Beavers to Host Cougars for Homecoming

Photo by: Karl Maasdam/Oregon State Athletics

October 25, 2016 | Football

By: Oregon State Athletic Communications

MEN OF ROSES: Saturday's contest is Oregon State's Men of Roses celebration. This week, Oregon State University will honor the 75th anniversary of the iconic "Men of Roses" team. Led by head coach Lon Stiner, No. 12 Oregon State defeated No. 2 Duke 20-16 in the Rose Bowl, a game transplanted to Durham, N.C.
January 1, 1942 marks the only time in the game's 103-year history that it was played away from the actual Rose Bowl in Pasadena, Calif. The U.S. government prohibited large gatherings on the West Coast based on the fear of an attack on the mainland following Pearl Harbor. For more information on the Men of Roses team go to osubeavers.com.
Things of interest surrounding this weekend's game in honor of the Men of Roses team include:
• Friday from 4-5 p.m., Brian Curtis, author of "Fields of Battle," will conduct a lecture in OSU's LINC building regarding the Men of Roses team.
• The cover of this week's game program is a reproduction of the 1942 Rose Bowl-issued publication.
• 1942 team manager Andy Landforce will serve as the honorary game captain and will be recognized in the first quarter.
• The Fallen Hero Flame will be presented at Beaver Walk and Fan Fair by the Tribute to Fallen Soldiers NW motorcycle group.
• Memorabilia, a car club and 1940's era fire engine will be on display at Fan Fair.
• The Leishman Trophy from the Rose Bowl Game and the 1942 Rose Bowl championship trophy will be displayed at Fan Fair.
• 1942 replica pennants presented by Kaiser Permanente at Fan Fair (supplies limited)
• 1942 commemorative posters presented by Hewlett Packard at Fan Fair (supplies limited)
• The OSU Marching Band will conduct a special 1940s themed halftime show.

THE SERIES/GAME FACTS
• Saturday is the 101st meeting in the series that goes back to 1903.
• WSU holds a narrow lead in the overall series 50-47-3.
• The Beavers have the advantage in Corvallis, 23-22.
• The Cougars have won the last two meetings.
• OSU won six out of seven games against the Cougars from 2007-13. Three of those victories were in Pullman and a fourth was in Seattle.
• The Beavers did not win a game in the series between 1979-93, with one 14-14 tie in 1982, and 10 straight losses from 1983-93.
• Former Beaver and current St. Louis Rams' quarterback Sean Mannion threw for 493 yards (OSU record) on 34-51 passing at WSU in 2013.
• In the 1979 game in Corvallis, Scott Richardson tossed four first half touchdowns to set the school record for TD passes in a half. It has since been matched three times, including by current OSU quality control coach Lyle Moevao against Oregon in 2008.
• In 1983, Ladd McKittrick connected with Reggie Bynum for a 92-yard touchdown pass - the second-longest in OSU history.
• OSU's Coquelle Thompson launched the longest punt in school history against the Cougars, an 80-yard blast in 1930.

DREAM COME TRUE: Oregon State Athletics and Unitus Community Credit Union have teamed up to grant wishes each game. Through Unitus' Dreams Come True program, the Beavers will welcome a children facing serious illness to Reser Stadium for the ultimate fan experience every home game during the 2016 season. Recipients will be recognized on the video board during the game, receive tickets, pre-game sideline passes, a chance to interact with the players on game day, a football signed by the OSU football team and a personalized game jersey. To learn more about the Dream Come True program visit osubeavers.com/dreamcometrue

75TH ANNIVERSARY: The 2016 season marks the 75th anniversary of the 1941 Rose Bowl season. The anniversary will be recognized Oct. 29 when the Beavers host Washington State for "The Men of Roses" game ... The game produced two important firsts. It was Oregon State College's first-ever trip to the famous New Year's Day classic, and it remains the only Rose Bowl played outside Pasadena. The reason the game was moved to Durham, N.C. due to the blackout of the West Coast that had followed the attack on Pearl Harbor. The host stadium was Duke University's home field in Durham, N.C., with the undefeated Blue Devils picked as 3-1 favorites. Oregon State's victory came as a big surprise to Eastern and Southern sportswriters, with Sid Feder of the Associated Press writing, "Probably never in the quarter century history of the Tournament of Roses had such a completely overlooked betting underdog jumped up to beat the big fellows. Oregon State came East to the wonderment of most of Dixie as to why the Westerners were going to show up at all." ... Oregon State won the game 20-16 and Jack Gunether of UPI wrote, "The Beavers skipped and slammed and flicked passes with an ease and finesse which completely baffled the record crowd." ... Beaver boss, Lon Stiner, at 38 and the youngest head coach in Rose Bowl history, led the Beavers and Dan Durdan passed and ran OSC to victory earning Player of the Game honors. The winning score came in the third quarter when Gene Gray scored on a 68-yard pass from Bob Dethman.

