Printer-friendly version Email story link

Weapons of pass destruction

Beavers will only go as far as Derek Anderson can take them

By Kerry Eggers

The Portland Tribune, Aug 6, 2004, Updated Oct 30, 2009

ADVERTISEMENTS

CORVALLIS Ñ Sweat soaking his gray “Oregon State football” T-shirt after a morning workout, Derek Anderson roams the coaches’ offices, kibitzing with receptionists, arranging a golf date and pretty much acting as if he owns the place.

Well, Anderson practically does.

The 6-6, 240-pound senior is the graybeard and spiritual leader of the Beavers as he enters his third year as starting quarterback.

“Guess you can call me a veteran,” Anderson says as he settles into a chair in head coach Mike Riley’s office. “Doesn’t seem like it. It’s gone by so fast.”

Three years ago, he was the freshman understudy to senior quarterback Jonathan Smith, learning the ropes from one of the most savvy signal-callers in school history. Now Anderson enters the 2004 season third on the OSU career list in total offense, passing yardage and touchdown passes Ñ barring injury, he will easily set records in each category before he is through Ñ while coming off one of the most productive seasons in Pac-10 history.

The Moose from Scappoose threw for 4,058 yards, second in conference history behind Washington’s Cody Pickett, and set a school single-game record by passing for 485 yards at Southern Cal.

Not bad for a player who endured the wrath of many an OSU fan following poor performances in back-to-back losses to Washington and Washington State. Anderson fought through adversity and finished strong, throwing for at least 300 yards in four of the Beavers’ final five games, including the 55-14 rout of New Mexico in the Las Vegas Bowl. Over that span he averaged 354 yards passing, threw 13 TDs and gave up only eight interceptions.

Anderson attributes his improvement in decision-making to maturity and taking the time to understand the change of terminology from Dennis Erickson’s regime to Riley’s. Gradually through the season, Anderson began reading defenses better, hitting secondary receivers and avoiding the interceptions that had proved costly in several losses.

“At some point,” he says, “it just started to click. I started to understand things and see the bigger picture. I still have work to do in that regard, but it was easier for me as the season went on. I was able to put the ball in the right spots and see the defense better.

“It makes it a lot easier when you understand the offense. I kind of matured and put more time into preparation, and (offensive coordinator Paul) Chryst helped me out a ton. I just grew up a little bit. I think I did a pretty good job after the first few games.”

Bold prediction

After the season, Riley predicted that Anderson would be an “all-conference quarterback” in 2004. On the eve of Wednesday’s opening of training camp, Riley isn’t backing away from the sentiments.

“I was encouraged by the way Derek ended the season,” Riley says. “Think about it. As a sophomore, he threw for 80 yards in a game at (SC). Last year, he threw for 485 yards against the national champions. Then he culminated the season in a great performance against a blitzing team (New Mexico) in the Las Vegas Bowl. During spring practice, he was confident in everything he did. There was no slowdown in his progress, and I would anticipate the same thing this fall.

“Last year, he was thinking too much during games. If there are extra burdens on you, it’s hard to play. You want to have all those things behind you so you can live in the moment and play the game. I think that’s where Derek is now. He is poised for a big senior year.”

After last year’s Washington State game, Anderson was an uptight young man, with the weight of Beaver Nation on his shoulders. There was no quit in him, though, which earned him the admiration of his teammates and coaches.

“When he was taking all the criticism,” Riley says, “the guys rallied around him, which is a great sign of how they feel about him. They are very aware of how hard a worker he is. He would come up on his own every night after dinner to watch extra tape. He’d spend at least another hour a day doing that.”

1 | 2 Next Page >>