PART SIX: Wrapping it up

By Kip Carlson

After 28 straight losing football seasons, Oregon State would be a winner.

After 34 consecutive seasons without a bowl game, the Beavers would be playing in the postseason.

OSU had ticked off those boxes in the opening weeks of November, beating California 17-7 for its sixth win of the season and Arizona 28-20 to assure itself a bowl berth.

All of which made for the highest stakes in a Civil War since 1964, when the game was played with both Oregon State and Oregon harboring Rose Bowl hopes. In 1999, both teams were 7-3 overall; OSU was 4-3 in the Pacific-10 and the Ducks were 5-2 in the conference.

The winner would be looking at a trip to the Holiday Bowl as the Pac-10 runner-up or the Sun Bowl as the conference's third-place team. The loser would likely be the fourth- or fifth-place team and spending Christmas Day playing in Hawaii in the Aloha Bowl or the Oahu Bowl.

"The great thing is we've won seven games and already qualified for a bowl," OSU head coach Dennis Erickson said after the Beavers beat Arizona for their fourth straight
win. "That's exciting, but that's the least of our worries right now. Our players are excited to get going again in practice. It's going to be an exciting time."

NOVEMBER 20: AT OREGON

The 1999 game would be the 103rd Civil War, but it would be Erickson's first experience with one of the nation's oldest college football rivalries. The fight for state supremacy was a higher priority than bowl positioning, Erickson told the Monday lunchtime meeting of the Corvallis Beaver Huddle. The overflow crowd had given him a standing ovation upon his introduction.

"We said 'Congratulations, you guys played well, now get your butts ready for Oregon,'" Erickson said of his message to the Beavers after beating Arizona. "I'm sure they're saying the same thing in Eugene. We've got the Civil War, and that's the only thing on our minds."

Oregon head coach Mike Bellotti thought the circumstances might decrease, rather than increase, the pressure on both teams.

"Both teams are in a position where we both have winning seasons and are going to a bowl game," Bellotti said. "There's not a lot of pressure. This is a game where we can truly cut it loose and go out and have fun."

Still, Oregon's practices would be closed to the public, but early in the week Erickson announced OSU would take no such measures and fans were welcome to attend. Said
Erickson: "Any Oregon fans trying to figure out what we're doing, they can come, too."

After so many years, the idea that the Civil War matched a pair of bowl-bound teams was hard for some to fathom. Looking at the entire state's newfound place in the college football world, The Oregonian editorialized: "It all seems so unlikely, so unbelievable, that fans may be tempted to rush off to store water – or at least beer and chips – and buy up the last available generators so they can still catch the New Year's Day bowls, even if Y2K, or something else, strikes at midnight."

Around campus, the game was the center of attention. The Oregonian noted the rise in excitement over football since 1998's 44-41 double-overtime win over the Ducks and queried OSU students as to how this year's Civil War was being viewed; said Jody Lawrence, a junior liberal arts major: "There's actually more at stake than just bragging rights around the state. To be able to knock them down a peg and lift us up on a pedestal – that would be super."

Meanwhile, in Eugene, the Oregon Daily Emerald editorialized: "Due to their many years perfecting the art of pathetic play, the Beavers now elicit cheers from University fans who are just happy to see an underdog finally have its day."

The game was sold out and student tickets were also tough to find. Only 200 were available to OSU students, to be distributed Monday morning; students began camping out Sunday night for a chance at the ducats and they were gone not long after the ticket windows opened at 8:30 a.m.

OSU fans would be a decided minority at Autzen Stadium, and Beaver quarterback Jonathan Smith felt a good start would help take the partisan crowd out of the game.

"They definitely are going to play to the crowd," Smith said of the Ducks. "They're going to be pretty psyched early, the crowd will be psyched early, but if we can get through that, stay steady, and then just not turn the ball over."

That had been one of the Beavers' strengths during their four-game winning streak, having turned the ball over just three times while the OSU defense had 12 takeaways.

"We've been able to focus and concentrate on not turning the ball over, and that's one of the reasons we've won four in a row, without a doubt," Erickson said.

