Beaver Fever: An Oregon State Dynasty

**Krebs** · 07-13-2009, 12:54 AM

Originally posted by Emac78

Thanks for checking in.

youre welcome;)

**G-men** · 07-13-2009, 09:41 PM

if rutgers had a game of the week i would give you an OTPHJ.

**Emac78** · 07-13-2009, 11:01 PM

Oregon State Football History (Part 2)

The Slide

As good as the Giant Killers were, many expected the 1968 Beavers to be even better. Just four of the 22 starters graduated, perhaps the biggest loss was the kicker, Mike Haggard. Another starter, Jess Lewis, did not return in 1968 because he competed for the United States on the Olympic wrestling team. A top ten team returning the vast majority of their starters did not go unnoticed. Playboy rated Oregon State as the #1 team in their season preview. The pollsters rated the Beavers #6, Oregon State's highest-ever ranking up until that time.

It would come down to the #13 Beavers traveling to the Coliseum to battle the #1 Trojans. The winner would represent the Pacific 8 in the Rose Bowl. A tie would have muddled the race. Oregon State took a 7-0 lead into the fourth quarter, but O.J. Simpson stole the show, on his way to winning the Heisman Trophy. He wound up running for 238 yards and a touchdown. Oregon State kept it close but fell 17-13.

The following weekend, the Beavers let out their frustration on the Ducks. The 41-19 win was the biggest blowout for Oregon State in the series since World War II. It also provided the Beavers their first advantage in the series (32-31-9) since they won the original Civil War in 1894. The Beavers finished #16 in the final poll. All-told, Oregon State was six points from an undefeated season. It was the closest the Beavers had come to an undefeated season since their last undefeated season in 1914 and would remain the closest until 2000. It was the third consecutive season that Oregon State finished as the runner-up in the conference to Southern California.

Despite the success, Oregon State did not receive much attention. Because they were precluded from participating in a bowl as the second-place team, most of the nation did not hear much about the team. That would change. In the off-season, Dee Andros met one of his black players, Fred Milton, on-campus. Milton had grown a Van Dyke; however, Andros had a no facial hair policy. When Milton refused to shave it off, he was kicked off the team. The Black Student Union and 4000 other students protested Andros' decision. By the time the mess had sorted itself out, two-thirds of the black players had quit the team. There were no black recruits in the 1969 recruiting class. Andros was labeled a racist in many circles and seemed unable to shake it.

In 1970, the Beavers upset #14 and undefeated Oklahoma in Norman, Oklahoma, 23-14. Steve Endicott threw three touchdown passes and the defense held the Sooners scoreless in the second half. The Beavers wound up outgaining the Sooners 450-190. The loss to Oregon State was the only non-conference home loss Oklahoma would endure in the 1970s. The Beavers also swept California, Washington State, and Oregon for the second year in a row that year to finish with a winning record. Oregon State would not sweep California, Oregon, and Washington State in the same season again for three decades.

The Streak

In 1971 the Beavers managed to beat the Bruins in the Coliseum, 34-17. This remains the last time Oregon State has defeated any team in the Coliseum. After stumbling to the 2-3 start, the #11 Sun Devils came to Portland, Oregon, to play the Beavers. Arizona State had not lost in more than two years, building a 21-game winning streak. The Beavers upset the Sun Devils 24-18 behind Dave Schilling's 47 carry, 157 yard, 3 touchdown performance. In the process, Schilling became Oregon State's all-time leading rusher. The victory was Oregon State's fifth consecutive victory over Arizona State. A 1914 tie with Washington, a 1933 tie with Southern California, and the 1971 victory over Arizona State meant that Oregon State had ended three of the 40 longest winning streaks in college football history.

After the win, Washington beat Oregon State 38-14. The following weekend, the Beavers hopped out to a 24-3 second quarter lead over Stanford. However, the Indians clawed back to 24-17 on two Don Bunce touchdown passes. Midway through the fourth quarter Jackie Brown bowled in from one-yard out to pull Stanford within one, but Bunce's two-point conversion pass was intercepted by Steven Brown, his fourth interception of the game. However, Stanford got the ball back and scored on another Jackie Brown scamper with 53 seconds left to win 31-24. The loss was demoralizing on two fronts. Had the season played out like it did, the win over Stanford would have earned the 6-5 Beavers a Rose Bowl invite over the 7-4 Indians. Instead, 8-3 Stanford went to the Rose Bowl and upset #4 Michigan. In addition, the loss dropped Oregon State to 3-5. Absent a tie, the Beavers would have to win out to avoid their first losing season since 1959. However, Arizona defeated Oregon State 34-22 in Tucson, Arizona. The Streak had begun. The Beavers followed up the defeat by beating the Cougars by seven. In the Civil War, Bill Cariquist would go in from six yards out with a 100 seconds left on the clock to lead the Beavers to a 30-29 victory and ensure Bobby Moore (a.k.a. Ahmad Rashad) would never see a Civil War victory. The 5-6 record would remain Oregon State's best until 1998.

From 1971-1998, Oregon State went 65-238-6, a .210 winning percentage, the lowest winning percentage of any college team in the era. Every year, the Beavers wound up with more losses than wins. From 1972-1997, between the two 5-6 seasons which bookmarked The Streak, Oregon State went 55-226-6, a .192 winning percentage, again the lowest percentage of any college team in the era. In between 1972-1997, only four Beaver teams reached the four-win mark. All four seasons came in between 1988-1994. The best season was 1988's 4-6-1 record, a .409 winning percentage.

Dee Andros' best season after 1971 was 1974's 3-8 mark, where the three Oregon State wins were against the other three Pacific 8 teams in the Northwest: Washington, Washington State, and Oregon. The Beavers would not replicate the feat for another three decades. 1975 began with an eight-game losing streak. The single win was a 7-0 victory over Washington State, fittingly the last game Andros would coach at Parker Stadium. The Cougars escaped to Albany, where a Portland sportswriter ran into Washington State's beleaguered coach, Jim Sweeney. Sweeney moaned that he had just lost to the worst football team in America. The win was the last over Washington State in Corvallis in almost two decades.

Oregon State went 2-10 in 1976. After the Beavers started 1-3 in 1977, #13 BYU came to Corvallis, Oregon. The Cougars jumped out to a 19-0 second half lead before the Beavers came storming back. After John Norman threw a 40-yard touchdown pass to Dwayne Hall, Kent Howe and Gene Dales each returned interceptions for touchdowns en route to a 24-19 Oregon State victory, which proved to be the Beavers' last in 1977.

In 1978, Arizona and Arizona State joined the Pacific Eight, becoming the Pacific Ten. Both beat Oregon State by double digits. BYU also got revenge on the Beavers with a 10-7 win. In the 35 years in between 1967 and 2002, the Beavers' two best outings east of the Mississippi both happened in 1978. They tied Tennessee in front of 82,048 Volunteer fans in sold-out Neyland Stadium, 13-13, and beat Minnesota 17-14 on the east bank of the Mississippi River in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Outside of the 1978 games against Minnesota and Tennessee, Oregon State has gone 1-21 in games played east of the Mississippi since 1967.

On the first Saturday in November, Oregon State found themselves at their own three-yard line down 31-29 to Washington State in the fourth quarter. The Beavers' Steve Smith orchestrated an 87-yard drive, which was capped off by a last second, 27-yard Kieron Walford field goal to win 32-31. The game was the last win in Pullman, Washington in more than two decades. On Veteran's Day, #9 UCLA came to Corvallis, Oregon, as 15-point favorites. With 3:08 in the fourth quarter, Walford's 36-yard field goal split the uprights for a 15-13 Beaver win. The Beaver defense did not allow a completed pass in the second half and only allowed two first downs in the final two quarters. It was Oregon State's first victory over UCLA in seven years. The win was the Beaver's third of the year, but they would lose the next two to finish 3-7-1. The win over #9 UCLA would be the Beavers' last win over a top 10 team in more than two decades. Over the next 44 games, Oregon State would go 2-41-1 on the field, a .057 winning percentage. The 3-7-1 record would be the Beavers' best for a decade.

During one three-game stretch in 1979, Oregon State lost 131-0 to Arizona State, California, and Washington. After a 24-14 home loss to San Jose State, which stretched the losing streak to nine games, Craig Fertig was told he would not return as head coach for the 1980 campaign. The following weekend, Oregon State met Stanford in Corvallis, Oregon. Stanford was tied atop the conference. Oregon State gave their all one last time for their outgoing coach. Jeff Southern scored from one yard out with 1:13 left to pull the Beavers within two. Oregon State knotted the score at 31 when Scott Richardson hit Tony Robinson for a two-point conversion. The Beavers kicked off, and Stanford's Rick Gervais fielded the ball at his two-yard line. Not realizing where he was, he downed the ball in the end zone for a safety. The 33-31 lead held up, but the Beavers lost the final three games of the season.

To fill the vacant head coaching position, Oregon State hired the offensive coordinator at Tennessee, Joe Avezzano. A coaching change only seemed to make the hole bigger. Oregon State went on probation in 1980 for using an ineligible player in 1979. Oregon State lost all eleven games in 1980. The closest game was a ten point loss to Long Beach State in Corvallis, Oregon. Moreover, Oregon State's schedule did not include the Rose Bowl champion Trojans. Thankfully, 1980's 0-11 record remains the Beaver's worst. The highlight of the season was a trip to the Mirage Bowl in Tokyo Japan. 86,000 watched #14 UCLA slaughter Oregon State 34-3. In the 17 years teams traveled across the Pacific to play in the Mirage Bowl (renamed the Coca-Cola Classic in 1986), the 31 point loss was the most any team was blown out.

