Page 4B
SPORTS
East Oregonian
Saturday, August 6, 2016
College Football
Offseason key for OSU’s Garretson
Utah State transfer
entrenched as
starting quarterback
By RYAN THORBURN
The Register-Guard
By KEVIN HAMPTON
Corvallis Gazette-Times
Darell Garretson hasn’t taken
a snap in an actual game for the
Oregon State football team, but he’s
already entrenched as the starting
quarterback for the Beavers.
Garretson, who transfered from
Utah State, was impressive enough
during the spring to settle the battle
for the position.
Although he’s been with the
Beavers for a year, sitting out after
the transfer, Garretson’s time this
offseason was key in his develop-
ment.
There was plenty of work put in
just to prepare for fall camp.
“We really got after it this
summer,” Garretson said. “And
coach (Evan) Simon and the
strength coaches, they made sure
that we were busting our tails both
in the weight room, on the ield
and also developing our skills and
being better at certain things that
guys can get after.”
He was able to spend plenty
of time with his teammates,
particularly the receivers he will be
working with in the passing game.
Garretson spent last fall running
the scout team during practice,
so getting to toss the ball around
with established receivers such as
Jordan Villamin, Victor Bolden
and Hunter Jarmon, along with
reserves and those newer to the
program was important to build
chemistry.
“We threw a lot and tried to get
our timing right and just the little
things,” receiver Seth Collins said.
“All of us got to know Darell real
good. He’s a good guy and a great
leader. All of us respect him and
we know that he’s going to be able
Corvallis Gazette-Times photo/Associated Press
After sitting out a year following his transfer from Utah State, Darell Garretson will take over as
quarterback for the Oregon State football team in 2016.
to make an incredible impact.”
Bolden said it was a big deal
to get the receivers together with
Garretson.
“I think that’s so important, just
the chemistry that you build with
your quarterback and with anybody
on the team because you build that
trust,” he said. “It’s important to go
out there and gain that chemistry.”
It was also a good opportunity
for Garretson to get to know his
teammates off the ield.
That meant grabbing lunch
together or hanging out during
down time.
That often included some video
game battles.
“Playing video games together,
as much as people may bash on
it, playing video games together,
playing FIFA, Madden, all that type
of stuff, it brings guys together,”
Garretson said. “It gets guys to
hang out with each other more, you
start having more conversations
with each other and you just start
building more of a trust factor with
everyone else.”
His teammates have been
impressed enough by his leader-
ship qualities to vote him captain
for the spring and again for the
season.
Sitting out a season wasn’t easy
for Garretson, who had to miss the
bulk of the 2014 campaign with an
injury after playing ive games for
Utah State.
He completed 91 of 135 passes
for 1,140 yards and eight touch-
downs as a sophomore with the
Aggies before being sidelined.
Last fall did allow Garretson
to acclimate to OSU and get up to
speed.
“It was hard, but I got to work
on a lot of stuff. I got to work on
certain things that you normally
wouldn’t be able to work on here
in the season,” Garretson said. “I
got to really hone in on certain
skills that I wanted to make better
and add to my game and I was able
to do that, so I think a year off was
beneicial for sure.”
He said the Beavers’ system has
some similarities to Utah State’s,
but there are enough differences
that he had plenty of work to do.
Now Garretson said he’s ready
to run the offense.
“I think I’m right there, I think
I’m where (co-offensive coordinator
Kevin) McGiven wants me to be. I’ve
just got to keep going, keep honing
in on the schemes and the defenses
and what defenses are supposed to
do and where people are at.
“So as long as we keep after
it I think I’ll be caught up where
McGiven wants to be every week.”
We’re No. 1!: In AP poll, only 44 schools have made claim
Oregon comes in
on list at No. 23
By RALPH D. RUSSO
Associated Press
In the history of college foot-
ball, only 44 schools have been
able to make the claim “We’re No.
1” and have The Associated Press
poll back up the boast.
That means just 15 percent of
the 296 schools listed as having
played major college football at
some point by sports-reference.
com have ever held the No. 1
ranking for at least one poll. Of
those 44 schools, only 21 have
been No. 1 in 10 or more polls.
