A time to savor finishing Reser, if only for a night
Damien Martinez crosses the goal line after a 64-yard touchdown run on Oregon State’s first play from scrimmage Saturday night at Reser Stadium (courtesy OSU sports communications)
CORVALLIS — Anyone who thought Oregon State would go through the motions against FCS opponent UC Davis Saturday night had a surprise in store.
The 16th-ranked Beavers (Editors Note: The AP poll released Sunday morning had a record eight Pac 12 schools ranked, including all four Northwest schools. The previous record for Pac 12 schools ranked in a single week was six) took care of business with style and energy, rolling 55-7 in the debut of a completed Reser Stadium.
OSU officials announced a sellout crowd of 35,728 in the first game following the $161 million facility project. While there were pockets of empty seats noticeable on the old (east) side, it still felt like a champagne-inspired occasion for Beaver Nation.
If only the only thing that matters were what happens on the playing field.
Get to that in a minute.
“I’m glad we can take these few hours to forget about what’s been happening and focus on our football team,” one OSU athletic department administrator told me before the game. “Because that’s really good.”
They have been good the first two weeks against overmatched opponents. Oregon State won handily (42-17) at San Jose State in its opener. Davis came in Saturday at 1-0 as a middle-tier Big Sky team (fifth in conference standings in 2021 and ’22), with junior quarterback Miles Hastings — All-Big Sky first team as a sophomore — leading the offense.
The Aggies left Corvallis battered and beaten, shut out for 55 minutes, outgunned and outgained 450-169 in total offense numbers. The Beavers seem on a mission in what looms as their final season in the Pac-12.
“These guys didn’t give (the Aggies) any inch,” OSU coach Jonathan Smith said afterward. “We have great leadership. It doesn’t take a lot from the coaches to get this team going.”
After an Easton Mascarenas-Arnold interception ended Davis’ first drive, Damien Martinez burst through a gap and went 64 yards untouched for a touchdown and a 7-0 Oregon State lead.
The Beavers’ offense kept coming, and soon speedy junior Silas Bolden broke loose for two explosive touchdowns — a 65-yard punt return and a 22-yard reception.
Bolden covered more territory than Lewis and Clark on the second-quarter punt return. It was supposed to be “return middle” from where he caught the ball just left of the middle of the field. But the 5-8, 155-pound junior saw an opening outside and cut right, flying down the sidelines and using a pair of nifty blocks by teammates along the picket line.
It was only the second punt return of Bolden’s career — both on Saturday. He was second-team All-Pac-12 as a specialist a year ago, but that was for his work returning kickoffs. Bolden was called into duty with an injury to the regular punt return man, Anthony Gould.
Late in the first quarter, Bolden fielded a punt and nearly broke it, covering 20 yards before being tackled.
“I was a little nervous on the first one,” Bolden said. “But then I got it, and, oh yeah.”
Bolden said he spoke with Gould on the sidelines after the first return.
“He said, ‘You got to take the next one to the house,’ ” Bolden said. “So I did.”
“The guy is great when you get the ball in his hands,” Smith said. “They blocked pretty well for him on that (second) punt return, and once he gets an edge, he’s gonna go.”
Oregon State took a 38-0 advantage into intermission, and Smith wisely sat starting quarterback D.J. Uiagalelei for the entire second half. It was the right thing to do for several reasons. One, to avoid injury to the 6-4, 250-pound senior with the game out of hand. Two, as a sportsmanlike gesture with victory in the Beavers’ pocket. Three, to get true freshman Aiden Chiles more game experience.
During his two quarters of action, DJU — winner of the Manning Award as national Quarterback of the Week for his play against San Jose State — was 8 for 13 passing for 107 yards and two touchdowns. On came the 6-3, 200-pound Chiles, who finished 9 for 13 for 74 yards with one TD. The ultra-talented wunderkind, who also played in the fourth quarter at San Jose, looked smooth running the OSU offense and also carried the ball four times for 42 yards.
“It’s been awesome for him to get in there,” Smith said. “He has functioned really well, with his arm, with his decision-making, with his feet creating. The moment’s not too big for him. He understands completely what we’re doing offensively. He was accurate for the most part with the ball. There is a lot to like, and the more experience he gets, the better he gets.”
Martinez also had a 46-yard run during an odd game for him. With the two long carries the 6-foot, 230-pound sophomore gained 110 yards; with his other five rushes he totaled minus-six for a net 104.
There were many good signs for the winners. The defense held Davis to 94 total yards until its drive that culminated with a touchdown with 5:06 to play and the Aggies down 55-0.
“I just wish we had that big zero on the board,” senior defensive tackle Isaac Hodgins said. “That would have felt even better. But to put those two (defensive) performances back-to-back feels good.”
Sophomore Atticus Sappington knocked through his first field-goal attempt of the season from 40 yards in the second quarter and finished 2 for 2. Senior Josh Green looked solid in the punting game with three for a 45-yard average.
With the issue decided at half, Smith and his assistants gave playing time to a load of reserves over the final two quarters, the regulars rooting them on from the sidelines.
“It’s like a proud father raising their kids,” Hodgins said. “It’s good seeing those young guys execute the game plan and fly around with not a huge drop-off. That’s what we want to see.”
There were no turnovers for the second straight game for the Beavers, who still haven’t shown everything they’re going to do schematically on both sides of the ball. Fans might see a little more of that Saturday when they host San Diego State at 12:30 p.m. at Reser. The Aztecs are 2-1, edging Ohio 20-13 and Idaho State 36-28 before falling to UCLA 35-10 on Saturday at home. (After losing to USC and OSU, San Jose State beat Cal Poly 59-3 on Saturday, incidentally.)
If the Beavers reach the level of play of their first two performances, they’ll get through the non-conference season 3-0.
Smith has yet to use redshirt sophomore QB Ben Gulbranson, his able signal-caller through most of last year’s 10-3 campaign.
“We love Ben,” Smith told me after the game. “He is totally ready to go in there and play. We just felt like the value of gaining some experience for Aiden was the deciding factor today.”
Smith and offensive coordinator Brian Lindgren clearly now consider Chiles as Uiagalelei’s backup. It wouldn’t have hurt, however, to give Gulbranson a quarter, or at least a couple of series, in a blowout. If either Uiagalelei or Chiles goes down with an injury, Gulbranson will be needed. It would be nice, too, to reward his efforts with a little playing time.
There is also another factor in play. If the Beavers wind up outside the Power Five after this season, which seems unavoidable, some current players may choose to transfer. Chiles will be one of those highly sought-after. OSU coaches are aware of that, but heck, they may not be around, either.
I’m reminded of a comment made about Chiles by Uiagalelei following the Beavers’ romp over the Spartans last week.
“He is going to be a great football player,” Uiagalelei said. “I’m excited to see where he goes. He will have a great college career.”
Normally, you wouldn’t think anything of it, assuming that DJU meant where Chiles goes with his career at Oregon State. Maybe he did. With the uncertainty of the OSU program’s future, though, the mind races in different directions.
Saturday night was a cool happening for Beaver Nation. I couldn’t hear the crowd in the press box, which is sealed up like a sound-proof booth with no open windows. From what the OSU players said afterward, it was pretty loud. The new facility is spectacular, with Beaver Street a particular attraction. It’s nice to see a long-time dream come to fruition.
But everything today is tempered by what seems likely to happen tomorrow with Oregon State’s athletic program. Perhaps the recent lawsuit by OSU and Washington State will reap at least temporary financial relief for the two schools as they maneuver forward as best they can.
Good fortune is something to hope for, at least, in a season the Beavers intend to make memorable for what happens on the field, not off of it.
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