Beavers Have Cal Game Behind Them, Ready For Northwest Rival Washington State

The Beavers will try to rebound Saturday after being mauled by the California Golden Bears last week, 41-13.

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CORVALLIS - Oregon State plays its last of a three-game home-stand Saturday against long-time Pac-10 rival Washington State. The Beavers are in search of their first conference win of the season.

Washington State comes to Corvallis after pushing No. 2 USC to the brink in a 28-22 loss at Martin Stadium last Saturday. The Cougars are in the midst of a tough stretch of games this season; next week they host No. 16 California and then No. 11 Oregon Oct. 21st.

THE SERIES: Saturday’s game marks the first time in the series that dates back to 1903, that Washington State has played in Corvallis three consecutive seasons; OSU plays in Pullman next year. The Beavers are attempting to win three straight games against WSU, which would be the longest streak since the program won six in a row from 1966-71.

THE LAST TIME: Oregon State rallied from a 30-13 deficit in the first half to defeat WSU 44-33 Oct. 1st, 2005 at Reser Stadium. The 44 points represented the most ever scored by an OSU team vs. the Cougars.

OSU safety Sabby Piscitelli provided one of the more exciting plays of the year when he intercepted WSU QB Alex Brink and returned it 23 yards to tie the game at 30-30. Piscitelli’s pick came immediately after an OSU drive was halted by WSU’s Don Turner intercepting Matt Moore in the end zone.

WSU went back ahead at 33-30 on a Loren Langley 23-yard field goal, before OSU tacked on the final two scores -- a 63-yard pass from Matt Moore (longest of his college career) to Mike Hass and then the game was clinched on a Yvenson Bernard three-yard run. Brink set a Reser Stadium and WSU record with his 531 yards passing, completing 31 of 59 for one touchdown, but was intercepted four times.

ROSE BOWL REUNION: Oregon State will hold a reunion for the 1956 (‘57 Rose Bowl) team over the weekend. The team, coached by Tommy Prothro, was 7-3-1 overall. Oregon State ended the season with a tie vs. Oregon following six consecutive victories. The team entered the Rose Bowl No. 10 in the nation, but lost to the No. 3 Iowa Hawkeyes 35-19 in front of 100,000. Joe Francis, one of the all-time greats in Oregon State history, accounted for 207 yards in total offense.

The 65th reunion for the 1942 Rose Bowl team will also be held this weekend -- this team defeated Duke 20-16 in the only Rose Bowl not played in Pasadena (Durham, NC) due to World War II. There are five members of the team planning to be in attendance.

SUDDEN CHANGE, SUDDENLY BETTER: Oregon State was last in the Pac-10 and 113th (out of 117) last season for turnover margin at minus-1.3 per game (-14 overall). OSU has improved to tied for second in the conference and tied for 14th overall at plus-1.0 per game.

TRICKY GUY: Junior safety Daniel Drayton has been involved in some deceptive plays this season, resulting in first downs. Against Boise State he was on the receiving end of a Kyle Loomis pass (fake punt) in the first quarter that resulted in 27 yards and a play that would eventually lead to a Beaver touchdown. He also had a seven-yard rush against California on a fake punt that resulted in a first down. Drayton has also played a significant role on other special teams units.

WATCH OUT QUARTERBACKS: OSU and WSU are two of the best teams in the nation for quarterback sacks. The Cougars are third, averaging 4.2 per game, while OSU is tied for 22nd at 3.0. Ten Beavers have accounted for the team total of 12 this season, led by two from William ‘Akau’ola Vea and Joe Lemma. WSU defensive end Mkristo Bruce leads the conference with eight.

FRESHMAN PUNTER MAKING STRIDES: Many wondered how Kyle Loomis, the first true-freshman punter to start at Oregon State since 1983, would perform at such a pressure position. After averaging 28.0 per kick in the opener, he has since averaged 37 yards per punt twice and last week averaged 49.0 vs. Cal. His average over the last three games is 40.5.

BACK ON TRACK: Junior placekicker and Lou Groza Award candidate Alexis Serna uncharacteristically missed his first two attempts of the season, but since he has made three straight. He booted his personal record and tied an OSU record with a 58-yard field goal on the last play of the first half against California. His 58-yarder is the longest in the nation to this point; the next-closest is Georgia’s Brandon Coutu with a 55-yard effort.

BALANCED ATTACK: Through four games last season Oregon State was averaging 86.5 yards per game on the ground and 359.8 through the air; compared to this year’s 124.2 and 232.2. The 2006 club has 132 rushes and 128 pass attempts, compared to last year’s 138/192.

SPECIAL GUYS: Oregon State’s special teams continue to make strides over the last several seasons and two individuals have climbed to or near the top of the league in their respective categories. Junior Sammie Stroughter is first in the nation for punt return yards per attempt at 22.9 and junior Coye Francies is sixth in the Pac-10 for kickoff return yards per attempt at 21.2.

