By Fred Delkin

We applaud an Oregon State team and its coaching staff for staging a 
memorable gridiron performance in the Sun Bowl. The 39-38 victory over 
Missouri caps a remarkable Beaver revival from what began as a dismal 
season. Coach Mike Riley made a truly gutsy call at the behest of his team, 
ignoring a virtually certain tieing kick to go for a winning touchdown as time 
expired. This was a classic refutation of the criticism of the Riley regime 
penned earlier in this corner. 

OSU senior quarterback Matt Moore staged a show that erased the boos
from Beaver fans that he received in early season losses to Boise State and 
California. He will now undoubtedly receive favorable attention from the 
NFL. A young Missouri team proved a worthy test for Moore and friends 
and seemingly was headed for sure victory, leading 38-24 in the fourth 
quarter. Then the Beavers bounced back in the manner of the squad that 
ended big bully USC’s string of 27 straight wins. 

It’s now hard to remember that a "Fire Mike Riley" web site was in vogue as
the 2006 season began. That firestorm has been extinguished by a 10-4 
record and will be buried by a Riley contract extension now being created by his employer. We suspect that Riley made a solid move toward redemption when he hired Jay Locey as an assistant this past summer. Locey earned his
spurs riding the Linfield small college juggernaut to a continuation of its national prominence in Division III ranks. 

Bellotti crew finds failure

Meanwhile, a short drive down the Willamette Valley to Eugene, we find 
growing criticism of  Oregon Duck coach Mike Bellotti after his minions 
collapsed on both sides of the ball in their post season bowling match with
underdog Brigham Young. Depth and a collection of superb talent proved 
incapable of both direction and inspiration by Bellotti and staff. What has
been a Pac10 success story now needs retooling. Going into this season,
USC, Oregon and Cal seemed steps ahead of their Pac10 rivals. 

Now Cal has justified preseason plaudits, led by former Bellotti assistant Jeff Tedford. There are Duck donors now muttering that perhaps Tedford should be lured back to Oregon and Bellotti should be kicked upstairs into the currently vacant UO athletic director position. This concept has strong legs, but will only gain momentum if currrent Duck player recruiting falls flat.

Gazing into our somewhat cloudy crystal ball to envision Pac10 play in 2007, one image comes into focus...a surging Arizona State squad led by that itinerant coaching icon Dennis Erickson.

Dennis takes over a loaded roster and is undoubtedly working his instant junior college recruiting buildup as we write. He has also brought faithful assistant coaching talent with him. Cal returns a golden group on offense, while USC shows no sign of talent deterioration. OSU graduates its best
performers. Oregon has strong returning talent, but must avoid the quarterback indecision

Bellotti foisted on the 2006 group. Other conference programs lack the returning strength to be title threats. 

Roses & Raspberries...roses to all who recognize that successful football teams are built around leadership at the QB position...no plaudits earned for anyone harboring the idea that Bellotti could hold a dual position of head coach and AD...posies are appropriate for Nate McMillan’s mentoring of a Trailblazer cage squad that has youthful talent worthy of winning by next
year...nothing but boos for those expecting TB star Zach Randolph to ever become a solid citizen and further admonishment to the entire NBA structure that overpays uneducated youth...a salute to an apparent revival of the Oregon Duck basketball program...our disdain to those who believe
the BCS format for Division I NCAA football is a proper substitute for genuine postseason playoffs that are used in all other levels of NCAA grid performance. However, bowl sponsorship money talks! 

© 2007  Oregon Magazine