BFS Current Story

SHATTERED DREAMS! Beavers Over Run by Ducks Offense

11-30-2008 - I am not sure I am over what I witnessed yesterday at Reser Stadium. I am not sure I will ever get over what I witnessed yesterday at Reser Stadium. I went to a football game with a belief and a dream that has lived in my heart and mind for some 43 years. I am probably one of only a few who have cheered for the Beavers over 43 years and never seen them in the Rose Bowl. I have been attending games since fall of 1965 when my older brother (who is a great brother by the way and a person I admire) was a freshman at Oregon State. So my brother and I are among a group of people who have been cheering for the Beavers the longest that have never had the opportunity to see the Beavers play in the Rose Bowl. Granted, I was a boy of 7 years old and don't remember many games from that time, but I was there. Granted my brother is older then me and had the chance to see the Beavers play in it back in 65, but I am not sure he was a fan yet. But for me, my affliation with the Beavers started that year and has been strong since.

My brother and I have talked over the years of the Beavers chances of making it someday to the Rose Bowl. We had hoped that we would still be here when it finally happens.

The 2008 football season started off with not to much anticipation. The Beavers were picked to finished 6th by most so called experts. It started with embarrassing loses to Stanford and Penn State. There were talks of the Beavers going 4-8 if they could not get it together soon. Then suddenly they did just that with a huge win over then #1 ranked USC. Suddenly people started joking that the Beavers held the ACE IN THE HOLE! If they could somehow win out they would be in the Rose Bowl. It was a joke at first. But then as the wins kept coming and their play improved it became, for me, something to believe in. It seemed to be their destiny as things happened to keep their hopes alive. Then there is yesterday and the stark reality of what happened. The Dream Has Been Shattered.

Of all the years of watching the Beavers, the 28 seasons of losing football, the 10 straight years of losing to the Ducks. Of all the dissappointments over the last 43 football seasons, this one hurts the worst.

Don't get me wrong. I am very proud of the Beavers for what they accomplished this season. Mike Riley is a great coach and we are very lucky to have him in Corvallis. This season was a great ride and one that I will always remember for the excitment it brought to Corvallis. Seeing people at the game yesterday carrying roses, all the Rose Bowl signs inside of Reser Stadium, the record crowd on hand to witness what might have been. Everything was in place to make that night what I have dreamed of seeing my whole life. My Beavers waving roses as they head to the Rose Bowl. But it was not meant to be.

We could still possibly end up in Pasadena if UCLA can pull of the biggest upset in PAC-10 history next weekend and beat USC. But that is not likely and it wouldn't provide the memories that a win at home last night would have brought.

The Ducks played a great game. I was shocked by how effective they were on offense. The Beavers did exactly what I expected them to do on offense. I knew they would have trouble running the ball with Quizz Rodgers on the sideline with an injury. I knew they were going to have to go to the air to score and they scored the exact number of points that I thought they would 38. It was the 65 points the Ducks scored I had not planned on. It was the play of the #2 rush defense in the conference that I was stunned by. It was the big play that killed the Beavers. If you take away the 5 big plays for the Ducks; an 83 yard touchdown run, a 40 interception return of a touchdown, a 76 yard touchdown pass, a 45 yard touchdown pass and a 70 yard interception return for a touchdown. The final score would have been 38-30, pretty much what I had predicted.

No excuses, the Ducks kicked out butts. I think the game would have been different if Quizz would have played but he does not play defense so I do not think it would have changed the outcome much.

I do not think I have ever been to a game where over 1150 yards of total offense were put up and over 100 points. It was a wild and exciting game, I only wish it would have been a win for my Beavers. I believe that the Beavers have established themselves as a contender in the PAC-10 conference and a team that every year will be in the fight for the conference title. Mike Riley has this program on a roll and getting better every year. A trip to the Rose Bowl is in our future and when it arrives, we will bring a crowd to Pasadena that they have never seen the likes of before.

So now we await our fate in this bowl season. It appears that we will be heading once again to the Sun Bowl. A great bowl game with a lot of tradition, but not a place I look forward to going to with my limited funds and taking time away from my family. So I will be staying home again this season from a bowl game. I have only been able to make it to two of the Beavers bowl games these last 11 seasons. Wish I could have made it to more. But wherever we end up this bowl season, we will not be able to recapture what might have been last night if the Beavers could have somehow found that magic one more time in front of the home fans.

Congrats to the Ducks! I still hate you with all my heart and soul. But last night you were the better team. To my Beavers. Good Job these year. It was a season I will always remember and I am proud of what you accomplished. Now lets go win another bowl game.

I STILL BELIEVE! GO BEAVERS!

BY THE NUMBERS

 

Key	STATISTIC	OSU	OREGON	Advantage
.	Scoring Offense	38	65	ORE
.	Pass Attempts	27/52=.519	12/18-.667	ORE
.	Passing Offense/YPC	374/13.9	309/25.8	OSU
.	Kickoff Returns	24.1	11.4	OSU
.	Punting	50.7	39.8	ORE
.	Turnover Margin	-4	+4	ORE
.	Rushing Attempts / YPC	51/7.5	31/2.9	ORE
.	Rushing Offense	89	385	ORE
.	Total Offense	694	463	ORE
.	Punt Return - PUNTS/YPR	3/26.3	1/0.0	OSU
.	First Downs	25	22	OSU
.	Sacks	5	3	OSU
.	Penalties	6/75	15/129	OSU
.	Red Zone Offense	6/7	6/6	ORE
.	3rd Down Conversions	8/16	8/15	ORE
.	4th Down Conversions	1/1	0/0	OSU
.	Field Goals	1/2	3/3	ORE
.	Time of Possession	30.24	29.36	OSU
.	Totals	8 wins	10 wins	ORE

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