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L/RAIN Temp: 43 °F Wind: N at 4 mph Wednesday, December 11, 2002 SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map EXTRA HomeLife Magazine W3 Magazine Jobs @ Mail Tribune Tempo A & E Oregon CarZone Wellness Connection Real Estate Newspaper in Education Prime Times Outdoor Journal Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People CLASSIFIEDS Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Find Everything E SOUTHERN OREGON Automotive Communities Entertainment Publications Recreation Calendar ABOUT US FAQ What's New Advertise Home Delivery Classified Ad Contact Us Media Kit Email Story to a Friend November 24, 2002 Commentary Anderson steps up big in the ‘Super Bowl of Oregon’ By KEVIN GOFF Mail Tribune CORVALLIS — The weight of an entire state seemed a pretty hefty load for a college sophomore to handle. But in the 106th Civil War, it was 19-year-old Derek Anderson, a sturdy 6-foot-6 and just a smidgen under 240 pounds, who put Oregon State (8-4 overall, 4-4 Pacific-10 Conference) on his shoulders and lifted them to a comfortable 45-24 win over Oregon on Saturday before 37,154 orange-clad fans at Reser Stadium. The 21-point victory was the widest OSU winning margin in the Civil War since 1968, and the 45 points was the highest offensive output ever for Oregon State against the Ducks. Sure he had help from a usually reliable ball-hawking defense and three record-breaking performances from teammates on the offensive side, but the Scappoose native knew coming in that the Ducks wanted the ball in his hands. "He’s an Oregon kid and he showed up big in the Super Bowl of Oregon," said Beavers junior linebacker Richard Seigler. "This is the biggest game out there, and he really showed up and showed everybody what he’s really made of." Anderson, who was the eighth-rated passer in the Pac-10 coming in, erased memories of a five-interception performance against Washington two weeks ago by completing 21-of-37 passes for a career-high 370 yards and four touchdowns and also took hold of OSU’s new single-season record in touchdown passes. "As we said all year, he’s young and he’s learning and he’s getting better and better," said Oregon State coach Dennis Erickson. "They were there to stop Steven (Jackson); we had some guys make some great catches, too. But it was a great performance by (Anderson)." The Ducks put eight and sometimes nine men in the box to shut down Jackson, the Pac-10’s leading rusher. That put the onus on Anderson to spark the Beavers’ offense. "Today was great," said Anderson, who has 24 scoring tosses, four better than Jonathan Smith’s 2000 record. "I didn’t really get hit today, the O-line played good. "It takes the pressure off me, I can just sit back there and pick them apart." Anderson was highly touted coming out of Scappoose high school and was expected to move the already potent offense to new levels of success that could match the Beavers’ defensive strength. A 4-0 start against a Charmin-soft schedule didn’t prepare Anderson for the abuse he would take in the Pac-10 slate. Three games and three losses in conference play, and Anderson’s fast non-conference start was all but forgotten. "It was a little bit frustrating because I’ve never been hit like that," said Anderson of a 22-0 beating at the hands of Southern Cal to start Pac-10 play. "It was kind of like, welcome to the Pac-10." But on Saturday it was Anderson and the maligned Beaver offense who was laying out the abuse. Even with the company of several Oregon white jerseys constantly in the backfield, Jackson played off Anderson’s arm for 153 yards on a workmanlike 36 carries. The sophomore, who now has an OSU single-season record 1,656 yards, also scored three times. Anderson victimized the struggling Ducks’ secondary with a second-quarter touchdown pass covering 69 yards to Jackson, giving the Beavers a 17-3 lead. Following two Oregon scores to tie the contest at 17-all, Anderson hooked up with Shawn Kintner from 10 yards out with just 13 seconds left in the half. Kenny Farley hauled in a 17-yard scoring pass eight minutes into the second half, and James Newson completed a record-setting day with a 40-yard TD catch to close out the scoring late in the fourth quarter. Newson finished with 11 catches for 168 yards and became the program’s all-time single season leader in receiving yardage with 1,119, surpassing Vern Burke’s 1962 record. Kicker Kirk Yliniemi also got into the act with a 41-yard field goal to open the scoring, his OSU-record 13th-straight make. With the OSU regular season at an end, the Beavers await a call from a bowl-game suitor. "We’d be happy with anything we get right now," said Erickson. "This game right here was a bowl game for us." And Anderson showed he can carry the weight. goff Printer Friendly Version Email Story to a Friend Subscribe Archive: Click to Search M Mail Tribune Home Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life Opinion - Politics | AP News | Archives | Site Map E Southern Oregon | Classified Copyright 1997-2002 Mail Tribune. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy web master feedback A D V E R T I S E R S