At the beginning of the 1981 season, Oregon State was mired in a 14-game losing streak. In the last 24 games, the winning points in the Beavers' only victory came on a kick returning error. The first team on the Beavers' schedule was the Fresno State Bulldogs, fresh off a victory over the Ducks. Oddly, the Beavers stepped out onto the field as 15-point favorites. 28,000 turned out to see what most hoped would be Oregon State's first win in two years. Oregon State fell behind 28-0 but Oregon State would set the record for the biggest comeback in college football history at that time, winning 31-28. Although Oregon State failed to capitalize on the momentum of the Fresno State victory, they staved off what might have been a 29-game losing streak, as the one win was sandwiched between two 14-game losing streaks.

In 1982, Oregon State started 0-4, stretching the losing streak to 14. In Pullman, Washington, the Beavers managed to tie the Cougars 14-14 by kicking a field goal with 31 seconds left. Five games later, Oregon State finally won a game, 30-10 over 1-AA Montana in Corvallis, Oregon, after a bye week. It was the Beavers' first win in 20 tries and first ever game against a 1-AA team. Oregon State would drop the Civil War 7-6 to Oregon to finish 1-9-1. The Ducks' eight consecutive victories over the Beavers remains an Oregon record.

In 1983, Oregon State started 1-6, beating Division II, Portland State 51-14 in Portland, Oregon. The win was the Beavers' first road victory since their win over the Cougars 32-31 in 1978. On October 29, they met 1-6 Stanford in Corvallis, Oregon. The Beavers won 31-18. It was their first victory over a Pac-10 opponent in four years and two days. Oregon State would lose the next two games by double-digits. The 2-8 Beavers then made their way south to Eugene, Oregon, to battle the 4-6 Ducks. The Beavers and Ducks had two combined winning seasons in the previous 13, both by the Ducks. Although 1983 version of both teams were not the best, the matchup pitted the best teams, by record, in the previous three years. Oregon State dominated the first half, holding Oregon to 45 yards and one completed pass. The Ducks were unable to cross the Beavers' 49. However, Oregon State could not capitalize, turning the ball over three times in the Oregon red zone and missing 26- and 36-yard field goals.

In the second half, Oregon gained 300 yards but repaid Oregon State's first half generosity by turning the ball over three times inside the Beaver 30 and missing field goals of 20 and 50 yards. The final play of the game was perhaps the most exciting in the entire game. Oregon's Mike Owens threw a twenty-five yard pass to Kwante Hampton to the Duck 33, who lateraled to Ladaria Johnson. Oregon State's Tony Fuller was finally able to drag Johnson down at the Beaver 24. In sixty minutes, the teams combined for 16 turnovers, four missed field goals, and no points. When the gun sounded, the scoreboard read 0-0. With the advent of overtime, it will likely remain the last scoreless tie in college football history. The game has come to be known as the "Toilet Bowl." The Beavers finished with a 2-8-1 record as the Ducks finished 4-6-1.

Joe Avezzano was fired at the end of the 1984 season. To fill Avezzano's vacated position, Athletic Director Dee Andros wanted to hire Idaho's Dennis Erickson. In 1984, the Vandals beat the Beavers 41-22. However, Andros was fired that winter. Instead, Oregon State hired Dave Kragthorpe. Kragthorpe had shown flashes of brilliance in his four years as head coach, winning a 1-AA national championship at Idaho State in 1981; however, he had not coached in a couple of years, having spent the previous two seasons as Utah State's Athletic Director. He brought the "air express" offense with him, which he had honed as the offensive coordinator at BYU.

The 1985 season started well with a win over Dennis Erickson's Idaho. The following weekend, in Portland, Oregon, Oregon State's Jim Nielsen kicked a 20-yard field goal to beat California, 23-20. The 2-0 start was the Beavers' best since the 1967 Giant Killers season. The win over California also was the last Oregon State victory in Portland, Oregon. Despite the quick start, the season quickly began to disintegrate. Oregon State lost to Fresno State 33-24. The Bulldogs would finish the season as the only undefeated team in Division 1-A and ranked #16. Over the next three weekends, Oregon State would lose to Division II Grambling, Southern California, and Washington State a combined 124-6. The Southern California and Washington State losses were by a combined 97-0. No Beaver team had ever been beaten by 97 points in two consecutive games.

As bad as things were, they looked to get worse. Oregon State's next opponent was conference-leading Washington. The Huskies had finished 1984 as the #2 team in the nation behind #1 BYU, having defeated previous #2 Oklahoma 28-17 in the Orange Bowl. Oregon State also was not at full strength. All-Pac-10 receiver Reggie Bynum and starting quarterback Eric Wilhelm were both unable to play. In Eric Wilhelm's place, freshman Rich Gonzales started. He had taken only nine snaps with the first team all year. Las Vegas made Washington 38-point favorites. But the Beavers would pull off a 21-20 upset. The loss to Oregon State kept the Huskies out of the Rose Bowl that year.

In 1988, Oregon State lost to Arizona, running their Pac-10 losing streak to 11, but beat San Jose State. In game three, they put their three-game winning streak against California on the line. California had a 16-3 lead entering the fourth quarter. Still leading 16-6 with just over 10 minutes left, the clock ticked down...10:01, 10:00, 10:99, 10:59....Nobody seemed to notice. With 1:53 left, Erik Wilhelm found Brian Taylor for a three-yard touchdown, 16-12. Erik Wilhelm found Brian Swanson for a two-point conversion to cut the lead to 16-14. Troy Bussanich's 23-yard field goal split the uprights with 16 seconds left, 44 seconds after the game should have ended. The win snapped Oregon State's 11-game Pac-10 losing streak. It was only after the game that the clock malfunction was noticed. The game is known alternatively as "Beaver in the Sky" and the "61 Minute Game."

In 1990, Oregon State started poorly, losing their first five games, including their first ever loss to 1-AA Montana. In game six, Oregon State beat #21 Arizona 35-21. Arizona entered the game as 21 1/2 point favorites. It was the Beavers' first win over a ranked team since 1978 and their first win over Arizona since 1966. According to David Rothman, this was the greatest upset in all of college football between 1985 and 1998. The probability of Oregon State winning was 7.4%. Oregon State had nothing left in the tank afterward to pull off another monumental upset and lost their next five games. Two days after losing the Civil War 6-3, Dave Kragthorpe resigned as head coach.

To fill the empty position, Oregon State hired Northern Illinois' head coach, Jerry Pettibone. Pettibone ran a triple-option style offense, very different from Dave Kragthorpe's "air express." The Beavers' five-game losing streak in 1990 quickly mushroomed into a 15-game losing streak, Oregon State's longest ever. In the Civil War, the Ducks were favored by 19 1/2 points, but the Beavers beat the Ducks 14-3 to snap the nation's longest losing streak. Chad Paulson became the first running back to rush for more than 100 yards in a game in two years. He also threw the only touchdown pass for either team with 10:32 left in the game. The win was Oregon State's first in Eugene since 1973 and staved off a second 11-loss season.

In 1993, the Beavers finished second in the nation in rushing at 297.7 yards per game. They also only averaged 2.7 completions per game. In the offseason, Pettibone successfully recruited a blue chip option quarterback, Tim Alexander, who chose Oregon State over Nebraska and Oklahoma.

In the first four Beaver games of 1994, the home team won every game. Unfortunately for Oregon State, three of their first four games were on the road. They lost to Arizona State by six and beat Wyoming before losing to Fresno State and #6 Arizona. Against the Trojans in Corvallis, Oregon State hopped out to a 13-0 lead. Southern California responded by scoring 27 consecutive points to post a 27-13 lead. Starting quarterback Don Shanklin was injured and replaced by Tim Alexander. Alexander led the Beavers back to within 27-19. With less than eight minutes left at the Trojan 45, he took off on a 31-yard scamper but injured his left shoulder when he was tackled. He would not play another down in 1994. Three plays later, third-string quarterback, Rahim Muhammad, fumbled at the Trojan seven. It was the seventh Beaver fumble and the only one that would be recovered by the Trojans. Oregon State got the ball back and drove into Trojan territory, but Rahim Muhammad was sacked at the Trojan 44 to end the game.

On the Ides of October in the Rose Bowl, the Beavers finally won in Pasadena, California, beating UCLA, the defending Pac-10 champions, 23-14. Don Shanklin and J.J. Young each ran for more than 150 yards, piling up 428 rushing yards; Shanklin was 0-4 passing. The win was the first conference win for Oregon State outside of Oregon in five years. After the win, the Beavers lost to Stanford and Washington but rallied to beat Pacific 24-12, becoming the last Division 1-A team to throw a touchdown pass in 1994 in the process. They followed up the victory with a 21-3 win over #24 Washington State, eliminating the Cougars from Rose Bowl contention.

The Civil War offered the Beavers the chance for their first five-win season in 23 years and simultaneously eliminate another team from Rose Bowl contention, the #12 Ducks. Oregon only needed a win to travel to their first Rose Bowl in 37 years. After spotting the Ducks a 10-0 lead, the Beavers' Chris Cross recovered a blocked punt for a touchdown to cut the Ducks' lead to 10-6 at halftime. Nine minutes into the third quarter, Don Shanklin sneaked into the end zone to put Oregon State up 13-10. With less than five minutes left, the Beavers faced fourth-and-one at the Duck 30. Shanklin snuck for what appeared to be a first down, but the referees spotted the ball short. The Ducks responded by driving 70 yards in 59 seconds, scoring on a 19-yard pass with 3:43 left to take a 17-13 lead. Oregon State drove 64 yards to the Oregon 14 but turned the ball over on downs, when Shanklin's pass splashed down incomplete with 34 seconds left. In the offseason, Pettibone scrapped the wishbone in favor of the flexbone in hopes of increasing passing opportunities.