The irst No. 1 was Minnesota
in 1936. The most recent school to
make the list was Mississippi State
in 2014.
For the irst time, AP has ranked
the No. 1s by the number of times
a program has held the top spot.
Ohio State leads the way with 105
times. There have been a handful
of ties at No. 1 over 80 seasons and
each team in that situation received
one-half point.
For fun, AP College Football
Writer Ralph D. Russo picked
the best of each school’s teams to
hold the No. 1 ranking. There were
some tough calls, so to determine
the No. 1 team of the No. 1s, Russo
used the following criteria:
•Championship teams were
given preference.
•Time spent at No. 1 during
a single season was considered
and late-season polls were given
greater consideration.
•A metric called simple rating
system found at sports-reference.
com was referenced to give some
perspective on dominance relative
to a team’s era. The game and its
players have changed so much
over the decades that there is no
way to truly compare, say, the 1958
LSU team with the 2007 national
champion Tigers.
•Some feedback from reporters
AP Photo/File
In this Dec. 31, 1973, ile photo, Notre Dame players team point
their ingers skyward as they chant “we’re number one” after
defeating then-undefeated Alabama 24-23 in the Sugar Bowl
NCAA college football game in New Orleans.
and sports information directors
who have covered a school for
decades was used.
Oregon’s 2010 squad made
the list at No. 23, just behind the
Auburn team that beat them for that
season’s national championship.
The Ducks enjoyed their
longest run at No. 1 that season
— seven weeks from Oct. 17-Nov.
28. Oregon’s most recent No. 1
ranking was Nov. 11, 2012.
Marcus Mariota’s 2014 team
never reached 1, so the ’10 Ducks
are the easy pick for best of the Chip
Kelly/Mark Helfrich era. Heisman
inalist LaMichael James led the
way for the fast-paced Ducks, who
lost the BCS title game to Auburn
on a last-play ield goal.
TOP 10
1. Ohio State (105 times ranked
No. 1) — Woody Hayes himself
called the 1968 championship team
with Jack Tatum and Rex Kern
one of the best in college football
history. The Buckeyes also won
titles in 1942, 1954, 2002 and 2014.
2. Oklahoma (100½) — The
Sooners have won seven titles
(1950, 1955, 1956, 1974, 1975,
1985, 2000) but the Barry Switzer
era produced the best of the best
Oklahoma teams in 1974 with a
squad NCAA sanctions kept off
TV and out of the postseason.
3. Notre Dame (98) — College
football wasn’t quite as deep in the
1940s when coach Frank Leahy
won four of Notre Dame’s eight
national titles (1943, 1946, 1947,
1949, 1966, 1973, 1977, 1988), but
he did have monster teams. The
1947 team with Heisman Trophy
winner Johnny Lujack at quarter-
back was the best.
4. Southern California (90½)
— USC has won ive titles (1962,
1967, 1972, 2003, 2004) but John
McKay’s 1972 team gets the nod
as best in program history for
playing only one game decided by
less than 17 points.
5. Alabama (74) — The
Crimson Tide as won 10 titles
(1961, 1964, 1965, 1978, 1979,
1992, 2009, 2011, 2012, 2015) but
its irst was its best. Bear Bryant’s
1961 team allowed only three
touchdowns and had six shutouts.
T6. Florida State (72) — All
the Seminoles championship
teams (1993, 1999, 2013) were
led by quarterbacks who won the
Heisman. It was Bobby Bowden’s
’99 team, though, that pulled off a
poll feat that had never been done
before by going wire-to-wire as
No. 1 from the preseason to the
inal poll.
T6. Nebraska (72) — The
Huskers won back-to-back titles
under Bob Devaney (1970-71)
and Tom Osborne (1994-95) but
Devaney’s ’71 team did it best, and
beat No. 2 Oklahoma 35-31 in a
Game of the Century that lived up
to the billing.
8. Miami (67) — The last of
ive titles (1983, 1987, 1989, 1991,
2001) produced the Hurricanes’
best team with Willis McGahee,
Clinton Portis and Frank Gore all
at running back. They beat their
opponents by 34 points per game.