The other turnover Beaver fans worried about involved their head coach: with his sudden success at OSU and history of short stops at some of his other coaching tenures, would Erickson remain at Oregon State for long? The Baton Rouge Advocate published a story quoting a member of the Louisiana State Board of Supervisors saying
Erickson was on their list of candidates to fill their vacant head coaching position. Erickson had said he planned to fulfill his five-year contract at OSU and was in talks with athletic director Mitch Barnhart about renegotiating his contract.

One person who managed to take time out from the preparations for the game was Beaver tailback Ken Simonton. Wednesday afternoon he visited Mountain View Elementary School just north of Corvallis to address an assembly; he told the students to come up with their own ideas of success rather than accepting others' definitions.

"As long as you don't eat insects out on the playground, I encourage you to be different," Simonton told the students. "I ask all of you to control what you can, which is your attitude. Basically, that's all you can change."

The next day brought a college football tragedy half a continent away. A Texas A&M tradition was a huge annual bonfire on the eve of its rivalry game with Texas; in the early-morning hours, the enormous pile of logs collapsed, killing 12 people and injuring 27.

There was also a pep rally in Corvallis, at the Memorial Union Lounge. A replay of the 1998 Civil War was shown and "Bite a Duck" cookies were handed out "so you can be sadistic and bite the head off a duck to show your contempt for U of O," said Scott Stanley, director of university events for the MU Program Council.

The game had a more personal meaning for a number of Beavers. OSU linebacker Brandon Boice's cousin Jed Boice was a defensive tackle for the Ducks, and Oregon State tight end Martin Maurer's father Andy had played for Oregon.

"With my cousin on the other side it's a situation where bragging rights has a whole different meaning. When we go home for Christmas, he's always going to bowl games and I just continue to work out," Brandon Boice said. As for Maurer, he hadn't gotten much recruiting attention from Oregon and his career at OSU had turned his father into a Beaver fan.

Oregon State's first-year radio announcer Mike Parker also had to deal with his past, as he'd graduated from Oregon. As Parker told the Corvallis Gazette-Times' Brooks Hatch, there were a few folks still waiting for his true colors to leak out during his first Civil War broadcast.

"Yes, they will," Parker said. "And they'll be orange and black, I guarantee it."

By Saturday's 3:30 p.m. kickoff, a crowd of 46,115 was on hand on a cloudy day with the temperature in the mid-50s. Oregon State stopped Oregon's first drive, then took over and hit a 33-yard pass from Smith to Maurer and another 14-yard toss from Smith to Shawn Kintner to move the ball to the Duck 43-yard line.

And that was about as good as it got for OSU in the first half.

Oregon State could advance no further and Oregon eventually got the game's initial score on a field goal late in the first quarter. The Ducks added two more field goals in the second quarter, then a punt return and personal foul set up a 26-yard touchdown run by Ruben Droughns that gave Oregon a 16-0 halftime lead.

By then, the Beavers had been outgained 198-82 and had minus-27 yards rushing. OSU was also on its way to game totals of 15 penalties for 146 yards.

"Penalties hurt us," OSU guard Aaron Koch said. "I think the defense was a little frustrated because they were doing some good stuff and we weren't answering for them. In the second half, things started to change."

It took a while, though, and Oregon led 22-0 when quarterback Joey Harrington ran for five yards and a touchdown. Oregon State finally answered with an 81-yard, 12-play drive and Simonton scored from five yards out but the point-after try failed and it was 22-6 with 2:39 left in the third quarter.

OSU's next possession was another 81-yard, 12-play drive with Simonton scoring on a two-yard run. Simonton also ran in the conversion and it was down to a one-score game at 22-14 with 10:17 still to play.

Oregon went on a long, time-consuming drive, though; it got a field goal with 2:32 left to go in front 25-14 and that was the ballgame. Droughns finished with 197 yards rushing for the Ducks, while Simonton had 63 yards for the Beavers. Simonton finished the regular season with 1,329 yards, the most ever by a Pac-10 sophomore, and his 106 points were a school single-season record.

"We lost," Simonton said. "With a winning performance, I'd be all smiles about those records. To hell with it. It wasn't enough to get us a win. We should have done a lot more today, and shattered that record."

Said Koch: "It hurts big-time to lose this. I'm a senior and it's the last time I'll play in the Civil War. I have to hand it to the Ducks, they played well. But it does feel good that we're going to play another game."

