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Mississippi quarterback Jeremiah Masoli (8) pulls in a high snap against Vanderbilt in their NCAA college football game in Oxford, Miss., Saturday, Sept. 18, 2010. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis)

Jeremiah Masoli's ability to think on his feet helped the junior quarterback lead Oregon to the Rose Bowl last season.

His father hopes Jeremiah will develop those skills outside the game.

"He'll probably kill me for saying this, but he's not street-wise," Kennedy Masoli said recently.

Masoli's missteps off the field have landed the Daly City native and former Serra High star at the University of Mississippi. The Rebels (1-2) host Fresno State on Saturday.

Masoli was dismissed from Oregon's program in June after being cited for misdemeanor marijuana possession. That came on the heels of being suspended for the 2010 season after pleading guilty in March to second-degree burglary at a campus fraternity house.

Five years earlier, Masoli, then a 16-year-old junior at Serra, was implicated in a robbery near Hillsdale High in San Mateo. He was expelled from Serra and served three months at Hillcrest Juvenile Hall in San Mateo.

Masoli -- and many of those close to him -- insist he is not the person portrayed by the headlines over the past nine months.

"I'm not a thief, not a crook, not a thug," Masoli said in a phone interview this week. "I'm just a regular guy like every other college football player."

Said Max Unger, Masoli's center at Oregon in 2008: "He's a good dude. But his actions pretty much speak for themselves.

"Wrong place, wrong time is understandable. But when it happens a second or third time, it really puts a lot of people in pretty tough situations."

Three incidents have dictated Masoli's career path:

  • On June 16, 2005, Masoli was a passenger in a truck with two Serra High football teammates and two other youths. The vehicle stopped near Hillsdale High and all five got out. One of the others took the wallet containing $10 from a kid on the street.

    Masoli did not say anything to the victim, according to juvenile records reviewed for a story by But he didn't try to stop the crime, and he didn't walk away. He got back into the truck with the others. And because of it, he was judged guilty.

    "When he was a juvenile, that (incident) was true. We're not going to deny that," Kennedy Masoli said. "The other offense that happened, although he was there, he wasn't part of the theft."

  • On the evening of Jan. 24 this year, barely three weeks after the Ducks lost to Ohio State in the Rose Bowl, Masoli and cousin Tau Lafiti were on the Oregon campus when they ran into Garrett Embry, a former Ducks wide receiver who had been kicked off the team two weeks earlier for undisclosed rules violations.

    Embry invited Masoli to join him at a party at the Sigma Alpha Epsilon house. Masoli told that he watched Embry enter a room and emerge carrying a digital projector. Masoli said he decided to leave immediately, walking toward the exit without saying a word to Embry.

    But sophomore student Max Wolford saw the two and, recognizing his projector, confronted Embry. Wolford chased down Embry for a couple of blocks and retrieved the projector, but when he returned to his room he discovered a laptop computer and guitar were gone. A friend told him he was missing a laptop, too.

    Wolford called the police and identified Embry as the thief, adding that he didn't see Masoli carrying anything. When police questioned Masoli about the incident, however, he told them he was not there. He said the same thing to Oregon coach Chip Kelly and to his parents.

    The price for lying was steep.

    Kennedy Masoli cannot explain why his son lied.

    "I have three other kids, and honesty is always something they've been taught," he said. "It's a mistake that he regrets. Foolish things."

    Asked about the incident and why he didn't tell the truth when interviewed by the police, Masoli said, "I'm not answering any questions about that."

    The Lane County district attorney offered Masoli a deal: If he pleaded guilty to felony second-degree burglary, it would be treated as a misdemeanor. Masoli would get one year of probation and split with Embry the $5,000 restitution on the lost items.

    Because Oregon law does not require the prosecution to share evidence before arraignment, the D.A. declined to do so. Masoli was told that if he didn't take the plea and was convicted, he would face a mandatory prison sentence of two to four years.

    "We had no idea what was in the police report," said Linda Masoli, Jeremiah's mother. "Your whole being wants to fight for innocence, and you're so scared."

    Masoli took the plea deal.

    Kelly suspended Masoli for the 2010 season, with the opportunity for him to return to the Ducks in 2011 provided he stayed out of trouble.

  • But on June 7, Masoli was pulled over for failing to stop while leaving a gas station. Police found a small amount of marijuana in the vehicle. Masoli was cited for misdemeanor possession and driving with a suspended license.

    Kelly kicked Masoli off the team two days later.

    It had been quite a first season for the Oregon coach. Running back LaGarrette Blount made national headlines for punching an opposing player. Another star running back, LaMichael James, pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge of domestic violence. There were other incidents as well, all painting a messy portrait of Oregon football.

    Masoli's parents say they understand the pressure Kelly faced from the media and community.

    "If anything could go wrong, it did," Linda Masoli said.

    Since Masoli transferred to Ole Miss, Rebels coach Houston Nutt said he hasn't seen a hint of the behavior that got Masoli in trouble at Serra and Oregon.

    "He's come in in a very humble manner, works hard and has raised everybody's level," Nutt said by phone.

    Masoli's first college coach had much the same experience.

    "He led by example, and guys followed him," said George Rush, the coach at City College of San Francisco. "If you met him, he's the kind of guy where you'd say, 'I'd like to take him home and he could be my son.' He's a good guy."

    So why does Masoli keep getting into trouble? He is smart enough to have already earned a degree in sociology at Oregon.

    "Here and there I've definitely not made the (right) decisions," Masoli said. "I look back and have some regrets."

    As for having his playing career rescued by Ole Miss, Masoli calls that "a blessing. If it stopped now, I'd be happy ... just being a part of the Ole Miss family forever."

    Masoli believes he has a future in the NFL, but he said, "I can't have any mental lapses."

    So far, so good, said Nutt, who told his quarterback, —‰'I want you to go back to being the best person you can be, and really take this opportunity and every day as a gift.' That's what he's done."