Beavers’ Season Bright, For Now Osu Enters Opener Against UI As Favorite And Team On Rise

“Oregon State is expected to get off to a 3-0 start for the first time since 1967.”

Alan Malamud, Los Angeles Times.

“The Beavers should win their first three games (Idaho, Pacific, North Texas).”

Geoffrey Arnold, The Oregonian.

For only the fourth time in his five years at Oregon State, football coach Jerry Pettibone wakes up this morning with his Beavers favored entering a game.

He probably didn’t sleep well.

“That’s not us saying those things, that’s the media,” said Pettibone, whose Beavers tangle with Idaho in the season opener today at 1 p.m. at Parker Stadium.

“Last year we were favored against Pacific and I could sense it in our locker room, the anxiety, the pressure on the players. It’s part of the maturity process.”

The Beavers won that opener.

Chris Tormey predicted he wouldn’t sleep well Friday night, either. His reason, however, is first-game nerves.

“I’m trying not to think about it,” said the Vandals new coach, who admits he is, understandably, thinking about it.

UI defensive coordinator Nick Holt probably missed some winks on Friday night, too. That way he avoided nightmares.

OSU, which has made steady improvement under Pettibone after seemingly having a long-term lease on the Pacific-10 Conference cellar, runs an option offense and has been in the top five nationally in ground yards the last two years. So last spring the Beavers added a double-slot formation and they plan to pass 10-12 times a game.

“They give you enough headaches with the wishbone,” Holt said. “Now they’re spreading people out and you can’t load up against the run.”

Under Pettibone, OSU is 3-0 as a favorite (Pacific twice, Wyoming). The good news for Division I-AA Idaho is that it is 3-0 in its last three games against I-A schools.

UI is not only an underdog, it’s also undersized.

Weights listed in a Friday story apparently were spring leftovers. These days, left tackle Tim Camp goes 6-foot-7 and 308 pounds, left guard Jarrod Owens is 6-5 and 305, center Darin Borter’s a comparably tiny 6-3 and 291, right guard Brad Thompson is 6-2 and 324 and right tackle Phil Lafler stands 6-6 and 295.

Heck, freshman tight end Larry Ramirez is 6-6 and 284, a shade bigger than UI’s beefiest defensive lineman, 276-pound Dan Zeamer. It’s a 20-30-pound dropoff to the rest of Zeamer’s linemates.

Not to worry, says UI safety Montrell Williams.

“Our guys aren’t as big, but I’d put money on the fact that we’re just as strong and quicker,” said Williams, arguably UI’s fastest player.

His analysis might be right. Idaho’s main worry could be OSU’s speed.

“I’m more concerned about them getting a skill guy to the perimeter, with a blocker in front,” Holt said.

Not that all the cards stack up on OSU’s side. The Beavers will start two freshmen, Andrae Holland and Armon Hatcher, at cornerback. Zone defense, hello?

“That’s a possibility,” Pettibone concedes.

Problem is, OSU has become efficient with an attacking defense, which usually doesn’t mix with a zone.

OSU’s spring game was televised on Prime Sports, so UI coaches checked out the Beavers’ double-slot offensive formations.

“That’s just an evolution of our offense,” Pettibone said.

So, too, Pettibone hopes, is his team being favored.

“This is a good game for us,” Pettibone insists. “You’ve got to be able to crawl before you can walk.”

Just don’t expect Idaho’s uniforms to come equipped with white towels to surrender.

“We’d have to play almost a perfect game, not make mistakes, give up big plays, win the kicking game and get a couple of good bounces,” Tormey said. “But I think we’re ready and we’re excited.”

Vandals notes

Tormey will try to become just the second UI head coach in the last 12 to win his Vandals opener. … The last time UI won in Corvallis, Wayne Anderson was at quarterback in a 27-6 victory. Anderson retired last year after more than three decades as a UI administrator. … A crowd of 25,000-30,000 is expected, despite the fact classes aren’t yet in session. … Forecasters say temperatures should be in the mid-80s. … Idaho has a bye next week.

, DataTimes ILLUSTRATION: Graphic: Vandals at Oregon State