Oregon State opened the 1995 season in Corvallis against 1-AA Idaho. The Beavers held on to win 14-7 but had more punts than first downs. Despite the close win, Oregon State gave Pettibone a contract extension through 1998. The following weekend, the Oregon State lost to University of the Pacific 23-10. It was Pacific's most lopsided victory in 1995, their final year with a football team. The following weekend in Denton, Texas, Oregon State hopped out to a 27-23 fourth quarter lead over North Texas, playing in their first home game as a Division 1-A team. The Mean Green were still looking for their first win as a Division 1-A team when North Texas' Jason Mills threw a 4-yard touchdown pass with nine seconds left. The win would be the Mean Green's only one over a Division 1-A team in 1995. Oregon State lost the next three games to Arizona State and the Washington schools. Against California, the Beavers hopped out to a 12-6 first half lead but gave up a touchdown with 6:40 left to lose 13-12. Oregon State proceeded to lose their final four games. The final two were particularly vexing, as the Trojans (Rose) and the Ducks (Cotton) each wrapped up New Years' Day bowl games. Also, with the win, the Ducks became the first home team to win the Civil War in six years.

Oregon State opened the 1996 season losing to 1-AA Montana 35-14 in Corvallis. In two road games against Southern California and Baylor, the Beavers lost a combined 88-27. At the end of September, Oregon State scored two fourth quarter touchdowns in Berkeley against California to tie the game at 35. There had never been a tie in the California-Oregon State series, and this game would be no different as the game went into overtime. The teams traded touchdowns in the first overtime. In the second overtime, the Beavers lined up for a game-winning field goal on third down at the three. The snap was low and Randy Lund's kick was blocked. Kato Serwanga picked up the ball and rumbled 71-yards before finally being dragged down. After Lund's 49-yard kick was short in the third overtime, California's Pat Barnes punched it in from three yards out for a 48-42 win. It was the first triple overtime Division 1 game.

Oregon State lost to Washington State 24-3 but beat Stanford 26-12 behind a Beaver record 11 sacks, snapping Oregon State's second 15-game losing streak. The Beavers did not build a winning streak, losing three straight to the Arizonas and Washington. Against Northern Illinois, Pettibone beat up on his old team with Oregon State posting a 67-22 victory. The 67 points were the most points the Beavers had scored in 63 years. In the Civil War, Oregon beat Oregon state 49-13. Pettibone resigned the following Monday. Oregon State hired Southern California's beleaguered offensive coordinator, Mike Riley. Riley scrapped the flexbone in favor of a pro-style offense. The most important scholarship offer in 1997 may well have been center Dustin Janz from Glendora, California. After offering Janz a scholarship, Riley invited Janz' quarterback, Jonathan Smith, to walk-on. Smith accepted the offer, redshirting in 1997.

Oregon State opened the 1997 season by scoring 27 fourth quarter points to beat North Texas 33-7. The Beavers, behind seven sacks, hopped out to a 24-20 lead over #21 Stanford, only to watch the Cardinal win on a two-yard touchdown run with 27 seconds left. Against #25 Arizona State, the defending Pac-10 champions, a 10-7 halftime lead turned into a 13-10 loss. Oregon State beat San Jose State and Utah State a combined 50-28. With the wins, the Beavers swept their non-conference slate for the first time in 40 years. The 3-2 start was also Oregon State's best since 1988, but they would lose their remaining six games. The closest loss was 48-30 to the Ducks in the Civil War. The 30 points were the most the Beavers had scored in the Civil War since 1974.

Oregon State opened the 1998 season beating both Nevada and Baylor by a combined 75-23, the Beavers' first 2-0 start since 1985 and most lopsided 2-0 start since 1935. In the Coliseum, against the #18 Trojans, the Beavers only trailed 23-20 with three minutes left, but Southern California scored 17 points in just over a minute to win 40-20. After losing to the Sun Devils 24-3 in Tempe, Arizona, the Beavers rebounded in Logan, Utah, against Utah State winning 20-16. The win was Oregon State's first away from Corvallis, Oregon, since the win in the Rose Bowl in 1994. The following weekend, the Beavers beat the Cardinal 30-23. The win was the first win over a Pac-10 foe in two years. The win was the first in Stanford Stadium since 1968. It also was Oregon State's first 4-2 start in 30 years.

After losing 28-7 to #16 Arizona, the Beavers traveled to Seattle, Washington, to play the Huskies. Oregon State had won only one game against Washington since 1974. The Beavers benched starting quarterback Terrance Bryant in favor of Jonathan Smith in the second quarter. Nevertheless, Washington hopped out to a 28-7 lead in the third quarter. However, the Beavers gnawed their way back. After a Husky punt gave the Beavers the ball at their own 22 with 30 seconds left down 35-28, Oregon State responded by going 78 yards in five plays. A 33-yard touchdown pass from Jonathan Smith to Tim Alexander ran out the final seconds in the game. Rather than kicking the extra point, the Beavers went for two, but Smith's pass to Roddy Tompkins was broken up in the end zone. Jonathan Smith's 469 passing yards were both Oregon State and Husky Stadium records. The following weekend, Oregon State lost to California 20-19.

Against #3 UCLA, Oregon State's Jose Cortez tied the game 34-34 with a 28-yard field goal with 31 seconds left, but his kickoff went out of bounds at the Bruin 39. UCLA wasted no time as Cade McNown found Brad Melsby for a 61-yard touchdown with 21 seconds left to win 41-34. UCLA extended the nation's longest winning streak to 18 games and was a questionable fumble away from being invited to play in the first BCS national championship game. The loss cemented Oregon State's 28th losing season, but they lost three consecutive games by a combined nine points.

In the Civil War, #15 Oregon took a 31-24 lead with 2:34 left, but Oregon State drove 71 yards in just over a minute. The final 30 yards was a Jonathan Smith to Tim Alexander touchdown pass. The Beavers opted to tie, rather than go for two. The game went to overtime. Oregon State scored first to take a 38-31 lead. Oregon's fourth down pass fell incomplete, and Beaver fans stormed the field. However, a pass interference penalty was called, giving the Ducks a first down, which they ultimately converted into a touchdown. Most Beaver fans who had stormed the field did not return to their seats and remained just off of the field. In the second overtime, Oregon State's defense forced a field goal. At the Oregon 16, Simonton rumbled around right end for a touchdown into the crowd ringing the field for a 44-41 victory. The 44 points scored were the most the Beavers had ever scored in the Civil War. The five wins were the most for Oregon State in 27 years. In the offseason, Mike Riley quit to coach the San Diego Chargers. Having just lost a coach to the NFL, the Beavers hired former NFL coach, Dennis Erickson.

OSU HB Ken Simonton scores a 16-yard touchdown in 2 OT to give Oregon State its first five-win season since 1971.

**Emac78** · 07-14-2009, 11:04 PM

Oregon State Football History (Part 3)

Dennis Erickson Era

The five-win season and the first win over the Ducks since 1988 in double overtime gave Beaver fans hope that Oregon State might finally turn things around. In the offseason Parker Stadium was renamed Reser Stadium. Maybe Oregon State should have renamed the stadium years ago. With Mike Riley leaving for the San Diego Chargers, Oregon State athletic director Mitch Barnhart began looking for someone to replace him. Barnhart called Dennis Erickson who had just recently been fired from the Seattle Seahawks. Barnhart asked Erickson if he knew anybody that would want the job. Erickson replied that he would like to take it and history was made. Dennis Erickson, a two-time national champion head coach with the Miami Hurricanes and a former NFL head coach with the Seattle Seahawks became the Beavers' new head coach. Erickson instantly boosted attendance and there was a buzz in Corvallis that maybe the Beavers could have a winning season

The Dennis Erickson Era began in Reno, Nevada. Nevada took a 13-7 lead into the fourth quarter, but tight end Martin Mauer caught a Jonathan Smith pass and rumbled 74-yards for a 14-13 Oregon State lead. Ken Simonton would tack on two more touchdowns to give the Beavers a 28-13 win. The first opponent to visit Reser Stadium was Fresno State. After spotting the Bulldogs a 14-13 first quarter lead, the Beavers outscored Fresno 33-9. Billy Volek and the Bulldogs would go on to win the WAC championship.

Georgia Southern, the top-rated 1-AA team, and their star running back, Adrian N. Peterson, who would wind up the leading rusher in Division 1-AA history, arrived in Corvallis, Oregon. Peterson ran for 172 yards and two touchdowns. The game was tied at 34 with seven minutes left, but the Beavers scored twice in a three minute span to put Georgia Southern away. It would be Georgia Southern's worst loss in 1999 on their way to the first of two consecutive 1-AA national championships.

Oregon State took their 3-0 record to Southern California looking for their first 4-0 start since 1957. The #16 Trojans held a 37-7 lead with 12 minutes left. After benching Jonathan Smith, back-up Terrance Bryant led Oregon State back with 22 unanswered points but could get no closer. The 22 points were the most fourth quarter points Southern California had given up in more than a quarter century. After losing to Washington, Oregon State held a 17-14 lead over Stanford with four minutes left, but lost 21-17. Stanford wound up winning the Pac-10. The following weekend, in Corvallis, Oregon, Oregon State handed UCLA its worst loss since 1930, 55-7.

With a win over Washington State, Oregon State was a game away from its first non-losing season since 1970. In the Beavers first try for their sixth win, Kyle Boller put California on top in the first quarter with an 83-yard touchdown pass. The seven points would keep California in the lead into the fourth quarter. However, Oregon State exorcised 28 years worth of demons with two fourth quarter touchdowns for a 17-7 win. The scoreboard read, "Hail Dorothy! The wicked streak is dead!"

With a win over Arizona, ranked #4 before the season began, Oregon State would clinch their first bowl berth since 1965. The Beavers took the lead on a 65-yard touchdown pass from Jonathan Smith to Roddy Tompkins with 88 seconds left in the first half. Oregon State would not relinquish it, winning 28-20. After losing to Oregon 25-14 in Eugene, Oregon, Oregon State was invited to the 1999 O'ahu Bowl against Hawaii. Hawaii had rebounded from an 0-12 campaign in 1998 to go 8-4 in 1999, the best one-year turnaround in NCAA history. Oregon State took the opening kickoff and drove 80 yards for a touchdown. Oregon State did not score again until the last play of the first half, when Ryan Cesca kicked a 37-yard field goal to knot the game at 10. The 37-yard field goal was his only made attempt in four first half tries. Eric Hannum's 35-yard field goal with 2:58 left gave Hawaii a 23-10 lead. Oregon State drove 81 yards in 1:31 to cut the lead to 23-17. Roddy Tompkins recovered Ryan Cesca's ensuing onside kick at Hawaii's 48. However, T.J. Houshmandzadeh was called for a controversial procedural penalty, nullifying the recovery. The following onside kick went out of bounds and Hawaii ran out the clock. The O'ahu Bowl loss really did not matter. Oregon State had finally broken the streak of 28 losing seasons and had been to a bowl game for the first time since the 1965 Rose Bowl.

