It was Christmas Eve 2013 and the Oregon State football program was feeling particularly festive.
Players snapped pictures holding the Hawaii Bowl trophy and some, donning Santa caps, shared “Mele Kalikimaka” greetings with their fans in the wake of a 38-23 victory over Boise State at Aloha Stadium.
After consecutive winning seasons, coach Mike Riley looked ahead to a hopeful New Year saying, “When you win, you’d like to say it’s a good ending — a good beginning for the upcoming year.”
But good fortune hasn’t followed Oregon State since its last visit here. The Beavers have gone 14-47 in the interim amid five consecutive losing seasons and four head coaches.
It has fallen to Jonathan Smith, a former quarterback for the Beavers, now in his second season as head coach, to try and put the pieces back together as they return to Aloha Stadium for Saturday’s nonconference game against the University of Hawaii.
The 40-year-old Smith, who proclaimed the head coaching position as his “dream job” in his “dream town” upon appointment, was a popular choice in Corvallis. He seemed to epitomize the roll-up-your-sleeves approach it takes for Oregon State to find success in the considerable shadow of the Oregon Ducks aka “the University of Nike” down the road in Eugene and among the more well-heeled Pac-12 elite.
Smith arrived there as a walk-on quarterback from southern California who probably recruited the Beavers more than they sought him.
He arrived with no guarantees and, by dint of his resolve and hard work, set about winning a scholarship and eventually taking over the starting job.
What he did with it, guiding the Beavers to a 1999 Oahu Bowl appearance against UH and a 2001 Fiesta Bowl victory over Notre Dame and 11-1 finish, won Smith legendary status. Not to mention a place in the record book as the school’s all-time leading passer with 9,680 yards (since surpassed).
But winning where only Riley, the school’s most accomplished coach (93-80 in 13 seasons) has had long-haul success in recent decades before going to Nebraska, has been elusive.
A Smith predecessor, Gary Andersen, grew so frustrated that he threw up his hands and fled in October of the 1-11 campaign in 2017.
Changing the trajectory has been a formidable challenge. The Beavers went 2-10 in Smith’s debut last season, which wasn’t easy for the gritty true believer. “It is tough that way on Saturdays because you’re a competitive guy, right. But, at the same time, we kind of knew what we were getting into … it wasn’t just going to flip in Year 1. We’re taking a long-term approach on it,” Smith said at Pac-12 media day.
Las Vegas oddsmakers listed the over/under on Beavers victories this season at 2.5, and the 52-36 opening-week loss to Oklahoma State didn’t portend immediate change.
The Beavers have demonstrated a potent offense, but defense continues to be a problem. Managing to come up with third-down stops, where the Beavers ranked 126th among 130 Football Bowl Subdivision members last season, was a recurring problem against the Cowboys, who converted 10 of 13 attempts.
“I told this team we’re not over-reacting to Game 1,” Smith said at Monday’s press conference. “… But we’re also not under-reacting. We’re focusing on the details and the urgency to improve.”
It is that urgency that brings the Beavers back to Aloha Stadium seeking a re-boot.
Reach Ferd Lewis at flewis@staradvertiser.com or 529-4820.
