Beavers would bring local flavor to LV

Monday, Dec. 1, 2003 | 9:39 a.m.

Just call them Eager Beavers.

While it will probably be later this week before Oregon State is officially extended an invitation to meet New Mexico in Las Vegas Bowl XII, the OSU athletic department unofficially is urging Beavers fans to pack their bags and brush up on when to hit and when to double down.

In a statement posted this weekend on the Oregon State website, OSU athletic director Bob DeCarolis said it was "almost assured" the Beavers would be playing in the Christmas Eve game at Sam Boyd Stadium.

Oregon State's only other option is the Dec. 26 Insight Bowl at Bank One Ballpark in Phoenix. In that OSU played in that game last year and has appeared in Phoenix-area bowl games in two of the past three years (the Beavers routed Notre Dame in the 2002 Fiesta Bowl), it's doubtful that Oregon State would accept that offer, even if it was forthcoming.

The Las Vegas Bowl, which has the fifth selection among the Pac-10's bowl eligible teams, is waiting to learn whether Washington State is a viable candidate for the Rose Bowl before deciding on an opponent for the Lobos.

The next BCS conference call is scheduled for Tuesday, but Pac-10 officials stated that there might be enough information available by today for bowl pairings to be set.

If the Las Vegas bid comes to fruition, it will provide Oregon State star running back Steven Jackson, who played at Las Vegas' Eldorado High, and seven other valley products with an all-expense paid homecoming, just in time for Christmas.

With Saturday's game against No. 2 Southern Cal yet to play, Jackson has carried 300 times for 1,434 yards and rushed for 14 touchdowns. He also has caught 34 passes for 380 yards and two more touchdowns. It is that versatility that should make Jackson one of the most coveted running backs in the NFL draft, should he decide to declare after this, his junior season.

"Jackson is a big running back who goes 6-foot-2, 230 pounds, yet still has the elusiveness to make people miss and 4.45 speed in the 40," said ESPN draft guru Mel Kiper Jr. "He also catches the ball effectively out of the backfield as well, and his 1,134 yards have come without a lot of help from an average offensive line.

"After putting up nearly 1,700 yards last season, Jackson looks like a solid first-round choice, if he chooses to enter the draft."

Las Vegans are also listed first, third and fourth among Oregon State's tackle leaders on defense.

Middle linebacker Richard Siegler (Chaparral) tops the Beavers with 77 tackles and also has two sacks, two interceptions and two fumble recoveries. Cornerback Lawrence Turner, a 1998 Las Vegas Sun prep player of the year while at Cheyenne, is third with 57 tackles while former Las Vegas High standout Jonathan Pollard, a junior linebacker at OSU, is fourth with 48 stops.

Other Las Vegas natives on the Beavers' midseason roster are Jeff Van Orsow, a freshman defensive end from Foothill; Curtis Coker, a redshirt freshman defensive tackle from Desert Pines; Gerard Lawson, a freshman cornerback from Palo Verde; and Kellen Marshall, a redshirt freshman cornerback from Cimarron-Memorial.

It will also be a homecoming of sorts for one of Oregon State's assistant coaches. DelVaughn Alexander, the Beavers' wide receivers coach, had two stints of duty at UNLV, one under Jeff Horton and the second under John Robinson.

The starting 11

FLORIDA STATE 38, FLORIDA 34: Instead of worrying about protecting the sanctity of their beloved "F" at midfield during an after-the-game skirmish, the Gators would have better off protecting the E.Z. -- the end zone -- with 55 seconds remaining. P.K. Sam got behind the Florida defense to catch a 52-yard touchdown pass from Chris Rix to cap one of the most exciting FSU-Florida games of all time.

MIAMI 28, PITTSBURGH 14: If it's Fitz, you must cover him like a glove -- or something like that. The Hurricanes limited Larry Fitzgerald, the Panthers' outstanding wide receiver, to just 3 catches for 26 yards to clinch a BCS appearance, most likely in their hometown Orange Bowl.

NEBRASKA 31, COLORADO 22: Frank Solich knew he had some big shoes to fill at Nebraska, and even though he filled them to three quarters of their capacity, he was fired after the Cornhuskers capped a 9-3 season by beating the Buffaloes. Solich won more than 75 percent of his games (58-19) in six seasons but could not keep Nebraska in the national championship hunt where predecessor Tom Osborne always had big-game tags.

BOWLING GREEN 31, TOLEDO 23: The Falcons scored on their first four possessions of the second half to subdue arch-rival Toledo and win the MAC West title, but it as may as well have been the Mae West title as far as Josh Harris, BG's star quarterback, was concerned. "I can't celebrate this win because I don't want to win the MAC West, I want to win the MAC," he said. That may -- or may not -- happen Thursday, when Bowling Green hosts potent Miami of Ohio for all the MAC marbles.

VIRGINIA 35, VIRGINIA TECH: In Chicago, they call it the "June Swoon," when the Cubs usually fall from their lofty perch in the standings. In Blacksburg, Va., it's the "Maroon Swoon," as Virginia's Tech's startling collapse down the home stretch the past two years is being called. Saturday's 35-21 loss to rival Virginia marked the second year in a row the Hokies, ranked No. 3 in October, closed with four losses in six games. How Hokie is that?

TENNESSEE 20, KENTUCKY 7: The Volunteers took care of business by shutting down J. Load -- Jared Lorenzen, Kentucky's 280-pound rotund quarterback -- and the Wildcats for the 19th consecutive time, but didn't get the help it needed. Tennessee, which finished tied with Georgia and Florida atop the SEC East, is expected to lose out to the Bulldogs when the SEC tiebrakers, which are heavily influenced by the BCS standings, are applied today.

