Athletic director is quite pleased with the change in OSU’s flagship program

By Cliff Kirkpatrick
Corvallis Gazette-Times

CORVALLIS — Oregon State athletic director Bob De Carolis typically hangs around the postgame interview area of football games to support the team, but after Friday’s Civil War he was there for a specific reason.

He accepted a provisional invitation to the Sun Bowl from the Sun Bowl Association’s executive director Bernie Olivas. It becomes official Tuesday when the Bowl Championship Series bowls allow the Holiday Bowl to pick California, clearing the way for the Beavers to play in the Dec. 29 game in El Paso, Texas.

De Carolis was thrilled with the opportunity for the program to compete in the biggest postseason game since the 2000 season’s Fiesta Bowl appearance.

There is the $1.9 million payout to each team, but there is more as well. Finishing third in the Pacific-10 Conference behind Southern California and California to earn a spot in one of the better non-BCS bowls shows progress not many predicted.

“We were picked seventh (in the Pac-10) and we finished third,” De Carolis said. “That’s pretty darn good. And we beat a team (USC) that might be playing for a national title. I think we made huge strides.”

That point of view from De Carolis is significant for coach Mike Riley and his program. After last season the Beavers were reeling with a losing record, no bowl game and a blowout loss to Oregon.

Players had been frequently in trouble with the law off the field and their academic support structure was in transition.

De Carolis planned to watch Riley’s program closely and wanted to see progress in all areas. He found it.

Riley was strict with player behavior and all 13 seniors are on track to graduate by the end of the current school year or in the summer.

The Beavers just had to win on the field. After starting the season 2-3 and being blown out by Boise State and California, there was external and internal concern that the team was about to fall apart.

Players and coaches look back at the Oct. 7 Washington State game as the turning point in the season, even though it was a loss. The Beavers finally played a quality defensive game against a good opponent that day.

“When you look at the adversity, there were a lot of question marks, and we played some really good teams that turned out to be not very good games in Boise State and Cal,” De Carolis said. “I was in the locker room after the Washington State game, and I’ve never sensed a feeling like that after losing game. That was a team that was together. It wasn’t splintered. And that’s a testament to the kids and the coaching staff to keep them on the straight and narrow about developing the program. And we got a break here and there, which led to success.”

OSU went on to win four straight after that game, including one against then third-ranked USC. There have been six wins in the last seven games.

All areas of the team improved, most notably quarterback Matt Moore. He was the scapegoat, along with Riley, for the team’s early struggles. Moore was even blamed for the defensive and special teams’ problems.

The difference for the entire team, the Beavers say, is just maturity.

“We are doing the same things,” Moore said. “Everyone is going to get better as the season goes along. You build confidence. Offensively, we’ve grown together so much. The four straight wins were huge for us. It’s easier to play when you are winning.”

The Beavers still have a nonconference game at Hawaii on Saturday to finish the regular season and then the Sun Bowl to see what the team can accomplish.

As for the long-term future, De Carolis believes there is more success to come. Riley took his lumps with young players last year, and they became veterans this season.

With only the quarterback position and tight end spot needing to rebuild for next season, he’ll be watching the program closely again, but without the negative connotation. This time it is to see what more the Beavers can accomplish.

“We are not losing many seniors off the starting group and we have a ton of redshirt freshmen who have been practicing hard,” De Carolis said. “I think the future bodes well for Oregon State . Things are going in the right direction, there’s no doubt about it, on a lot of different fronts.”