By Bill Curry
Special to ESPN.com
In this era of mind-boggling stats for QBs, neither Ortege Jenkins nor Joey Harrington has registered on the Richter scale of Heisman tremors. Their modest numbers have been good enough to lead good teams to surprising results, but that is a miniscule part of their stories. The real story here is that they each bring magic to the huddle. It is called "belief," and it is the stuff that wins again and again.
So this week it's magic on magic in Oregon, and I think the Jenkins mixture is a little more potent than the Harrington brand.
Now tested by the rigors of time, platooning, winning big, losing big, and fighting back over and over, Jenkins has won the respect of his team. He has even caused the normally reserved Dick Tomey to sing his praises in a most un-Tomey melody.
To paraphrase: "O.J. has become gut tough. I have watched him get blasted, and then come back with a positive demeanor to perform well. I have seen him throw an interception for a touchdown, then return to form immediately. He has become a clear eyed, positive leader for our team. I am so proud of him."
You almost never hear Tomey say such things about an individual. But I believe him, and Oregon will as well after this Saturday.