Oregon State started out the 2000 campaign barely beating Eastern Washington 21-19. Ken Simonton became the all-time leading Beaver rusher, running for 200 yards. The following weekend in Albuquerque, New Mexico, New Mexico hopped out to a 20-14 fourth quarter lead, but the Beavers took a one-point lead on T.J. Houshmandzadeh's nine-yard touchdown pass from Jonathan Smith. Up one, Oregon State faced fourth-and-one at New Mexico 43-yard line. Simonton ran for a 43-yard touchdown. The Lobos drove to the Beaver 29, but Keith Heyward-Johnson intercepted Rudy Caamano's pass with 20 seconds left. Following a bye, the third time was the charm, as Oregon State throttled San Diego State 35-3. It was the Beavers first win over San Diego State in three tries.

The following weekend, the #7 Trojans arrived in Corvallis. Oregon State had not defeated Southern California since the Beavers' Giant Killer year in 1967. In the 33 preceding years, the Trojans had outscored the Beavers 991-268, averaging winning each game 38-10. Oregon State only lost one game by less than a touchdown and that was in 1968. The 2000 Trojans were the highest ranked version the Beavers had faced since 1988. The team was buoyed on both sides of the ball by two future Pro Bowlers: Carson Palmer on offense and Troy Palamalu on defense. Starting tailback Sultan McCullough came in averaging 118 yards a game.

On the Trojans' first play from scrimmage, the Beavers forced Carson Palmer out of the pocket and intercepted the future Heisman winner. On the ensuing drive, Chad Johnson hauled in a 15-yard touchdown pass from Jonathan Smith. A little over four minutes later, Ken Simonton scampered in from 20 yards out to put Oregon State up 14-0 less than 10 minutes into the game. The deficit only seemed to wake the Trojans from their slumber. Palmer threw a 12-yard touchdown pass to pull within seven. After the Beavers broke into the Trojan red zone, Oregon State fumbled, and the Trojans' Zeke Moreno picked it up and ran 88 yards for a touchdown. It was Zeke Moreno's third defensive touchdown against the Beavers in his career. At that point, things looked bleak for Oregon State; a 14-0 lead had degenerated into a 14-14 tie. The Beavers had never beaten the Trojans after giving up two touchdowns.

At that point, the improbable happened, a possum appeared running around in the South end zone. It proceeded to run north down the field. As it neared the North end zone, the crowd grew louder and louder, cheering on the marsupial. When it finally crossed the goal line, the crowd exploded. The jumbotron was showing a slow motion replay of the possum's ramble, when it was finally wrangled by Jess Lewis, head of maintenance for Oregon State's athletic facilities and former Giant Killer. Lewis made the game-saving tackle of O.J Simpson and recovered O.J. Simpson's fumble after Simpson's final carry of the day to seal the victory in 1967, the Beavers' last victory over the Trojans. Just like that, the crowd was back in the game and whatever momentum the Trojans had evaporated. The half ended tied at 14.

The Trojans took the second half kickoff and drove into Beaver territory. They looked completely in charge when Antonie Harris hauled in what appeared to be a Carson Palmer touchdown pass. However, the play was nullified by a delay of game penalty. The Trojans had to settle for a field goal attempt which hit an upright to preserve the tie. Defenses dominated the third quarter. McCullough left the game with a knee injury. The Beavers had held him to 33 yards, 85 yards short of his season average. Early in the fourth quarter, the Trojans blinked. Petros Papadakis fumbled inside the Trojan 10-yard line. Oregon State's Calvin Carlyle came up with the ball. Simonton plowed in from two yards out to take a 21-14 lead with 11:14 left. After the Trojans punted, Oregon State drove to the Trojan 24. Ryan Cesca connected on his first goal of the year to take a 24-14 lead. After two consecutive Trojan drives ended in interceptions, the game appeared over, but Oregon State's punter, Mike Fessler, fumbled at the Beavers' 12 yard line. Palmer threw his second touchdown pass with 2:16 left. The Trojans' onside kick gave Oregon State great field position. Simonton turned a short gain into a 36-yard touchdown, which put the game away. The touchdown gave Simonton 234 yards on the day, the second most yards the Trojans had ever given up to one running back. The Trojans could only manage 63 yards rushing; they were outrushed by the possum.

The following weekend, #23 Oregon State traveled to Seattle, Washington, to battle #11 Washington. Washington had already beaten the #4 Miami Hurricanes 34-29 in Seattle, Washington. Miami would wind up the #2 team in the country. The Beavers were ranked for the first time since the end of the 1968 season. Down 33-23 with less than eight minutes left, Jonathan Smith engineered an improbable comeback, throwing an 80-yard touchdown pass to Chad Johnson wearing just one shoe. The Beavers got the ball back with less than five minutes left and drove 60 yards to the Husky 25. They faced second and one with 42 seconds left and no timeouts. Instead of throwing a pass, Smith handed off to Simonton, who was tackled behind the line by Washington's Larry Tripplett. Erickson had failed to call a third-down play beforehand, so Jonathan Smith was forced to spike the ball with less than 20 seconds left. Ryan Cesca came on to kick a 46-yard field goal but missed wide right with 14 seconds left.

The following weekend, the defending Pac-10 champion Cardinal came to Corvallis. Earlier in the year, Stanford had defeated #5 Texas 27-24. The Cardinal hopped out to a 3-0 first quarter, but the Beavers led at halftime 17-6. Early in the third quarter, in the shadow of their own goalpost, Jonathan Smith hit Chad Johnson on a 97-yard touchdown pass, the longest pass in Beaver history. Stanford never challenged after that point, losing 38-6. It was the biggest loss for the Cardinal in 2000.

The next Saturday, Oregon State traveled to the Rose Bowl to play #23 UCLA. The Bruins started off the 2000 season beating #3 Alabama and #3 Michigan. UCLA led at halftime 10-7. In the first half, Oregon State's starting running back, Ken Simonton, reaggravated a nagging groin injury and could not return in the second half. 52 seconds into the second half, Jonathan Smith threw his first interception since the Eastern Washington game. Mat Ball returned the interception for a touchdown and a 17-7 lead. The Beavers responded less than two minutes later in their version of the Immaculate Reception. Smith threw to tight end Martin Maurer over the middle, but UCLA's Marques Anderson knocked the ball out of Maurer's hands. The ball fluttered through the air and wound up in the arms of Oregon State's Robert Prescott, who ran in for a 57-yard touchdown pass. The Bruins took a 31-21 fourth quarter lead, but the Beavers swiftly tied the game at 31 with 9:25 left on a four-yard touchdown pass from Smith to Maurer. Oregon State built a 37-31 lead but faced 3rd-and-long in the shadow of their own goal post. Disaster struck; Smith fumbled in the end zone and UCLA recovered. However, a penalty flag was on the field. Maurer was called for a touchdown-saving false start. On 3rd-and-21, Antonio Battle ran for 22 yards on a draw. Later in the drive, Patrick McCall ran for a 66-yard touchdown with 1:52 left. The Bruins scored to pull within six, 44-38, and recovered the onside kick but turned the ball over on downs to effectively end the game.

After beating Washington State 38-9, Oregon State traveled to Berkeley, California, to play the Golden Bears. The Beavers were ranked #11 in the BCS standings, their first ever BCS ranking. The Beaver-Golden Bear game was one of streaks. In the first seven minutes, the Beavers built a 14-0 lead on two Ken Simonton runs. The Golden Bears narrowed the lead to 14-12 early in the second quarter. Oregon State scored 17 points in a six-and-a-half minute span to take a 31-12 lead with 2:53 left. Kyle Boller threw his second touchdown pass with 10 seconds left in the first half to pull within 31-19. A little over 20 minutes into the second half, Kyle Boller's third touchdown pass cut the Beaver lead to 31-29 with 9:43 left. Oregon State's Patrick McCall scored on a 27-yard run with 6:06 left to take a 38-29 lead. The Golden Bears kicked a 40-yard field goal with 1:44 left, which made the final score 38-32.

The following weekend, Oregon State went to Tucson, Arizona, to play Arizona. The Beavers had never beaten the Wildcats in Tucson. Oregon State won 33-9. It was the first time the Wildcats had been held without a touchdown since 1994, when Oregon won 10-9 in 1994 on their way to the Rose Bowl. The win set up the biggest Civil War in generations. #5 Oregon came to Corvallis to play #8 Oregon State, each with identical 9-1 records. Oregon, with a win, would clinch a Pac-10 championship and Rose Bowl appearance. Oregon State was a win away from a share of the Pac-10 championship but needed help to go to the Rose Bowl. Washington's win over the Beavers was the first of six consecutive second half comebacks on their way to a 9-1 record. Oregon State needed a win and a Washington loss to go to the Rose Bowl. The game featured the highest ranked Beaver and Duck teams ever. Oregon and Oregon State's combined 18-2 record was the best combined record since 1933.

