Two wins are all that stands between Oregon State and the Rose Bowl

By Cliff Kirkpatrick
Gazette-Times Reporter

Two more games remain, and if the Oregon State football team wins both of them it will reach a level of success not seen in these parts in 44 years.

The possibility of the Rose Bowl has been the topic of discussion surrounding the No. 21-ranked Beavers at every turn, and it picked up in intensity after the latest victory.

The Beavers knocked off California 34-21 in a Pacific-10 Conference game Saturday afternoon in a sold-out Reser Stadium, building on the momentum they’ve gained each of the last eight weeks.

“I’m very excited about the win, but we have to go out week-by-week,” cornerback Keenan Lewis said. “We’ve got to go to Arizona next week, and they are a tough team.”

The Beavers have a challenging end to the season with two of the better teams in the conference. They play the Wildcats, early favorites by three points, at 4 p.m. on Saturday in Tucson. Then they conclude the regular season at home Nov. 29 against Oregon.

Both opponents are looking to catch up to the Beavers in the Pac-10 standings. The Beavers (7-3, 6-1) are a half game behind USC (9-1, 7-1) for the conference lead, but hold the tiebreaker against the Trojans by beating them earlier this season.

The Ducks, who have two conference losses, have a bye week to prepare for the Civil War. The Wildcats (6-4, 4-3) are tied for fourth with California with three losses.

“This is a big deal, playing these games,” defensive end Victor Butler said. “Every game is important. Now we have a two-game season. We got Arizona coming up, so we have to get back to business.”

More of the nation’s sporting community is taking notice of the Beavers, which started with the upset of then-No. 1 USC on Sept. 25, as the Rose Bowl opportunity gets closer.

The pressure increases each week, too. If they drop a game the Holiday Bowl and Sun Bowl are possibilities. The Las Vegas Bowl is the lowest possible postseason game they could fall to.

OSU would have to lose both games and Arizona win its last two. Then it’s up to the Sun Bowl to pick between them. The Wildcats haven’t been to a bowl game in 10 years, so they would bring many fans to El Paso, Texas.

“We know what we are capable of doing,” wide receiver James Rodgers said. “We just have to practice way hard to prepare for the other teams. We have a bullseye on our back. We have to get better to face Arizona.”

The Beavers are playing well now, and have been since Sept. 13 when it beat Hawaii for their first win of the season. They’ve won five straight and seven of the last eight.

Running back Jacquizz Rodgers continues to dominate defenses, leading the Pac-10 in rushing with an average of 123 yards a game. He’s ranked ninth nationally.

“He’s doing a great job,” quarterback Lyle Moevao said. “His play speaks for itself, being able to squeeze through holes most running backs wouldn’t be about to. He waits for (the opening), and goes through.”

The passing offense is the best in the conference at 244.6 yards a game. It doesn’t matter which quarterback plays. Moevao and Sean Canfield spread the field in different ways, and are effective.

OSU’s defense has improved with each game. After being terrible stopping the run to start the season the Beavers are second in the conference, allowing 109.3 yards a game.

The pass defense is fourth in the conference, giving up 179.6 yards a game. That translates into the second-best total defense, behind the heralded USC defense.

“I was impressed with our defensive effort against Cal,” coach Mike Riley said. “Cal has a lot of variety. They gave us all the stuff (in the game). They hit some plays, but when we got down to crunch time we were really relentless defensively.”

Even the special teams are playing better. Punter Johnny Hekker performed well for the second straight game, and the return game made an impact against Cal with a kickoff return for a touchdown and a long punt return that set up another TD.

It might all be coming together at the right time again for the Beavers, but Riley’s task for the last two weeks is to keep the players focused on the big goal.

They say they are, and have a history blocking out distractions. But it is crunch time.

“It’s all about that week of preparation,” Riley said. “You spend hours getting ready for the game. At the end, you might look up and be surprised. Or a lot of other people might be. It’s a fun way to live. We need to stay in these games, and get ready for them and enjoy those moments like this.”