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OSU primed for a repeat Marquee returners breed optimism By DON HUNT CORVALLIS - Ken Simonton's Heisman Trophy campaign officially got under way at a pizza parlor near the Oregon State University campus this week. One day later, Sports Illustrated touted the Beavers as the No. 1 college football team in America. And on Saturday, OSU may have set a record for the most reporters and sportscasters ever to attend its media day. "Man, I think there's more reporters here than players," middle linebacker Richard Seigler quipped. He wasn't exaggerating by much. Just three years after completing their 28th straight losing season - unprecedented ineptitude in college football - the Beavers are enjoying unprecedented success. They got a taste of the good times in 1999 when they posted a 7-5 record to snap the dreaded losing streak, then catapulted to an 11-1 mark last season that included a 41-9 romp over Notre Dame in the Fiesta Bowl. There are indications the joy ride won't end anytime soon. "There isn't a coach or player on this team that doesn't think we can't win the Pac-10," head coach Dennis Erickson said. "Not that it's going to be easy - we're going to have to play our rear ends off every week - but we've cleared some big hurdles the last two years, and I think we've got a chance to be pretty darn good again this year." The Beavers must replace seven starters on offense and six on defense, but the marquee players coming back are among the best in the Pac-10, if not the country. The team's centerpiece is Simonton, an undersized (5-foot-8, 191 pounds) but surprisingly powerful running back who is looking to become the first player in Pac-10 history to rush for 1,000 yards in four straight seasons. He is already Oregon State's all-time leading rusher with 4,073 yards. OSU officials are taking a somewhat low-key approach in their push to assist Simonton's Heisman hopes. They've budgeted about $100,000 toward the effort, small potatoes compared to the estimated $1 million Oregon is rumored to have set aside in its bid to put quarterback Joey Harrington in the Heisman race. Still, the Heisman campaign is off and running. OSU has released a CD-ROM of Simonton highlights and statistics to be distributed to nearly 2,000 media members. Notepads with cover photos of Simonton and former Beaver quarterback Terry Baker - the 1962 Heisman winner - are being sent to desks across the country. And nearly 2,000 more media guides than the usual 3,500 have been printed. Simonton's chances will be enhanced by the Beavers appearing on national television four times, including their opening game against Fresno State on Sept. 2. Of course, Simonton has to produce impressive numbers and the Beavers have to win a good share of their games before he walks off with any postseason awards. As he stepped up to the podium to address the media Saturday, Simonton gave Erickson much of the credit for his success, even though it was former OSU coach Mike Riley who recruited him. "He (Erickson) has accelerated my learning curve," Simonton said. "With him around, I have learned to do the little things and to trust in his system, and I have learned to trust his authority." Simonton has also learned to heap praise on his linemen. "Everything I do starts with them," said Simonton, who ran for 1,559 yards and 19 touchdowns last season. "If one of them quits, the play is dead. Without them dudes up front, you go nowhere." The Beavers' other notable starter back on offense is quarterback Jonathan Smith, who threw for 2,773 yards, 20 touchdowns and only seven interceptions last season. In his 27 starts, Smith has guided the Beavers to 19 victories and two bowl games. "Last year, there was a little doubt in our minds that we could beat the best teams on our schedule, but not now," said Smith, a 5-11, 202-pound senior who was once mistaken for a team manager by one of the coaches. "We played with a ton of confidence the last half of last season and I think that's going to continue." The biggest challenge for the OSU offense is finding some capable wide receivers to replace the departed Chad Johnson, Robert Prescott and T.J. Houshmandzadeh. Junior split end Shawn Kintner has the most experience of the returners, and he's caught just 13 passes in his OSU career. Sophomore James Newson is listed No. 1 at slotback and junior Seth Trimmer has the edge at flanker. Between the two of them, they've caught four passes in Beaver uniforms. "It's a concern to have so many new faces out there," Smith said. "But it's comforting to know that our running attack is one of the best around. It's kind of like a safety valve." The Beavers are in better shape on defense, even though they lost a pair of outstanding ends in LaDairis Jackson and DeLawrence Grant, who was taken in the third round of the NFL draft by the Oakland Raiders. The unit is anchored by middle linebacker Seigler, who was one of the top freshmen in the country last season, weakside linebacker James Allen and cornerback Dennis Weathersby. Allen and Weathersby have both been named to the Playboy Magazine preseason All-America team. "I think Weathersby is as good as any cornerback in the country," Erickson said. Erickson is also high on the Beavers' two defensive tackles, Eric Manning and Dwan Edwards. "Manning has a chance to be as good as anyone in the conference," Erickson said, "and Edwards had a good spring. The success of your defense starts at that position, and those two guys are rock-solid." Another valued returner is place-kicker Ryan Ceska, who made 16 of 19 field goals and 46 of 47 PAT kicks last season to earn first-team, all-Pac-10 honors. Two of OSU's toughest games come during the first month of the season: the opener against Fresno State and a Sept. 29 date with UCLA at Parker Stadium. If the Beavers can win those two and then finish the season with wins over Washington and Oregon, they just might jack up the credibility of Sports Illustrated a few hundred notches. Reach reporter Don Hunt at 776-4469, or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2001 Mail Tribune, Inc.