WALK-ONS GET A GOOD RUN IN SPRING DRILLS.

Byline: Bob Clark The Register-Guard

Every pass thrown his way in a drill, every snap he's on the field during a scrimmage is just one more chance for Alex Mercier.

And a player without a scholarship on a college football team only gets so many of those. Better make the most of it, which is what the freshman receiver has been attempting to do during Oregon's spring practices.

`They want someone who's going to make plays and impress them,' Mercier said. `They want somebody who knows what to do and adapt to situations, and knows the plays.'

Every spring, the Ducks seem to find a prospect among the walk-ons, the hopefuls who turn out with the idea of earning some playing time, and maybe one of those 85 scholarships. It happens.

A few seasons ago, UO coach Mike Bellotti couldn't help but notice the collisions caused by an aspiring fullback named Terry Miller. That wasn't Miller's position, but defensive end was and he went on to start there for two seasons.

In the spring of 2000, the Ducks were short on running backs of any kind, so a walk-on named Josh Line kept getting extensive use in a one-back formation.

`I remember I liked the way he ran with the ball,' Bellotti said. `I said `he's a better athlete than people thought.' '

From that, Line was given a scholarship and started the next two seasons at fullback.

Two springs ago, it was walk-on Chris Tetterton playing so impressively that even when a group of recruited defensive tackles arrived in August, he had such a hold on a starting spot that he couldn't be moved out of the lineup. Ditto last spring with Kai Smalley.

Who emerges this spring?

Mercier, a redshirt freshman from Edmonds, Wash., is one of the possibilities. With a couple of scholarship receivers hampered by injuries and senior Samie Parker doing double duty with the track team, his sure hands have caught the attention of UO coaches.

`He's getting the kind of reps that are going to make a difference,' Bellotti said. `He had a great offseason. He ran very well, his strength is improved ... he was probably one of the top 20 athletes on the team in times and (strength) testing.'

It's almost a do it now, or wait until next spring for Mercier. Bellotti spoke of four or five more wide receivers joining drills in August, and there will be great urgency to test their abilities then, with Oregon having seen what Mercier and the other walk-ons had to offer this spring. The walk-ons even have to earn an invitation to August drills: When the roster is limited to 105 players, there is always close to the full allotment of 85 scholarship Ducks in that group.

`I'm getting as good an opportunity as I can right now, being a freshman and a walk-on,' Mercier said.

It's similar for other UO walk-ons, including fullback Luke Rowley, punters Drew Larson and Chris Annis and linebackers Reggie Kerney and Jonathan Levine, the latter duo singled out by Bellotti for their gains in the first two weeks of spring drills.

`Levine did some good things in the fall and he's following that up well,' Bellotti said.

Rowley is a senior who transferred from Riverside (Calif.) Community College last fall, and played sparingly. With starter Matt Floberg being held out of contact drills to protect surgically repaired shoulders, Rowley is working with the starters, when the formation calls for a fullback.

`I feel a lot more confident now, running with the ones,' Rowley said. `Everyone wants to get out there and play, so it's just awesome' to be on the field for more plays.

The punters are supplying the bridge between the Ducks losing Jose Arroyo, and the arrival of a JC transfer in the summer. But who knows? Maybe the newcomer doesn't work out, and there's always the need for a backup.

`I just use it as an opportunity to get better and however the ball rolls, that's the man who's going to win the job,' Larson said. `I'm looking forward to competing and doing my best.

`I'm not real satisfied with the way I'm kicking it, I wish I could get a little bit more hang time. I'm trying to elevate the ball more because coach Bellotti stresses hang time.'

One of the differences in the spring for walk-ons is the increased attention from their position coaches, and Bellotti handles the punters and kickers.

`I really like that,' Larson said of more time with coaches. `I can better understand what coach Bellotti is trying to get across to us.'

Mostly, it's the message the coach has for all walk-ons in the spring, when the roster is smaller and there are no opponents to prepare to play.

`I tell them this is their chance: One, to be coached and, two, to make an impression,' Bellotti said.

`You're going to get opportunities that you may not get in the future, so take advantage of them.'

CAPTION(S):

U O F o o t b a l l Brian Davies / The Register-Guard Alex Mercier a walk-on from Edmonds, Wash., has caught the Oregon coaches' eye at receiver.