GEORGIA 34, GEORGIA TECH 17: By knocking off the rival Yellow Jackets and benefitting from Florida's loss to Florida State, the Bulldogs will get a second shot at LSU, to whom they lost 17-10, in Saturday's SEC title game. It's not as if they don't want it, but this assignment may prove to be more difficult than a calculus final. "LSU is a team playing like we were playing a year ago, hitting on all cylinders," Georgia coach Mark Richt said. "Offense. Defense. Kicking game. LSU looks like one of the best teams in the country, if not the best team."

BOISE STATE 56, NEVADA-RENO 3: After turning the Wolf Pack into potato soup, the Broncos dropped an H bomb on the H Bowl -- their pet name for the Humanitarian Bowl, held in their hometown: They want out. Rathern than play 6-6 Georgia Tech, the 11-1 Broncos are shopping around for some larger potatoes in hope that a victory against a more prestigious opponent would help them vault in the final polls.

TCU 20, SMU 13: Despite indicating that it did not want to play in the GMAC Bowl because it conflicted with final exams, TCU received the bid, anyway, after beating winless rival SMU. The Horned Frogs did not accept, nor do they plan to. In a Washington Post story, GMAC Bowl president Jerry Silverstein said, "I sympathize with them. ... But we have a bowl to put on." So much for putting the athlete-student -- er, student-athlete -- first.

RUTGERS 24, SYRACUSE 7: Gusty 40-mph winds turned what was intended to be a deep kickoff into an onside one which Rutgers recovered, setting up a touchdown that enabled the Scarlet Knights to break open a 14-7 game. Mike Cortese's kickoff into the wind seemed to be suspended in air, with Syracuse gawking at it and Rutgers' Ishmael Medley recovering at the Syracuse 33. Four plays later, Rutgers scored. The wind-blown victory helped Rutgers cap a 5-7 season, its best record since 1998.

WEST VIRGINIA 45, TEMPLE 28: After blowing the Owls out of a snowy barn to clinch a share of the Big East title, the Mountaineers eagerly awaited a Gator Bowl bid. "The BCS will not let me officially invite West Virginia. But I expect to see the West Virginia team and fans in Jacksonville on New Year's Day -- where it will not be snowing," Susan Hamilton, chairman of the Gator Bowl committee, said Saturday.

Big men on campus

Stats enough

Maryland's Bruce Perry ran for 237 yards while Wake Forest's Chris Barclay rushed for 243, marking the first time in ACC history and only the fifth time in NCAA history that opposing backs had more than 200 rushing yards in the same game. Maryland rallied for a 41-28 win. ... With a 45-7 victory against Iowa State, Missouri was 6-0 at Faurot Field, the Tigers' first unbeaten home season since 1974. ... J.R. Reed scored on a 45-yard fumble recovery and a 96-yard kickoff return in the third quarter of South Florida's 21-16 win against Memphis. Reed's three interceptions tied a Conference USA record. ... Kentucky's Derek Abney returned a first-quarter punt 33 yards in the Wildcats' 20-7 loss to Tennessee, making him the first player in NCAA Division I-A history to record at least 2,000 yards receiving, 2,000 yards in kickoff return s and 1,000 yards in punt returns for a career. ... Old school football: Wofford failed to complete a pass in its 31-10 win! against North Carolina A&T in the first round of the Division I-AA playoffs, gaining all of its 370 yards on the ground. The Terriers threw only two passes and both were incomplete. ... Southern beat Grambling, 44-41, winning for the 10th time in the past 11 Bayou Classics.

Division I-A Lite

A look at the top teams in the non-BCS conferences:

1. Miami of Ohio (MAC): Redhawks go Bowling (vs. Green in MAC title game) and then bowling (GMAC Bowl).

2. Boise State (WAC): Broncos want bigger potatoes in a bigger bowl.

3. Bowling Green (MAC): Falcons to try again against Miami Thursday.

4. Northern Illinois (MAC): Huskies may have to go bowling at DeKalb Lanes.

5. Southern Mississippi (USA): Almond Joy: QB Dustin leads Eagles to Liberty Bowl berth.

6. TCU (USA): Frogs not interested in GMAC terms.

7. Utah (MWC): Utes, picked fifth in MWC, get Liberty instead.

8. New Mexico (MWC): Lobos become a Las Vegas (Bowl) headliner.

9. Connecticut (IND): Next stop: Big East.

10. Navy (IND): Army men in trouble Saturday.

Games we'd like to see

In this space each week the Sun will present a dream college football matchup, with statistics and highlights provided by Lance Haffner Games' 3-in-1 computer simulation. Readers who would like to propose future matchups can do so by contacting the Sun via e-mail at ron@lasvegassun.com.

1963 Navy 28, 1945 Army 13: Two of the best service academy teams ever assembled were the 1945 Black Knights, led by Heisman Tropy winners Glenn "Mr. Outside" Davis and Doc "Mr. Inside" Blanchard, and the 1963 Midshipmen, who had the unsinkable "Jolly Roger" Staubach at quarterback. In our computer rematch, Davis rushed for two touchdowns and Staubach passed for two, but two long Navy interception returns for touchdowns proved to be the difference in the Middies' 28-13 victory. Davis carried 14 times for 108 yards and Blanchard added 52 yards on 10 carries but Army, which had yet to refine the forward pass during World War II, hit on just 2 of 12 in the air for 25 yards. Meanwhile, Staubach showed the Army how it's done, completing 9 of his 10 passes for 137 yards and adding 46 rushing yards en route to being named game MVP.

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