Since 1997, OSU has been an active member of the aerial attack

Since coach Mike Riley first arrived at Oregon State in 1997, passing the football has been common in Reser Stadium.

Long gone are the days of the triple-option wishbone.

Riley forced the Beavers to catch up with the rest of the football community in style and substance. And that’s particularly the case in the Pacific-10 Conference, where traveling by air is chic.

Over the years quarterbacks such as Jonathan Smith and Derek Anderson have been throwing the ball around for the Beavers. They faced off against the Matt Leinarts and Joey Harringtons of the world, so balls were flying around stadiums along the West Coast.

Standout quarterbacks come and go, but the passing trend remains. This year it’s Matt Moore, Alex Brink and Sam Keller and the numbers won’t change.

“I don’t think it’s going to even out,” Washington coach Tyrone Willingham said. “The passing game has changed dramatically the last 10 years. The game is not played with three backs and two tight ends anymore. It’s sideline to sideline. Passing can get a chunk of yards in a hurry. I think that trend is here to stay. It’s also exciting for the viewers of college football.”

Riley, however, frequently talks about balance of the running and passing games. He says the opposition appears to be striving for balance, too, when he watches video on them.

The ultimate in balance and production has been Southern California with a 3,000-yard passer and two 1,000-yard rushers. However, most teams aren’t close to being that potent.

“We all want a great running back, but we get good quarterbacking on the West Coast,” Riley said. “There’s a tendency right now for a change for more passing. There’s a little bit more of that spread Urban Meyer offense.”

Oregon adopted the spread offense last season and found success with three different quarterbacks. The team averaged 304.5 yards a game passing and 134.3 on the ground, and reached the Holiday Bowl.

California struggled passing last season but could run. The Bears didn’t build on their success on the ground, they reinvented themselves by using the spread offense.

With all the quick scoring going around, Riley knows he just can’t grind out the yards on the ground and keep up with everyone on the scoreboard.

He personally likes to open up the offense anyway, but wants at least 100-125 rushing yards a game just to keep opponents guessing.

There’s an important unseen reason to pass more than run beyond just play-calling. And that’s recruiting.

“If you don’t throw the ball, and really make an effort to do that, you are going to have a tough time recruiting and getting the premier athletes — quarterbacks and receivers,” Riley said. “They want to win and do what they do best.”

The best quarterbacks and receivers expect to showcase their skills, and that doesn’t happen on a team where the playbook calls for three yards and a cloud of dust.

Even conferences such as the Big Ten, which are known to be conservative, are opening up. Purdue has been tough through the air in recent years. Northwestern and Michigan State were close to 300 passing yards a game and around 200 on the ground last season.

One of the hardest changes Riley had to make his first time here was training the run-based blockers, quarterbacks and receivers to pass. However, once he got the word out that he’s using a pro-style offense, the quality of athletes coming into the program improved.

Now the Beavers are legitimate bowl contenders every season.

“If they can’t prepare for what they hope might be an NFL career, you are not going to get them,” Riley said. “The passing game is important to winning, and the recruitment of good athletes.”

AIR PAC-10

Several standout quarterbacks in the Pacific-10 Conference return to guide their teams this season. Here is a look at the best:

Name (School) Att-Comp-Yds-TDs

• Willie Tuitama (Ariz) 142-82-1,105-9

• Sam Keller (ASU) 264-155-2,165-20

• Rudy Carpenter (ASU) 228-156-2,273-17

• Joe Ayoob (Cal) 254-125-1,707-15

• Dennis Dixon (Ore) 104-69-777-6

• Matt Moore (OSU) 355-211-2,711-11

• Trent Edwards (Stan) 268-168-1,934-17

• Isaiah Stanback (Wash) 264-143-2,136-9

• Alex Brink (WSU) 358-205-2,891-24

COUNTDOWN TO KICKOFF AT OSU

* DAYS REMAINING: 12

* TODAY: Scrimmage, 2-5 p.m.

* COMING SUNDAY: Defenses focus on keeping it legal when tackling opponents.

* CHECK OUT THE BLOG: www.gazettetimes.com/sports