RIDING A WAVE OF QUIET CONFIDENCE.

Byline: Bob Clark The Register-Guard

CORVALLIS - The fans were grumbling about the quarterback. The coach's job security was being questioned.

Oregon State had been blitzed by Boise State and California and lost at home to Washington State, and had wins over only Eastern Washington and Idaho to put the Beavers at 2-3 last October.

`We don't need that again,' OSU defensive end Jeff Van Orsow said, reflecting back on the 2006 season.

Except, the Beavers also can't forget what happened after that as they won eight of their final nine games. They stopped USC's winning streak. They won the Civil War. They knocked off Hawaii in Honolulu. And then came that dramatic victory over Missouri in the Sun Bowl.

So what happened to turn it around like that?

`A lot of guys saw where we were going with the season and people wanted to turn it around,' offensive tackle Andy Levitre said. `Everyone stepped up and started making plays.

`Our focus was on winning one game at a time and not overthinking things. Everyone settled down, but playing it one game (at a time), that was the main thing.'

So over and over, from one Beaver after another, the trite expression of `playing it one game at a time' has been repeated over and over in preseason practices.

Well, if it works, why argue with it? And maybe there is something to be said of not looking too far ahead.

Tonight's opener against Utah in Reser Stadium pits the Beavers against another team that finished last season with a bowl victory. Then it's on to Cincinnati, where the Bearcats, too, finished last season with a bowl triumph.

The Pac-10 opener is at Arizona State, where former Beaver mentor Dennis Erickson already has the Sun Devils on the upswing, and September ends with UCLA, in the nation's top 25, in Corvallis.

Only Idaho State in the middle of the first five games offers assurance of a victory. It wouldn't take much for the Beavers to be 2-3 again, in fact.

`There's definitely a sense of urgency,' Van Orsow said. `We've got a good team coming in in Utah so we're going to be tested right off the bat.'

Along with the apprehension of what can go wrong, as the Beavers discovered last season, there's also a quiet confidence with this team of what could go well. This is a veteran team, and probably OSU's deepest in years.

`Yes, it is,' OSU coach Mike Riley said. `We've got good depth almost everywhere except the offensive line.'

Yet, that starting group might be the best in the Pac-10, as a unit. The linebackers, as a trio, match up with some of the best groups in the nation. There is a running back who could lead the Pac-10 in rushing.

So what's not to like about the Beavers?

Though OSU returns 16 starters, one of them isn't the quarterback, and first-year starters at that position can be known to struggle. The preseason was bereft of serious injuries among regulars. The loss of players for off-field reasons was relatively light, though backup corner Coye Francies could be missed as a kick returner.

The real notable absence from the top of the depth chart is all-American candidate Sammie Stroughter, as either a receiver or punt returner. He is out indefinitely as he deals with grief after the deaths of three people who were close to him. The Beavers also could be haunted by the loss of sophomore punter Kyle Loomis, who turned in his gear the night before practices began, forcing kicker Alexis Serna to take on that duty as well.

Maybe because of the maturity of the team - there are 33 juniors or seniors among the 44 players on a two-deep chart of the offense and defense - the Beavers have seemingly moved on despite those losses.

`With our experience, people are more comfortable around each other,' Levitre said. `You don't have to worry about people doing their job. We all know each other, we're all good friends so the bonding between us should be good.'

Yes, but what about the one guy who won't be there: Stroughter.

Yvenson Bernard, the senior tailback, feels the loss of close-friend Stroughter deeply, but also points out that who knew before last season what Stroughter could do? After five receptions two years ago, Stroughter had 75 catches last season.

Now, Bernard suggested, it's time for someone else to do something similar.

If that person is found, if the quarterback position is filled, if the defense is sound from the start of the season ... there are questions to be answered, but there are also reasons for the Beavers to feel they have answers.

`Where we are is way ahead of last year,' Van Orsow said. `We found the chemistry during the (2006) season and it worked and there's definitely a carryover to this year. We're just picking up where we left off.'