Beavers enter 2006 facing questions.Byline: Bob Rodman The Register-Guard COLLEGE FOOTBALL CORVALLIS - Mike Riley
But the Oregon State football coach said those concerns are far less troubling than ones he confronted when the now 53-year-old Riley began his first go-around with the Beavers in 1997. "When I came to Oregon State first time, I was asked about the future of football here," he said, remembering the reeling state of the sport after nearly three decades of losing seasons. "That was scary, far scarier than trying to win games and go to a bowl game. I was taking this job and people were asking me why. They were telling me it was a graveyard for coaches." Today, when Riley steps to the podium to make his annual start-of-fall-camp pitch to the media, he will discuss character, development, hard work, attitude and focus. "And then we have to transfer all of those intangible things into winning games," Riley said. The Beavers do have a heavy dose of optimism. Who doesn't this time of year? But they also have a substantial number of issues to confront when the first of 24 days of practice begins on Friday and culminates with the season-opener on Aug. 31 against Eastern Washington
The stadium was built in 1953 and named in honor of Portland businessman Charles T. Parker, who played a significant role in the initial fundraising. The stadium was renamed in 1999 to honor one of the school's major athletic donors, the Reser family, owners of : Tackling the turnovers. The Beavers' 23 interceptions and 13 lost fumbles were the most among Pac-10 Conference teams. Draining the pool of big plays. Opponents struck the OSU (Open Source UNIX) Refers to the Unix variants that are maintained as open source, which were primarily BSD Unix and Linux until Sun made its Solaris operating system open source in 2005. defense for plays of 25 yards or more 56 times last season. Team is not spelled with an "I." "We need to be disciplined, focused on the team and not ourselves," Riley said. "We need to be a band of brothers." Healthy doses of mental and physical stamina. It's a 13-game regular season, the longest in OSU history. Playing the confidence game. "We have to come out of this fall camp with a feeling of self-confidence." And those may be the easier hurdles to clear. The granddaddy of the barriers for OSU is in the pass-catching department. "The receiving corps will be the big, big issue in our success," Riley said. "Who will play? Who will make plays? Who will be a factor? I like all of the guys we have, but they have to go play in a game and prove that they can do it because the fact is, they haven't done it." Joe Newton Joe Newton or Joeseph Newton may be:
Gone, however, is Mike Hass Mike Hass (born January 2, 1983 in Portland, Oregon) is an American wide receiver. He currently plays for the NFL's Chicago Bears. College career Hass was a starting wide receiver for Oregon State University from 2003-2005. , the nation's best wide receiver and a record-setter at OSU with nearly 4,000 yards, 220 receptions and 20 touchdowns in his career. Also returning is oft-injured junior Anthony Wheat-Brown, Sammie Stroughter, Brandon Powers and Zach Tarver. Ruben Jackson and Marcel Love, two of the higher-rated receivers, at the moment are mired mire n. 1. An area of wet, soggy, muddy ground; a bog. 2. Deep slimy soil or mud. 3. A disadvantageous or difficult condition or situation: the mire of poverty. v. in some academic mud. "Who will be the punter?" Riley asked, noting the graduation of the reliable Sam Paulescu and the arrival of newcomer and true freshman True freshman is a term used in NCAA sports, indicating that an athlete is playing the sport in his first year of college, rather than redshirting for one or more years to protect future college eligibility. Kyle Loomis. "How do we replace (all-Pac-10) linebackers Keith Ellison Keith Ellison may refer to:
It's not all pass-the-Pepto news for Oregon State, however. A seasoned quarterback in Matt Moore, healed from a late-season knee injury in 2005, returns, though the Beavers hope his league-high 19 interceptions do not. "I believe the return of a quarterback is a major, major factor," Riley said. "Matt and myself get a lot bashing, but I think he's a great quarterback and did a great job." Yvenson Bernard Yvenson Bernard [pronounced 'EVAN-son'] (born October 25, 1984 in Boynton Beach, Florida) is an American football running back for the Oregon State Beavers football team. He is entering his senior season at OSU in 2007. , who rushed for 1,321 yards and 13 touchdowns, returns to the backfield fully recovered from his injuries last season. "Yvenson is an all-time warrior," Riley said. And returning, too, is an offensive line of tackles Adam Koets and Josh Linehan, guards Jeremy Perry and Roy Schuening, and center Kyle DeVan. That group, Riley said, is "the core of our offensive strength." The recovery from the disappointment of last season began, Riley said, "right after the Civil War (a 56-14 loss to Oregon)." "We threw ourselves into recruiting and the development of a new team. That's the beauty of sports. Each season feels like a new dawn." |
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