9. Texas (44.5) — Three
unbeaten championship teams
(1963, 1969, 2005), but extra credit
to the ’05 team for Vince Young’s
Rose Bowl performance, maybe
the greatest by an individual in
college football history.
10. Florida (41) — The Gators
won titles in 1996, 2006 and 2008,
but the Steve Spurrier and Danny
Wuerffel-led team of ’96 avenged
its only loss by beating No. 2 Florida
State 52-20 in the Sugar Bowl.
———
THE REST (Best No. 1
team): 11, Michigan (1948); 12,
LSU (1958); 13, Michigan State
(1952); 14, Army (1944); 15,
Pittsburgh (1976); 16, Penn State
(1982); 17, Tennessee (1951); 18,
Minnesota (1941); 19, Georgia
(1980); 20, Washington (1992);
21, Iowa (1960); 22, Auburn
(2010); 23, Oregon (2010); T24.
Clemson (1981), Colorado (1990),
Syracuse (1961), UCLA (1954);
28, Texas A&M (1939); 29,
Maryland (1953); T30, Mississippi
(1960), Mississippi St. (2014),
Northwestern (1936), Purdue
(1968); T34, California (1937),
Cornell (1940), BYU (1984); 37,
Virginia (1990); T38, TCU (1938),
SMU (1950), Missouri (1960);
T41, Boston College (1942),
North Carolina (1948), Wisconsin
(1952), Arkansas (1965).
Steve Gleason Recruit Suite debuts at Cougar football complex
WSU Athletics
PULLMAN, Wash. — Wash-
ington State Athletics announced
the naming of the Steve Gleason
Recruit Suite, inside the Cougar
Football Complex, Wednesday
afternoon.
Gleason, the Washington State
Athletic Hall of Famer who played
football and baseball in a Cougar
uniform from 1995-99, was on
hand as the room all future Cougar
football players will walk through
was named in his honor.
“I am stoked to be a small
Coaches
rank Ducks
No. 22
part of this, thanks so much for
including me,” said Gleason. “We
need to thank Glenn Osterhout
for providing the funding for the
room and facility. Finally, I’d like
to thank my man Jason Gesser
for coordinating this. Pullman has
been a big part of my development.
I have amazing memories from my
time here and I am excited I could
be here in person today. Thanks
again for including me. Go Cougs!”
The opportunity arrived cour-
tesy of Cougar alumnus Glenn
Osterhout’s naming donation of
$250,000. With his pledge, Oster-
hout, a 1983 graduate who is a certi-
ied inancial planner in Bellevue,
was presented the opportunity to
name the recruiting room inside the
Cougar Football Complex.
“The recruiting room was
something I was very interested in
because that is a big part of what
the football operations building
is about, bringing in top-notch
student-athletes,” said Osterhout.
“I wanted the room to be about
somebody. Steve will be an inspi-
ration to a lot of young men who
will come through that room.”
Gleason was diagnosed with
ALS in 2011. He and his founda-
tion, Team Gleason, have been
global leaders in raising awareness
and improving the lives of those
affected by the disease.
He was a four-year letter winner
in both football and baseball during
his time at WSU. On the football
ield he was a two-time team captain,
garnered All-Paciic 10 Conference
honors three times and inished his
career with 282 tackles, ninth-most
in school history. He was also a key
igure on defense for the 1997 squad
that made WSU’s irst Rose Bowl
appearance since 1931.
EUGENE — Mark Helfrich’s
peers aren’t as high on the 2016
Ducks as they have been in the
recent past.
Oregon, which entered the past
ive seasons ranked as a top-ive
team, was voted No. 22 in the
preseason
coaches
poll
released
on
Thursday.
It’s
the
program’s lowest
ranking in the
preseason coaches poll since 2007,
when Oregon was unranked.
The usual suspects make up
the top ive this year: Alabama,
Clemson, Oklahoma, Florida State
and Ohio State.
“I don’t think we’ve ever
mentioned the BCS, I don’t think
we’ve ever mentioned the College
Football Playoff, I don’t think we’ve
ever mentioned any poll,” Helfrich
said last month at the Pac-12 media
day event.
The Pac-12 media picked the
Ducks to inish third in the North
Division in the preseason poll,
behind Stanford and Washington.
