Onterrio Smith is finally living the 100-foot New York life.
Smith is playing like a 100-foot running back, too.
Smith’s massive billboard with the phrase “O Man” went up in New York’s Times Square this week, replacing Keenan Howry’s “We’re Back” poster.
The star junior rushed for 152 yards against UCLA in the Rose Bowl on Saturday, a feat that extended his 100-yard game streak to an Oregon-record six contests. Smith has averaged 127.3 yards per game this season and has nine touchdowns.
“I was hampered early by the hamstring, and that’s no longer a problem, so my movements are going to improve each week,” Smith said.
Smith, who suffered minor injuries, including a hamstring pull at the beginning of the season, could plot his 2002 campaign on a standard bell curve. He started with 124-yard performances against Mississippi State and Fresno State, ran for 104 and 115 yards against Idaho and Portland State and opened Pacific-10 Conference play with performances of 145 and 152 yards against Arizona and UCLA.
Smith’s Pac-10 numbers could, eventually, be Heisman
Trophy numbers.

Smith is currently ranked across the map in various national Heisman polls. He is second in ESPN Magazine writer Gene
Wojciechowski’s “Bring a coat and tie to the Yale Club” segment,
and fourth in ESPN.com’s “Heisman Watch.”
But the people don’t agree with the experts. Smith is ranked ninth in CNNSI.com’s online “People’s Heisman” poll with 26,176 votes, 314 behind No. 8 Charles Rogers. Seneca Wallace leads that poll with 41,090 votes. And in the only poll that truly counts other than the final writer’s poll, Smith is 11th in Suzuki’s official “Vote Heisman” poll at www.voteheisman.com. The winning player from that poll receives one official first-place vote in the final Heisman balloting.
It’s all just speculation and hearsay now, but if Smith continues to play to his New York-sized stature, he might earn a much smaller statue at the end of
the season.

Baffling Computer Stuff
Isn’t that what BCS stands for? Or is it Boggling Computer Systems? Big Computers Stink?
Oh, wait, it’s Bowl Championship Series. And it’s back.
The seven-computer ranking system that gave Oregon so many headaches last season will be released for the first time Monday, and should fuel national college football debates for the rest of 2002.
Of course, with the Ducks’ sour BCS experience last year, this year’s squad isn’t exactly excited for the release of that first poll.
“I didn’t even know that,” Oregon head coach Mike Bellotti said when asked about the upcoming release of the BCS rankings.
“(The BCS) isn’t really our concern right now, our main focus is Arizona State, and coming out here to get our game plan working,” Smith said.
The Ducks, who are ranked at No. 6 in both national polls, are No. 7 in the mock BCS rankings of collegeBCS.com. Washington State is 10th in the mock poll.

Blocking …
With a blocked extra point at UCLA, Oregon has now blocked as many kicks this year — four — as the entire 1999, 2000 and 2001 seasons combined. Freshman defensive end Haloti Ngata blocked Chris Griffith’s extra point try Saturday, and also had a hand in Kevin Mitchell’s field goal block against Portland State, as Mitchell leap-frogged over Ngata to block that kick. Keith Lewis has two punt blocks on the season.

… and picking
The Oregon secondary has intercepted at least one pass in 10-straight games. The Ducks will try to make it 11 straight Saturday when they host Arizona State at Autzen Stadium.