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83 °F Forecast | Road Cams Thursday, September 9, 2004 Today's News | Classifieds | Autos | Homes | Jobs | Tempo | Health | Community | Home Delivery SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics Tempo AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map SPECIAL SECTIONS Since We Asked Outdoor Journal Prime Times Wellness Connection Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Wedding Guide Rogue Valley's Finest EXTRA Newspaper in Education Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People MARKETPLACE Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Classifieds Place an ad eSouthernOregon Automotive Communities Entertainment Publications Recreation Calendar CUSTOMER SERVICE Frequent Questions Advertising Information Home Delivery Employment Contact Us Media Kit Network Affiliate Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Email Story to a Friend June 4, 2004 Beavers face a stern start By DON HUNT Mail Tribune EAGLE POINT — Fresh off a round of golf at an Oregon State University fund-raising tournament, Mike Riley swapped smiles and handshakes with Beaver sports enthusiasts on a terrace at Eagle Point Golf Course Thursday. Dressed casually in slacks and a polo shirt, Riley looked as calm as the glassy ponds that hugged nearby fairways. But Riley knows this is the calm before the storm. In a little over two weeks, summer will introduce itself, and on its backside comes autumn and college football. How will the Beavers fare come September? Fairly well, if you believe the early forecasters. Athlon Sports, which produces one of the more respected college football magazines (it will hit the newsstands on Monday), has pegged Oregon State third in the Pac-10 Conference and No. 22 in the nation. Advertisement The Beavers return a goodly number of good players, headlined by defensive backs Brandon Browner and Mitch Meeuwsen, defensive end Bill Swancutt, center Matt Brock and offensive tackle Doug Nienhuis. Browner, a sophomore, is touted as a second-team All-American by Athlon. But they also lost the centerpiece of their offense, tailback Steven Jackson, and the cornerstones of their defense, tackle Dwan Edwards and linebacker Richard Seigler, to the NFL. Foremost on Riley’s mind right now is a schedule that finds the Beavers opening their season with road games against defending BCS national champion LSU on Sept. 4 and emerging power Boise State the following week. "We’ve got a really tough opening game, but I think it’s time for Oregon State to play a quality opponent on the road," said Riley, whose team went 8-5 last season and capped it with a 55-14 victory over New Mexico in the Las Vegas Bowl. "Let’s kick off the season against the national champ and see where we stand." Boise State was no slouch, either, last season. The Broncos went 11-1 with its only loss coming against Oregon State. "Maybe we’ll go 2-0 and really jump-start our season," Riley said. With Jackson out of the picture, all eyes will converge on quarterback Derek Anderson. The senior-to-be from Scappoose achieved some notable feats last season, such as passing for a single-game, school-record 485 yards against USC and amassing 4,058 passing yards for the season, the second-highest total in Pac-10 history. But Anderson also suffered 24 interceptions to go with his 24 touchdown passes, his completion percentage was less than adequate and he went through stretches where he couldn’t hit the ocean with a beach ball. However, Anderson finished strong, throwing for 271 yards against Oregon, 485 against USC and then completing 21 of 33 passes for 322 yards and two touchdowns in the romp over New Mexico in the Las Vegas Bowl. "The thing I like about Derek is that he’s stuck with it," Riley said. "He went through some tough times, but he’s persevered, and I think you’re going to see him have a great senior season. "This kid is really talented. He can throw every ball." The Beavers’ biggest concern on offense is at receiver, where they lost tight end Tim Euhus, who was taken in the fourth round of the NFL draft by the Buffalo Bills, and wide receiver James Newson. Mike Haas is the only proven receiver back, although Roseburg High product Joe Newton is expected to fill in nicely for Euhus. "Joe is a budding star," Riley said of the redshirt sophomore. "He’s a 6-foot-7 tight end who can run a 4.6 or 4.7 40. That’s unique." On defense, the Beavers could boast the best secondary in the Pac-10 with Browner, Meeuwsen and Aric Williams. Swancutt, who already holds the OSU career sacks record with 25½ , anchors an aggressive line. A major focus during spring practice was to upgrade the Beavers’ punt and kickoff coverage teams, which were among the worst in the nation last season and probably cost the Beavers a couple of wins. "People forget that we led the Pac-10 in both total offense and total defense last season," Riley said, "but we killed ourselves with turnovers, special team breakdowns and penalties." The Beavers spent a lot of time in spring practice addressing those bugaboos, Riley said, and you can bet they’ll readdress them when workouts resume in August. Reach reporter Don Hunt at 776-4469, or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life Opinion - Politics | AP News | Archives | Site Map E Southern Oregon | Classified Copyright © 1997-2004 Mail Tribune. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions Website Feedback ADVERTISERS A D V E R T I S E R S SPECIAL SECTIONS Auto Finder Job Finder Home Finder Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Tempo Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Since We Asked Outdoor Journal Moving to Southern Oregon? Volunteer Opportunities