Beavers' offense in good hands.

Byline: BOB RODMAN The Register-Guard

Oregon State's receivers are catching on.

Against an admittedly outmatched Eastern Kentucky football team last week, the Beavers snagged 17 passes for 359 yards and three touchdowns.

Kenny Farley, a junior starting for the first time in an OSU uniform, led the way with four receptions for 149 yards, including an 80-yard touchdown catch - the fourth-longest scoring pass in school history.

That one game supplied Farley, a fleet but powerful slotback at 6-feet-3, 225 pounds, with 47 more receiving yards than he had all of last season in half the catches (he had nine receptions for 102 yards in 2001).

Whether that beat goes on today at Philadelphia when the Beavers tangle with Temple at 4 p.m. PDT (the game is scheduled to be telecast live by Fox Sports Net Northwest) remains to be seen.

But Oregon State coach Dennis Erickson said last season "was a learning experience" for Farley and his mates, and it appears they learned.

"Experience is the No. 1 biggest thing," Erickson said. "None of the receivers had played much (in 2000)."

Of the receivers (including tight ends) returning for the 2001 season, just three had caught a pass - Seth Trimmer with three for 26 yards, Shawn Kintner with two for 13 yards and James Newson with one for 14 yards. They had zero touchdowns for the season.

"Experience," Erickson repeated, "experience makes a difference. Now we are faster, have more depth and we are a lot more experienced."

Newson led the bunch during last season's struggle to a 5-6 record with 57 receptions for 968 yards and five touchdowns. But there were others who also gained that valuable experience - tight end Tim Euhus, slotback Cole Clasen, split ends Kintner and George Gillett, flanker Trimmer and, for sure, Farley.

"We've worked hard," said Farley, a junior who came to Oregon State after one year at Fullerton (Calif.) College, where he caught 33 passes for 865 yards and seven touchdowns and averaged a school-record 26.2 yards a catch. "We've learned what we need to do, and how to do it."

Euhus, a junior who was OSU's second-leading receiver last season with 27 catches for 316 yards and one touchdown, said this season's receivers for the Beavers include those with the good hands, the smarts, the speed and, especially, "the confidence.

"All of us had a total of six catches going into the (2001) season," he remembered.

"In this offense," said Eric Yarber, OSU's wide receivers coach, "one of the things you have to be is smart along with having speed. We run a lot of plays, and you can't make mistakes.

"It took Chad Johnson (who had a team-leading 806 yards in receptions for eight touchdowns in that 11-1, Pac-10 title-sharing and Fiesta Bowl-winning 2000 season) four games to grasp the offense," Yarber said.

"Now," he said of his new bunch, "we are more comfortable, know the routes and know what we are trying to accomplish. We're all on the same page."

Euhus had four receptions and Newson had three, including one for a 43-yard touchdown, in the Eastern Kentucky game.

Even the new guys admitted to the OSU receivers club are making grabs at stardom. Jayson Boyd, a redshirt freshman, is the starting split end. He had two receptions for 77 yards, including a 41-yard touchdown catch, in the 49-10 win over Eastern Kentucky.

Deondre Alexander, a junior college transfer, is the backup to Farley at slotback and has impressed coaches. He had one reception in the season opener. Dan Haines, a redshirt freshman tight end, had a catch against Eastern Kentucky. In all, eight receivers had at least one catch.

Three wide receivers helped turn OSU into a quick-strike offense in 2000, including Johnson, T.J. Houshmandzadeh and Robert Prescott.

"That was one of the best receiving corps in the nation," said Yarber, the memory of a passing game that produced 2,798 yards and 20 touchdowns still vivid.

Can the 2002 receivers reach that level?

"Potentially," Yarber said. "We'll see."

The quarterback will help. Derek Anderson is a 6-foot-6, 235-pound, strong-armed sophomore who, Erickson said, "is a natural passer with God-given ability."

Anderson, who was 15-of-26 for 345 yards and three touchdowns in the win over EKU, has one advantage his predecessor, Jonathan Smith, did not have - height.

"It helps a lot to be able to see the ball come off Derek's hands," said Farley, who did not always have that view when the 5-10 Smith made his deliveries over much taller linemen.

"A nose-down throw from Derek hits you in the waist," Euhus said. "A nose-down throw from Jonathan hit you in the shins."

Anderson said Oregon State's passing game is in his receivers' good hands.

"Every guy brings something to the table," he said. "They're good, they've already shown how good they are."

That may be, Erickson said, "but the opponents are going to get better each week. We'll have to get better, too."

OSU (1-0) vs. Temple (1-0)

At Franklin Field (52,593), Philadelphia, 4 p.m. PDT. Radio: KKNX-AM (840); TV: Fox Sports Net NW, live.

INJURY REPORT: OSU - DT Henry Anderson, arm, out; DE Dan Rothwell, knee, out; DE Jeremy Weldon, thigh, out; SL Cole Clasen, knee, probable. TU - WR Ikey Chuku, knee, out; WR Sean Dillard, knee, out; DE Dan Klecko, ankle, probable; DT Taso Apostolidis, knee, questionable.

SERIES, STREAKS, ETC.: Today's is first meeting between OSU and Temple. ... OSU coming off season-opening 49-10 win over Eastern Kentucky. ... Temple opened season last week with 34-7 win over Richmond. ... OSU has lost its last four road games. ... Temple on three-game win streak (last two of 2001 and Richmond). ... Win string longest for Temple since 1990.

THE COACHES: Dennis Erickson in his fourth season at OSU with 24-12 record. ... Bobby Wallace in his fifth season at Temple with 13-32 record.

IN CASE YOU WERE WONDERING...: Erickson, when he was coach at Miami (1989-94), was 3-0 against Temple (Miami wins by a combined score of 128-21). ... Temple has had 11 straight losing seasons. ... Wallace is program's third coach since Owls' last winning season in 1990. ... A crowd of 20,000 expected at 52,593-seat Franklin Field for OSU-Temple game. ... Temple 1-4 against Pac-10 teams (only win was over California in 1979 Garden State Bowl). ... OSU has played two other schools in Big East, Syracuse (Orangemen lead series 5-3) and West Virginia (OSU leads series 2-0). ... OSU has string of 44 straight point-after-touchdown kicks. ... Temple has 8-2 record when senior RB Tanardo Sharps rushes for 100 yards or more. ... OSU has scored in 48 straight games but has not shut out an opponent since 1983.

NEXT: OSU plays host to UNLV on Sept. 14, a TBS national telecast scheduled to begin at 4 p.m. PDT; Temple plays host to Miami on Sept. 14.

CAPTION(S):

Led by junior Kenny Farley, OSU's receivers are more experienced.