Andersen is the right coach. That I'm sure of. Also, Garretson looks capable of leading that charge. He was 25 of 40 for 228 yards and three touchdowns. He made a couple of brilliant throws. Except, he's not going to lead the Beavers anywhere while being blindsided by pass rushers who ran untouched toward him. Collins, who had 57 receiving yards, looks capable, too, of being the kind of talent who breaks open a game. Nall, too. Jordan Villamin as well. Except, how are any of those guys going to catch passes and collect ovations when Garretson is on the ground looking out the earhole of his helmet?
Answer: They aren't.
The whole thing was compounded on Thursday night by a bearded Minnesota fan in a bright gold T-shirt who spent his evening drinking Miller Lite and screaming insults. He sat above the team, immediately behind the Beavers bench, and shouted things such as, "When they scheduled this game, you guys knew you weren't good enough!!" And, "This loss is your fault!! You guys know you suck!!"
The guy was like Oregon State's deep-rooted subconscious, hurling verbal insecurities at the backs of the Beavers heads. To their credit, they never turned around and acknowledged his existence. But they had to hear him. He was incessant and loud. The Beavers offensive lineman sat in front of him at the end of the game, their eyes staring at their shoe tops. I wondered how much they'd like to climb into the stands and feed him their shoulder pads. I wondered how much they'd love to shut up everyone who still believes Oregon State football is the equivalent of a 98-pound weakling.