No Father's Son

[redsox907]

I mean I did shut out Oregon...

that game is #underreview

same sliders and Bear Bachmeier sliced me up next week. Sunshine just ain't built like that

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Pair of Interceptions Ends Rams' Upset Bid In Nail Bitter

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Ricky McKinley // Dam Daily • Published: November 13th, 2027

Darius Curry and the Colorado State Rams did their best to play spoiler on the 15th-ranked Oregon State Beavers at Reser Stadium, but a pair of defensive stands gave Salahadin Allah just enough time to slash in the go-ahead score as Oregon State prevailed in a 21-16 nail-biter.

From the opening drive it was clear that Darius Curry was out to redeem himself after a disastrous effort against Coach Leon's defense last season, leading the Rams on a crisp opening drive capped with a 14-yard strike to Mekhi Anderson. An interception midway through the 2nd quarter slowed Curry's aerial assault, allowing Kallen Gutridge to put the second Beavs touchdown on the board, but a final drive by Curry allowed the Rams to narrow the lead to a lone point following Payne Williams III's second-field goal of the half as the teams entered the locker room with Oregon State leading 14-13.

As time wound down in the 3rd quarter Curry mounted another drive, eventually reaching 1st-and-goal from the 1-yard line, but that would be as far as the march went. A run stuffed for negative two-yards on 1st down led to an incompletion by Curry on 2nd down, Curry dropped back once again on 3rd-and-goal, but instead of paydirt he was met with Manu Hasty, who came untouched through the A-gap for the sack. Colorado State would still take the lead, 16-14, on the ensuing field goal, but keeping the Rams out of the end zone would end up being a pivotal moment for the Beavers.

Oregon State's offense would continue to struggle, now trailing, with a quick punt following the Rams field goal. Another march by Curry, this time with a short field, was cut down by the Beavers again after head coach Tyson Summers opted to eschew the field goal on 4th-and-2 from the 10-yard line. His fade into the end zone for Mekhi Anderson, who hauled in the first touchdown for the Rams, was covered perfectly by Kodi DeCambra as the converted safety snagged his second interception of the game.

From there, the Beavers' offense rode Salahadin Allah for 73 of the 80 yards downfield, with Allah powering into the endzone from 1-yard out to give the Beavers a late 21-16 lead. Still, Darius Curry had thrown for 267 yards to that point and despite coming away with only three points, had just driven the Rams into the red zone on back-to-back possessions. He would not make it a third, however.

A quick first down had the Beavers' defense on its heels, but with the game on the line, Coach Leon went deep into his bag with a sim pressure Tampa 2 look, a call he rarely makes, and the payoff was instant. Thinking he had Xavier Johnson wide-open in a hole on the zone, Curry let it rip. But Sailasa Vadrawale III lay in wait, shaded just enough to the inside to give the guise of an open throw. He quickly closed the gap, rose up, and snagged the interception that would end the day for Curry & Co, as the Beavers ran out the clock to seal the victory.

Coach Leon was quick to praise his defense's resilience as well as acknowledge another stellar effort on the ground by Salahadin Allah.


•••


Question One - Chip Swarley (CW Sports): "Coach, Darius Curry made some huge throws in the game, getting the Rams offense into the red zone on five different occasions, yet your defense only gave up one touchdown. How tough is it for a defense to keep the intensity and focus as the opposing offense mounts a drive and maintain enough composure to force the field goal on multiple instances?"

Armando Leon: "This unit is special, Chip. You see a lot of defenses give up a big play or two and fold on themselves. Start pointing fingers, looking for excuses. Not these guys, they simply buckle the chinstrap again and focus on getting the next stop. Kodi's interception in the red zone was clutch, as was Manu's sack in the 3rd quarter. He was designed to spy on that play, honestly, but when he saw the gap in the line he made the call to blitz it and Curry never saw it coming. If we give up a touchdown there? It's a completely different game. First, we tie the game instead of winning it with Allah's 2nd touchdown, but additionally, they're kicking the field goal on Kodi's interception, not pushing for the touchdown to make it a two-score game. Big-time players, make big-time plays, and you saw that on the field today."

Question Two - Charles Murray (The Rocky Mountain Collegian): "Walk us through the play call on Curry's third interception that ended the Rams' potential game-winning drive, Coach. That looked like a Tampa 2 coverage your defense doesn't call often, if at all?"

