Beavers at a glance

2001 schedule Sept. 1 at Fresno St. Sept. 8 at New Mexico St. Sept. 15 vs Montana St. Sept. 29 vs UCLA Oct. 6 at Washington St. Oct. 13 vs Arizona Oct. 20 at Arizona St. Oct. 27 vs California Nov. 3 at USC Nov. 10 vs Washington Dec. 1 at Oregon 2000 results (11-1, 7-1 Pac-10) Eastern Wash. W 21-19 at New Mexico W 28-20 San Diego St. W 35-3 USC W 31-21 at Washington L 33-30 Stanford W 38-6 at UCLA W 44-38 Washington St. W 38-9 at California W 38-32 at Arizona W 33-9 Oregon W 23-13 vs. Notre Dame W 41-9

Now the question becomes whether Erickson can maintain this level of excellence. Based on the way he blends young talent with juco transfers, Oregon State figures to be a force to be reckoned with as long as Erickson is in control.

While the Beavers lost a great deal of ability on both sides of the ball, they return a proven signal caller, two outstanding RBs, an athletically gifted offensive line, a defense that features a super blue-chip DT, a quality linebacking corps and arguably the best secondary in the Pac-10. In addition, Erickson was able to land a tremendously gifted prep signal caller by the name of Derek Anderson. Also, keep in mind that Erickson was able to redshirt all 19 freshmen from last season. And he's brought in some highly regarded juco transfers.

OFFENSE
On offense, it all begins with underrated senior signal caller Jonathan Smith. He's precise throwing the football, shows a tremendous understanding of the game and is basically an extension of the coaching staff. It's not surprising that Smith has his sights set on becoming a coach after his playing days are over. At just 5-10, he'll be fighting an uphill battle when it comes to garnering interest from the NFL. In the Pac-10, though, Smith is as good as it gets. When Smith moves on after this season, Erickson will turn the reigns over to gifted recruit Derek Anderson. The 6-6, 230-pounder not only possesses a strong arm and shows great feet, but he's also a former All-State basketball player. I'm told that Erickson won't redshirt Anderson. Instead, he'll operate as the No. 2 man behind Smith, getting him prepared for the 2002 season.

At RB, the Beavers not only have a Heisman candidate in Ken Simonton, but also will feature underrated co-starter Patrick McCall, who has a ton of ability. This year, look for Simonton and McCall to factor more prominently into the action as pass-receiving weapons. In the spring, both players were more involved in this area, with McCall working in the slot on occasion.

The big question mark on offense is WR. The Beavers have to replace three vital performers in Chad Johnson, T.J. Houshmandzadeh and Robert Prescott. Coming in from the juco ranks is 6-0, 190-pounder Corrie Williams. He'll challenge junior Shawn Kintner at split end. Athletically gifted sophomore James Newson takes over for Prescott as the slot receiver, with 6-5, 200-pound junior Seth Trimmer looking to hold off highly regarded freshman Josh Hawkins at the flanker spot. Also in the mix are a pair of redshirt freshmen, George Gillett and Ron Monteilh.

I'm told that the TE position won't shake down until fall practice. Sophomore Tim Euhus is more of a pass-receiving option than an in-line blocker, so you could see juco transfers Travon Magee or Jermaine Jackson factor in.

On the offensive line, Erickson will be looking to break in three new starters. But this group figures to be more athletic than last season. The Beavers have switched senior Vincent Sandoval from left tackle to RT, allowing former juco transfer Lee Davis (who sat out last year) an opportunity to take over at LT. Davis, a 6-3, 312-pounder, was originally signed out of the prep ranks by Washington. Senior Chris Gibson is an excellent anchor at center. He'll be flanked by OGs Kanan Sanchez (strongest player on the team) and Mike Kuykendall (6-6, 325).

DEFENSE
Last year, the Beavers had the No. 1-ranked defense in the Pac-10. While both starting DEs, DeLawrence Grant and LaDairis Jackson, have to be replaced, this unit should once again be at or near the top of the conference in just about all defensive categories.

Junior DT Eric Manning is a dominator along the interior, ranking as one of the elite players at his position. Working next to Manning is sophomore Dwan Edwards, who saw a great deal of action last season as the third DT in the rotation. While the projected starters at DE, Dan Rothwell and Kyle Rosselle, aren't to the level of Grant and Jackson, watch out for a pair of juco transfers, Alvin Steen (6-2, 260) and Jayson Jean-Baptiste (6-4, 244). Both have excellent closing speed from the outside.

All three starting linebackers -- MLB Richard Seigler, weakside LB James Allen and strongside LB Nick Barnett -- run in the 4.5 to 4.6 range. Seigler, a freshman All-American last season, is the major headliner, but Allen has the physical strength and superior athletic ability to really skyrocket up the NFL draft board with a productive final campaign in Corvallis.

In the spring, the Beavers experimented with Calvin Carlyle at LCB, but I'm told that he'll be back at his customary FS spot during fall practice. Taking over for Terrence Carroll at SS will be highly regarded redshirt freshman Mitch Meeuwsen, a tremendously athletic 6-2, 210-pounder who also ranks as a big-time baseball prospect (shortstop). Junior Dennis Weathersby has the potential to establish himself as one of the top cover men in college football. On the left side, redshirt freshman Aric Williams may have a slight edge to win out in the fall, but sophomore Shamon Jamerson and juco transfer D.J. Coote are also in the mix.

SPECIAL TEAMS
When drives stall for the Beavers, they benefit from having a top-flight placekicker in junior Ryan Cesca. The punting situation isn't nearly as solid, although they have high hopes for freshman Ryan Cozzetto. The son of OSU running backs coach Dan Cozzetto, Ryan was an All-State punter and free safety at the prep level. He'll compete with walk-on Carl Tobey for the punting job.

Overview: Erickson has done an amazing job at Oregon State; 7-5 was great his first season -- after all, it broke a streak of 28 straight losing seasons. Then came the 2000 campaign, with the only loss a 33-30 setback to Washington, a game the Beavers led going into the fourth quarter. Instead of just breaking into the top 25, the Beavers moved all the way up to the fourth spot nationally.

While a number of key performers have moved on to the NFL, there is plenty of returning talent. All 19 recruits from a year ago were redshirted, and Erickson is bringing in several juco transfers with exciting potential. Smith is a great college QB, while Anderson appears to have star quality as the heir apparent in 2002. Simonton and McCall are a terrific one-two punch at tailback and will likely have to carry the workload early in the season. That's because the Beavers will be breaking in a new-look receiving corps that will need some time to settle in. That's also the reason why you can expect to see Simonton and McCall factored heavily into the equation as pass-receiving options. The offensive line may take some time to gel, but by midseason, this group (led by center Gibson and RT Sandoval) should be performing at a high level.