If things had developed differently in 1994, Kenny Wheaton could have been starting in the Arizona football team's secondary instead of Oregon's.

Wheaton, a two-time, second-team All-Pacific 10 Conference cornerback grew up in Phoenix and intended to play college ball in his home state.

His high school numbers were not the problem. He had a team-leading 97 tackles in his senior season at McClintock High School in Tempe, where he was an all-state selection. What hurt Wheaton's recruiting status was his academic standing. He was short on u nits and was in the process of making them up when UA running back coach Mark Lunsford contacted him. Lunsford was in charge of recruiting in the region that Wheaton came out of.

"He is a good kid," Lunsford said. "He was behind in some classes and it was too big of a risk for us to continue. It was tough having to tell him that we were not going to be able to recruit him. It is one of the biggest regrets I have. He is an Arizona kid that should be playing Arizona football."

"Kenny is a great player. We have known that for a while," UA head coach Dick Tomey said.

Arizona eventually stopped recruiting Wheaton, opening the way for Oregon to slip in.

"They (the Wildcats) recruited me kind of like a red-hot second, otherwise I believe that I would be there," Wheaton said. "Oregon was the first one here and the last one to leave. I fit well at Oregon. It was the right place for me."

Wheaton said he doesn't hold any grudges, but anytime he plays an Arizona team he wants to play well.

"I always like to show people in Arizona that I can play," he said.

Cleared for school in time for fall, the Oregon gamble paid off for Wheaton.

Wheaton had instant success his freshman season in a shared role at the cornerback position.

He finished the season with 60 tackles and paced the team with four interceptions. Last season Wheaton made 72 stops, had a pair of sacks and made five interceptions. All of that was good enough to make him a second-team All-America. Paired with Alex Mold en, now with the New Orleans Saints, the Oregon secondary was considered one of the best in the nation. Oregon went to the Rose Bowl his freshman year and the Cotton Bowl last season. Until this season's 3-5 record - and 0-5 in the Pac-10 - Wheaton has ne ver been part of a losing season.

The Ducks have the worst defense in the conference and are last at stopping the opposing team on third down conversions. The Oregon secondary is so depleted that two freshmen are starting at safety. Teams rarely throw in Wheaton's direction anymore, eithe r out of respect or in an attempt to take advantage of the Ducks' other secondary players.

"It has been tough," Wheaton said. "Losing is new to me. It is really frustrating."

It was so frustrating that Wheaton lashed out at the Oregon media, and one report said he guaranteed wins in the team's last three games. Wheaton said that the "guaranteed" part was not true, but that he still expected to his team to win.

"Why play this game if you don't want to win?" Wheaton said. "It was nothing against Arizona. It doesn't matter who we play. I go into each game thinking that we are going win."

Against California, UA quarterback Keith Smith connected a school-record 14 times with wideout Jeremy McDaniel, so Wheaton and McDaniel should be matched up for most of the game.

"Wheaton is a great player, but we have so many weapons now," Smith said. "If they put him on Jeremy, I can go to someone else. We will have to mix up the looks we send at him, though."

"We will give him different looks, but we are going to have to throw the ball in his area," Tomey said. "He cannot be missed."

"I love it," Wheaton said. "I hope they throw to my side all game. I want the action. Let (Smith) see if he can have another big game."

While Wheaton has been able to back up his words in the past, Oregon head coach Mike Bellotti hopes he will be around next year.

"Kenny is one of the best players I have ever been associated with," Bellotti said. "He is a tremendous competitor, a student of the game, a team leader and he plays with countless emotion."

An NFL prospect, Wheaton could possibly be in his last season at Oregon. Wheaton will wait until the season is over to decide what is best for him and his family.

"It's unfortunate that he hasn't had the chance to defend more plays," Bellotti said, "but good corners don't get the ball in their area much."

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