Armando Leon: "I think the worst-kept secret in the Pac-12 is that I like to blitz, and sometimes you can break tendency and catch the opponent off guard. We don't run Tampa 2 very often, but in a two-minute drill where we know they're going to be throwing the ball and trying to work the sidelines to preserve their timeouts, it played to our advantage. We feigned the blitz again, then dropped all but three defenders into coverage. You could tell Curry was caught off guard and simply made a bad throw. Checkmate."

Question Three - Olivia LeRusso (Oregonlive): "Last question, Coach, but this one is about the offense. How beneficial is it to have a guy like Salahadin Allah on your side who is the definition of a workhorse this season?"

Armando Leon: "He's a godsend, Olivia. No pun intended. I don't see how he isn't higher on the Doak Walker award list, 'cause he's having a killer season. When the pressure mounts, he always steps up to steady the offense and it's saved our bacon more than a few times this season."


•••


I thought this was the game, honest to God loyal readers. I thought this was the game that the offense finally shit the bed and let us down. I mean, think about it. We almost lost a game where the defense only allowed 16 points. If we can't score more than 16 points, do we even deserve to win?

Salahadin Allah bailed us out again, but we can't bank on that always being the case. Head Coach Jonathan Smith is an offensive guy, at some point you have to think he's taking the reins from Mitch Dahlen, if this is truly a play calling issue. Or are they simply making do with a terrible situation, with AJ Maddox not being as advertised?

Either way, the margins are only getting slimmer as the season barrels towards its conclusion. The defense is ready to play, but can the offense do enough to make it last?

Team	1st	2nd	3rd	4th	Final
Colorado State	7	6	3	0	16
Oregon State	0	14	0	7	21

Q	Team	Time	Play	Colorado State	Oregon State
1st	Colorado State	5:04	Mekhi Anderson, 14 Yd Pass From Darius Curry	7	0
2nd	Oregon State	9:31	Salahadin Allah, 5 Yd Run	7	7
2nd	Colorado State	5:44	Payne Williams III, 38 Yd FG	10	7
2nd	Oregon State	2:56	Philip Ghiaciuc, 6 Yd Pass From Kallen Gutridge	10	14
2nd	Colorado State	0:00	Payne Williams III, 42 Yd FG	13	14
3rd	Colorado State	1:57	Payne Williams III, 25 Yd FG	16	14
4th	Oregon State	3:22	Salahadin Allah, 1 Yd Run	16	21

Colorado State                                             Oregon State

Passing               | Stats                              Passing                  | Stats
----------------------|-------------------------------------------------------------|------------------------------------------
Darius Curry          | 23/35, 298 Yds, TD, 3 INT          Kallen Gutridge          | 13/18, 143 Yds, TD

Rushing               | Stats                              Rushing                  | Stats
----------------------|-------------------------------------------------------------|------------------------------------------
Benjamin Hall         | 9 Att, 19 Yds                      Salahadin Allah          | 25 Att, 151 Yds, 2 TD
Darius Curry          | 4 Att, -4 Yds                      Kallen Gutridge          | 9 Att, 7 Yds

Receiving             | Stats                              Receiving                | Stats
----------------------|-------------------------------------------------------------|------------------------------------------
Mekhi Anderson        | 7 Rec, 102 Yds, TD                 Zachary Card             | 4 Rec, 27 Yds
Brock Camp            | 6 Rec, 106 Yds                     Philip Ghiaciuc          | 4 Rec, 52 Yds, TD
Xavier Johnson        | 3 Rec, 41 Yds                      Jackson Bowers           | 3 Rec, 44 Yds

Defensive             | Stats                              Defensive                | Stats
----------------------|-------------------------------------------------------------|------------------------------------------
CB Elijah Brown       | 10 Tkl, 2 TFL                      CB Sailasa Vadrawale III | 9 Tkl, INT
LB Jaden Landrum      | 9 Tkl, TFL                         MLB Manu Hasty           | 8 Tkl, 5 TFL, 2 Sacks
DE Jaylon Porter      | 6 Tkl, 2 TFL                       CB Kodi DeCambra         | 5 Tkl, 2 INT

