Forget that the sun will be shining. The stars will be out in Tucson on Saturday afternoon, when the Arizona Wildcats host No. 10 USC.
Future Pro Football Hall of Famer Rob Gronkowski will serve as the Wildcats’ honorary captain. At halftime, Arizona will add three players to its Ring of Honor at Arizona Stadium: former quarterback Ortege Jenkins, running back Vance Johnson and “Bear Down” originator John “Button” Salmon.
Jenkins called it “humbling” and “an honor.”
“I got the call from athletic director Dave Heeke and he said, ‘O.J., the committee said it was your time to go into the Ring of Honor,’” Jenkins said. “I was in shock, but very happy and excited. It’s been 20-plus years since my time there. I’m just excited, happy and — again — humbled. There’s a lot of guys I attribute my success at Arizona. Football is a team game, and those guys are the reasons I was able to be successful and have a great time playing football there.”
Jenkins played for the Wildcats from 1997-2000 and finished his career with 5,424 yards — which ranks 10th all-time in program history — and 42 touchdowns. Jenkins and Keith Smith, who is already inducted into the Ring of Honor, quarterbacked the Wildcats to a 12-1 record in 1998 and a win over Nebraska in the Holiday Bowl. It remains the best season in program history.
Nationally, Jenkins may be best known for his 1998 “Leap by the Lake,” a game-winning, feet-over-head touchdown that beat No. 20 Washington in Seattle.
Jenkins joined the Star’s Justin Spears on ESPN Tucson earlier this week to share what making the Ring of Honor means to him, Tomey’s influence as a head coach and father figure, his relationship with Smith and, of course, that leap.
Considering Smith is already in the Ring of Honor, what does it mean to join him?
A: “I was actually there for Keith’s induction. We talked and hoped that one day we could go in together, because we did so many things together. Everything is about timing. For us to both be inside the Ring of Honor, it’s true testament to sportsmanship, a true identity of our team, what we stood for. Dick Tomey always preached, ‘If you guys stick together and work as a team, a lot of good things will happen for you.’ And it happened. I’m going in (the Ring of Honor), Keith’s already in and there’s a lot of great players from that team — or even that era — that’s in the Ring of Honor as well.”
The expression ‘If you have two quarterbacks, then you have none,’ often gets thrown around in football, but you and Smith made it work for what remains the best season in UA history. How did you do it?
A: “It started from up top. Dino Babers was our offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at the time and they just sat us down and said, ‘Listen, you guys both can play and have the respect of your teammates, and we’re just going to lean into whoever has the hot hand in the second half. You get a quarter, Keith gets a quarter. You’ll start, but Keith is coming in afterwards. At the end of the day, whoever has the hot hand or gives us the best chance to win, will play the second half.’ For us, at the end of the day, it was about winning. Once we got on a roll, we didn’t care about who was playing, it was about, ‘Let’s get these wins.’ The more excitement there is, the more recognition you get. It was just a good feeling to be in that locker room knowing we were winning a lot of games. The selfishness went out the window for me, and I know Keith was the same. I was his biggest cheerleader, and he was mine. Don’t get me wrong, the competitive nature made me want to play all the time, but Keith was a baller. I tell people this all the time: ‘Let’s keep it real: Keith was an outstanding player.’ He helped me elevate my game, make me study and would help me work on my craft, and I think that’s what made it a special dynamic.”
What do you think Tomey would think about your induction ceremony on Saturday?
A: “Before Coach Tomey passed (in 2019), we had a homecoming weekend and we talked and he said, ‘O.J., there will be a time when you get yourself in the Ring of Honor.’ He told me, ‘Be patient, but you definitely deserve to be up there with your fellow quarterback-mate.’ Listen, Coach Tomey sat in my living room in Long Beach with my mom and ensured her that I would be taken care of and looked after, and I’ve always had a close relationship with Dick during my time there and afterwards. I spoke to his wife Nanci last week to let her know that I’ll be in Tucson. Dick was everything to me and a father figure. He gave me that tough love, but he showed me the professionalism that it takes to be a quarterback and leader of men at Arizona.”
How do you reflect on the ‘Leap by the Lake’?
A: “The No. 1 thing about the ‘Leap by the Lake,’ and I tell everyone this year after year, people forget our drive started on our 3-yard line. We had to drive the whole length of the field and we have two minutes and some change left. Keith came in the same time as me and threw me a pass. There were a lot of third-down conversions and guys who don’t get the recognition. Those linemen who gave us time to make plays, those receivers and running backs who caught balls, that is all a big part of ‘Leap by the Lake,’ because it’s the buildup. At the end of the day, it was a play where I dropped back, it opened up, I saw a lane and felt like I could get to the end zone before getting tackled. I knew I couldn’t go low, so only thing I could do was go high. I jumped as high as I could and the rest was history. There was a little bit luck and that was it. It’s that simple. One of the greatest plays I’ve ever experienced. It was the greatest plane ride home and greatest week of being a college athlete on campus the following week, for sure.”
Have Washington fans brought up Leap by the Lake to you since then?
A: “All the time. … It’s stuck around for a while. There have been some recent flips that trump mine, but for Arizona football, that was a great win and a great season.”
Arizona is facing No. 10 USC on Saturday. Do you have any standout memories playing against the Trojans?
A: “First and foremost, I’m from Long Beach, California, and (USC) was a local school, so a lot of the kids on the (Arizona) team now weren’t recruited by ‘SC. So, there’s always a chip on the shoulder and we always play USC tough. I was fortunate in my four years at Arizona, we played them twice and we won both times — once in Tucson and then my senior year, we beat them there. … We play ‘em tough in the desert. Any given Friday, Saturday or Sunday, you got an opportunity to win a football game. I don’t think it’ll be a blowout, I think it’ll be a close game. If we can control the turnover battle, I think we could have a really good chance at winning.”
Extra points
Arizona released its depth chart for the USC game Thursday. Tailback Michael Wiley is expected to return to the starting lineup after sitting out vs. Washington. Sam Langi is expected to start at left guard for Josh Donovan (knee). And freshman Ephesians Prysock is listed as a co-starter at cornerback with Treydan Stukes.
Two players who have missed time recently, defensive tackle Tiaoalii Savea and cornerback Isaiah Rutherford, likely will be unavailable, UA coach Jedd Fisch said. Savea, a sophomore transfer from UCLA, has appeared in four games and could preserve his redshirt if he sat out the remainder of the season. Rutherford also has played in four games, but he used his redshirt in 2019 at Notre Dame.
Three key USC players — receiver Jordan Addison and linebackers Eric Gentry and Ralen Goforth — will be game-time decisions Saturday, Trojans coach Lincoln Riley told reporters.
Fisch said the plan is for Gronkowski to lead the “Wildcat Walk” into Arizona Stadium on Saturday. Another former Wildcat, Antoine Cason, addressed the team Wednesday.
Fisch said about 45,000 tickets had been sold for the game as of Wednesday.