STARTERS ON SPECIAL TEAMS: Another sign of Oregon State’s developing special teams is the fact that fewer starters appear on the first team units. Minus the field goal/extra point team, the following offensive and defensive starters appear on these units -- Sabby Piscitelli (punt), Al Afalava (punt/kickoff), Joey LaRocque (punt/kickoff), Alan Darlin (punt), Derrick Doggett (punt/kickoff), Jeremy Perry (kickoff return) and Anthony Wheat-Brown (kickoff).

SUPER SAMMIE: Beaver junior receiver and punt returner Sammie Stroughter has started the season with an impressive run. Stroughter leads the team for receiving yards per game (51.2) and overall receptions (16). He is the nation’s leader for punt return yards per attempt at (22.9). He also is the only player in the nation with two returns for touchdowns this season.

YOU WERE MISSED: It’s been well documented that senior tight end Joe Newton was missed last season for a variety of reasons. Through four games this season Newton has three touchdown receptions. Last season the Beaver tight ends accounted for zero touchdowns.

TOTAL DEFENSE: Oregon State enters Saturday’s game third in the Pac-10 for total defense, allowing 300.2 yards per game. The defense faces Washington State this Saturday, a team that is third in the conference for total offense at 426.6 and 18th in the nation.

MENTAL MISTAKES DOWN: Last season Oregon State allowed an average of over two first downs per game via the penalty. The season opponents are averaging just one per game.

TRUE STUDENT-ATHLETES: Three Beaver football student-athletes (all starters) enter their last term of school this fall as they will have met their academic requirements for graduation following Finals Week in December -- left tackle Adam Koets (international business and finance), left end Joe Lemma (speech comm.) and tight end Joe Newton (forest mgmt).

The list continues at the conclusion of winter term -- on track are snapper Joel Cohen (economics), right tackle Josh Linehan (sociology), strong safety Sabby Piscitelli (speech comm.) and tight end Jason Vandiver (sociology). On track to be finished at the end of spring term are right guard Zach Harris (sociology), cornerback Rickey Herod (speech comm.), wide receiver Ruben Jackson (liberal studies), cornerback Kellen Marshall (economics), quarterback Matt Moore (speech comm.) and left tackle Ben Siegert (housing studies).

HAVE BALL, WILL PASS: Oregon State is one of only three programs over the last three years to finish in the top 10 in the nation for passing yards per game, joining Texas Tech and Hawaii (‘06 opp.). Over those three seasons the Beavers averaged 312 yards per game through the air and completed 828 of 1,525 (.543) attempts. Oregon State and Hawaii are also the only two programs over the three-year span with a receiver to finish in the top 10 nationally for yards per game.

NOT SINCE 1977: Oregon State entered the season returning all five starters on its offensive line for the first time since 1977. The line features Outland Trophy and Lombardi Award candidate sophomore left guard Jeremy Perry, and Rimington Award candidate junior center Kyle DeVan. The Beaver offensive line has combined for 111 starts.

LONG SEASON: For the first time ever the Oregon State University football program will play a 13-game regular season schedule. Within the schedule is 11 consecutive weeks with a game, marking the first time for a Beaver team since the 1989 club played 12 consecutive weeks (season ended at Hawaii).

TOUGH HOME SLATE: The 2006 season features possibly the program’s best ever home schedule. The Beavers five conference home games feature opponents that combined for a 41-19 record in 2005.

NON-CONFERENCE HOME STREAK: Oregon State has won 22 consecutive non-conference home games. Head coach Mike Riley is 13-0 in non-conference home contests.

RILEY WITH THE LEAD: Oregon State is 26-5 when leading after three quarters under head coach Mike Riley, including 12-1 in the combined 2004, ‘05 and ‘06 seasons.

TOTAL RECLAMATION: It’s hard to imagine a college football coach entering a situation with a more daunting task than Mike Riley did in the winter of 1997. The Oregon State program had won three games over the previous two seasons and the former coaching staff ran the spread option offense. Riley not only had to change the entire offensive philosophy, but also the entire attitude of the program. Riley immediately moved the program to a competitive stage in his first two years and laid the foundation for five bowl appearances in the last seven years.

LATE ADDITION: Sophomore receiver Chris Johnson enrolled at OSU during the summer. His bio is not included in the media guide. Johnson played one season at Grossmont CC in California where he caught 40 passes for 625 yards and 10 touchdowns. He played four seasons of high school football at Dillard in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. He attended Norfolk State in Virginia as a true-freshman, but did not play.

BOCA RATON BOYS: Starting tailback Yvenson Bernard and strong safety Sabby Piscitelli are both from Boca Raton High School in Boca Raton, Fla. That’s 2,696 miles from Corvallis. So how did both end up at OSU? OSU Associate Athletic Director Bob Clifford learned through his son of Piscitelli not having a scholarship offer. Clifford’s son played with Piscitelli and Bernard at Boca Raton and that is where the relationship developed. Clifford, a native of Florida, was cooking hot dogs for the school’s booster club at home games while working at Florida Atlantic University.

FRESHMEN ACTION: True-freshmen to have played to this point in the season include Keaton Kristick, Kyle Loomis, Micah Strickland, Howard Croom, and John Reese.

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