NOVEMBER 21 TO DECEMBER 17: THE INTERLUDE

It didn't take long for Oregon State to discover its bowl fate. The day after the Civil War, the Beavers found they were bound for the O'ahu Bowl against Hawaii; it would be the second game of a Christmas Day doubleheader in Honolulu.

It would be a matchup of comeback stories. While OSU ended its string of 28 straight losing seasons, Hawaii had snapped a 19-game losing streak and tied for the Western Athletic Conference championship; the Rainbows finished the regular season 8-4.

"It'll be fun," Erickson said of the matchup. "June Jones (Hawaii's first-year head coach) has done a tremendous job over there. I'm just happy to get a chance to play another game after the performance we had against Oregon."

The Beavers would receive a payout of $750,000 and were obligated to purchase 6,400 tickets to resell to OSU fans. Oregon State ticket manager Joe Sharpe expected to sell 2,000 to 3,000 given how long Oregon Staters had been waiting for the chance to go to a bowl game, and any remaining tickets could go back to bowl organizers to sell to Hawaii fans.

"I know our fans will support and accompany our team to Hawaii," Barnhart said. "We hope as many fans as possible will have the opportunity to come and join us as we celebrate the holidays in Honolulu and showcase our program nationally."

Bowl Games Hawaii chief Lenny Klompus told the Gazette-Times the game would appeal to a national audience when broadcast on ESPN.

"We're in the entertainment business," Klompus said. "We want to put something high-scoring and entertaining in prime time on Christmas night, and that's why we've decided to do it this way. Oregon State puts the ball in the air and scores a lot the same way Hawaii does … there are so many side stories to this game."

There was a degree of familiarity with the destination. OSU had approximately 2,000 alumni in the Islands, four current Beavers were from the state and Oregon State had a long line of stars from Hawaii through the years.

Oregon State set its bowl practice schedule to have workouts December 4-5, take a break for final exams, then resume December 13-17 with their workouts in Reser Stadium. The Beavers would leave for Hawaii on December 18.

"That's the beauty of this thing," OSU defensive coordinator Willy Robinson told the Corvallis Beaver Huddle meeting two days after the Civil War loss. "Where we benefit by going to a bowl game is that we get an extra spring practice. That's why the rich keep getting richer. That's why the teams that maintain a level of excellence can do that year-in and year-out, because they get an extra spring practice."

A day later, the G-T reported Erickson was closer to signing a contract extension with OSU. Said Barnhart: "We haven't signed a contract, but we're working on it and we're pretty close." Later that day, Erickson did sign a new five-year contract calling for a base salary of $480,000 per year.

"A year ago, I made a commitment to Mitch, (OSU) President (Paul) Risser and the players to stay here to get the job done, and that's what we're planning on doing," Erickson said.

When the All-Pacific-10 team was announced that week, Koch was named to the first team and Simonton, cornerback Dennis Weathersby and offensive lineman Jason White were named to the second team. Koch, Weathersby and defensive tackle Aaron Wells were all named to the Pacific-10 All-Academic team. Weathersby would be named a freshman All-American and Koch earned Academic All-America honors.

On November 30, oddsmakers made the Beavers a four-point favorite over the Rainbows. Some of that may have come from the OSU having beaten Washington State 27-13 in Pullman, while WSU beat Hawaii 22-14 in Honolulu.

"You always try to say, 'No, we'll stay focused," Smith said. "Still, there's a little bit of, 'They lost to Washington State, so we should handle them' attitude. We realize it will be a different atmosphere. The game's at their place, everyone will be jacked up because it's a bowl game, and we haven't played in a bowl game so who knows how our focus will be."

Capitalizing on the enthusiasm the season had created, by the first week in December OSU had put season tickets for 2000 on sale; single-game prices ranged from $18 for general admission to $44 for the Civil War. The Oregon State athletic department was also selling a 60-minute video covering the historic season.

As the Beavers got ready to head for Hawaii, Erickson talked with reporters about the unique aspects of playing a bowl game on the opponents' home field. While OSU's players might find Hawaii's attractions a distraction, the Rainbows were used to everything the Islands had to offer.

"They go to the functions they have to, but they're at their practice facility and they're going to do the things they normally do during a week of preparation," Erickson said. "It's a tremendous advantage for them."