Pac-12 Week Eleven Results
35 Utah State (4-6) @ San Diego State (2-8) 28
23 Boise State (8-2) @ Washington State (6-4) 63
7 Texas State (1-9) @ Fresno State (3-7) 31

Notable Week Eleven Results
28 Oklahoma (6-4) @ #9 Florida (8-2) 38
17 #21 Miami (7-3) @ #6 Duke (9-1) 38
21 #17 Auburn (8-3) @ #14 Georgia (7-3) 24
12 Notre Dame (7-3) @ #13 Clemson (8-2) 42

Additional Media

► Show Spoiler

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Beavers' Recruiting Class Slowly Taking Shape

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Ricky McKinley // Dam Daily • Published: November 17th, 2027

As the Beavers continue to build towards one of the most successful seasons in recent memory, the recruiting class is slowly catching up. Now sitting at eight total verbal commitments, it's far from a powerhouse class, but one that is slowly shaping up to feature several borderline four-star prospects.

Leading the pack is Nick Slade, the 3* JUCO tackle from Fresno, CA. Slade has yet to sign a letter of intent or verbally commit to the Beavers, but sources close to the sophomore indicate that Oregon State is the only team in the running currently.

While they wait for the final word from Slade, Dom Nicholson and Khamari Mebane are the jewels of the class so far for Oregon State. Both are listed as athletes, but project as versatile defenders with speed to play a variety of positions in Coach Leon's aggressive defense.

"It's clear when you look at our recruiting classes over the last two years what we're looking for," acknowledged Leon after the latest verbal commitments, "Speed kills."

Including Nick Slade, the Beavers are the front runners for the top seven players on their big board who have yet to commit, all of whom rank inside the top 800 nationally.

"It isn't a class that's going to compare with the likes of Oregon or Washington, but in the Pac-12? It's easily going to be a premier class. They're already attracting top portal talent for their prestige ranking, but now they're going to be supplementing that with top prep recruits as well," noted one anonymous Pac-12 executive.

"If they keep building, they're looking like more than a flash in the pan at this point."


•••

Ranking	Position	Name	Ht	Wt	Hometown	Tendency	NAT/STA/POS	Stage	Oregon State Rank
	T	Nick Slade	6'4	294	Fresno, CA (JUCO)	Pass Pro	463/63/42	Top 5	1st
	ATH	Dom Nicholson	6'2	272	Midlothian, VA	Power Rusher	481/9/51	Committed	Oregon State
	ATH	Khamari Mebane	5'11	239	Clearwter, FL	Thumper	512/61/28	Committed	Oregon State
	ATH	Fredrick Flowers	6'4	233	Las Vegas, NV	Pure Possession	523/1/23	Top 3	1st
	C	Kevin Faulkner	6'3	281	San Jose, CA (JUCO)	Well Rounded	581/70/21	Top 3	1st
	WR	Hasheem Cheek	5'10	188	Playa Del Rey, CA	Gadget	591/71/104	Top 3	1st
	G	Deontae Berryman	6'2	291	Saint George, UT	Raw Strength	682/10/35	Top 5	1st
	FS	Antoine Clay	5'10	180	Indianapolis, IN (JUCO)	Box Specialist	697/12/27	Top 5	2nd
	ATH	Rahim Burress	6'4	236	Portland, OR	Pure Possession	714/8/28	Committed	Oregon State
	WR	Shawn Dewey	6'1	178	Honolulu, HI	Elusive Route Runner	736/8/124	Top 5	1st
	ATH	Shane Cleveland	6'3	243	Wilmington, DE	Thumper	773/3/40	Top 5	1st
	LB	George Iwuchukwu	5'11	227	Cypress, TX	Lurker	768/110/49	Top 3	1st
	MLB	Shaquille Thomas	6'0	209	Boling, TX	Lurker	869/121/49	Top 3	3rd
	WR	Darrell Garnes	6'4	197	Walla Walla, WA	Physical Route Runner	913/8/153	Top 5	2nd
	CB	David Akinmoladun	6'1	191	Santa Ana, CA	Boundary	925/98/80	Committed	UCLA
	ATH	Tavarius Boyett	6'5	271	Yorba Linda, CA	Power Rusher	940/101/95	Committed	Oregon State
	ATH	Garrison Rourke	6'3	262	Studio City, CA	Power Rusher	1055/108/104	Committed	UCLA
	SS	Clarence McNabb	6'0	188	Oak Grove, LA	Box Specialist	1068/38/21	Committed	Oregon State
	TE	Anthony Brockel	6'4	245	Portland, Oregon	Pure Possession	1123/22/43	Committed	Oregon State
	ATH	Bruce Lovelace	5'10	191	Palm Springs, CA	East/West Playmaker	1259/128/168	Committed	Oregon State
	ATH	Hugh Grupe	6'0	202	Upland, CA	East/West Playmaker	1264/130/170	Top 3	1st
	G	Ben Van Pelt	6'5	300	Lawndale, CA	Agile	1318/132/69	Top 8	1st
	QB	Amari Williams	6'3	210	San Mateo, CA	Pocket Passer	1494/147/110	Committed	Air Force
	CB	Eric Granger	6'1	196	Santa Ana, CA	Bump and Run	1507/149/120	Committed	Arizona State
	ATH	Jason Bethel	6'0	241	Burien, WA	Thumper	1757/14/97	Committed	Oregon State

