Document text
Beavers find defeat bitter pill to swallow Commentary By DON HUNT Ken Simonton walked out of Autzen Stadium in Eugene with three more records tucked into his back pocket Saturday, but the Oregon State running back was in no mood to celebrate. With 63 yards rushing and a pair of touchdowns, Simonton surpassed former Medford High great Bill "Earthquake" Enyart as OSU's single-season rushing record-holder and scorer with 1,329 yards and 106 points, respectively. Simonton also became the leading sophomore runner in Pac-10 Conference history, surging past former Southern California standout Charles White. But compared to the 25-14 loss to archrival Oregon in the 103rd edition of the Civil War, the records meant nothing to Simonton. "There's no reason to feel good," he said. "To hell with that (the records)." Saturday was a far cry from last season's Civil War matchup when Simonton exploded for 157 yards and four touchdowns while leading the Beavers to a wild 44-41 double overtime victory. Oregon threw some different looks at the Beaver scatback this time around, and, unlike the Ducks' Reuben Droughns, who rumbled for 197 yards, Simonton never really got untracked. He lost 12 yards on his first two carries, both sweeps, and had just eight yards on 12 carries at halftime as the Beavers fell behind 16-0. "I'd get to the perimeter, get hit, spin, and someone else would be there," Simonton said. "I've got to give (Oregon defensive coordinator Nick) Aliotti credit, he came up with a good game plan. "They were shifting around and giving us some looks we hadn't seen." The Beavers made some blocking adjustments at halftime and Simonton finally had room to operate. He carried six times for 36 yards and caught a swing pass for 16 more yards the second time OSU had the ball in the third period, and scored the Beavers' first touchdown on a 6-yard run. Simonton scored again on a 2-yard plunge with 10:17 to play and tacked on a two-point conversion run that brought the Beavers within eight points at 22-14. But the Ducks responded with a long drive and a field goal, effectively putting OSU out of its misery. While losing the Civil War was a bitter pill to swallow, the Beavers bagged a sweet consolation prize _ a trip to Hawaii and a berth in either the Aloha Bowl or the Oahu Bowl on Christmas Day. "We're not thinking about that right now," OSU coach Dennis Erickson said. "We're going to lick our wounds for awhile and then get ready to play one more game. We'll come back after Thanksgiving and regroup." It hasn't yet been announced who OSU will play or which of the two bowls the Beavers will compete in. The games will be played as a doubleheader at Aloha Stadium in Honolulu on Christmas Day. About all that's known as this point is that OSU, the University of Hawaii and the winner of next week's Arizona-Arizona State game will all be competing in one of the two bowls. "Hopefully, we'll know something more (today)," OSU athletic director Mitch Barnhart said. Achieving a winning record (7-4) for the first time in 29 years and bagging a bowl bid for the first time since the 1964 season wasn't lost on Barnhart in the midst of OSU's gloomy locker room. "If someone would have sat in my office in August and told me we were going 7-4 and heading to Hawaii for a bowl game, I would have said, `Hey, that's great,"' Barnhart said. "We've had a great season and this is something we can build on." Whether Erickson will continue to a part of the process is open to debate. Erickson's name has been mentioned in connection with the vacant head coaching job at Louisiana State. "I've still got four years left on a five-year contract and I plan on honoring it," Erickson told reporters after Saturday's game. "There is talk about extending it." Some wonder how Erickson could pass up the LSU job that would pay him more than $1 million annually, compared to the roughly $300,000 a year he makes at OSU. LSU is also a place that a coach can realistically win a national championship, something Erickson has already accomplished twice while at the University of Miami in the late 1980s and early '90s. But one could also argue that Erickson, who was the head coach of the Seattle Seahawks before getting fired and then richocheting to OSU, has grown weary of bouncing from one coaching stop to another at age 52. And next season the Beavers should be a legitimate contender for the Rose Bowl. Simonton and quarterback Jonathan Smith, the cornerstones of the offense, both have two years of eligibility remaining, and eight starters return from one of the Pac-10's best defenses. Throw in all the improvements at Reser Stadium and the Beavers' loyal fan base, and OSU isn't a bad place to coach these days. Where else can you get a trip to paradise for getting beat? Don Hunt is a Mail Tribune sports writer. He can be reached at 776-4469. Today's Sports Index Mail Tribune Copyright� The Mail Tribune 1999, Medford, OR U.S.A.