BACK-TO-BACK: Saturday's game with Washington State marks the first time since the 1967 season that the Beavers have faced teams with undefeated records in conference contests this late in the season. In 1967, Oregon State earned a 14-14 tie at No. 2 UCLA (Nov. 4) and then defeated No. 1 USC, 3-0, in Corvallis (Nov. 11). UCLA entered the game 6-0 overall and 3-0 in conference while USC was 8-0 overall and 5-0 in conference before arriving in Corvallis.

TOUGH SLEDDING: Oregon State's schedule through seven games ranks as the 13th-most difficult in the country per USA Today's Sagarin Rankings. The top 15 most difficult schedules features a who's who of the Pac-12 Conference with Stanford (No. 1), USC (5), UCLA (10) and Oregon (12).

ONLY THE BEAVS: Oregon State is the only team in the Pac-12 that has played three current Associated Press top 25 teams.

ONE EYE IN THE REARVIEW, ONE ON THE ROAD: The combined record of OSU's six FBS opponents thusfar in the season is 36-8. The five remaining teams on the schedule are 16-20 through Oct. 22.

CREATING HAVOC: The Oregon State defense has shown marked improvement creating big plays in 2016. The Beavers have created 12 turnovers (five interceptions & seven fumble recoveries) through seven games. In 2015, OSU caused just 12 turnovers (eight INTs & four fumble recoveries) all season.

BRIGHT SPOT: Sophomore linebacker Bright Ugwoegbu has been a different player in 2016. Ugwoegbu earned a spot on the first string at outside linebacker in 2015 in what turned out to be a part-time role. He tallied 17 tackles including 2.0 tackles-for-loss and a sack. So far in 2016 through six games, Ugwoegbu has been one of the Beavers' biggest playmakers with 47 tackles, including a team-leading 8.5 tackles-for-loss and squad-best 3.5 sacks. In addition, he has a forced fumble, a fumble recovery and a pair of pass breakups. His 8.5 TFLs and 3.5 sacks already exceed the team-highs from last year.

NOWHERE TO GO: The Oregon State defensive secondary has played well in the early going in 2016. The Beavers rank fourth in the Pac-12 and 28th in the nation in passing yards allowed at 196.7 yards per game. The secondary has accounted for four of the team's five interceptions and has recorded pass breakups on 26 other attempts to move the ball through the air. Plus the starting collection of CBs Treston Decoud and Xavier Crawford and safeties Devin Chappell and Brandon Arnold have pitched in four forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries. Making the numbers more impressive is that CB Dwayne Williams, who was expected to be a starter in 2016, has missed four games due to two different injuries and his status remains unknown this week. In addition, fellow corner Jay Irvine and backup safety Landry Payne have both been lost for the season.

M.A.S.H. UNIT: The injury bug has once again bitten the Oregon State football program. Last week at Washington, the Beavers were only able to suit up 63 players due to injury and illness, seven fewer than allowed for a visiting team per Pac-12 regulations. Entering the game with the Huskies, OSU was missing players who had accounted for 74% of the team's total rushing yards and 91% of the team's total passing yards. Two weeks ago against Utah, the Beavers lost quarterbacks on consecutive drives with starter Darell Garretson (ankle) out for the year and Conor Blount (knee) out last week and is hopeful to return this week. Joining Garretson on the sideline for the season are OL Sam Curtius, S Jonas Dahl, CB Jaydon Grant, CB Jay Irvine, DL Thor Katoa, OL Bobby Keenan, S Landry Payne, TE Noah Togiai, TE Kenny Turnier and DE LaMone Williams. In addition, injuries and illness have prevented several others from playing through the first half of the season including: OL Gunnar Braden, CB Charles Okonkwo and OL Robert Olson.

BECOMING THE NORM: OSU has accumulated more first downs via the rush than the pass for the second straight season. The Beavers have converted 61 first downs on the ground versus 50 through the air. Prior to 2015 the last time Oregon State had finished a season with more first downs on the ground was 2000.

