Sept. 16, 2009

 

(3:28 p.m.): The crowd at Reser Stadium in Corvallis, Ore., on Saturday could present a problem for the UC football team. The fans are rowdy. They’re passionate. They’re liable to disrupt the opposing offense and intimidate the opposing defense.

If you were at the West Virginia game last season – Bearcats senior wide receiver Mardy Gilyard called it the loudest place he’s ever played – you’ll have a sense of what to expect when UC plays Oregon State at 6:45 p.m. ET on Saturday. But the fans in Corvallis might make it even tougher for the Bearcats than the Mountaineers followers did. These fans carry some serious vocal chords behind them.

Take it from somebody who knows: former USC and current Bengals linebacker Rey Maualuga, who played in Corvallis twice in his career and lost both times.

“That’s a crazy place to play,” Maualuga said. “UC is off to a good start, but they’re going into a tough environment. How they take that is on them. If they stick to what they do, they’ll do a good job.”

The crowd at Reser Stadium has helped the Beavers to a streak of 26-straight non-conference home game victories that began in November 1996. Coach Mike Riley, for what it’s worth, is 17-0 in non-Pac-10 home games.

Perhaps the perfect illustration of the power of Reser Stadium was last year’s USC game. The Trojans entered the game ranked No. 1 in the country, but the Beavers – who were 25-point underdogs – jumped out to a 21-point lead and rode the momentum all the way to a 27-21 victory (Oregon State also beat USC in 2006 when the Trojans were a top-10 squad).

To get a better idea of what to expect, Bearcats senior defensive end Alex Daniels talked to receiver Vidal Hazelton, the Bearcats transfer from USC who’s sitting out this season, about the noise.

“He told me it’s like a jungle in there,” Daniels said. “It’s very exciting. The fans are very rowdy – the 12th man is in effect. I even played the video game to see what it was like. I wanted to see if I could get any pointers or tips from the video game, to see if I could read any keys.”

We laughed about that, but I think Daniels was serious. Any little thing he can do to counteract that crowd, he’s going to try.

“Their fans are outrageous out (at West Virginia), and I think Saturday will be comparable to that,” Gilyard said. “Just knowing that how they play at home, there’s something magical that goes on at their home. As a team, you have to click first. If we get the ball first, we need to score. If our defense is out there, they need to get a three-and-out stop and get us on the field.”

It might be tougher-than-normal to click, though, in a rowdy place like Corvallis.

“We’re playing at a place where they’ve been very tough to beat,” BK said. “I’m excited for our players. The energy around here has picked up quite a bit knowing the competition we’re playing.

“It’s one of those venues where the students and the fans are right on you. It’s not an NFL stadium. If feels like you’re right on campus. It makes for a great college atmosphere.”

 

Apparently, BK and South Florida coach Jim Leavitt see eye-to-eye on at least one matter. Read here from the Tampa Tribune’s Brett McMurphy  about Leavitt’s thoughts on facilities.