DECEMBER 25: O'AHU BOWL VS. HAWAII

Oregon State got its first taste of Hawaiian hospitality the afternoon of December 18 when the Beavers landed in Honolulu, leaving behind a week of Oregon rain to be greeted by sunny skies and 75-degree weather. All 107 players in the program made the trip, including those redshirting and those unavailable due to injuries.

Of the players outlook during the flight, Wells offered: "There was excitement. Not a party, just excitement. We're getting ready to play in a bowl game in Hawaii for Christmas. It's kind of a payoff after being in Oregon, practicing in that cold, wet weather for so long, to be able to play. We're all looking forward to it."

OSU would have a short walkthrough on its first full day in Honolulu at Kamehameha High School, then start regular practices December 20 at Iolani High School. Beaver defensive tackle Shawn Ball was a little lighter than he'd been during the season: he'd vowed to shave his head if OSU qualified for a bowl game and he was true to his word – plus, he dyed the stubble blond. Ball, of Pacific Islander ancestry, previously had long hair and figured he hadn't cut the hair on top of his head since he was in high school.

"It was tough," Ball said. "When it was actually getting cut off, when I felt it pulling away from my head, it was really scary. But I've got it at home so I can look at it whenever I want."

For five Beavers, the trip to a bowl was a lot longer than just the flight from PDX to Honolulu. Aaron Wells, Micah Moore, Jonathan Jackson, Koch and Boice were fifth-year seniors who began their careers under head coach Jerry Pettibone, going 3-19 their first two seasons before Mike Riley took the reins and guided OSU to an 8-14 mark the next two seasons.

"We think about that every day, the seniors especially," Wells told Hatch of the Corvallis Gazette-Times. "The guys who have been here for five years talk about it all the time, especially when we have senior things to do. You realize there were 30-some guys and there are only five left. It's amazing to see how long we've made it."

Mixed in with the practices and weightlifting sessions at Iolani were bowl activities.

On Tuesday, the Beavers visited the Polynesian Cultural Center for its evening performance; defensive end Toalei Talataina was called on to join the dancers and perform the Aiaiuli, a Samoan dance. One of the Beavers from Hawaii, Talataina found himself trying to wrangle 130 tickets for family and friends.

On Wednesday, Oregon State made a somber trip to Pearl Harbor, saw a film about the Japanese attack of December 7, 1941, and visited the USS Arizona Memorial. OSU freshman lineman Colin Kealoha's grandfathers were both National Guardsmen who survived the attack.

"They saw the movie and stuff," Kealoha said of his teammates. "And they were all quiet on the boat ride. I think they pretty much understand because they respected … they felt the importance of it and how sad it was we lost all those people. They didn't really say anything, they just kind of stared at it."

While Talataina was seeking tickets, Ball, another Hawaiian, had a different problem: he had to convince his mother, Phuong, not to root for her beloved Rainbows in the game. "For this one time only I'm not going to cheer for UH," she told the G-T. "It will be difficult. I'll probably cheer for both teams, for good sportsmanship."

By Christmas Eve, thousands of Oregon State fans had arrived in Honolulu; they joined with the thousands of OSU alums in the Islands to paint sections of the city orange.
On December 23, a pep rally for the teams in the doubleheader was held at the Ala Moana Shopping Center.

"The majority of the people there were Beaver fans," Tom Sheridan told the Gazette-Times. He was part of a group of 17 that had come for the game planning to wear burnt-orange Hawaiian flowered shirts and black leis.

Ron Thiessen of the Campus Connection shop in Corvallis set up an outlet in the Sheraton Waikiki.

"We shipped 11 boxes of merchandise over and now we have three," Thiessen told the G-T. Added his wife, Sandra, "All the tour groups came in from the mainland and we did more business than all the previous days."

Another fan, Robin Newlove, mentioned the Beavers had gone out of their way to sign autographs for fans. "They've been very well-behaved and good representatives of the school and the state," Newlove said.

Attending the pep rally, Risser got to see the impact it had on so many people for Oregon State to finally be back in a bowl game.

"I've been impressed with how much it meant to the fans," Risser told The Oregonian columnist Dwight Jaynes. "And also how much it means to the football team and the two together. It's a nice opportunity for the fans and players to spend time together. I must admit I hadn't appreciated how important that is."