TWO OF THE BEST: Starting wide receivers Victor Bolden Jr. and Jordan Villamin are spending the season climbing Oregon State's career receiving yards records list. Currently Bolden Jr. ranks 15th all-time at OSU with 1,576 receiving yards while Villamin is 19th with 1,328 yards.

BIG PLAY BOLDEN: Senior Victor Bolden Jr. has been all over the field for the Beavers through four games - as a wide receiver, running jet sweeps and reverses, and returning punts and kickoffs. In the early going, Bolden Jr. has punished teams for failing to account for him resulting in big plays for the Beavers. Bolden Jr. is the only player in the NCAA with two plays of 90+ yards - 92-yard jet sweep (second-longest rushing play in OSU history) against Idaho State and a 99-yard kickoff return against Boise State. He is also the first OSU player with two rushes of 75 or more yards in the same season since Steven Jackson in 2002 (75 vs. Fresno State & 80 vs. UCLA).

DANGEROUS RETURNS: OSU ranks fist in the Pac-12 and 15th in the country for yards per kickoff return at 26.47. Senior Victor Bolden Jr. is second in the conference and 13th in the nation with an average of 28.3 yards per return.

AIMING FOR THE CYCLE: Senior do-everything player Victor Bolden Jr. is one of 11 players in the nation to have scored touchdowns rushing, receiving and as a kick returner in 2016. Bolden notched a receiving touchdown in the season-opener at Minnesota, had a 92-yard touchdown run against Idaho State in Week 2, and returned a kickoff 99 yards for a touchdown against Boise State in Week 3. Others that have accomplished the feat are Keion Davis (Marshall), Quadree Henderson (Pittsburgh), Adrian Killins (UCF), T.J. Logan (North Carolina), Tim McVey (Air Force), Joe Mixon (Oklahoma State), Rashaad Penny (San Diego State), Tony Pollard (Memphis), John Ross (Washington) and Aregeros Turner (Northern Illinois).

VIC IS ON A STREAK: Victor Bolden Jr. is tied for 15th in the nation for receptions in consecutive games played. Bolden Jr. has caught at least one pass in 31 games in a row in which he's played. Only Nate Phillips (UA) with 40, River Cracraft (WSU) with 36, JuJu Smith-Schuster (USC) with 35 and Christian McCaffrey (Stanford) with 32 have longer streaks in the Pac-12. Corey Davis (Western Michigan) and Robert Davis (Georgia State) lead the nation with receptions in 44 straight games.

RUSHING THE BALL: Three weeks ago, against California, the Beavers rushed for 474 yards - the most in the Gary Andersen era. It was the fourth-most rushing yards in school history and the most-ever against a conference opponent. The old record was 470 yards at Idaho in 1942 when both teams were members of the Pacific Coast Conference. The record against a current conference opponent in a league game was 428 at UCLA in 1994. OSU entered the game with 557 rushing yards through four games.

READY OR NOT: The OSU rushing attack through seven games has been effective to the tune of 5.4 yards per carry (259 carries for 1,405 yards). That is a record-setting pace for a full season. The current record is 4.9 ypc (474 for 2,336) set in 1960. The Beavers have spread the rushing gains around as well with four different players exceeding 100 yards in a game – Ryan Nall, Victor Bolden Jr., Darell Garretson and Tim Cook. Cook, who had been playing as OSU's third-string running back, was forced into bigger role last Saturday at Washington where he rumbled 108 yards on 18 carries for his first career 100-yard day and added the first rushing touchdown of his career.

THE WRECKING NALL: Earlier this season against Cal, sophomore running back Ryan Nall rushed for 221 yards on 14 carries, the 10th-best performance in school history. His former personal record was 174 yards at Oregon in 2015. It was his third career 100-yard game. In addition, Nall scored three touchdowns and now has seven TDs in his last seven games over the past two seasons. Nall's 80-yard touchdown jaunt on the first play of the second half was the longest of his career and tied for the sixth-longest in school history. Nall averages a Pac-12 best 7.2 yards per carry and ranks sixth nationally.

OWENS IN EIGHTH: Beaver kicker Garrett Owens has quietly moved up the record charts for field goals at OSU. He enters Saturday with 31 made field goals. Owens next target on the chart is Kieron Walford (1976-79) who made 32. He's made 31 of 42 field goals for a .738 percentage.

