Oregon State plans to build off success found against Huskies

By Cliff Kirkpatrick

Corvallis Gazette-Times

It was the complete effort that had been missing all season, and it even arrived against a quality opponent out of a major conference.

The Oregon State football team finally put together all parts of the game and defeated Northwest rival Washington 27-17 Saturday night in Husky Stadium.

After working with young players for more than a season, it came together. Coach Mike Riley kept saying how the team would get better with continued development, even though there was disbelief from the constituents.

He was excited after the game about the performance, not just the win. And it carried into Sunday evening, but it was little more tempered.

“I’m not going to go too far with it,” Riley said. “We had a good win and a lot guys have to continue working. Both sides of the ball we hit, and we were physical. The factor should now be proving that week to week.”

Not letting down for the next game will be vital as the Beavers take on another Pacific-10 Conference opponent — Arizona in Tucson on Saturday afternoon.

While the Beavers (3-3, 1-2) have begun to play better, they don’t have an opportunity to relax. They need four more wins in seven games to become bowl eligible, but Riley won’t look far into the future to add stress to the players.

“As the season progresses, you just have to get better,” Riley said. “It’s a motivating tool if we prove we can do it. You hope it’s a spark for the future. I think our kids worked hard and stayed the course. It was good to get a reward for that.”

While the offense came through with diverse production, there has already been progress on defense. It played well for the second straight game and is out to make it three.

“Last week was our starting point,” defensive end Jeff Van Orsow said. “We want to build on that, and we did. We had consistency in practice and preparation.”

Defensive coordinator Mark Banker wasn’t about to celebrate too much either. He has been under pressure to find a way to keep the team in games and has been constantly tinkering with his scheme.

He’s just glad the mix of first-year starting linebackers and several junior college players are playing better each week with the few veterans on the field.

“You’re only as good as your last game,” Banker said. “I said earlier in the week the proof will be in the pudding this game to see if we could develop the consistency. And now when the thing is all said and done, some time after a bowl game, then we’ll evaluate what happens.”

The only down side coming out of the Washington game was the Beavers were beat up a little.

Cornerback Keenan Lewis played only one down because of a bruised shoulder. He injured it in practice, and aggravated it on that play. He’s expected back this week, Riley said.

Defensive end Joe Lemma sprained an ankle, and will take it easy early in the week.

Running back Yvenson Bernard banged his knee and asked to take a series off at the end of the game. He returned, and ran with the team Sunday.

“That’s a good sign,” Riley said. “He didn’t participate in many of those runs last year because he couldn’t.”

Free safety Al Afalava missed the game and is considered day-to-day from his concussion Oct. 7 against Washington State.

“We are very cautions with concussions, but from the report from the trainer he’s making progress,” Riley said.