Risser also noted that the football team's improvement seemed to be one of the factors in OSU's overall success in rebounding from tough times in the 1990s. Oregon State's enrollment had increased by 1,300 students for 1999-2000, Risser said, and applications for 2000-01 were running 35 percent ahead of where they had been at the same point a year ago.

Even with a month's preparation time rather than the week teams got during the regular season, the Beavers wouldn't add wrinkles to their playbook. The focus would be the same as it had been all fall.

"We need to run the football at their defense," OSU offensive coordinator Tim Lappano said. "They (Hawaii) are very similar to us defensively in that they pressure and have great speed with the linebackers and we're going to have to deal with that."

December 24 this year 'twas the night before a game rather than the night before Christmas, but some of the Beavers were able to gather with family earlier in the day. Koch's parents had given him and his wife, Jennipher, their gifts prior to the trip.

"His gift to us was being in the bowl game," Koch's mother, Chris, said. "We're so elated being there. One of the drawbacks is that there's not much time to see him, so after the game we're going to get together and celebrate the win."

The way the game started certainly followed the Kochs' plan. In front of a crowd of 40,974 that fell well short of a sellout, OSU kicked off, forced a Hawaii punt, then went 79 yards in 10 plays with Simonton's one-yard touchdown run giving him 30 yards in that drive.

The Beavers missed an opportunity later in the first quarter after recovering a Rainbow fumble on a punt and not scoring. Hawaii got a field goal later early in the second quarter to get within 7-3, then took a 10-7 lead when it scored midway through the quarter. OSU evened the score at 10-10 on the final play of the half when Ryan Cesca booted a 37-yard field goal.

Hawaii took control in the third quarter with a 70-yard drive for a touchdown and another field goal to lead 20-10 entering the final period. The Rainbows added another field goal with just under three minutes left and seemed to have the win in hand.

But the Beavers wouldn't go away easily. They efficiently went 81 yards in 10 plays in just 1:31, scoring on Simonton's 13-yard run to get within 23-17. OSU was an onside kick away from having a chance to tie or win the game.

For a moment, it looked like the Beavers got just that.

Cesca's dribbler near midfield was recovered by Roddy Tompkins – but there was a flag on the play. OSU was called for an illegal procedure penalty as the officials said a Beaver moved to an illegal position on the field just before the ball was marked ready for play.

Cesca's next kick went out of bounds without being touched, another illegal procedure penalty. Hawaii took possession of the ball and ran out the clock.

"Hawaii played outstanding on both sides of the ball," Erickson said. "They pass protected really well and got great pressure defensively. Offensively we weren't real consistent. They came with a four-man rush and changed it up a lot. They did a real nice job of giving us different looks."

Smith was sacked six times but completed 19 of 40 passes for 269 yards with no touchdowns or interceptions. Simonton rushed for 157 yards and two scores on 18 carries and also had three catches for 25 yards; he was named OSU's outstanding player of the game.

Oregon State outgained the Rainbows 438-349 in total offense but was penalized 14 times for 138 yards. The Beavers also rued the missed chances they'd had in Rainbow territory.

"We can move the ball on anybody when we execute what we are taught," Simonton said. "I thought we moved the ball. We just didn't score when we should have."
Simonton's 1,486 yards and 19 touchdowns rushing were both single-season OSU records, as were his 1,705 all-purpose yards and 118 points.

The next day, the Beavers flew back to Oregon before scattering for the rest of winter break and fans would drift home over the next several days to get ready for the dawn of a new century – and to see if Y2K actually caused the chaos some predicted. Once that was over, OSU's returning players would resume conditioning workouts in January to get ready for spring practice. For the seniors, their careers were over.

"We're happy with the season at 7-5; obviously we're not happy with how we played in the bowl game," Erickson said. "I am most disappointed for our seniors who busted their rears to turn this thing around."

Perhaps the best summary to the season had been offered over a month before, in a column by the OSU Daily Barometer's Ken Allen in the week leading up to the Civil War.

Wrote Allen: "Win or lose, the Beavers have had a hell of a ride this season and the momentum that they have from this season is just a building block for things to come in the next few years of the 'Ericksonian Age' at OSU. Also, remember that we witnessed history this season and for those of you who had your eyes open you saw what it did for the morale around here.

"Just imagine what is to come."

Related News

Related Videos