OSU remodel awaits foundation.

Byline: Bob Clark The Register-Guard

CORVALLIS - From Mike Riley's office in the Valley Center, there's a view of Reser Stadium's new video scoreboard, the biggest in the Pac-10 as the Beavers often remind, sitting atop the latest expansion of seating for the football facility.

Next to Oregon State's practice fields, work is under way for the Gill Annex, which among other things will house a weight training room double the size of the one currently used by OSU football players.

It's a considerable amount of construction that Riley rightly can speak of with pride, but he's also the first to understand none of it will impact the coming football season as much as what the Beavers get accomplished as they remodel themselves over the next month, beginning with Friday's opening workout.

Yes, the Beavers return 17 starters and 59 lettermen from a team that finished 10-4 with a dramatic Sun Bowl victory, and along the way beat USC. But what will any of that matter on Aug. 30 when Utah arrives for the opener?

`There's a confidence that came out of the Sun Bowl that is good but my fear, my paranoia, is we assume that everything will be the same and it's not automatically,' Riley said in previewing the season. `We need to remember how hard it was ... sure we were 10-4 and had some great wins, but we had some bad losses. Somewhere in between there is the reality of who we were.'

The 10 victories included USC failing on a two-point conversion when the Trojans went for a late tie, and Oregon missing a field goal that would have won the Civil War in the final minute. The Sun Bowl triumph over Missouri came on an all-in two-point conversion.

`That's not going to happen unless you make it happen,' Riley said. `We can't have complacency, that because `that's who we were, so that's automatically who we will be again.' '

The major task for the Beavers is finding a quarterback to replace Matt Moore. Riley said that sophomores Sean Canfield and Lyle Moevao will share snaps with the first unit at the start of drills, but he'd like to settle on one before too long.

`I'd like it to be a week, but it won't be,' Riley said. `I don't want it to be two weeks, but it might be.'

Offensively, the other primary issues are settling on a left tackle and deciding which of the young tight ends is most ready to take over at that position.

Defensively, the Beavers seem set, considering the biggest decision is which two of four talented safeties will be in the starting lineup for the opener. There's enough depth there that the Beavers will probably take a look at talented freshman James Dockery as a potential reserve at cornerback, because top backup Coye Francies was dismissed over the summer for a violation of team rules.

There were no other significant losses since spring football ended. Instead, the Beavers added players they weren't expecting, with redshirt freshman offensive tackle Mau Nomani deciding he wouldn't go on his Mormon mission. Nomani will challenge Tavita Thompson and a pair of junior college transfers - if they make it in school - for the starting left tackle job.

Mitchel Hunt, a reserve defensive lineman who suffered a significant knee injury in the spring, has made enough progress that Riley is hopeful he could be almost full-go for the first practice.

The loss of Francies also opens up a kick return job, but Riley was ticking off freshmen who could earn immediate playing time by taking on that duty, the candidates led by James Rodgers, the 5-foot-6 dynamo from Texas.

A considerable portion of February's recruiting class won't be on hand. Riley said receivers Reggie Dunn and Lofa Liilii will enroll at junior colleges after failing to qualify academically, and the same destination seems likely for quarterback Jake Gelakoska, though Riley was trying to remain hopeful Gelakoska might instead `grayshirt,' and be able to enroll at OSU in January after raising his score on entrance examinations.

With or without Gelakoska, there will be a considerable number of those `grayshirts' from OSU's latest list of recruits, 10 by Riley's count. The most significant name among those is David Ross, an all-state cornerback in California who the Beavers kept away from Nebraska.

The OSU practices are scheduled for 2 p.m. on days when the Beavers have only one workout scheduled. On the days with two practices - Aug. 8, 10, 13, 15 and 17 - the practice times will be 8:30 a.m. and 6:30 p.m.

NCAA rules don't allow two practices on the same day until the sixth day of drills, and then prohibit double practices on consecutive days. OSU will be off Aug. 12 and 19, both Sundays, and have officials scheduled to be at workouts on Aug. 11 and 18, an indication those are the days when scrimmages will be held.

Riley said the first four days of practices - Friday through Monday - will include very few drills matching offense against defense. That will begin on Tuesday, when players are in full pads for the first time, again mandated by NCAA rules.

`We'll put in everything we've got in the first four days, those will be heavy teaching,' Riley said.

It's the `foundation' for the season, Riley said.

That's where those construction projects began, and look how they're turning out.

OSU'S FIVE QUESTIONS FOR AUGUST

Who quarterbacks? Sophomores Sean Canfield and Lyle Moevao will share snaps with the first offense for a week or so, and then one will be anointed the starter.

What's up front? Four starting offensive linemen return, but is it Tavita Thompson, the spring starter, or one of three contenders who takes over at left tackle?

How does Miller fit in? Pronounced healthy after missing last season following two Achilles tendon surgeries, Gabe Miller is ready to contend for the tight end job.

Which safeties start? Al Afalava and Bryan Payton have starting experience, but the talent of Daniel Drayton and Greg Laybourn make the position extremely competitive.

Where do the freshmen play? Probably on special teams, where a kickoff return job is open and the best way to avoid redshirting is on coverage or return units