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Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Email Story to a Friend August 11, 2005 Yvenson Bernard is the Beavers� No. 1 tailback as practice begins for the 2005 season, but he has plenty of competition. OSU hopes to improve a ground attack that managed only 70.7 yards per game last season. Beavers seek well-grounded ‘O’ Improving the running game, which was among the nation’s worst last season, is a top priority for Oregon State By TIM TROWER Mail Tribune Yvenson Bernard spent most of his time on the sidelines last season for the Oregon State football team. It gave the running back time to ponder his team’s meager ground attack. "I was just watching, asking myself why this running game isn’t working," he says, adding that he didn’t come up with an answer. "I was asking myself, ‘Could I even help it?’ It might not be him (starter Dwight Wright). It might be that the whole offensive corps isn’t jelling right." Bernard will get the chance to a difference-maker. He’s No. 1 atop an ever-expanding and fairly intriguing tailback depth chart as the Beavers, who began practice Monday, gear up for their first day in full pads Friday. Advertisement Improving the ground game has been a popular topic of conversation, particularly for the offensive linemen and ball carriers. The Beavers, first behind Ken Simonton, then Steven Jackson, had one of the strongest rushing attacks in the country for half a decade. Then came last season, when they averaged only 70.7 yards per game, ranking last in the Pac-10 Conference and 117th nationally. Oregon State did play five teams that ranked in the top 10 in rush defense among NCAA Division I teams. But against the other seven, it averaged only 80.1 yards, including losing 19 yards against Arizona State and gaining just 36 against Stanford. Bernard, a 5-foot-9, 203-pound sophomore, had only a half-dozen carries for 20 yards, but he still is OSU’s most-experienced running back. Wright, who gained 784 yards, graduated, and Ryan Cole, who ran for 210 yards as a sophomore, transferred to Eastern Washington. "I tell everybody," says Bernard, "we’ve been practicing really hard in the off-season. The quarterbacks, running backs, offensive line, we’ve been talking amongst each other and saying we’ve really got to step this running game up so we can shut these people up." The stable of runners also includes Jimtavis Walker, who sat out last year after transferring from Florida; highly regarded true freshman Patrick Fuller, who also sat out a year ago because of academic ineligibility; and Nate Wright, a junior college transfer who joined the team Tuesday. Tailback might have the most competition of any position, says coach Mike Riley. "Yvenson came out a little bit ahead in spring practice in overall running, protecting, catching the ball and knowledge of what we do," says the coach. "Jimtavis is talented, and I expect big things from him. And we have some new guys who may enter the picture as well." Bernard is smaller and quicker than the junior Walker but insists he enjoys "jamming it up the middle." Walker, at 5-10, 225 pounds and with good quickness, should present a load for defenses. He played in all 13 games for Florida in 2003, gaining 105 yards on 19 carries. At Statesboro (Ga.) High, he ran for 2,025 yards and 36 touchdowns as a senior. Meanwhile, it took Fuller (6-1, 200 pounds) 18 months to join the Beavers after signing a letter of intent in February 2004. OSU won a recruiting battle over Nebraska, Texas A&M, Colorado and most of the Pac-10 schools for Fuller, who ran for 2,037 yards and 24 touchdowns as a senior at Charter Oak High in Covina, Calif. His grade-point average was just under the necessary requirement to enter Oregon State, but it took repeated entrance exams before he became eligible. Fuller, in a Corvallis Gazette-Times story, said he plans to be the Beavers’ No. 1 back for the season-opener Sept. 3 against Portland State. Said Riley in the same story: "I think he can be very exciting. He’s a pretty good-sized kid. He looks good. We are just going to put him out there and see how he does and how he stacks up." Wright, who has two years of eligibility after transferring from Fresno City College, got to camp a couple days late after finishing up summer classes. He is 5-10, 180 pounds and ran for 2,129 yards and 20 TDs in his junior college career. Talent in the backfield isn’t likely to mean much if there aren’t holes to run through. The offensive line lost two key players in center Matt Brock and tackle Doug Nienhuis, but returners include tackles Josh Linehan and Adam Koets and guard Roy Schuening. Riley has confidence in the men up front, and Bernard echoes those sentiments, noting that new offensive line coach Mike Cavanaugh has already made an impression. "The offensive line is looking great," says Bernard. "They got off to a late start with a new coach coming in, but they just love their coach. When you see an offensive line loving their position coach, that’s great. They worked real hard in the off-season, and even after practices, they were still doing drills. They want it. They want to prove everybody wrong about this running game, man." Not only would a sound ground game lend balance to the offense, but it would help alleviate the pressure on new quarterback Matt Moore, a transfer from UCLA who got his first work with the Beavers in the spring. "That would definitely help the passing game," says Moore. "Otherwise, the linebackers can just pin their ears back and come at you. The (running backs) we have now, they’re not the biggest guys, they’re not the fastest guys, but they get the job done." Now the question is, will it be Bernard or one of his running mates who gets the bulk of the action. "There’s pressure in having the ‘No. 1’ title," he admits. "People are questioning, ‘Is he really No. 1?’ That definitely is a big load, but I’m going to go ahead and go with it." In the process, he hopes he can bring the offense along with him. Reach sports editor Tim Trower at 776-4479, or e-mail Beavers seek well-grounded �O� ">[email protected] . Mail Tribune Home | Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life | Opinion AP News | Archives | Site Map | Community | Classified Copyright © 1997-2005 Mail Tribune, Inc. All rights reserved. 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