Big hits at Linebacker U.

Byline: Bob Clark The Register-Guard

CORVALLIS - Some day, they predict at Oregon State, Keaton Kristick is going to be mentioned in that list of honored Beaver linebackers that seems to come one after the other.

Nick Barnett. Richard Seigler. James Allen. Keith Ellison and Trent Bray ... names that have built OSU's reputation as a West Coast version of Linebacker U.

Kristick looks the part, at 6-foot-3, 227 pounds. He can play on the outside or in the middle. He was good enough that the Beavers used him to cover kicks last season as a true freshman, and in limited action on defense he forced a fumble at Hawaii and recovered one at Stanford.

A promising start, to be sure. And Kristick's role on this OSU team?

`Special teams and second team,' Kristick said, summing it up concisely but accurately.

That's how set the Beavers are at linebacker, where seniors Joey LaRocque, Alan Darlin and Derrick Doggett return after a 2006 season in which they ranked first, second and fourth on the team in tackles.

At least north of the USC campus, there can't be a better group in the Pac-10, can there? A couple of magazines listed the OSU group among the nation's finest.

`It's flattering to hear, but we don't try to get into that too much,' Darlin said. `Playing at Oregon State, we're used to being the underdogs and that's the way we like it so we have a modest approach to our game and try to make our reputation on the field.'

That has been done. Doggett has been a second-team choice on the all-league team for the past two years. Darlin didn't have as many overall tackles as the other two last season, but ranked in the top 10 of the conference for sacks and tackles for lost yardage, and tied for the Pac-10 lead in fumbles recovered with four. LaRocque was a game saver a couple of times, with a fourth-quarter interception at Arizona and three late tackles for lost yardage in the Sun Bowl win over Missouri.

`Each of us brings so many different aspects to the game,' LaRocque said. `Derrick is such an electric player and Alan is such a presence in the middle. Those two complement each other so well and my strength is being able to get to the ball.'

Might this rank up there with the best trios ever at OSU?

`There have been some pretty good groups of linebackers come through this school so it's pretty hard to say or judge whether we're the best,' LaRocque said. `We just want to maximize each other's potential and play well together.'

Darlin and Doggett are captains this season, and OSU coach Mike Riley said LaRocque might have been, too, except junior college transfers, even in their second year, are seldom as recognized as the leaders when players vote.

`He could be,' Riley insisted of LaRocque in a captain's role. `All three of those guys are looked on so highly' by teammates and coaches.

The 6-1, 238-pound Darlin is the rock in the middle of the defense, the prototypical run-stopping presence. But he said he wouldn't do what he does so well were it not for Doggett (6-3, 210) and LaRocque (6-2, 235) on his flanks.

`They're both tremendous athletes,' Darlin said. `Joey is a mentally tough player who is physical when he tries to be. D-Dog is probably the fastest linebacker in the nation and he can cover a slot (receiver) or even a wideout. They're both really versatile.'

They all better be in the opening game, Thursday night against Utah at Reser Stadium. The Utes challenge any defensive team with their variety of offensive sets, and it puts considerable pressure on the linebackers.

`We saw it all last year,' Darlin said. `Hawaii ran a spread offense, Oregon did, Missouri did ... we've seen plenty of it, and we've seen plenty of athletic quarterbacks. They run some tricky plays, some stuff to test your eyes, but we should be prepared.'

Where the Beavers are also ready is in depth. While Doggett and LaRocque started all 14 games last season and Darlin started all but the game at Hawaii, that goes against the norm for linebackers, who take a physical beating even while delivering one.

What happens if a linebacker goes out this year? Or needs a breather? There's confidence in the backups, with the second unit made up of Kristick and junior Isaiah Cook on the outside and junior Bryant Cornell in the middle.

`I don't like to come off the field but I'm confident in them,' Darlin said. `Our depth helps (the starters) because if you're exhausted, you're not doing anybody any good being on the field.'

Kristick, for one, is willing and waiting for his turn.

`I look at myself as a player who can make a difference,' he said. `I'm trying to find my role on this team and maybe sometime I might get to sub in there.'

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