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| | Monday, September 6 | |||||
| 1998 Record: 5-6 (2-6) | 1998 statistics | 1999 schedule Head coach: Dennis Erickson Returning starters: 14 (offense 8, defense 5) Outlook A 5-6 finish last season had already generated plenty of excitement around Corvallis. Any steam the program was about lose when Mike Riley left to coach the San Diego Chargers was recaptured when former Seattle Seahawks coach Dennis Erickson came to Corvallis to run the show. Erickson, who has been away from college football for four seasons, established himself as a keen offensive mind during a very successful college coaching career. A Pacific Northwest native, Erickson coached at Idaho, Wyoming and Washington State before taking over at Miami after Jimmy Johnson left. It was at Miami where he made his biggest mark, leading the Hurricanes to a 63-9-0 record and two national championships during his six-year tenure. In his 13-year college coaching career, Erickson has had just one losing season. To keep that success rate up, he'll have to do what no coach has done at Oregon State since 1970. Luckily for him, the offensive cupboard is as stocked as it's ever been for the Beavers. Offense Erickson's arrival means a new offense will be in place. The base offense was installed during spring drills, but expect much more to be worked in this fall. The Beavers might want to take a page out of Arizona's book and use a two-quarterback system. Jonathan Smith and Terrance Bryant shared time last season, combining for 2,789 yards passing and 10 touchdowns as they led Oregon to a school-record 286 points. Smith, a redshirt sophomore, set an OSU passing record with 469 yards against Washington. Bryant, a senior, is the No. 2 quarterback but will miss the first two games due to an NCAA suspension. Bryant started the first eight games of the 1997 season before going down with a back injury and threw a Pac-10 record 170 consecutive passes without an interception. Whoever takes the ball from under center will have plenty of options. Redshirt sophomore Ken Simonton anchors the running game, coming off a school record-setting 1,028-yard freshman season. Look for Simonton to be used as a receiver out of the backfield more this season. He'll be counted on to pick up some of the receiving slack, considering Roddy Tomkins is the only wide receiver with any experience. Tomkins was fourth on the team with 29 catches. Robert Prescott caught 11 passes in the final spring game and appears ready to step into the void. The offensive line returns three starters -- center Keith DiDomenico, tackle Jason White and guard Aaron Koch. Guard Jared Cornell is the only other player on the depth chart who has seen any starting time. White underwent reconstructive knee surgery after last season and missed all of spring practice but is expected to be at full strength for fall practice. Cornell injured his knee in spring ball and is out until October. It's a good sign if: The Beavers take to Erickson's offense like, well, Beavers to water. It's a bad sign if: The quarterback situation is never straightened out. Defense As set as the Beavers look on offense, that's how much the defense is up in the air. Five starters return, and while Erickson plans to stick with a 4-3 alignment, he says the defense will use more of a blitzing, attacking style. Middle linebacker Jonathan Jackson, the Pac-10's second-leading tackler with 114 last season, is the only sure thing among the linebackers. The middle of the line is also set with tackle Aaron Wells and nose guard Shawn Ball back. But if the defense wants to be more attacking, that means it needs speed on the outside. Sack-master Inoke Brecketerfield is gone, leaving a gaping hole. Junior college transfer DeLawrence Grant will be called on to step up right away. The coaching staff moved two players from other positions to help shore up the linebacking corps -- former tailback Isaac White was listed as the No. 1 weakside backer and former tight end Casey Waletich also moved over to the defensive side. Safety Sefa O'Reilly will play closer to the line as Jackson's backup in the middle. In the secondary, cornerback Keith Heyward-Johnson and safety Terrence Carroll, a potential all-conference player, return. It's a good sign if: The linebacking corps comes together quickly, giving an inexperienced unit some stability. It's a bad sign if: The Beavers fail to put any pressure on opposing quarterbacks, giving foes ample opportunity to pick apart the secondary. Special Teams Freshman Ryan Cesca looks like the man who will inherit the placekicking duties from the departed Jose Cortez. Mike Fessler, who averaged 39.1 yards last season, is back as punter. Heading into the spring, Erickson stressed the importance of working on the coverage and return teams, which will undergo a bit of a makeover after losing do-everything Tim Alexander. Simonton may be called on to return some kicks, but due to a lack of depth in the backfield, the Beavers might be wise to save the wear and tear on him and find someone else to return kicks. -- Greg Collins |
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