7th Best Beaver game is...

#10 Oregon State @ BYU

On October 8th 2012 Steve Fenk pulled Mike Parker aside during a commercial break of the Joe Beaver Radio Show and said that Head Coach Mike Riley would be making a serious announcement in regards to the Oregon State offense. That being said Jon Warren was curious so when it came time to do the post practice interview many of the media folks were ready for this announcement. Cody Vaz would be the starter against BYU because Sean Mannion had injured himself against Washington State. This went over the airwaves, over twitter, and I immediately posted it on facebook. Many people didn't want to believe my post and several people, unfortunately, ruled the Beavers 4-0 start down the toilet once this happened. But how wrong they were, I told many people who reacted negatively to the news who still attended classes on campus to go to practice and watch Vaz play, they did, and it gave them hope. On Friday October 12th The Barometer Newspaper posted a quarter sized page that said WE BELIEVE IN YOU CODY VAZ!

Once the game had started it was Oregon State receiving the ball first and they didn't disappoint. Vaz made several key throws and the Beavers were up 7-0 and the game continued to roll from there. The defense made several key stops and had a great interception. But the Cougars of BYU continued to show drive in the game. Tied 21 at the end of the third quarter the Beavers started to have some pretty dumb luck working in their favor.

To start the scoring off in the 4th quarter tight end Colby Prince reeled in his first touchdown pass of the season on a deflected pass from Cody Vaz. It went up into the air and he boxed out the defenders, like a basketball player, and came up with the ball. Watching this game on television I thought that the ball had been intercepted but watching the replay it was a touchdown. Then on a poorly thrown ball by Riley Nelson it tipped off of his receivers shoulder pads and went into the hand of Jordan Poyer who returned it for a touchdown. His second pick six on Riley Nelson in two years. The Beavers scored 21 points in that fourth quarter to show they were, indeed, for real as a contender for the National Championship, Rose Bowl, and most importantly contenders for anything and everything.

Without further ado here are some highlights to that game so you can relive the greatness of the Beavers winning:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HHBYM1-oJcs

Utah experience overview

Well my travels to the great state of Utah were very fun and interesting. I would go to a game in Salt Lake City again in a second. The fans very welcoming, polite, and friendly, even in the loss. During the game they were a little bit upset because their team was losing during the first half. But before the game my best friend and I were walking around looking for different tailgaters to see what was going on. We showed up at a group who had a television set up and they had the final minutes of the Alabama @ Texas A & M game on. They were kind enough to give us chairs, food, and drinks.

The only complaint that I have in regards to the fans during the game was that they wanted a flag thrown for every little thing, even when a player dropped a pass and a defender wasn't near them. It was a little questionable, but there were a few calls that could have gone either way and questionable. However, when Oregon State eventually pulled out the victory my friend and I had to get to the trains to get back to his house and we were the only Beaver fans on one of the cars. But the people talked about how great the game was and it couldn't have been better, but if Utah had won it would have been better. We discussed their 2008 undefeated season while passing through different stops. Only a few negative comments were said by a couple of people but all in all it was a wonderful trip.

#8 Best Beavers game I've seen is...

Arizona State @ Oregon State 2006

It was  pouring rain on November 4th 2006 when the Sun Devils visited in Corvallis for their match up against Oregon State. After upsetting #3 USC the previous week in the final seconds many people wondered if the Beavers would be able to answer the call against ASU. My ticket to the game was in the end zone on the student side with the band. For those that don't know this, you used to be able to sit in the bands area. It wasn't as large then, and it was pretty darn noisy. Also the whole end zone where the jumbo monitor is at now wasn't there in 2006. I attended the game with one of my good friends from the dorm, Erik Guiremand, and we both were anticipating the same outcome: A Beavers Victory, and boy did we get it.

Aside from how cold and rainy it was outside I was pretty happy about it because it was the first time I got to wear my Oregon State game day poncho and it was really cool. Once the game started it was all Beavers in the first quarter going up 17-0 by the awesome play of Matt Moore and Co. The play of Yvenson Bernard was exceptionally amazing running for two touchdowns in that opening quarter. The Beavers would continue to pour it on from there leading 31-10 at halftime. I remember Matt Moore rushing for his touchdown in the second quarter because he scored it on our side of the stadium and shook hands with fans. I was fortunate enough to take part in that celebration but I can spot Erik and I in the highlights.

The defense remained stout by intercepting ASU quarterback Rudy Carpenter and shutting the Sun Devils out in the second half and sacking him four times on the day.  The Beavers went on to score 13 unanswered second half points. As cold and rainy that day was it held a significant meaning for both Erik and I. My cousin is an instructor out at ASU and he had a friend that went to school out there so it gave us bragging rights for the season with people we both cared about. It was also the game I learned what it meant to be a true Beaver Believer. It was my first game sitting in pouring rain, but it wouldn't be my last. Below is a compilation video of the 2006 season where some ASU highlights are at, I apologize but there aren't any highlights to this game on youtube or even ESPN. Enjoy!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hvSwLHjPbnA

#9 Best Beavers Game I've ever seen.

#13 Wisconsin vs Oregon State September 8th 2012

Sure people say that this game was absolutely boring to watch due to the low scoring involved but it kept you on the edge of your seat and it came right down to the end. Some "experts" felt that Wisconsin was robbed of victory because an Oregon State player had touched the ball before the kicker had let it go 10 yards, BOLLOCKS! People were just in shock that Oregon State had beat their first ranked challenge. After not playing against Nicholls State the previous week due to Hurricane Isaac the Beavers continued to train hard. Even when Bret Bielma didn't want to send game film to the Beavers they still came out with the victory.

