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| | Sunday, September 3 Another bowl bid possible for Beavers | |||||
| By Ed Graney Special to ESPN.com Season notes: 1999 record: 7-5, 4-4. Coach: Dennis Erickson. Starters returning:13 (6 offense, 7 defense). Outlook: Twenty-eight years of non-winning seasons and 34 without a bowl appearance ended in 1999, when Oregon State's bar was raised considerably under Erickson. The goal now: Never again accept such a miserable drought. Offseason controversy found the Beavers when five players were arrested and charged with assault, but Erickson still boasts about improved team chemistry. "The players now know we can be successful because they have proof," he said. Ken Simonton, as a junior, stands only 40 yards from being OSU's all-time leading rusher and will end the season one of just six Pac-10 backs ever to gain 4,000. Holes, however, might be harder to come by. Senior guard Keith DiDomenico, a two-year starter with NFL ability, quit the team citing a lack of desire. Junior quarterback Jonathan Smith (4,480 career yards, 21 TDs, 12 interceptions) will also feel the sting of DiDomenico's absence, and could see his numbers drop until consistency is found at receiver. Defensively, OSU will be more and more like Erickson's teams at Miami, which means speed over strength. The secondary (all four starters return) is solid, but the front will struggle against physical teams. Senior Tevita Moala gets the first chance at replacing middle linebacker Jonathan Jackson and his team-leading 87 tackles. Keep an eye on: True freshmen wide receivers Ron Monteilh and George Gillett. It is a position, despite the team throwing for more than 3,000 yards last year, that produced far too many drops and mental breakdowns. Also, the team's leading receiver (senior Robert Prescott) is one of the players suspended for allegedly beating a fellow student. Monteilh and Gillett arrive in Corvallis with an opportunity to contribute immediately. It's a good season if: "We win more than we lose and get back to a bowl game," Erickson said. "If you continue to do that, you can eventually raise the bar again." OSU won't surprise the league's better teams this year, but three non-conference wins are possible (Eastern Washington, at New Mexico, San Diego State) and three more in league gets another postseason game. Ed Graney covers college football for the San Diego Union Tribune. |
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