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2027 Week Twelve Preview - #12 Oregon State (9-1) @ Boise State Broncos (8-2)

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Ricky McKinley // Dam Daily • Published: November 19th, 2027

With the Boise State Broncos' shocking 63-23 loss in Pullman last week, suddenly a win on The Blue can clinch a spot in the Pac-12 Championship Game for the 12th-ranked Oregon State Beavers. Before the shocker in Pullman, the prevailing thought was that regardless of the outcome on The Blue this weekend, these teams were destined to clash in Las Vegas for the Pac-12 Championship. But now, a win by the Beavers would essentially eliminate the Broncos from contention if Washington State can win one of their final two games this season.

On the other side, it creates a situation where a colossal collapse by the Beavers could see them missing a spot in Vegas entirely, as losses to both Boise State and Washington State would leave the Beavers in 3rd place in the Pac.

After that team comparison below, we'll get to "Leon's Lowdown" to talk about a potential clinching win on The Blue and how the defense plans on continuing their domination of the opposition.


•••

#12 Oregon State Beavers (9-1)         | Description                   | Boise State Broncos (8-2)
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81 Overall // 81 Offense // 81 Defense | Team Rating                   | 79 Overall // 79 Offense // 81 Defense
Jonathan Smith (62-55)                 | Head Coach                    | Spencer Danielson (39-15)
Pro Style                              | Offensive Scheme              | Pro Style
3-3-5                                  | Defensive Scheme              | 4-2-5
34.6 (24th)                            | Offensive Points Per Game     | 34.1 (26th)
14.0 (1st)                             | Defensive Points Per Game     | 28.1 (73rd)
344.3 (115th)                          | Offensive Yards Per Game      | 409.3 (37th)
237.8 (1st)                            | Defensive Yards Per Game      | 392.3 (75th)

Oregon State Beavers               | Description     | Boise State Broncos
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
62-58                              | Combined Record | 53-37
Portland State (FCS) W 44-0        | Week One        | @ Appalachian State (9-1) W 27-24
New Mexico (6-4) W 40-14           | Week Two        | USF (7-3) L 38-24
@ Oregon (5-5) W 30-0              | Week Three      | @ Marshall (3-7) W 34-10
@ BYU (6-4) L 37-21                | Week Four       | FCS W 66-10
@ Ole Miss (7-3) W 38-30           | Week Five       | @ James Madison (3-7) W 35-27
BYE                                | Week Six        | BYE
Texas State (1-9) W 54-10          | Week Seven      | San Diego State (2-8) W 24-17
@ Utah State (4-6) W 34-13         | Week Eight      | @ Fresno State (3-7) W 32-31
San Diego State (2-8) W 32-13      | Week Nine       | Texas State (1-9) W 45-38
@ Fresno State (3-7) W 27-13       | Week Ten        | @ Utah State (4-6) W 31-23
Colorado State (5-5) W 21-16       | Week Eleven     | @ Washington State (6-4) L 63-23

Oregon State Beavers                                             Boise State Broncos
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T Melvin Siani (83) Torn Labrum (2 Week)            | Injuries  | DE Vaone (77) Broken Thumb (3 Weeks)
MLB Jadyn Walker (80) Partial MCL Tear (7 Weeks)    | Injuries  | LB Ace Kaufusi (79) Torn Tricep (11 Week)