The scene was set, a decently filled Reser Stadium with fans who were ready for a fresh start after the dismal 2011 football season waited for kick off. But pre-game festivities honoring the 1962 Liberty Bowl team and the 50th Anniversary of Heisman Winner Terry Baker took some time. We also honored our lost player, Fred Thomson, who died tragically at Dixon Rec Center while playing a pick up game of basketball. As the players took the field the fans started getting into it more and more.

The first quarter was slightly rough for the Beavers, it seemed that it took some time to get in the grove of things. Especially on the punter getting wrapped up. The one thing that was consistent in this game was defense. They played tough. While entering the second quarter Coach Riley took a risk on second year kicker Trevor Romaine, and it paid off. Romaine hit a 43 yard field goal, he would miss one later on the day. But at half time the Beavers had a 3-0 lead and looked to continue to deliver the knock out punch in the 3rd quarter.

If there was a roof on Reser it would have been blown off because when Brandon Cooks hauled in Sean Mannion's 20 yard touchdown pass as he tip toed in the back of the end zone the crowd went NUTS! Leading 10-0 with less than two minuets left it looked as though the Beavers had it. But several long pass plays by Wisconsin quarterback Danny O'Brien helped the Badgers score a touchdown with 1:31 left in the game...Well good passing and a heck of a pass interference call on Oregon State player DJ Alexander. He turned, had his eyes on the ball, knocked it away cleanly, but PI got called. Even the announcers didn't agree with it, but hey at the end of the day the Beavers were victorious and it went on to be a great season for a team that nobody expected to do that great winning their first six games in a row for the first time since 1907.

Here are some of the best highlights of the game I can find, enjoy.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DNEVX52mFbI

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FnnRpp1MF8k

# 10 Best Beaver Game I've ever seen.

#10 Best Beaver game I've seen is involved with the wretched 2011 season. As bad as their season was this was the last home game of the season and it was a good one. The Beavers came out strong on senior appreciation day. Leading at halftime by 3 they were strong in the third quarter holding Washington scoreless. Then the Beavers exploded in the 4th quarter by outscoring Washington 21-7. The clock ticked down and the final score was 38-21.

This was quite the game where Washington not only used Nick Montana, but brought in Keith Price to relieve him. Montana was less than stellar completing 11/21 passes for 79 yards in his first career starts. Price would throw a costly interception to Ryan Murphy on the one yard line that would lead to the Beavers victory.  Jovan Stevenson of Oregon State ran the ball in for three touchdowns and Sean Mannion threw for 339 yards. A tremendous game and one for the ages. Below are links to the highlights from that game. The first one is from the first half and the second one is for the second half. Keep reading my blogs to know what #9 is. I hope to have it out by Wednesday.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v_jdx3zd3WU

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gmP_po4sur0

College World Series memories

It was a warm summer night in Victorville California on June 26^th 2006 when I was working at the concession stand of the Cinemark movie theater I was employed at. Towards the middle of my shift I couldn’t help but ask customers “Do you know who won the College World Series?” The customers simply shook their heads and headed towards their theater. It was particularly slow on this night and I begged my manager to check the score for me on the computer. But work place policy wouldn’t allow it. Suddenly the person working box office poked her head out of the door and said “Joe, phone call line one.” I picked the phone up and it was my mother telling me that the Beavers had won 3-2 to win the National Championship over North Carolina. I jumped for joy and worked the rest of the night with an even bigger smile.

Flash forward a year later, I am wearing US Army PT cloths and sitting on a bench waiting my turn for an eye exam when the guy next to me nudges me and points at the television. I look up at the highlights to the Beavers repeating as National Champions. I nodded my head with approval because I wasn’t sure what a Drill Sergeant would say or do about my excitement. Luckily once I got my address my family and friends mailed me newspaper clippings about the game. Now it is 2013 and the Beavers are as resilient as they were in 2006, I recently graduated from Oregon State and it would be nice to see the Beavers end my time at the University the way they started it, by winning the College World Series. Go Beavers!

Becoming Notorious

Being an intern for a sports radio show isn’t an easy thing but it is rather fun to do. One of the coolest things to take away from it is becoming a local celebrity. While covering fall football for Oregon State I had the chance to meet with many of our local listeners and put faces to names of those that call. Even when covering high school football I met with people who listened to the Joe Beaver Show who knew who I was. Gaining the notoriety has become slightly interesting. While sitting in class in the fall before a student presentation my instructor looked over at me and asked “Are you Joe the Intern for the Joe Beaver Show?” I nodded my head and he thought it was the coolest thing.

Since being involved with road shows I’ve continued to meet avid fans of the show that supported it. While exiting the drive through at McDonald’s two weeks ago a gentleman entering the drive way started waving at me. I waved and smiled back and my girlfriend asked me who it was. I just told her it was one of the people who shows up at our road shows for the program. She laughed and said the Joe Beaver Show is making me famous. The thing I like most about the waving, the public hello’s, and the kind head nods is how welcoming the community has always been. The first three years I lived in Corvallis I couldn’t go anywhere without running into someone I know. In the last two years that has gone away, but since doing the Joe Beaver Show that feeling is coming back and the recognition by the listeners is nice.