Football preview
Hass’
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By Kip Carlson
Derek Anderson? Gone. Bill Swancutt? Gone. Brandon Browner? Gone.
A lot of familiar names and big contributors to three straight bowl seasons are missing as Oregon State enters the 2005 football season.
Now it’s wide receiver Mike Hass’ turn to be one of the headliners going into the season.
When Hass walked on at OSU in 2001 — with the Beavers coming off a Pacific-10 co-championship, Fiesta Bowl victory and top-five national finish — this isn’t necessarily where he expected to be going into the final season of his collegiate career.
“Not really, to be honest with you,” Hass said. “Every year I got better. You look at where I’ve come from — from walk-on to special teams to a role player to a starter, it just keeps going up and getting better every year.”
Good enough to where Hass goes into this season holding Oregon State’s single-game records for passes caught (14 vs. Arizona State, 2004) and receiving yardage (293 vs. Boise State, 2004), and the school’s single-season records for pass receptions (86, 2004) and receiving yardage (1,379, 2004).
On the Beavers’ list of career leaders, he’s second in receiving yardage (2,392), fifth in touchdown catches (14) and sixth in receptions (130). A season similar to the one he had last fall could give him those records, as well.
Not that the civil engineering major will be keeping track.
“It’s something for later, more than anything,” Hass said of his places in the record books. “You can’t really get caught up in records or trying to break records, because then you won’t go out and play your game; you’ll try to press too much and do too much. Just going out there within the game plan and executing what your job is, that’s all you can do.”
After three straight seasons working with Anderson, Hass will be breaking in a new quarterback this season. Riley announced in mid-August that the starter will be junior Matt Moore, a transfer from UCLA who arrived at Oregon State for spring football. Backing him up will be junior Ryan Gunderson.
“I’ve caught a lot of balls from those guys, really,” Hass said. “I know what type of ball each has, and we’re getting used to each other a little more, both with Matt and Ryan.”
The biggest adjustment to a new quarterback won’t be physical so much as mental.
“Definitely,” Hass said. “It’s more of a ‘Where am I going to be, where are you going to put the ball?’ kind of deal. All you can do is practice as much as you can, that’s about it.” Hass sees an Oregon State team capable of being a strong one this fall if some inexperienced players step up in spots and the Beavers manage to mesh as a group.
“If we can get those holes filled, we’ll be fine,” Hass said. “We have a good core of guys who are going to make a lot of plays … We may not be as talented as some other teams, so we have to beat them by working together and playing hard.”
Having more than 50 players remain in Corvallis to work out together during the summer should help there.
“That’s big, because you’ve got to have guys committed to the team,” Hass said. “Committed to working out, committed to being the best.”
Reser Stadium expansion ready for home opener
What will Beaver fans find — other than 8,000 more of themselves — when they come to Reser Stadium for Oregon State’s football home opener on Sept. 3 against Portland State?
The new east grandstand will be ready for occupancy, pushing the stadium’s capacity to approximately 43,000, and they’ll enter across a brand-new Parker Plaza between the stadium and Ralph Miller Drive. The restrooms and concession stands will be ready to go. The suites, loge and club sections will be set for fans.
There may be some finish work to be done when Beaver Nation sets foot in the structure for the first few games, but even that should be completed early in the season.
“It may not be 100 percent complete, but it will be game-day ready,” said John Norton, spokesman for Hunt-Wildish, the project’s general contractor.
Oregon Staters will also be able to take advantage of a new 1,000-space parking garage just across S.W. 26th Street from the front doors of Gill Coliseum. It will also be a year-round benefit to current students, faculty and staff.