On Oregon's opening drive, Joey Harrington was intercepted by Jake Cookus, who returned the interception 13 yards to Oregon's 18. From there, Jonathan Smith found Robert Prescott for a 31-yard touchdown pass less than five minutes into the game. Six minutes later, Smith threw a 49-yard touchdown pass to Prescott to put the Beavers up 14-0. After Oregon's Josh Frankel missed a 44-yard field goal, Oregon State drove 58 yards to set up a 32-yard Ryan Cesca field goal. Harrington cut the lead to 17-7 after he snuck in from six yards out. In the third quarter, Simonton scampered in from 20 yards out to put the Beavers up 23-7. In the fourth quarter, Oregon's Sammy Morris scored from one yard out to cut the lead to 23-13, which proved to be the final score. Partway through the final quarter, the Ducks' last real threat ended when Sefa O'Reilly sacked Harrington, forcing a fumble, which the Beavers recovered. Oregon State's defense wound up forcing six Harrington turnovers. The 23 points were the fewest Oregon State had scored since the Eastern Washington game. For the first time since their loss to Oregon, Washington would fail to overcome a second half deficit, beating Washington State 51-3 to clinch a Rose Bowl berth. Three teams from the Pacific Northwest finished 1-2-3 for the first time since 1941.

As the United States waited to see who won the presidential election, Oregon State waited to see where they would play. 16 days later, one mystery was solved after the #5 Beavers were invited to play the #10 Notre Dame Fighting Irish in the Fiesta Bowl in Tempe, Arizona. Oregon State had not won in Tempe since 1969. Notre Dame had last won in Tempe in 1998, the last time they had played there. Notre Dame began the season against four consecutive ranked opponents: #25 Texas A&M, #1 Nebraska, #13 Purdue, and #23 Michigan State. Notre Dame split the four games. They beat Texas A&M 24-10, but lost to Nebraska in overtime after future Heisman Trophy winner Eric Crouch crashed in from seven yards out. To add injury to insult, Notre Dame's starting quarterback, Arnaz Battle, was injured in the loss. The following week, the Irish beat Drew Brees and the Boilermakers 23-21 on a last second field goal but lost to T.J. Duckett and the Michigan State Spartans 27-21 on a 68-yard touchdown pass from Jeff Smoker to Herb Haygood with 1:48 left. Michigan State was the last ranked team Notre Dame would play. After making Matt LoVecchio the starting quarterback, the Irish swept their final seven opponents. Only 8-3 Air Force managed to stay within 12 points of the Irish. Arnaz Battle was converted into a flanker. The real star of the Irish was running back Julius Jones with 1169 all-purpose yards. In their 11 games, Notre Dame only turned the ball over eight times. LoVecchio was only intercepted once.

Oregon State had not won a bowl game in more than 38 years. Notre Dame won four national championships in that span. Despite the teams' histories, Oregon State was a three-point favorite at kickoff. In the first quarter, Oregon State outgained Notre Dame 110-8 but clung to a 3-0 lead on a Ryan Cesca's 32-yard field goal midway through the quarter. Five seconds into the second quarter, Cesca doubled the lead with a 29-yard field goal. On the Beavers' next drive, the Irish stopped the Beavers on fourth-and-goal at the Irish 1, but were forced to punt. Oregon State got the ball back at their own 26. Chad Johnson took a short Jonathan Smith pass and turned it into a 74-yard touchdown with 4:18 left in the half. The play proved to be the most controversial in the game, as replays showed the referees had clearly missed Johnson dropping the ball at the two-yard line before he scored the touchdown. After getting the ball back, LoVecchio was sacked twice to push Notre Dame back to their own two-yard line. Oregon State's Calvin Carlyle bailed out the Irish with a personal foul that gave Notre Dame a first down. Aided by a phantom pass interference call, the Irish drove to the Beaver 12-yard line, where Nick Setta kicked a 29-yard field goal to cut the lead to 12-3 at halftime. Oregon State had outgained Notre Dame 278-98 at halftime.

In the second half, Notre Dame finally forced Oregon State to punt. However, LoVecchio fumbled after being sacked by Darnell Robinson, and Oregon State's Eric Manning recovered the fumble at the Irish 26. Two plays later, Smith threw a 23-yard touchdown to T.J. Houshmandzadeh with 12:04 left in the third quarter. The touchdown was Smith's 19th touchdown pass, an Oregon State record. Less than three minutes later, after Notre Dame punted on its next possession, Houshmandzadeh returned the ball 16 yards and fumbled after a Rocky Boiman hit. Oregon State's Terrell Roberts picked up the fumble and ran 45-yards for a touchdown. Robert Prescott hauled in the two-point conversion for a 27-3 Oregon State lead. On Notre Dame's next drive, Robinson intercepted LoVecchio, giving the ball to Oregon State at the Irish 22. Four plays later, Johnson hauled in his second touchdown from four yards out with 7:02 left. Simonton capped Oregon State's scoring by rumbling in from four yards out with 4:54 left in the third quarter to put the Beavers up 41-3. In 7:10, Oregon State scored 29 points, more than any other team on Notre Dame's schedule could muster in 60 minutes. Shortly thereafter, the Beavers began to substitute heavily. Notre Dame took advantage, when Tony Fisher ran in from one yard out to cut the lead to 32. 41-9 proved to be the final score.

Oregon State outgained Notre Dame 446-155. Julius Jones was held to 30 yards rushing. The rest of the Irish combined to rush for -13 yards on 24 carries. LoVecchio was 13 of 33 for 138 yards with two interceptions; he was also carried nine times for -49 yards, 89 total yards. The win was all the more impressive when one considers that Oregon State was penalized a Fiesta Bowl and school record 18 times for 174 yards. Ken Simonton's 85 yards gave him 1559 yards, a new Oregon State record. 75,428 turned out to watch the game, the most attended non-championship game Fiesta Bowl and the most-attended Beaver victory. The loss was the biggest for Notre Dame in more than 15 years. It was the second-largest postseason loss for the Irish in their history. Only 1973's 40-6 Orange Bowl loss was larger. The win was Oregon State's largest margin of victory in a postseason game since the 1940 Pineapple Bowl. Oregon State finished 11-1, their best record in 93 years. The Beavers finished ranked #4, their highest ever ranking.

Oregon State's 2001 recruiting class included two future Pro Bowlers: Derek Anderson and Steven Jackson. Just over six months later, Ken Simonton appeared on the cover of Sports Illustrated's College Preview issue. The issue ranked Oregon State #1.

The first game was on the first Sunday in September in Fresno, California, against the Fresno State Bulldogs. Fresno State was riding high after upsetting Colorado in Boulder 24-22. But the Beavers were met by a hostile Fresno crowd, losing to David Carr and the Bulldogs 44-24. A few weeks later #10 UCLA came up to Corvallis and hammered the Beavers 38-7 though Steven Jackson would get his first touchdown as a freshman on a 68-yard run. A season which was suppose to be big for Oregon State turned into a disaster. After a two close losses to Washington State and USC, the Beavers would be 3-5.

In order to avoid a losing season, Oregon State would have to sweep their remaining three games. Two of which were against #8 Washington and #4 Oregon. The Beavers had not beaten the Huskies since the 1985 upset. Both Steven Jackson and Ken Simonton scored three touchdowns as the Beavers blew out the Huskies 49-24. Simonton caught the only touchdown reception of his four-year career. It was the largest margin of victory for Oregon State over Washington in a half century. The following weekend, Oregon State crushed Northern Arizona 45-10, evening the Beavers record at 5-5. Simonton rushed for 151 yards, leaving him at 887 yards on the year. With 113 yards against Oregon, he would be the first running back in the Pac-10 and fifth running back in college football history to rush for 1000 yards in four different years.

Two weeks later, the Beavers and #4 Ducks squared off in the first December Civil War in more than a half century. The teams had to compete with rain, hail, and wind gusting up to 30 mph. The conditions only got worse as the game progressed. Oregon beat #22 Wisconsin to start the year but had lost to Stanford at home by a touchdown in late October. Oregon would win but Joey Harrington's poor performance cost him the Heisman and Jonathan Smith thoroughly outplayed him. The 248 total yards made Smith Oregon State's all-time total yardage leader. However, Ken Simonton finished with 84 yards, bringing his season total to 971 yards, 29 yards short of 1000.

2002 began in Corvallis against Eastern Kentucky, a 49-10 Oregon State win. The following Thursday, the Beavers traveled to Philadelphia to play Temple. Behind four Derek Anderson touchdown passes, Oregon State prevailed 35-3. The win remains the easternmost Beaver victory since the 1962 Liberty Bowl. Nine days later, Anderson one-upped himself, throwing for a Beaver record-tying five touchdowns and running for another, in a 47-17 Oregon State victory over UNLV.

The next weekend, Fresno State came to Corvallis. Dennis Erickson said that he had counted all 382 days since the Bulldogs beat the Beavers in 2001 and that the 2001 loss gnawed at him. Oregon State fans sold out Reser Stadium in anticipation. The Beavers would get their revenge, crushing Fresno State 59-19. The loss was the biggest for the Bulldogs since 1996. It also was the most points the Beavers had scored since 1996's 67-22 win over Northern Illinois.

In the Civil War, Derek Anderson broke a 17-17 tie by throwing a 10-yard touchdown pass to Shawn Kintner with 28 seconds left in the first half. The Beavers tacked on two third quarter touchdowns to pull away from the Ducks, winning 45-24. The win left Oregon State tied for fourth in the Pac-10 and Oregon in eighth place.

Oregon State was invited to play Pittsburgh and Larry Fitzgerald in the Insight Bowl in Phoenix, Arizona. The Panthers would soundly defeat the Beavers 38-13. In the offseason, Dennis Erickson left Oregon State to become the new 49er head coach, a move he would later regret. Mike Riley, who had been fired as coach of the San Diego Chargers at the end of the 2001-2002 season, was hired to replace Erickson.

**Emac78** · 07-15-2009, 07:59 PM

Oregon State Football History (Part 4)

Mike Riley is Back

Though Mike Riley had laid the foundation and was partly responsible for the newfound success that the Beavers were suddenly enjoying, he had a lot of pressure to continue winning. When Riley took over again to start his second stint as Oregon State head coach, he had yet to have a winning season as a head coach in college football or in the NFL. Dennis Erickson had spoiled Beaver fans with three bowl appearances including a Fiesta Bowl victory over Notre Dame.

