant High in Sacramento, Calif. Oregon was one of his finalists, but the lure of 1998 national champion Tennessee was too much to resist. As a Volunteer, he went on to gain 189 yards on 31 carries as a freshman and much was expected of him before his bad decisions forced him off the team.
“Yeah, that’s behind me,” Smith said. “The day it happened, I left. And the next day came and I just looked forward from that day on, and continue to try to just keep all that in the past.”
He came to Eugene in August and sat through the mandatory redshirt year after transferring and participated on the Oregon scout team. Smith’s role throughout last season would be to simulate the running back of the Ducks’ opposition in their next game.

“Last year meant a whole lot to me because I felt like I had a chance to come out and make the defense better by just being the guy they were going against that week,” Smith said. “And getting the experience to be a spectator at Autzen Stadium was unbelievable. So I know that being a player out there on the field is going to be amazing.”
The surprising thing about that last statement is that he came from a Tennessee team that played in a stadium that consistently held 100,000-plus fans, while Autzen only seats around 40,000 fans.
Smith, who will be a sophomore in the fall, has clearly been caught up in the Oregon football hype and soaked up every bit of the Ducks’ first ever 10-win season in 2000.
Now, it’s also clear that Smith’s new Duck teammates are caught up in the ever-growing Onterrio Smith hype.
“He’s an awesome back and I’ve seen some of things he can do and it’s amazing,” said fellow tailback Allan Amundson. “I can’t wait to see him when things are live. He’s so quick, so strong and so powerful. We can all learn from him.”
Smith will join Amundson and senior Maurice Morris in a backfield that will be as talented as any in the nation.
“We have three talented and very capable running backs,” senior quarterback Joey Harrington said. “Onterrio has a great attitude and he comes out every day and works his butt off. He’s buying some playing time.”
Added wide receiver Jason Willis: “That’ll be a lethal combination with Maurice and Onterrio.”
First things first for Smith, though, and that’s finishing off the spring season strong, which concludes with the annual Spring Game at 1 p.m. Saturday at Hillsboro Stadium near Portland. Smith’s mom, uncle and grandma will fly up from Sacramento to see him play.
Smith has been hampered by a tight hamstring that he pulled over spring break and says he’s only “75-80 percent.” But the injury didn’t stop him from taking off on an impressive 38-yard jaunt in Oregon’s third scrimmage.
“Onterrio is not full speed, but he’s getting more comfortable with the offense,” Oregon head coach Mike Bellotti said. “He’s a tough runner with good vision who has the ability to cut back. When he gets to full speed, I think he can be a complete back.”
The bounce in Smith’s step is evident when he comes to practice every day. The tone of his voice is one of true excitement and the positive attitude that he brings to the table is contagious, according to Amundson.
Smith knows this is his opportunity to prove to himself and to many others that he has learned from his mistakes and matured a great deal over the past year.
“I’m just getting back into the groove of things and that’s the good thing about it: I’m back at a top college playing the game that I love,” Smith said. “I’m actually better off being here in Eugene and playing with the quality group of guys that I am.
“People here seem to love me, I don’t know why. But I’m just glad they’re loving me instead of hating me.”