The Cardinal are the high-
est-ranked Pac-12 team in the
coaches poll, at No. 7. The Huskies,
a trendy national sleeper pick, are
No. 18.
Other Pac-12 teams in the
rankings are No. 17 USC and No.
24 UCLA. The Bruins were picked
to win the South Division in the
Pac-12 preseason poll.
Oregon, which was No. 5 in
the 2015 preseason coaches poll,
dropped from No. 14 to No. 20 in
the inal ranking last season after the
triple-overtime loss to TCU in the
Alamo Bowl.
The Ducks inished 9-4 overall,
7-2 in the Pac-12.
The coaches poll is voted on by
a panel of FBS coaches, including
Washington State’s Mike Leach,
Colorado’s Mike MacIntyre, Wash-
ington’s Chris Petersen, Arizona’s
Rich Rodriguez and Utah’s Kyle
Whittingham.
“We don’t really pay too much
attention to the outside talk, we’re
internally motivated to do well,”
Oregon senior linebacker Johnny
Ragin said. “It’s kind of nice to be
the hunter now, as opposed to being
the hunted in previous years. But
we’re not too worried about the
rankings.”
The Ducks will open fall camp
on Monday. The season begins
Sept. 3 against UC Davis at Autzen
Stadium (2 p.m., Pac-12 Networks).
———
Amway Top 25 Poll
The preseason Amway Top 25 football coaches poll,
with irst-place votes in parentheses, 2015 records,
total points based on 25 points for irst place through
one point for 25th, and previous ranking:
Record
Pts Pvs
1. Alabama (55)
14-1 1585
1
2. Clemson (7)
14-1 1524
2
3. Oklahoma
11-2 1398
5
4. Florida State (1)
10-3 1351 14
5. Ohio State
12-1 1321
4
6. LSU
9-3 1241 17
7. Stanford
12-2 1149
3
8. Michigan
10-3 1062
11
9. Notre Dame
10-3 1034 12
10. Tennessee (1)
9-4
960 23
11. Michigan State
12-2
901
6
12. Mississippi
10-3
792
9
13. Houston
13-1
668
8
14. TCU
11-2
649
7
15. Iowa
12-2
579 10
16. Georgia
10-3
525 24
17. Southern Cal
8-6
468 NR
18. Washington
7-6
454 NR
19. Oklahoma State
10-3
426 19
20. North Carolina
11-3
422 15
21. Baylor
10-3
383 13
22. Oregon
9-4
361 20
23. Louisville
8-5
331 NR
24. UCLA
8-5
296 NR
25. Florida
10-4
245 25
Others receiving votes: Miami (Fla.) 120; Wisconsin
82; Boise State 73; Utah 73; Washington State 47;
Texas A&M 37; Arkansas 34; Texas 34; Northwestern
31; Navy 30; Mississippi State 19; San Diego State
18; Auburn 17; Nebraska 17; Western Kentucky 11;
Pittsburgh 8; Brigham Young 6; Appalachian State 4;
Duke 3; Arizona 2; Marshall 2; South Florida 2; Toledo
2; Indiana 1; Memphis 1; Northern Illinois 1.
PSU receives
preseason love
PSU Athletics
PORTLAND — Media outlet
College Sports Madness has ranked
the Portland State football team
24th in its preseason Top 44 preview
of the Division I FCS level. The
Vikings have been ranked anywhere
from 17th to 24th in polls already
released. The STATS FCS Top 25
poll will be released on Aug. 8.
College Sports Madness also
recognized nine Viking players on its
Preseason All-Big Sky Conference
teams. Notable among them was
senior cornerback Xavier Coleman,
who was named Preseason Big Sky
Defensive Player of the Year and 1st
team All-Big Sky.
Other Vikings on the Preseason
All-Big Sky team were: SR OL
Cam Keizur (1st team), SR K Jona-
than Gonzales (1st team), JR DE
Davond Dade (1st team), SR WR
Darnell Adams (2nd team), JR OL
Randin Crecelius (2nd team), SR
S Walter Santiago (2nd team), SR
QB Alex Kuresa (3rd team), SR OL
Desmoun Thompson (3rd team).