TRUE STUDENT-ATHLETES: Eleven Beavers either have or are on track to graduate by January. Juniors Kendall Hill, who was recently granted a sixth year of eligibility, graduated following summer term with a degree in human development and family sciences, and Garrett Owens, received his degree in sociology in the spring. In addition, Gavin Andrews (economics), Devin Chappell (economics), Rahmel Dockery (sociology), Sean Harlow (human development and family sciences), Ricky Ortiz (agricultural sciences), Caleb Saulo (sociology), Dustin Stanton (business administration), Noke Tago (human development and family sciences) and Sosaia Tauaho (liberal studies) are scheduled to graduate in December.

SENIOR CLASS: The Beavers are once again one of the most inexperienced teams in the country. OSU entered the season with 15 seniors on the active roster, which ranks as tied with Washington State as the second-youngest team in the Pac-12 behind USC with 14. It is tied as the 13th-fewest seniors in the nation.

SHUFFLING THE DECK: Last month, senior offensive lineman Sean Harlow returned to the lineup at Colorado. Harlow's return from a season-ending injury last season against the Buffs at midseason created a ripple effect along the line with Blake Brandel moving from left tackle to right tackle, Dustin Stanton sliding from right tackle to right guard and Gavin Andrews moving inside from right guard to center. Brandel, Stanton and Andrews had never previously played their new positions in a game for the Beavers. Fred Lauina was the lone regular to remain in his usual position at left guard. Lauina ended up getting injured in the game sending true freshman Gus Lavaka into action at left guard finishing the complete revamp of the Beavers' offensive line.

FRESH FACES: So far in 2016 Oregon State coaches have called on 19 young players to make their OSU debuts. Nine true freshmen have played so far in 2016 including: QB Conor Blount, WR Trevon Bradford, LB Andrzej Hughes-Murray, OL Gus Lavaka, RB Artavis Pierce, LB Joah Robinett, K Adley Rutschman, LB Shemar Smith and LB Shemiah Unutoa-Whitson. In addition, redshirt freshmen DT Elu Aydon, WR Andre Bodden, OT Blake Brandel, CB Xavier Crawford, S Omar Hicks-Onu, LB Hamilton Hunt, CB Jay Irvine, S Jalen Moore, CB Shawn Wilson and TE Tuli Wily-Matagi have seen playing time for the first time in their careers. Robinett joined the group three weeks ago against Cal earning the start and finishing with five tackles. Two weeks ago against Utah, Unutoa-Whitson received the first playing time of his career and last week Hughes-Murray joined the fray at Washington.

12 MORE FIRST TIMERS: Nine transfers have also been called upon to contribute including: RB Tim Cook, QB Darell Garretson, WR Timmy Hernandez, OL Brayden Kearsley, DE Phillip Napoleon, S Landry Payne, LB Wesley Payne, DT Paisa Savea and CB Kyle White. Juniors OL Sam Curtius and RB Marcus Greaves as well as sophomore OL Yanni Demogerontas have also taken their first college snaps this season bringing the grand total of 2016 first-timers to 31 players making their collegiate debut for the Beavers.

NEW STARTERS: Thirteen Oregon State players have registered the first starts of their careers. Sophomore Yanni Demogerontas started the first two games of the season at center earning the first snaps of his career. In addition, redshirt freshmen DT Elu Aydon, LT Blake Brandel, CB Xavier Crawford, CB Jay Irvine and S Jalen Moore have also drawn the starting nod for the first time. On the offensive side, senior RB Tim Cook and junior DE Phillip Napoleon and sophomore WR Timmy Hernandez have made their first starts for the Beavers. In addition, juniors QB Darell Garretson, OL Brayden Kearsley and DT Paisa Savea have made their first OSU starts. Garretson has started all three games this season, while Kearsley made his first start against Boise State. Both players had started at their previous schools, Garretson arrived at OSU with 11 starts under his belt at Utah State and Kearsley had four starts at BYU. As for true freshmen, OL Gus Lavaka and LB Joah Robinett each made their first career starts against California and LB Shemiah Unutoa-Whitson got the first snap at Washington.

TEAM CAPTAINS: The 2016 team is captained by seniors Victor Bolden Jr., Devin Chappell, Sean Harlow, Caleb Saulo, Dustin Stanton and junior Darell Garretson.

WIN THE TURNOVER BATTLE, WIN THE GAME: Over the last 155 games, Oregon State is 52-16 when committing fewer turnovers than its opponent, 12-43 when committing more and 16-17 when even.

300TH GAME IN RESER: The Beavers' will play their 300th game in Reser (formerly Parker) Stadium late this year against Arizona, Nov. 19.