Document text
OSU exerts will in emotional Civil War triumph BY RANDY HAMMERICKSEN CORVALLIS -- Rain-drenched but electric with emotion, Beaver fans wanted this one. Badly. So did their football team. Oregon State had lost 19 of its last 23 confrontations against rival Oregon, including four straight, in the series they call the Civil War. It's been more like a civil execution for the Beavers for more than two decades. But the proud Beavers regained some respect, and continued to build for the future under coach Mike Riley on Saturday when they fended off Oregon, 44-41, in double-overtime at OSU's Parker Stadium. Celebrating Beaver fans ripped down one goalpost and about 20 yards of artificial turf out of the ground when this one ended. Fortunately for the Beavers they're planning to put down grass on the field for next season, because Parker Stadium was a mess. But it felt real good for OSU fans, primarily students, to mess it up. The 102nd game in the storied Civil War series was a classic, if not one of the most exciting battles of will in the history of the rivalry. In the end, the Beavers had that burning will to win. The Ducks -- who were trying to earn themselves a berth in the Holiday Bowl with a win -- did not show much will or fire. Oregon's brilliant regular season turned at least slightly sour with the numbing loss to the Beavers, of all teams. "They wanted it more than we did," said a dejected Oregon quarterback Akili Smith. "You have to give (Oregon State) credit," said Smith. "We had our chances and we couldn't take advantage of them." How did the Beavers finally beat the Ducks? They did it with brute force, dominating both lines of scrimmage, and proving beyond a doubt once more that Oregon simply does not have a sufficient running game without freshman tailback Reuben Droughns. Oregon managed just 31 net yards rushing. For the game. Meanwhile, the Beavers, with the double-tight end tandem of senior Joe Kuykendall and sophomore Marty Maurer of Jacksonville and Cascade Christian High, pounded on the Ducks. The Beavers knocked the Ducks to the ground, punished them a little more and then tailback Ken Simonton finished the job with 157 yards rushing on 28 carries, including a 16-yard scamper around right end for a game-winning touchdown in the second overtime. "Ken Simonton is a great back," said Maurer, who hauled in a 9-yard pass from freshman quarterback Jonathan Smith in the Beavers' game-winning drive to help set up the deciding run by Simonton. "It feels good to have made a play to help set up the touchdown," said Maurer, who had another sterling game as a blocker, along with Kuykendall and the rest of OSU's offensive front. "It's extra sweet when we can do that to the Ducks." Maurer admitted he was surprised that the Ducks played seemingly soft defensively for much of the game, allowing Oregon State to run for 186 yards to just 31 for the Ducks, who were in minus-yardage figures rushing for much of the game. The loss spoiled a brilliant final regular-season game for Oregon senior receiver Damon Griffin and senior tight end Jed Weaver. Griffin, a big-play maker all season, had 10 receptions for 133 yards and one touchdown. Weaver caught 10 balls for 92 yards and one touchdown, including seven receptions in the two overtime sessions. Weaver was the only Oregon offensive weapon the Beavers did not have covered by game's end. He ran open down the middle in both overtimes, and Smith had the presence to find him on each occasion. Smith, who probably lost his chance to be Pac-10 offensive player of the year and a first team Pac-10 all-star due to the loss, was something akin to brilliant, considering the all-out rush he faced all day from OSU's defense. He completed 35 of 53 passes for 430 yards and four touchdowns. But he lost to the Beavers. The Beavers literally overpowered Oregon's offensive front for much of the game, and had Smith on the run. Smith was sacked six times, and threw away numerous other passes when he was about to be knocked down. "This hurts because we played our hearts out," said Smith. "We just couldn't pull it out. "We loused up the overtime game against UCLA and we wanted to get this one. But we didn't pull it out. Give (Oregon State) some credit for that." Maurer caught two passes for 18 yards. But it was his blocking that helped Oregon State establish its clearly superior running game. "We were trying to create the matchups we wanted blocking," said Maurer. "We knew going into the game we could do that based on how they react to certain things. "If we could get a body on everybody, then we knew Kenny (Simonton) could run. Even if you don't get a few of their guys blocked, he will still make them miss." The Ducks appeared uninspired for much of the game, compared to the seething Beavers. "Our offensive line was awesome," said OSU quarterback Jonathan Smith, who completed 17 of 28 passes for 303 yards. "We dominated them with our offensive line all day. "I couldn't believe it." While Oregon State finishes with a 5-6 overall record, the Ducks (8-3) will await word on what postseason bowls still might be interested. They will go to one of them after what they have accomplished. And Akili Smith will be billed a showcase player in that bowl game. Best chances now are the Sun Bowl in El Paso, Texas, or the Aloha Bowl in Honolulu. The Holiday Bowl is still a possibility if unbeaten UCLA can beat Miami in two weeks to complete a perfect regular season and earn a spot in the Fiesta Bowl in the national championship game. That would mean Arizona would probably go to the Rose Bowl, and USC and Oregon could still be in line for a possible bid to the Holiday Bowl. But that's unlikely. Adding insult to injury is dealing mentally with a loss to the Beavers at the tail end of their great regular season. "Hopefully, we will still go to the Holiday Bowl (Dec. 28 in his hometown of San Diego)," said Smith. "But no matter what bowl we go to, we need to go there and get a win." Randy Hammericksen is the Mail Tribune's sports columnist. He can be reached at 776-4499. Today's Sports Index Mail Tribune Copyright� The Mail Tribune 1998, Medford,