This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2011, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
When last the Utah Utes saw Oregon State just a few years ago, the Beavers were one of the more dangerous teams in the Pac-10 Conference and enjoying arguably the best stretch in team history.
In four years, they won 36 games, played in four straight bowls and appeared to be establishing themselves as a perennial contender under coach Mike Riley.
So, wow … what happened?
The Beavers have all but fallen off the map this year, and stand on the verge of back-to-back losing seasons for the first time since the end of their infamous 28-year losing streak in 1998. Only now, as they prepare to meet the Utes at Rice-Eccles Stadium on Saturday, are they starting to drag themselves out of the wreckage of a disastrous 0-4 start.
"Things are just starting to come together a little bit better for them," Utah coach Kyle Whittingham said.
Of course, that's only the most modest of compliments.
The Beavers lost to lower-division Sacramento State at home to start the season, for crying out loud. Three more losses in a row followed — at Wisconsin, against UCLA and at Arizona State — as Riley clumsily juggled his quarterbacks and watched his defense give up 31.5 points per game.
"We couldn't get anything really going," Riley said. "We had no identity offensively whatsoever, and defensively we couldn't cover anything."
Injuries and unexpected departures have been a huge part of the problem — star running back Jacquizz Rodgers left school early for the NFL, for example — forcing the Beavers to use 20 first-time starters and 10 true freshmen this season.
Key starters such as receiver James Rodgers and tight end Joe Halahuni missed time early recovering from offseason surgeries, three-year starting cornerback Brandin Hardin was lost for the season, and freshman running back Malcolm Agnew missed four straight games with a hamstring injury after ravaging Sacramento State for 223 yards in the opener.
The Beavers also lost two of their best offensive linemen — guard Josh Andrews and tackle Michael Phillip — to season-ending injuries, from a position group that the Corvallis Gazette-Times said endured recruiting "disasters" in two of the last five years.
Meanwhile, redshirt freshman quarterback Sean Mannion was haltingly trying to settle in as the starter.
Junior Ryan Katz had led the Beavers to a 5-7 record last year in his first year as a starter, but missed spring drills while recovering from wrist surgery. In his absence, Mannion impressed Riley — just not enough to supplant Katz.
At least not right away.
But Riley benched Katz at halftime of the season opener, and they used him for only a few plays at a time in a 35-0 loss at Wisconsin. After that, the 6-foot-5 Mannion took over entirely, and has made a good impression so far. He's on pace for the third-highest single-season passing mark in school history.
"Our focus the whole time was on just getting better," Mannion said, "and we just moved on from one game to the next and our focus was always just to improve as a team and continue to grow."
That's what Riley hopes will happen.
His latest recruiting class has been considered one of his best, and his staff has made adjustments in pass protection and pass coverage — Riley said that had been "horrible" — that have helped the Beavers fare a little better lately. They have averaged 36.3 points in their last three games, after managing just 16.8 in their first four.
"We still have a lot of growth to do" on defense, Riley said, "but our guys are playing better. … Offensively, we're not great yet, but we are running the football a little bit better than we did to start with, and that's been a big help to our team. If we can get our running game consistent, then offensively everything will go better."
OSU's Riley Era
Oregon State's year-by-year results under coach Mike Riley
2003 • 8-5
2004 • 7-5
2005 • 5-6
2006 • 10-4
2007 • 9-4
2008 • 9-4
2009 • 8-5
2010 • 5-7
2011 • 2-5 —
OSU's 2011 results
Opponent Result
Sacramento State L, 29-28 (OT)
at Wisconsin L, 35-0
UCLA L, 27-19
at Arizona State L, 35-20
Arizona W, 37-27
Brigham Young L, 38-28
at Washington State W, 44-21