Once a Duck, now a Dawg

Published 9:00 pm Saturday, November 4, 2006

EUGENE, Ore. – Alex Mercier joined some unique company Saturday, though it wasn’t exactly as he had envisioned it.

Mercier, a walk-on junior wide receiver from Edmonds, became one of the few players to ever play for both Washington and Oregon when he took part in several plays on punt coverage for the Huskies in their loss to the Ducks at Autzen Stadium.

Of course, when Mercier pictured himself back in Eugene, he thought he’d be catching passes for the UW rather than just racing down the field to try to tackle a return man.

“I showed in the last week or two that I could run again,” said Mercier, who has been limited most of the season with a hamstring injury. “They’re giving me a couple of opportunities. … It’s not what I envisioned coming back here. I wanted a more prominent role, but injuries are injuries. I was just happy to be out there.”

Mercier actually made his Husky debut last week, playing one snap on special teams against Arizona State. That went up to about three snaps against Oregon and he hopes to eventually work his way into the receiver rotation.

Mercier signed with Oregon after having a standout career at Blanchet High School and played in two games in 2003. But he transferred to Pasadena Community College, where he was an All-Mission Conference receiver in 2004. He redshirted last season but began to emerge as a punt returner and receiver during the spring before the hamstring slowed him down.

But he said he feels healthy again and is ready to pick up where he left off in the spring.

“It felt great, it really did,” Mercier said of getting back on the field. “It’s been real hard the last month or two. It’s nice to be able to contribute again.”

Hemphill steps up: With starting free safety Jason Wells out with a knee injury, and with the Huskies needing to go to a nickel defense to combat Oregon’s speed, junior safety Chris Hemphill saw the most playing time of his career. Hemphill played nearly every down for the Huskies and had an outstanding game, leading the UW with 14 tackles, recovering a fumble and intercepting a pass that led to a touchdown.

“I felt great,” said Hemphill, a 6-foot-6, 215-pounder from Gardena, Calif. “I was confident all week. I studied film a lot, I studied the different routes that they do, I stayed up late at night just to get myself in a position where I could make plays.”

Hemphill came into the game with just 18 tackles in his career. He was listed as the backup to Mesphin Forrester at free safety this week but showed he’s capable of making an impact on defense.

“They did do some good things out there,” Willingham said of Hemphill and Forrester, who had six tackles. “The came up and made some good tackles on some of the key drives that helped limit their offense.”

Hemphill’s interception came on the third play of the second half and set up a touchdown that made it 17-14 Oregon. Hemphill returned it 34 yards.

“I saw the route developing,” Hemphill said. “I just tried to get over the top and help my team. I happened to jump in front of it. I wish I could have scored on it.”

Injury update: Defensive end Brandon Ala suffered a dislocated left elbow in the first quarter and Willingham said it’s possible Ala’s season could be over. Starting right guard Clay Walker sprained his ankle and his status is questionable. Quarterback Carl Bonnell also appeared to injure his arm late in the game but said he was fine. Senior running back Kenny James warmed up with the team but did not play and coaches said he was still not ready as he recovers from a sprained ankle.

Dropping it: Besides a poor running game, the Huskies also struggled with dropped passes. Washington receivers had three or four drops, including one by Cody Ellis over the middle that could have gone for a big gain.

“I did at the beginning of the game on third-and-short,” senior Sonny Shackelford said. “I tried to run before I caught the ball. And Cody down the middle of the field in two-minutes, he had a chance to make a big play and didn’t come down with it. So we’ve got to eliminate those mistakes.”

The drops certainly didn’t help Bonnell, who finished 15-for-34 for 125 yards. He also had his eighth interception in three starts.

“I don’t think he was that bad,” offensive coordinator Tim Lappano said. “He did a lot of good things. …He threw a couple good balls that were dropped. I thought for the most part he did a decent job.”

Gunheim gets after it: With Ala out, Greyson Gunheim had one of his best games of the season. The junior had a season-high nine tackles, two for loss including a sack, and forced a fumble. Gunheim came into the game with 25 tackles all season.

Holding the Ducks down: It might be a reach given that Oregon relied mostly on the run, but the Ducks were held without a 100-yard receiver for only the second time this season. Jaison Williams led the team with 37 yards.

Wallace gets another: C.J. Wallace’s interception in the first quarter was only the second of his career. He also had one as a sophomore against USC. Wallace finished with 11 tackles, giving him 90 for the season.

A change up front: Walker’s injury allowed sophomore Casey Bulyca to make his Husky debut. Bulyca became just the second non-starter to play on the offensive line for Washington this season.