Oregon State Beavers                                           | Pos | Boise State Broncos
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JR(RS) Kallen Gutridge (74) 84/141(59%), 982 Yds, 7 TD, 3 INT  | QB  | FR(RS) George Tejeda (80) 224/412 (55%), 3,082 Yds, 21 TD, 5 INT
SR Salahadin Allah (85) 195 Att, 1,123 Yds, 17 TD              | HB  | SO(RS) Greg Ard (81) 106 Att, 441 Yds, 7 TD
SR(RS) David Wells Jr (83) 42 Rec, 498 Yds, 2 TD               | WR  | JR(RS) Jordan Malau'ulu (85) 69 Rec, 1,025 Yds, 4 TD
SR(RS) Zachary Card (85) 41 Rec, 514 Yds, 3 TD                 | WR  | SO Slade Runyan (83) 52 Rec, 843 Yds, 9 TD
SO MLB Manu Hasty (89)  61 Tkl, 26 TFL,  7.5 Sacks, INT        | DEF | SR(RS) CB Macho Stevenson (81) 70 Tkl, TFL, 2 INT
SR(RS) LB Jalen Smith (81) 40 Tkl, 15 TFL, 7 Sacks             | DEF | SO DT Byron Conklin (79) 25 Tkl, 10 TFL, 3 Sacks
SR(RS) DE Kelze Howard (82)  29 Tkl, 18 TFL, 8.5 Sacks         | DEF | SO(RS) DE Ezekiel Thornhill (82) 25 Tkl, 6 TFL, 3 Sacks
SR(RS) CB Kodi DeCambra (84) 47 Tkl, 6 TFL, Sack, 3 INT        | DEF | SR(RS) CB Jordan Shaw (84) 56 Tkl, 3 INT

Pac-12 Week Twelve Schedule

► Show Spoiler

Washington State (6-4) @ Colorado State (5-5)
Fresno State (3-7) @ Utah State (4-6)
San Diego State (2-8) @ Texas State (1-9)

Notable Week Twelve Matchups

► Show Spoiler

#15 TCU (8-2) @ #24 Colorado (8-2)
#8 LSU (9-2) @ #16 Ole Miss (7-3)
#11 Washington @ #19 Penn State (7-3)
#1 Alabama (10-0) @ #5 Texas (9-1)

Heisman Watch

► Show Spoiler

QB DJ Lagway (UF) 200/268, 2,826 Yds, 32 TD, 2 INT; 92 Att, 484 Yds, 5 TD
QB Julian Lews (TEX) 253/364, 3,445 Yds, 21 TD, 6 INT; 132 Att, 330 Yds, 14 TD
QB Ajani Sheppard (RUT)  179/268, 2,094 Yds, 20 TD, 3 INT; 207 Att, 971 Yds, 12 TD
QB Austin Mack (ALA)  197/274, 2,784 Yds, 25 TD, 0 INT; 55 Att, 112 Yds, 5 TD
HB Daniel Hill (ALA)  172 Att, 1,079 Yds, 20 TD; 10 Rec, 95 Yds, 3 TD

•••


Leon's Lowdown

RM: "Coach, suddenly a game we thought was a championship preview is a potential title-berth-clinching game for our Beavers. Does that change the mindset of the team going into the game, or is it business as usual still?"

AL: "Business as usual, Ricky. You should know that by now, but I know you've got people to answer to. We did the same thing we do every week, address the gravity of the upcoming matchup so we're cognizant, then get to work. If we lose this game, we can still make the championship. So it's not do or die, but we'd much rather win our way in, than be given a path. I expect the whole team to be locked in."

RM: "This defense is on a generational run right now, ranked #1 in both scoring defense and yardage allowed, while stacking a streak of five straight games without giving up more than 20 points. What will you guys have to do on The Blue to keep that streak going?"

AL: "Coverage has to be tight, Ricky. George Tejeda may be a redshirt freshman, but he was a fringe five-star recruit for a reason. He's got a plus arm, has great touch to all levels, and has enough athleticism to escape the pocket when needed. We're going to need to be on the receivers like glue and be disciplined with our gap integrity, we can't afford to get greedy and leave a wide-open lane, 'cause he'll punish us for it."

