Document text
--> --> Beavers' bowl hopes ride on Saturday's USC game CORVALLIS (AP) - To have a realistic chance at a winning season and a third straight bowl appearance, Oregon State must do something that has eluded the Beavers for 41 years - a victory at Southern California. Last season Oregon State erased one of the program's most dismal traditions by defeating the Trojans 31-21 in Corvallis. That ended the Beavers' 26-game losing streak to USC. "Obviously, as far as this year, it doesn't make much difference," Beavers coach Dennis Erickson said Tuesday. Like other memories from last season, that victory is only a speck in the rearview mirror for the Beavers (3-4, 2-3 Pac-10), who find themselves needing three more wins to become bowl-eligible. But USC (3-5, 2-3) can't afford another loss, either: The Trojans' first four losses were by a total of 14 points, but new coach Pete Carroll isn't exactly making people forget the Paul Hackett era. USC must win its final three games to avoid its first consecutive losing records since 1960-61, when the team went 4-6 and 4-5-1. "They're in somewhat the same situation we are, as far as an opportunity to win out and possibly go to a bowl game," Erickson said. "It's going to be an interesting football game." Oregon State is 4-35-3 against USC in Los Angeles, where the Beavers have lost 17 straight games, by an average margin of 28.5 points. The Beavers' last victory there was 41 years ago, when coach Tommy Prothro's team upset the sixth-ranked Trojans 14-0 to open the season. Last week Oregon State defeated California 19-10 at Reser Stadium, on the strength of strong play by the linebackers, 166 yards receiving by James Newson and the Beavers' most bizarre score of the season. Late in the second quarter, Jonathan Smith threw an ill-advised deep pass that was picked off by safety Nnamdi Asomugha. But receiver Shawn Kintner grabbed the ball out of Asomugha's hands and ran it 10 yards for a touchdown with 1:08 left before halftime. "I've thrown picks for touchdowns, but I've never thrown a pick for seven points our way," Smith said. "If we don't get that, it's a pretty close ballgame. With Shawn stepping up, and then if James doesn't step up the way he does, we probably don't win that game." The offensive line also played better, as Ken Simonton ran for 110 yards - only his third triple-digit performance of the season. As a team, Oregon State has averaged 365.3 total yards its last three games, compared with 260.0 the previous two. "I think they're continuing to play better and better each week," Smith said of the line, "and hopefully we can get that run game going to where we like it." Email your... Technical questions & comments to: WebMaster Daily Tidings editorial comments & questions to: Editor Visit our other Oregon Newspapers... | Albany Democrat-Herald | Ashland Daily Tidings | Corvallis Gazette-Times | | Lebanon Express | Newport News-Times | Springfield News | Cottage Grove Sentinel | Ashland Daily Tidings 1661 Siskiyou Blvd. Ashland, OR 97520 Telephone 541-482-3456 © Copyright 2001 Lee Northwest Publishing