Commentary

By Kevin Hampton
Gazette-Times Reporter

The Civil War was a statement game.

There was more at stake than the Rose Bowl for Oregon State.

If the Beavers had won, they would have been crowned champions of the Pacific-10 Conference and landed their first Rose Bowl berth since 1965.

The Beavers would have knocked off Oregon in the process and, in doing so, established themselves as the dominant program in the state and the Pacific Northwest.

A win would have been proof positive that Oregon State can match and exceed Oregon as a program without the extra money, without shiny toys to draw five-star recruits.

It would have been a full endorsement of OSU coach Mike Riley’s system of bringing in rough diamonds and developing those extra stars.

The statement, of course, was made by the Ducks. Oregon slashed through OSU’s unprepared and overwhelmed defense and stomped the Beavers 65-38.

The Ducks executed their offense flawlessly and the Beavers could not adjust. There were plenty of missed reads, blown assignments and slipped tackles.

There was a clear difference in talent. The Ducks dominated at the line of scrimmage. Their backs and receivers were faster and more athletic than the OSU defenders.

It was a disaster.

All programs suffer blow out losses at some point. Even the best have down days. But this game was different: it was the biggest game in OSU football history, and for the most part it was over by halftime.

Maybe the Beavers have reached a ceiling. Maybe finishing tied for second and going to the Sun Bowl is OSU’s limit as a program.

They’ve scraped their heads against that barrier for two seasons and this year they bashed against it, but could not break through.

A berth in the Rose Bowl n any BCS bowl for that matter n looks miles away for OSU right now. Maybe unattainable.

The Beavers came close in the standings, but in reality they aren’t very close at all. If you doubt that, just watch a replay of Saturday’s game.

The Beavers are, as they say, who they are, an 8-4 team most likely headed to the Sun Bowl. Oh, they can still back into the Rose Bowl if UCLA defeats Southern California, but we all know that’s not going to happen.

To break through to the BCS level, the Beavers need a little more talent. Yes, that means a few more stars in some cases.

Riley does a great job with what he gets. The system is not broken. On the contrary, it works just fine in getting the Beavers to bowl games on a regular basis, an incredible accomplishment for this program.

The Beavers went 10-4 two seasons ago and finished 9-4 last year. They can go 9-4 again with a bowl win.

Sooner or later, even finishing near the top of the conference will become old hat to fans. Expectations will inevitably rise.

So maybe Riley’s system needs a little shot in the arm. We’ve seen what an extra dose of talent can do this year with the Rodgers brothers and Sammie Strougher on the field at the same time.

However, players of that caliber aren’t often overlooked in this day and age and Riley can’t expect to keep making those finds. Maybe the OSU coaches could go after that four-star guy a little harder.

With Oregon State’s (moderate) success and vastly improved facilities, it’s hard to believe that none of the four- or five-star players out there are interested.

The Beavers themselves often don’t seem all that interested. This season, while hopes of the Rose Bowl were still swirling throughout Beaver Nation and the national media had begun to take note, the Beavers were piling up verbal commitments.

According to Scout.com, the Beavers have 18 players committed. Of those, two have one-star ratings, nine have two stars and seven have three stars.

Spending the time and effort on the four- or five-star recruits might be a risk, but taking a chance that one- or two-star players will continue to pan out seems equally risky.

Riley will certainly find some unpolished gems. But there will always be a point when they meet up with a bigger, faster and more talented team.

Those teams win statement games.

Kevin Hampton is a columnist for the Gazette-Times. He can be reached at kevin.hampton@lee.net.