But Erickson had left Riley with a lot of talent to work with as the Beavers would have HB Steven Jackson in his second season starting as a possible Heisman contender after running for 1690 yards and 15 touchdowns. QB Derek Anderson was now a junior and would look to build on a pretty good sophomore season where he threw 3313 yards and 25 touchdowns. WR James Newson was now a senior, and had caught 74 receptions for 1284 yards and 12 touchdowns. Despite losing thier top defender, OLB Nick Barnett, the defense was led by DT Dwan Edwards, DE Bill Swancutt, and MLB Richard Seigler was a beast in the middle. The team looked like they were in solid shape.

The season was largely a disappointment. The reason the team struggled was because of Derek Anderson's league leading 24 interceptions. Forced into learning a new offense, Anderson struggled depsite being able to lead the team to an 8-5 record and a 55-14 Las Vegas Bowl victory over an up and coming New Mexico team. It was Steven Jackson, who scored five touchdowns at the Las Vegas Bowl in his home town. It would be his last game in a Beaver uniform as he bolted for the NFL after rushing for 1545 yards and 19 touchdowns.

But Oregon State also had two 1,000 yard receivers that year. One was James Newson, who was the leading receiver from last year, hauling in 81 receptions for 1306 yards and three touchdowns. But he may have been outshined by a walk-on receiver by the name of Mike Hass who had 44 receptions for an incredible 1013 yards and led the team with seven touchdown catches.

Mike Hass

Hass would make Derek Anderson and later Matt Moore's job as QB much easier as they could just throw it up to #28 and he would come down with the ball. Hass was not the fastest or the tallest guy but the kid knew how to play football. He was by far the best college player the Beavers had when he was on the field. If the Beavers did not get lucky having him on their team, it is not hard to imagine them being a below average team. He is without a doubt the best receiver in Oregon State history and is one of the best in Pac-10 history.

Hass would start for Oregon State from 2003 - 2005. Although he was an outstanding player in high school, most college scouts felt his limited size and speed would prevent him from excelling at the collegiate level, and was not offered a football scholarship by any Division I schools, and ended up as a walk-on at Oregon State. After playing mostly on special teams in 2002, he was awarded a scholarship and a starting role as he broke out with the first of three consecutive 1,000+ receiving yard seasons in 2003. He kept the pace in 2004, breaking more school and conference records on his way to being named a Third-team All-American.

In 2005, his senior season, Hass won the Fred Biletnikoff Award and was named an AP and ESPN First-team All-American. He was invited to the 81st annual East-West Shrine Game recording four receptions for 107 yards, including the game-winning touchdown for the West.

Records

Despite only playing three seasons, Hass currently holds many Oregon State records, as well as several Pac-10 records. Some of these include:

The first receiver in Oregon State and Pac-10 history to have three consecutive 1,000-yard seasons, and is only the 10th player in NCAA history to do so.
Holds the Oregon State record and is third in the Pac-10 for receiving yards in a career with 3,924
The only player in Oregon State and Pac-10 history with two 225-plus yards receiving games.
His 293 receiving yards against Boise State in 2004 is an Oregon State and Pac-10 record for most receiving yards in a single game.
His 14 receptions against Arizona State in 2004 is an Oregon State record for most receptions in a game.
His 20 receiving touchdowns ties him for the school record for receiving touchdowns in a career.
His 90 receptions in the 2005 season is an Oregon State record for most receptions in a single season.
His 220 receptions in his college career is an Oregon State record for most receptions in a career
His 1,532 receiving yards in the 2005 season is an Oregon State and Pac-10 record for most receiving yards in a single season.

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oEMihZtSjmU"]YouTube - MIKE HASS[/ame]

Oregon State looked to make a big pay day to open the 2004 season when they took on the defending BCS national champion LSU Tigers in Baton Rouge in rainy conditions. The Beavers actually held their own. If it were not for three missed extra points by walk-on redshirt freshman kicker Alexis Serna, OSU might have actually pulled off the mammoth upset. But Serna's missed extra point attempt in overtime allowed LSU to hang on to a 21-20 victory over the Beavers.

The way in which the Beavers lost the LSU game seemed to stick with them for a while as they were stomped by Boise State on the smurf turf 53-34 the very next week. The Beavers would rebound but they probably hit rock bottom when #10 Cal, led by Aaron Rodgers and Marshawn Lynch, thumped Oregon State 49-7 at Reser Stadium. But Oregon State, despite getting off to a 1-4 start was able to turn it around to reach a .500 record with a close 24-19 win over Stanford. The Civil War would decide their bowl fate. The destroyed the Ducks 50-21 as senior DE Bill Swancutt in his last game at Reser, went out in style, with three sacks and an interception. The win put the Beavers in the Insight Bowl where they were matched up with Notre Dame. The Beavers would again beat the Irish in Arizona 38-21 to make it 2-0 versus Notre Dame.

In 2005, Oregon State got off to a good start and went 2-0 after getting revenge against Boise State with a 30-27 win at Reser Stadium but another east coast trip was on the schedule. This time it was #11 Louisville that Oregon State went to play on national television. Brian Brohm threw for 368 yards and five touchdowns against an almost non-existent OSU secondary. In the game Louisville DE Elvis Dumerville broke an NCAA record by recording his 9th sack in two games as he sacked OSU QB Matt Moore three time on the day as the Cardinals shellacked the Beavers 63-27.

That would turn out to be a bad year for Oregon State and many questioned whether the transfer from UCLA, Matt Moore was the right man for the job at QB. The Civil War would again decide the Beavers' bowl fate, but this time the #10 Ducks returned the favor from last year's Beaver beat down with a 56-14 blowout over Oregon State at Autzen Stadium. Beleaguered Matt Moore was out with an injury and Ryan Gunderson showed that he had a lot to learn. The lone bright spot for OSU was Mike Hass getting a Pac-10 record for most receiving yards in a season. Hass ended the game with 107 yards and holds the record with 1,531 yards to go with his six touchdowns. The Beavers would finish with a 5-6 record that year.

The highlight of the year came at the end when WR Mike Hass won the Belitnikoff award and Alexis Serna won the Lou Groza award. Two walk-ons being named the best players at their positions.

In 2006, Oregon State seemed to be headed in the wrong direction. After demolishing Eastern Washington 56-17, the Beavers faced Boise State again. A young defense was unprepared for an unknown sophomore tailback named Ian Johnson who absolutely ran over the Beaver defense for 240 yards and five touchdowns as the Broncose demolished Oregon State 42-14. The low point of the season occurred when Cal destroyed Oregon State 41-13 at Reser Stadium. That is when the "Can Riley" signs started to appear. Beaver fans wanted to win and Mike Riley just did not seem to have what it took to get a marquee win. Matt Moore looked awful and fans questioned why Riley would not play Sean Canfield. The next week saw Oregon State play some uninspired football, losing 13-6 to a below average Washington State team.

Oregon State would travel up to Seattle to take on Washington where all of a sudden everything started to click as the Beavers won 27-17 and followed that up with a 17-10 win over Arizona. But #3 USC was coming to town next week. That was when it finally happened. Mike Riley got his marquee win over the conference juggernaut Men of Troy with a stunning 33-31 upset. The fans rushed the field as the Giant Killers had struck again.

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KZ_D3wRYQoE"]YouTube - Oregon State beats #3 USC 33-31![/ame]

The Beavers would continue their winning ways with one exception when Oregon State again was unable to win in Pasadena where they lost 25-7 to UCLA. Oregon State was 7-4heading into the Civil War. Oregon had started the season a strong 4-0, including costing Oklahoma a chance at a national championship, winning 34-33 at Autzen because of a controversial onside kick call. But by the time the Ducks were ready for the Civil War, they were 7-5 and had lost their last two games to USC and Arizona. Both teams were going bowling but the Civil War would be a big factor deciding each team's fate.

Bot teams were pretty evenly matched but special teams would be the deciding factor. Alexis Serna was able to hit a field goal to take a 30-28 lead. Oregon would get in field goal position in the closing seconds of the game but the 44-yarder would be blocked by Oregon State as the Beavers won one of the more exciting Civil Wars.

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nobxCmpCG8Y"]YouTube - 2006 Civil War - Oregon at Oregon State[/ame]

The season was not over just quite yet though as Oregon State had to go and play an up-and-coming Hawaii team on the islands. But the Beavers would be the last team standing in a close 35-32 shoot out. Oregon State would be in the Sun Bowl to play a very good Misouri team that was on the rise. The Beavers would storm back from a 14-point deficit when QB Matt Moore hit TE Joe Newton in the end zone, but it looked like the ball had come loose. However, the play stood as called after a review. Oregon State was down 38-37. Mike Riley made the most aggressive call of his career since probably going for two in 1998 against Washington, when he decided to go for the win right there. HB Yvenson Bernard ran the ball right up the gut and scored the game-winning 2-points to give the Beavers the 39-38 win in regulation.

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-t-8D6arhvo"]YouTube - OSU Final Touchdown drive[/ame] [ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BUTe_8BC4s4"]YouTube - Oregon State 2 point conversion[/ame]

The 2007 season started off with a big 24-7 win over Utah at Reser Stadium but Ute QB Brian Johnson left the game early on so it was difficult to know what to make of the win. The very next week Oregon State was forced to make a trip back east to play Cincinnati where the Bearcats were ready. The Bearcats blitzed the Beavers 34-3. OSU QBs Sean Canfield and Lyle Moevao threw a combined six interceptions in the game. The following week, Oregon State would take out their frustration against Idaho State with a 61-10 blowout. But the Beavers would lose two in a row to start conference play, falling 44-32 to Arizona State in Tempe, a team which would make the Fiesta Bowl under former Oregon State head coach Dennis Erickson. And then getting destroyed 40-14 by UCLA in Reser Stadium, probably the low point of the season. This had been the Beavers' pattern under Mike Riley, getting off to slow starts but finally Oregon State would get a win over Arizona 31-16.

