OSU building a new tradition under Pettibone
By Steve Mims
Oregon 0*ly l fWjitf
Three wins may not seem like
much to most college football
teams, but to Oregon State head
coach Jerry Pettibone, it is a start
The Beavers enter this week
end's Civil War clash at Oregon
with three wins, more than they
racked up in Pettibone's first two
years at the helm. Win or lose this
weekend. Pettibone has already
declared this season a success
"1 already feel great about the
year we've had.” Pettibone said,
"In only our third year, we beat
one howl team (Wyoming) and
beat another possible bowl team
(Arizona State)."
It's not just the wins that have
Pettibone and the rest of the
Beaver believers excited, it is the
competitiveness of the program.
Oregon State has played well in
most of its games this year and
has had its chances to win games.
In Pettibone's first two years, the
Beavers lost 19 games. 16 of them
by double digits. This year, the
Beavers have lost only four games
by more than 10 points
Recently. Oregon State lias
done even better, losing to two
upper-division Pacific-10 Con
ference teams by a combined 10
points. The Beavers almost
knocked UCI.A off of its Rose
Bowl perch four weeks ago. tak
ing a 17-14 lead into the fourth
quarter before kicker Brooke
Knight missed a late field goal,
giving the Bruins a 20-17 victo
ry.
The following week the
Beavers dropped a tight 31-27
OSU RECORD
hm_meom
1971 5-6-0
1972 2 9-0
1973 2 9-0
1974 3 8-0
1975 1-KM) _
1976 2 10 0
1977 2-9-0
1978 . 3-7 1
1979
1980
1981
1982
1983
1984
1985
1986
1987
1988
1989
1990
1991
1992
1993
MOO
0-11-0
1-10 0
19 1
2- 8-JL
2 9-0
3:8-0
3- 8-0
2- 9 0
4- 6-1'
4-7-1
1 10 0
1 10 0
1-9-1
3- 7-0
decision to Stanford, tin- best
offensive team in the conferent ,e.
Oregon State fought back from a
24-7 third-quarter deficit to get
within 31-27, before a late Stan
ford interception sealed the
defeat. A week later. Oregon State
took a halftime lead on Wash
ington before the Huskies steam
rolled out of the locker room at
halftime to get a 2H-21 win
So what doe* all this mean, los
ing lo these three (earns by a com
bined 14 points' Not much to
many, but to the Beavers, it is ti
definite sign of progress It had
tieen four years since an Oregon
State team beat Stanford, eight
years since a win over Washing
ton. and you have to go back to
1978 to find the last time Oregon
State beat the Bruins
Does this mean that Pettibone
and his staff are satisfied with just
being competitive?
"No," Petti bone said. "Moral
victories don't mean anything to
us anymore. We're to the point
where we want to win We feel
wo have a chance to do this every
week.”
To understand the optimism
that is coming out of Corvallis,
one must first understand the
beaten psyche of Beaver fans
Optimism has flown into Cor
vallis often during the past few
decades, but it always leaves a
few years later, taking another
coach with it
The Beavers have not had a
winning season since 1970. mak
ing this the 23rd consecutive los
ing season. In fact recently, they
haven't really hoen close. Oregon
State has won more than three
games only three times during the
past 23 years During that span,
the Beavers have won two games
on seven occasions, one game
during another seven years and
have been winless once
Four different coaching
changes have been made during
that span, each one bringing a dif
ferent approach to turn things
around and optimism with it.
Craig Kertig took over from Doe
Andros, tho last Oregon Statu
coat h to have n winning record
ut a year, but he left after four
years and an 8-38-1 record
Next up was Joe A vezzano.
whose teams lacked discipline
on and off the field, and the
results reflected it Avezzano's
teams never won more than two
games in one year, and after five
years ho caught a plane out of
town with a 8-47-2 record.
The Heavers chose to try and
improve through the air next,
when new head coach Dave
kragthorpe brought his "Air
Express” package into Corvallis
in 1UH5. Although kragthorpe
never did get the Heavers over the
hump, he did compile some
wins.
krngthorpe won throw games
during two separate years, and
twice led the team to four-win.
one-tie seasons. However, after a
1-10 season in 1990 that includ
ed a loss to Division 1-AA Mon
tana. Kragthorpe was sent
packing as well.
When Oregon Stale fired
Kragthorpe. it sent the program
into a IHO- degree turnaround by
installing Pettibone and bis wish
bone running attack at the helm.
Pettibono only won one game in
his first year, nut it was a lug 14
:t win over Oregon in Eugene,
enough to keep boosters happy
for a while.
Pettibone's wishbone offense
has taken a while to be put in
pla< e. but the results have been
Turn to OSU. Page 100
1
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