RM: "Speaking of wide receivers, Jordan Malau'ulu shredded your defense last year with Fresno State, and was instrumental to their 21-point second-half comeback. What do you guys have to do in your second meeting with the dynamic receiver to limit his impact?"

AL: "We don't run double coverage a lot, but we may need to reassess that against Boise State. He's their best receiver for a reason and to ask Kodi or Exodus to stand alone on an island all game is a tall task, but we have to be tactical with it. If we simply double him every play, it opens up the field for their plethora of athletes to make plays. We've got to be selective and make sure we're not leaving ourselves vulnerable. But that's part of the fun, it's like a live game of chess at full speed."


•••


I've gone back and forth on this, Beaver Nation. We're rolling, the defense is playing great, and the team knows that if they win, we're in to the conference championship. A loss and we're suddenly in a must-win situation next week against Washington State, while also likely outside the Playoff race barring some upsets.

But Boise State has plenty to play for too, including avenging last year's loss in the "Guarantee Game."

This is all going to come down to the offense. Can Kallen Gutridge, AJ Maddox, or even James Rowe at this point do enough to get the W, especially in a hostile environment like The Blue?

20 Oregon State, 17 Boise State. Let's go Build the Dam.

[Soapy]

Boise State losing the week before takes some shine off this game but still a major one

[redsox907]

Boise State losing the week before takes some shine off this game but still a major one

agreed, lowkey mad that Boise State went ahead and sullied the game like that

[redsox907]

Chapter Twenty-Eight: The Only Standard

The entire season felt like it had been building to this. The non-conference loss to BYU aside, we had steamrolled the rest of the conference and coupled with the shutout victory over Oregon had legitimate momentum to make the College Football Playoff for the first time since its introduction. The showdown with Boise State in Week 12 was assumed to be a conference championship preview, with the winner possibly punching their ticket into the playoff.

Then suddenly, it wasn’t. The Broncos were stunned by the Washington State Cougars, 63-23, and now instead of being a preview game, the Broncos simply had to beat us to keep their conference championship hopes alive, while we would punch our ticket to Vegas with a win against Boise State, or Washington State the following week.

“I mean, pride aside, isn’t this a good thing,” inquired Jessica as I watched film on Broncos’ QB George Tejada Wednesday night, two days before we would depart for Boise, “Now there is an easier path to the conference championship, right?”

Technically, she was right. With Boise State having already dropped a conference game, even if we lost to them, we still had the inside track to Vegas with a win against Washington State. But that wasn’t the point. Public perception was the point, like it or not. But, there was something deeper as well.

“Look at how the talk about the win over Oregon has shifted,” I pointed out, trying to frame it where it didn’t sound like merely a matter of pride, which as much as I hated to admit, it was.

I wanted to beat Boise State again, while they were on top, to prove the conference ran through us.

“At the time, it was a statement win. But now that Oregon is 5-5 on the year? Now, suddenly, it’s a down year in Eugene, a game we should have won with the Ducks in transition. We’re in a lose-lose situation now, as far as media perception is concerned. And frankly, we have been all year.

“If we drop a game to any of the other Pac teams, we got lucky against Oregon and aren’t as good as advertised. With Boise State’s blowout loss to Washington State, we’re expected to win. And if we don’t? Suddenly we’re frauds. Everything we’ve worked hard to achieve would crumble. And the kicker?

“I don’t think Coach Smith would care. If we lose the last two games and miss the playoffs and the conference championship all together, he’d still preach it was a successful season just hanging around.”

It had started before the Oregon game, when Coach told the team we didn’t need to beat Oregon to prove we belong. And from there it had festered, a growing discontent between myself and Coach Smith, a man I had looked at as a mentor just one year prior.

“Have you talked to him about it yet?” This wasn’t a new topic during Jessica’s and my cheesecake sessions, despite the newest wrinkle of the diminished shine on the Boise State game.

“And say what?” I shot back, correcting my original tone in the process to smooth the edges of the question.

“That I think he lost his ambition and is content to merely be “good”, not great? That I vehemently disagree with the sentiment that competing in the Pac-12 is the ceiling for the other Oregon team?”

Instead of answering right away, Jessica let the words hang in the air, letting the fire from my anger temper a bit in the silence. Finally, when it was clear the edge in my voice had evened out, she reframed the question.