But now Oregon State had to take on #2 Cal down in Berkeley. The Golden Bears were actually playing to be the #1 team in the nation when the game started because #17 Kentucky had upset #1 LSU earlier in the day. Cal would lose their chance to tie the game because of a huge mistake by QB Kevin Riley who tried to run with no timeouts. The Beavers brought him down in the middle of the field and the clock ran to triple-zero as Oregon State was able to take down #2 Cal after last year taking down #3 USC.

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9UzRXjmsSRY"]YouTube - Oregon State Beavers vs. California 2007 end of game[/ame]

Despite starting 2-3, by the time of the Civil War, the Beavers had a 7-4 record, only losing 24-3 to USC since the UCLA loss. Oregon had been one of the best teams in the nation all year behind the play of QB Dennis Dixon and HB Jonathan Stewart. But Dixon had suffered a knee injury against Arizona the previous week that ended his season early and ended the Ducks' chance at a national title opportunity. Both teams were banged up but put on a thrilling performance that came down to the end when Oregon missed a last second field goal in regulation to send the game into overtime tied at 28.

Both teams traded field goals, including Alexis Serna hitting a clutch 41-yarder to send the game into 2OT. Where OSU WR James Rodgers scored on a fly sweep to put the Beavers ahead 38-31. Oregon would be held on four downs when Stewart was stuffed and Oregon State had won back-to-back Civil Wars and had won in Autzen Stadium for the first time since 1993.

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NY4hHsrY0BM"]YouTube - 2007 Civil War: The Final Plays[/ame]

At the Emerald Bowl, James Rodgers almost single-handedly won for the Beavers with the fly sweep as Mike Riley and Oregon State would win 21-14 over Maryland to give Riley a perfect 4-0 bowl record as a head coach.

**Big C-Dub** · 07-15-2009, 09:03 PM

best title ever

**Rylo** · 07-16-2009, 08:40 AM

First player you present to the Hall of Fame committee in this chise is getting voted yes by me. I know this will actually last. Your last one was SICK.

**G-men** · 07-16-2009, 08:50 AM

holy shit that was a lot of words. great updates emac.

**Emac78** · 07-16-2009, 03:48 PM

Most of the information came from wikipedia. I originally was just going to do a short little history but I started finding little things that I never knew about and got more and more interested the more I read, and before long it became this long drawn out four part series. I might finish part 4 when I get some time because I kind of left it hanging after the 33-31 upset over USC.

Then I will be making a 2008 recap and maybe a 2009 preview. After that, it will probably not be until early next month until the actual dynasty games start get going.

**Emac78** · 07-17-2009, 09:29 PM

Okay, the final bit on the history is finally done.

**packersfan4eva** · 07-18-2009, 09:59 AM

nice update

**Emac78** · 07-19-2009, 04:44 PM

2008 Recap

Oregon State came into the 2008 season with many question marks on both side of the ball. Most importantly, was that the Beavers had to replace their entire front seven on defense. The QB situation did not look very good. Neither Lyle Moevao nor Sean Canfield looked good the previous year. Combined, the two QBs had twice as many interceptions as touchdowns. Plus, OSU would have to fill the shoes of HB Yvenson Bernard. The good news for the Beavers was that WR Sammie Stroughter was given a medical redshirt to play one last year. The schedule did not look favorable either. Oregon State would start the season with two road games against BCS opponents. The only BCS school in the nation to do so. And the first game was a conference game against Stanford.

It was difficult to know what to expect from the Beavers but Stanford did not seem that great of a first test. Aside from the upset over USC the previous year, the Cardinal had been one of the continual doormats of the Pac-10. But Jim Harbaugh, a former QB and friend of Mike Riley with his days with the Chargers, was looking to turn things around. Oregon State played fairly well but struggled to find any running game between Ryan McCants, Jacquizz Rodgers, and Jeremy Francis. However, Stanford HB Toby Gerhart broke big run after big run for a total of 147 yards and scored two touchdowns. However, Oregon State was in the game until on a second-and-16 from the Oregon State 9, Moevao attempted to throw a swing pass to Ryan McCants. Moevao was on the 2 when he threw the ball and it landed on the 1 before rolling out the side of the end zone for a safety that gave Stanford a 22-20 lead. Despite that, the game would hinge on a last chance comeback for Oregon State. Moevao found WR Darrell Catchings on a crossing route where Catchings was able to get to the sideline and tried to dive for the pylon, but fumbled the ball in the end zone for a touchback as the Beavers fell 36-28 to the Cardinal.

A bright spot for the Beavers though was that QB Lyle Moevao looked like a completely different guy from last year as he threw for 404 yards and three touchdowns. WRs Sammie Stroughter and Shane Morales also had huge days. Each receiver had over 150 yards. Stroughter had 12 receptions, 157 yards, and two touchdowns while Morales had 13 receptions, 151 yards, and a touchdown.

Stanford HB Toby Gerhart runs over the Beavers for 147 yards and two touchdowns.

Highlights of the game and OSU WR Darrell Catchings fumble for a touchback.

Unfortunately, that was supposed to be the easy of the first two road games because the next game was going to be in Happy Valley as Oregon State had to play Penn State. The game was pretty much over as soon as the Beavers got on the plane. PSU HB Evan Royster had no trouble running over the OSU defense for a total of 141 yards and scored three touchdowns. In addition QB Daryll Clark threw for another three touchdowns as #19 Penn State hammered Oregon State 45-14. If the Beavers could take anything away from this game positively, it would be that it looked like they had found their tailback as Jacquizz Rodgers was able to run for 99 yards and two touchdowns against a very good defense, including an incredible tough 12-yard touchdown where he just ran through the PSU defense.

PSU HB Evan Royster runs throught the OSU defense for 141 yards and three touchdowns.

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5hyKW7nuMV8"]YouTube - Jacquizz Rodgers Touchdown @ Penn State[/ame]

The Beavers would take out their frustrations against Hawai'i at Reser Stadium with a 45-7 beat-down. Even though it was against a rebuilding Hawai'i team after losing their head coach June Jones to SMU and their record-breaking QB Colt Brennan to the NFL, the Beavers looked a lot more confident. Most importantly, they actually remembered to tackle somebody. But the season seemed to slipping away even with the blowout win as #1 USC would be in Corvallis the next Thursday. Oregon State would have a bye the next weekend while USC had to play Ohio State in the Coliseum. The two teams were ranked #1 and #2. USC walked away with a rather easy win despite all of the hype that led up to the game. Though the Buckeyes were without their tailback Chris "Beanie" Wells.

Southern Cal showed up to Corvallis with only a short week to get ready after their huge win over Ohio State. The Trojans had no idea what kind of buzz saw they were running into at Reser Stadium that night. Despite Reser Stadium not fully sold out, the atmosphere was electric as it was the first time that ESPN had broadcasted a game on Thursday night in Corvallis. The Beavers on the otherhand had a long week to get ready for the game.

Oregon State showcased their emerging star tailback Jacquizz Rodgers who was able to run for 186 yards and scored two touchdowns in the game. OSU built a 21-0 lead in the first half. But one play that was the turning point of the game was when the Beavers were in the red zone as the 2nd quarter was nearly over. QB Lyle Moevao threw a pass in the corner of the end zone that should have been intercepted by USC DB Kevin Thomas but the ball was tipped off his hands and into the hands of OSU WR James Rodgers to put the Beavers ahead 21-0 at halftime.

In the second half, USC mounted a comback but with less than three minutes in the game, a Mark Sanchez pass was intercepted by OSU safety Greg Laybourn was returned all the way to the 2-yard line on a 28-yard return as the stadium was ecstatic. HB Jacquizz Rodgers would score the 2-yard touchdown to put the Beavers up 27-14 as Justin Kahut missed the extra point. USC would quickly get back on the scoreboard when Mark Sanchez hit WR Patrick Turner on a 14-yard scoring pass to make it 27-21 with 1:19 left to go. But the onside kick failed as the Beavers recovered.

Sheer pandamonium ensued in the stands. After a final kneel down by Moevao, a sea of orange rushed the field as the Beavers had beaten a #1 USC team for the first time since the first Giant Killers of 1967. The game also caused havoc on the national polls as USC was a clear favorite for the national title after the Ohio State game. Now, Oregon State with the early USC win, despite a 2-2 record would possibly have a chance at a Rose Bowl. This was definitely not the same team that went to Happy Valley.

OSU HB Jacquizz Rodgers puts up 186 yards and two touchdowns against the USC defense.

OSU WR James Rodgers catches the tip off of USC DB Kevin Thomas for a touchdown at the end of the 1st half.

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nPEhWfwUPTQ"]YouTube - Oregon State UPSETS #1 USC - High Quality - Part 1 - 9/25/08[/ame]
[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=73mBFsc9E8s"]YouTube - Oregon State UPSETS #1 USC - High Quality - Part 2 - 9/25/08[/ame]

The Beavers were riding high after their stunning upset over USC, but they had little time to celebrate because the very next Thursday, Oregon State was in Salt Lake City to play the #15 Utah Utes who were 5-0. This was their "USC" so to speak. The game against Oregon State was the game they had circled on their schedule, knowing that a win over a quality Pac-10 team could catapult them into BCS contention.

With just over two minutes left in the game, the Beavers were up 28-20, but Utah QB Brian Johnson led a quick drive finished off with a 25-yard touchdown pass to WR Bradon Godfrey with 1:29 left in the game to make it 28-26. Now the Utes had to score the two-point conversion. The Utes failed on the attempt but a controversial pass interference was called against Oregon State that gave Utah one more chance. Johnson on the second attempt was able to roll out and run it in himself to tie the game 28-28.

