College Football
Saturday, December 18
Ducks see kicking ranks thinned
Associated Press

EUGENE, Ore. -- Oregon coach Mike Bellotti did not hide his anger at punter Kurtis Doerr, who had to sit out practices for the Sun Bowl after spraining his right ankle in a pickup basketball game.

"I am more than upset," Bellotti said. "He's on my bad list."

Doerr wore a protective boot Friday as the Ducks resumed bowl preparations with a two-hour workout in the Moshofsky Center. At least Bellotti also got some good news -- linebacker Matt Smith, who had an injured left ankle, was able to resume drills for the first time in more than a month.

Doerr predicted he should be able to rejoin workouts by Sunday and said there was no question he would be ready to punt in the Dec. 31 Sun Bowl against Minnesota. Still, a punter with an injured kicking ankle wasn't exactly the news Bellotti expected to welcome him off an airplane after a recruiting trip.

"I've never sprained an ankle in my life and it was the last game we were going to play," Doerr said. "It's Murphy's Law, I guess."

Bellotti had admonished Doerr not to play basketball during Oregon's three-day break from workouts.

"My last words to him, because I know he's an avid basketball player, were 'no more basketball,' after he twinged a hamstring (the previous) week playing basketball," Bellotti said with notable irritation.

"He obviously doesn't understand the word 'no' but he's going to have to learn it or he won't be punting or playing for us, period."

Contrite doesn't fully describe Doerr.

"It wasn't a very bright thing to do," the junior said. "I have that feeling in my stomach like I'm 12 years old and I just broke the neighbor's window.

"I think I'm done with basketball until I'm about 30 and playing in a city league or something," Doerr said.

Smith's ankle, injured in Oregon's win at California on Nov. 13, is healed enough that he was participating in drills Friday for the first time in more than a month. He had watched the practices the past two weekends, doing only some rehabilitation exercises on the sidelines under the watchful supervision of trainers.

"It's a lot better," Smith said. "They want me to get out there and run around, just to get back in the football sense of things.

"It's still sore and that's a concern. I was real concerned early about stopping on it and cutting on it but that was feeling good so I'm happy about that."

ESPN.com: Help | Ad Info | Contact | Tools | Site Map
Copyright ©1999 ESPN Internet Ventures. Terms of Use and Privacy Policy are applicable to this site. Click here for a list of employment opportunities at ESPN.com.

ESPN NETWORK: ABC Sports | Fantasy | Store | Insider
.