Beavers seek second win against Broncos

Saturday, September 24

Corvallis, Ore.

12:30 PM

Oregon State

Boise State

Tickets

Photo by: Scobel Wiggins/Oregon State Athletics

September 20, 2016 | Football

Complete Game Notes

By: Oregon State Athletic Communications

THE SERIES/GAME FACTS
•   Ninth meeting between OSU and BSU.
•   Oregon State leads the series 5-3 with all eight previous meetings coming since 1986. The Beavers are 3-0 against the Broncos in Corvallis.
•   The last time these teams met was in the 2013 Hawai'i Bowl. Oregon State defeated Boise State 38-23 in the game behind a pair of fumble returns for touchdowns by Rashaad Reynolds. Storm Woods carried the ball 18 times for 108 yards and a touchdown and Sean Mannion threw for 259 yards and a score. That contest marked the first game as the Broncos' head man for current head coach Bryan Harsin.
•   The Broncos enter Reser Stadium coming off a bye week. Prior to the bye, Boise State won its first two games of the season winning at Louisiana 45-10 on the opening week of the season and defeating Washington State 31-28 in Boise in game 2.
•   Gary Andersen twice led his Utah State teams (2009 and '10) against Boise State coming up short both times.
•   Boise State associate head coach Kent Riddle, who also coaches their tight ends and special teams, began his coaching career at Oregon State as a graduate assistant (1993-94). Riddle played quarterback for the Beavers under Dave Kragthorpe.
•   BSU passing game coordinator and wide receivers coach Junior Adams began his playing career at Oregon State. Before transferring to Montana State, Adams was a member of the 2000 squad that went on to play in the 2001 Fiesta Bowl.
•   True freshman linebacker Luke Leonnig is OSU's only Idaho native on the roster in 2016 hailing from Eagle.
•   Oregon State currently has Mountain West teams on the schedule for each of the next seven years - 2017 at Colorado State, 2018 at Nevada, 2019 at Hawai'i, 2020 vs. Colorado State and at San Jose State, 2021 vs. Hawai'i, 2022 vs. Boise State and 2023 at Boise State.

COACH TO CURE MD: The Oregon State coaching staff is wearing Coach to Cure MD patches this week to raise awareness and funding for Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy research. Fans are encouraged to donate online at www.CoachtoCureMD.org.

WE'VE SEEN THESE GUYS BEFORE: Several current Beavers played in the 2013 Hawai'i Bowl when OSU last faced Boise State. OL Sean Harlow and LB Caleb Saulo started in that game with Saulo recording two tackles. Victor Bolden Jr. rushed for nine yards. Gavin Andrews and Dustin Stanton also played in the game on special teams. Stanton, who now starts at right tackle, was a tight end at the time.

FIRST RESPONDERS GAME: Oregon State Athletics is celebrating First Responder Appreciation Week (Sept. 21-27) by recognizing the brave men and women who stand ready to give aid when people need it most. Law enforcement officers, firefighters, paramedics and 9-1-1 dispatchers will be honored during Saturday's game.

EXTRA YARD FOR TEACHERS: Last Saturday, Oregon State Athletics and the Pac-12 partnered with the College Football Playoff Foundation in the second annual Extra Yard for Teachers Week (Sept. 17-24). Through an online nomination and voting process, Linda Beardsley from Stephens Middle School in Salem, Ore. was chosen to received $10,000 to use for her classroom and school. Beardsley is a math teacher at Stephens where her student population is 48% English language learners and 86% economically disadvantaged.

DREAMS 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 child 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 Dreams Come True program visit osubeavers.com/dreamcometrue

60TH ANNIVERSARY: The 2016 season is also the 60th anniversary of the 1956 Rose Bowl season. The game will be commemorated this weekend when the Beavers host Boise State. The game was the Beavers' second Rose Bowl berth, but first actually at the Rose Bowl. A crowd of 100,000 witnessed 10th-ranked Oregon State fall to No. 3 Iowa 35-19. Joe Francis rushed for 73 yards and passed for another 130 yards in the loss.

CALL ME HASS (AS IN PASS), NOT HAAS (AS IN GOSS): Once confused on his name, Oregon State former walkon wide receiver Mike Hass had one of the most stellar careers a receiver has ever had in the Pac-12. The 2005 Biletnikoff Award winner and All-American set numerous school records that still stand during his 2002-05 career. One of those records is for most yards receiving in one game with 293 on 12 receptions at Boise State in 2004. Hass was inducted into the State of Oregon Sports Hall of Fame Wednesday of this week.

IMPROVING OFFENSE: Through two games last season the new-look Beaver offense was generating 264.5 yards per contest combined in games vs. Weber State and Michigan. This season to date the offense has upped its production to 367.5 yards per game.

SHUTOUT: Oregon State has yet to allow a point in the first quarter of games this season and just 17 for the first halves combined for an average of 8.5 points. Last season the Beavers allowed an average 24 points in the first halves of games for the year.

UNDEFEATED ANDERSEN: Head coach Gary Andersen seeks to stay unbeaten against non-conference opponents inside Reser Stadium. In his first year at the helm, Andersen's team defeated Weber State, from the Big Sky Conference, 26-7 in his OSU debut. Two weeks later, the Beavers returned to their home field to beat San Jose State, from the Mountain West Conference, 35-21. Last week, Andersen led his squad to its first win of the year with a 37-7 win over Idaho State.

PLUS .500 NON-CONFERENCE SEASONS: Oregon State is pursuing its fifth straight non-conference winning record. The Beavers won all three non-conference (non-bowl) games in 2012 and again in 2014 while they posted a 2-1 record in 2013 and 2015 season. This season OSU, which enters its third and final non-conference game of the year with a 1-1 record, need a victory over Boise State (Sept. 24) to continue the streak.