Oregon State tried unsuccessfully to try and get in position for a field goal but unfortunately went three-and-out, taking very little time off the clock. Johnson quickly got the Utes to the OSU 24-yard line where they called a timeout with two seconds left where Louie Sakoda booted the game-winning field goal as time expired, keeping Utah's undefeated season alive with a 31-28 victory in regulation. With the win, Utah became the first team of the year to become bowl eligible with a 6-0 record. Oregon State's special teams really hurt them as the Beavers had taken a 9-3 lead off of an interception return by safety Al Afalava early in the game, but Justin Kahut had missed the extra point. As a result of the failed PAT, Mike Riley went for two twice which both failed, costing the Beavers the win in the end. Utah would finish the season as the only undefeated team in the country with a huge win over Alabama in the Sugar Bowl.

Utah kicker Louie Sakoda with a game-winning field goal at the end of regulation.

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IR5lN9W8fs0"]YouTube - Utes score 11 points in 90 seconds to beat Oregon State[/ame]

After the demoralizing loss to Utah, Oregon State took a long week to get ready for Washington State at Reser Stadium, who was 1-5, their only win coming against an FCS team. QB Lyle Moevao would throw four interceptions but it would not stop the Beavers from scoring a school-record for the most points scored in a Pac-10 game. Eight different Beavers scored a touchdown. Oregon State obliterated Washington State 66-13. It was the third time that season that the Cougars had given up over 60 points.

The next week, Oregon State would head up to Seattle to play the Washington Huskies who had yet to win a game. WR James Rodgers zipped past the Huskies for a total of 216 all-purpose yards and three touchdowns in a 34-13 win for the Beavers. The Huskies would not win a single game all season, going 0-12, including losing to what was thought to be an inferior Washington State team in the Apple Cup, the Cougars' only FBS win of the season. With win, OSU improved its record to 4-3, giving the Beavers their first winning record of the season.

OSU WR James Rodgers gains a total of 216 all-purpose yards and scores three touchdowns against the Huskies.

After a bye, Oregon State would meet up with their former head coach, Dennis Erickson and the Sun Devils at Reser Stadium. Arizona State came in with a 2-5 record. It was a hard fought game on both sides. OSU QB Lyle Moevao left the game in the 2nd quarter because of a sore shoulder. Sean Canfield stepped in and the team did not seem to miss a beat, throwing for 218 yards with two touchdowns, and one interception. However, ASU QB Rudy Carpenter was able to score a late touchdown pass with :21 left in the game to make it 27-25. On the two-point attempt, Carpenter's pass was intercepted by OSU DE Victor Strong-Butler. With the win, Oregon State joined USC and Cal atop the Pac-10 standings with one loss each.

The next week against UCLA in Pasadena, Jacquizz Rodgers set a Pac-10 rushing record for freshmen and Sean Canfield filled in ably at quarterback to help Oregon State beat UCLA 34-6. The win snapped a five-game losing streak against UCLA. Rodgers ran for 144 yards to increase his season total to 1,089. It is the most ever by a freshman in the conference. He became only the third Pac-10 first-year player to eclipse the 1,000-yard mark in a season. If the Beavers could run the table against Cal, Arizona, and Oregon in the Civil War, Oregon State would be in the Rose Bowl for the first time since the 1964 season.

OSU HB Jacquizz Rodgers rushes for the most yards ever by a freshman in Pac-10 history with 1,089 rushing yards.

The next weekend in Corvallis, the now ranked #23 Oregon State Beavers met up with Cal. Cal was seen as the toughest of the three teams left on Oregon State's schedule. The Golden Bears were looking to avenge their loss last season against Oregon State that cost Cal a chance at being #1. But Beaver fans were smelling the roses at Reser Stadium. Cal took an early lead off of a Kevin Riley touchdown pass, but Oregon State responded with an 86-yard kickoff return by James Rodgers to tie the game 7-7. The Beavers would not look back as Sammie Stroughter would get a big 56-yard punt return to the 2-yard line, leading to a 14-7 lead for the Beavers. Late in the 3rd quarter, Cal HB Jahvid Best would cut the OSU lead to 27-21 with a 65-yard touchdown run. But a pick-six by OSU CB Keenan Lewis with :21 left in the game would the seal the deal as Oregon State kept their Rose Bowl hopes alive with a 34-21 win over Cal.

OSU WR James Rodgers with an 86-yard kick return for a touchdown.

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-IXuQsPEIkM"]YouTube - OSU Beavers James Rodgers 86 yd TD kickoff return[/ame]

#21 Oregon State (7-3) faced a tough Arizona (6-4) team that was already going to a bowl. The Beavers were starting to feel like they were a team of destiny and the national media was starting to push the possibility of Oregon State going to the Rose Bowl. The Beavers controlled their own destiny but the Wildcats were ready for a fight. Oregon State was again forced to start Sean Canfield as Lyle Moevao was again unable to play with a sore shoulder. The Beavers would also be without their standout tailback Jacquizz Rodgers after their second possession.

Arizona was out in front 17-10 midway into the 4th quarter when Canfield threw to a wide-open WR James Rodgers in the end zone. The ball went right through his hands as he dropped sure touchdown pass. But Canfield was not fazed as he would later hit WR Sammie Stroughter in the end zone for a 7-yard touchdown pass to cap off a 10-play, 80-yard drive. But Justin Kahut shanked the extra point attempt so the Beavers trailed 17-16 with only 3:58 to play.

With 1:19 left to play, the Beavers got the ball back at their own 20-yard line with no timeouts. On the third play of the drive Canfield found WR Sammie Stroughter wide-open behind the Wildcat secondary for a 47-yard gain. Four plays later, Justin Kahut split the uprights for a game-winning 24-yard field goal to redeem himself after the missed extra point as Oregon State escaped Tucson, winning 19-17, setting up a huge Civil War.

OSU kicker Justin Kahut redeems himself by kicking a 24-yard game-winning field goal.

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hcBZerJx9Vs"]YouTube - Finals Plays - Oregon State at Arizona 2008[/ame]

The 2008 Civil War at Reser Stadium in Corvallis between #23 Oregon (8-3) and #17 Oregon State (8-3) was the most hyped Civil War since 2000. That year, Oregon State knocked Oregon out of the Rose Bowl and the Beavers went to the Fiesta Bowl. Now, Oregon is looking to avenge a two-game losing streak to the rival Beavers, including a loss at Autzen Stadium the previous year. A win for Oregon State would guarantee them a spot in the Rose Bowl likely in a rematch against Penn State. On a side note, if the Beavers had beaten Stanford on the 1st game of the season, Oregon State would already be in the Rose Bowl.

The Beavers would be without HB Jacquizz Rodgers who was still dealing with the shoulder injury he suffered against Arizona. QB Lyle Moevao would start the game, coming back from a shoulder injury of his own. The Ducks were coming off of a bye week. Oregon absolutely crushed Oregon State's dreams of going to a Rose Bowl behind Jermiah Johnson's 219 yards and a touchdown. Johnson was over 200 yards before halftime. LeGarrette Blount also put 112 yards and a touchdown on the Beavers' defense. While QB Jeremiah Masoli threw for 274 yards and scored three touchdowns for the Ducks.

OSU QB Lyle Moevao looked rusty as he threw two costly pick-sixes, but actually put up great numbers, 374 yards, five touchdowns, and two interceptions. In the end, the Beaver defense had no answer for the Oregon offense as the Ducks would put up an astounding 694 yards of total offense as the Ducks destroyed Oregon State 65-38, embarrassing the rival Beavers on their homefield with the Rose Bowl on the line. It was the most points Oregon State had ever given up in a single game. The loss also snapped Oregon State's eight-game winning streak at Reser. It was the first time the Ducks had won in Corvallis since 1996.

The loss did not officially knock the Beavers out of the Rose Bowl, but when UCLA was unable to upset USC in the Battle for the Victory Bell, Oregon State fell out of contention as USC went to the Rose Bowl. The Ducks went to the Holiday Bowl, and Oregon State fell to the Sun Bowl where they were matched up with #20 Pittsburgh.

Oregon HB Jeremiah Johnson runs wild for 219 yards and a touchdown in the Civil War.

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CDU_jAcmkS8"]YouTube - No Roses for the Beavers-The Oregon DUCKS blow them out of Reeser Stadium 65-38[/ame]

At the Sun Bowl, Oregon State (8-4) was without both Jacquizz Rodgers and James Rodgers who both had shoulder injuries. #20 Pittsburgh (9-3) had aruguably the best tailback in the nation in LeSean McCoy but the Beavers shutout the Panthers 3-0 behind a tremendous defensive effort and some inept Panther offense in one of the lowest-scoring bowls in history. Not since Air Force and TCU played to a 0-0 tie in the 1959 Cotton Bowl, had a bowl produced so few points. It was also the lowest-scoring Sun Bowl since a scoreless tie in 1940 between Catholic and Arizona State. There were a combined 20 punts between OSU and Pitt. Pitt QB Bill Stull struggled the whole game, going 7-for-24 for 52 yards and one interception. It was a windy day in El Paso, but there was still no excuse for both teams to score a combined three points in what will be considered one of the worst bowl games ever played. The win did give Mike Riley his fifth bowl victory to give him a perfect 5-0 bowl record. It also kept the Pac-10 undefeated at 4-0 in the bowl season, which USC would make a perfect 5-0 with their victory over Penn State in the Rose Bowl.

**Emac78** · 07-19-2009, 07:12 PM

Yeah, I remember you youngwonda. Actually, that dynasty from last year that started on SG just ended about a month or so ago.

**packersfan4eva** · 07-19-2009, 08:18 PM

Originally posted by McBoozy

Looks good emac. I remember yours from last year. Should be very good

(PS might not remember me but its YoungWonda from SG)

OOHH, hey there. i remember u

**Emac78** · 07-19-2009, 10:24 PM

Originally posted by osubeavs721

as the biggest beaver fan in the world.. I have to say I love this chise. Great work you make every beaver proud every time you post! I love it

Thanks. It's fantastic to have a fellow Beaver fan on board!

Beaver Fever: An Oregon State Dynasty

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