“Okay, if you aren’t going to address it directly, what are you going to do?”

“Just make sure that my guys are on the same page, that they know the standard I expect, and thug it out until I can run my own team and make sure that my standard is the only standard.

“I’ve been keeping an eye on the hot stove—there should be some head coaching jobs open. If we keep the momentum going, I’m sure to get a call on at least one of them.”

“From what I’ve seen, you’re going to be looking at places like Sam Houston or El Paso. Are you going to be okay downgrading conferences, just to have more influence?”

It was something I’d already considered, but for different reasons. South Carolina was desperate last year, with Shane Beamer deciding to leave the program late in the hiring cycle for rival Florida. They couldn’t have been sure that Jamey Chadwell would leave Liberty, so they were hedging their bets bringing me in.

This year, an offer like that wouldn’t be guaranteed. Even if jobs like Nebraska or West Virginia opened up, I wouldn’t be on the short list with only four years of collegiate experience.

“The way I see it, you’ve got to start somewhere. I could be at Oregon State for six seasons before I ever get a P4 offer. At worst, I get a P4 offer for a lateral move before the head job, and I could end up in the same situation, just with more pay.”

“Sounds like you need to start looking for an agent then, Flyboy,” Jessica confirmed, rising from her plush chair to go check on AJ who had begun crying from his room, “And I’ll start getting things packed up. Just try and make sure it’s somewhere warm this time. After years in Montana and Colorado, I could go for some sun.”

That’s how I ended up in Harvey Ross’s office discussing where I saw myself in five years just one day before we headed to Boise.

When I reached out to SportsStars, which was based in New York City, but had an office in Corvallis, to set up a meeting about hiring an agent, they’d asked if I had anyone in mind. After watching the turmoil that Leslie caused on my own parent’s relationship, I knew a female agent was out of the question. Last thing I needed was Jessica assuming the worst, even if I didn’t think she would jump to those conclusions. “Better safe, than sorry,” I’d told myself.

The only request I’d had outside of wanting male representation—which sounded immediately more sexist than I meant, a realization I did not notice until the female receptionist’s voice went from politely cheery, to mildly discontent—was that they were close to my own age. I didn’t want to have to hire a new agent later in my career, get to know someone again after investing time into building a relationship. I’d once read somewhere that choosing an agent could be as important as your staff, as they were the one who represented your estate, in the grand scheme of things. I wanted to make sure that whoever I hired now, I could grow with and trust for the rest of my career, however long that ended up being.

“Coach Leon, it’s a pleasure to meet you,” greeted Harvey as he met me in the waiting room outside of his office, “Big fan of what you’ve been doing with the Beavers.”

Harvey had been part of an apprenticeship group with Creative Artists Agency—working and learning underneath Jimmy Sexton who handled coaches like Nick Saban, Kalen DeBoer, and Lane Kiffin, among others—before accepting an offer from SportsStars to be a lead agent at their Corvallis office, his hometown.

Walking into his office it was clear why Harvey had jumped at the opportunity to return to Corvallis—he’d graduated with a Bachelor’s and Master’s Degree in Business Administration with a specialty in Sports Business, from none other than Oregon State University.

“I’ve got to tell you though, Coach, that if you’re sitting in my office looking for representation, I’ve got a bad feeling for my Beavers’ future prognosis.” He kept his face straight long enough to sell the illusion, before cracking a wide grin, “But business is business. Let’s get to work on building your profile, so I know exactly what you’re looking for, Coach.”

“My wife wants somewhere sunny, Harvey,” I said, cracking my own smile, “But me? I just want an opportunity to make my mark.”

[Soapy]

that boy gone

[ShireNiner]

I'm still playing catch up, did the wifey hit up OF yet? Coach still being a Beav?

[redsox907]

that boy gone

I mean, the offense can't score points, do you blame him?

I have had to adjust how I play defense, cause in the past I just sack/INT hunt and live with the big plays cause I have faith I can get mine

now I'm at the mercy or Kallen Gutridge and AJ Maddox.

I'm still playing catch up, did the wifey hit up OF yet? Coach still being a Beav?

I will go on the record to say that OF is not in the future of Mrs. Jessica Leon. No gaslight here.

And yeah, we Beavn' for now