MORE FRESH FACES: Oregon State coaches called on 18 players to make their OSU debuts in the season-opener at Minnesota. In the home opener against Idaho State another seven more took the field for the first time as a Beaver. In all five true freshmen have played in the early season including: WR Trevon Bradford, OL Gus Lavaka, RB Artavis Pierce, K Adley Rutschman and LB Shemar Smith. In addition, redshirt freshmen DT Elu Aydon, WR Andre Bodden, OT Blake Brandel, CB Xavier Crawford, S Omar Hicks-Onu, CB Jay Irvine, S Jalen Moore, CB Shawn Wilson and TE Tuli Wily-Matagi bring the total of freshmen (true and redshirt combined) to play to 14. Nine transfers have also been calledu 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. Junior OL Sam Curtius and sophomore OL Yanni Demogerontas also took the field for the first in the opener.

NEW STARTERS: Five Oregon State players have registered the first starts of their careers. Sophomore Yanni Demogerontas has started both games thus far at center earning the first snaps of his career. In addition, redshirt freshmen DT Elu Aydon, LT Blake Brandel and CB Xavier Crawford have also drawn the starting nod in each game. Senior RB Tim Cook took the first snap last week against Idaho State in a two-back set. In addition, junior QB Darell Garretson has made his first two starts as a Beaver in the first two week, but had previously made 11 starts at Utah State before arriving at OSU.

OFF TO A GOOD START: Junior QB Darell Garretson, who sat out the 2015 due to NCAA transfer rules, made his Oregon State debut at Minnesota completing 25 of 40 passes for 228 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions. It was the best starting debut performance by an OSU signal-caller since Cody Vaz passed for 332 yards and three scores in a 42-24 victory at BYU in 2012. Garretson joined the likes of some of OSU's greatest quarterbacks in history with only Matt Moore and Erik Wilhem throwing for more TDs in a debut performance with four and other than Vaz, Derek Anderson is the only other to throw for three scores in the modern era.

TWO OF THE BEST: Starting wide receivers Victor Bolden Jr. and Jordan Villamin will spend the season climbing Oregon State's career receiving yards records list. Last week, Bolden Jr. moved past Jeff Kolberg (1,364 yards) and is now ranked 15th in OSU history with 1,409 yards while Villamin remains 22nd with 1,270 yards.

VIC AND VILLY: Victor Bolden Jr. and Jordan Villamin are one of two sets of teammates in the nation with receptions in 20+ games in the nation. Bolden Jr. has now caught a ball in the last 26 games in which he has played while Villamin has receptions in 23 straight. Wyoming's Tanner Gentry (22) and Jake Maulhardt (20) are the other combination.

YOU'LL TAKE IT WHERE I GIVE IT TO YOU: Junior punter Nick Porebski has punted 11 times through two games and has yet to allow a single yard in the return game. He has forced five fair catches, placed three inside the opponents' 20-yard line, and smashed two for more than 50 yards including a 58-yarder against Idaho State. Minnesota's Drew Wolitarsky attempted one return against the Beavers in week 1 but was dropped in his tracks for a zero yard return.

NEW COORDINATORS: The Oregon State football program is one of five in the nation (Bowling Green, Hawai'i, UCF and Utah State) that has had a different offensive AND defensive coordinator in each of the last three seasons. On the offensive side, the Beavers have been led by John Garrett (2014), Dave Baldwin (2015) and Kevin McGiven and T.J. Woods will co-coordinate in 2016, while on the defensive side it has been Mark Banker (2014), Kalani Sitake (2015) and now Kevin Clune (2016). Bowling Green is the only team to have had four different coordinators on both sides of the ball in the last four years. In point of fact, Danny Langsdorf was the offensive coordinator for the previous 10 seasons before Garrett's stint under then-head coach Mike Riley.

SENIOR CLASS: The Beavers are once again one of the most inexperienced teams in the country. OSU enters 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.

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).

LET'S DO IT AGAIN: Oregon State safety Kendall Hill has been granted a sixth year of eligibility by the NCAA. Hill missed his true freshman season (2012) due to a knee injury suffered during the spring of his senior year of high school. He then suffered a season-ending knee injury during the spring practice session in 2013 and missed a second straight year.

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

NEW HOME FOR THE BEAVS: The first phase of the Victory Through Valley Project was completed recently as the team moved into its new locker room in the newly expanded and renovated Valley Football Center. The completed additions include an expanded athletic medicine facility, expanded equipment operations, renovated offices for the coaching staff, and an academic/life skills office. Still under construction is a football hall of fame, lobby and auditorium. For more on the $42 million project go to www.ourbeavernation.com.

CAMP BEND: The Oregon State football program opened fall camp by trekking across the Cascade Mountain range 155 miles to Bend, Ore. for the first week of practice. The team worked out at Summit High School while living in the dorms of Central Oregon Community College. The squad was able to work on team-bonding as well as receiving the benefits of working out at an elevation of 3,623 feet.

WIN THE TURNOVER BATTLE, WIN THE GAME: Over the last 151 games, Oregon State is 52-15 when committing fewer turnovers than its opponent, 11-41 when committing more and 16-16 when even.

BEAVS AT 112: Oregon owns the most victories in the Pac-12 Conference this century with 157, followed by USC (151/127 with vacated wins), Arizona State (113), Stanford (113), OSU (112), UCLA (112), California (101), Washington (97), Arizona (96) and Washington State (85). Non-traditional Pac-12 teams Utah has 136 victories this century and Colorado has 78. The Beavers hit the 100-win plateau this century in the Sept, 21, 2013 win at San Diego State. The previous 100-win stretch started during the 1966 season, ending with 1999 – nearly 34 seasons (365 games). This century's 100 victories were achieved in just over 13 seasons (168 games).

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.