Weirdest Moments In Oregon State Football History: Touchdown Opossum 2000
Those who have read my previous work or listened to my appearance on the State Of The Beavs podcast you probably know that I am a fan of the odd, weird, and bizarre moments that leave you asking "what the hell just happened?"
With that in mind I am happy to introduce my first series of columns that will breakdown some of the weirdest moments in the past quarter century of Oregon State football... or at least how I remember them.
Let's take a walk down memory lane to the year 2000.
Oregon State football was climbing out of their 28-year stint in the gutter of college football with Dennis Erickson in his second season leading the Beavs. They were a perfect 3-0 heading into conference play where the welcomed the mighty Trojans of USC. To say the Beavs-Trojans series was lopsided would be an understatement. Oregon State had lost 33 consecutive games to USC, with their last win coming in 1967, where Oregon State legend Jess Lewis ran down OJ Simpson to help preserve a "Giant Killers" 3-0 victory. The moment lives in the annals of Oregon State history and has an interesting connection to the 2000 game...more on that later. For now, take a moment to watch Mike Parker, Jess Lewis and other members of the 67 squad break down that tackle.
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Back to the 2000 game. I was a freshman in high school, my older brother was a sophomore at Oregon State. Up until this point, I had no idea where I wanted to go to college. That all changed when my brother snuck me into the student section for the game. Now mind you, I am currently 38 and might get ID'd for buying lottery tickets, so 14-year-old me looked nothing like a college student. Thankfully, security was pretty lax back then.
The Beavs got out to a quick 14-0 lead with big plays from Jonathan Smith, Chad Johnson, Ken Simonton and TJ Houshmandzadeh (I am very proud that I spelled that correctly from memory). Reser was electric. You could feel the mood around Oregon State football changing. People started to believe that the Beavs could end the streak. The Carson Palmer-led Trojans were not down with that and went ahead and scored 14 of their own to tie it up. Beavs fans wondered if they got their hopes up too early and if they were bound for a 34th year of disappointment. Were we destined to be the Beavs of old? Would Oregon State football ever be nationally relevant?
Then, something wonderful happened.
North America's only marsupial made an appearance as an opossum stormed the field. The crowd roared as it dashed 100 yards down the field into the north end zone. A straightline runner if there ever was one, no time for zigging or zagging, no one to juke. A single goal in mind: get to the other end of the field as fast as possible. If you were walking by the stadium you would have assumed Kenny Simonton had scored again when the opossum crossed the goal line in the north end zone. Only then did it break from its straight line, seemingly taking a moment to celebrate in the end zone.
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I don't know if it was the momentum of the crowd, a deep connection to creatures with fascinating teeth (Opposums have the most of any land animal with 50) or purely coincidence, but the Beavs would come back to life and cruise to a 31-21 victory ending the streak and setting the 2000 Beavs on a path to a historic season capped by a Fiesta Bowl win over Notre Dame.
Storming the field on my brother's shoulders after that game is one of my fondest memories. I was a Beaver for life then and there.
Now, do I believe a rogue opossum changed the trajectory of Oregon State football? Perhaps, and perhaps not. Do I believe Oregon State should have a statue dedicated to said opossum anyway? Absolutely.
Oh and before you think I forgot something: Guess who was the head of athletic field maintenance at the time. If you guessed Beaver legend Jess Lewis, then you would be right.
Check back later for more moments in OSU football history that left me asking "what the hell just happened?"
TRAVIS JOHANNES
Beaver alum (08) who writes with his heart and not his head. Often thinks about what life would be like if Ryan Cesca made that damn kick. Want in depth analysis and film breakdown? I ain't your guy. Puns and jokes that only three people will get? I'm your huckleberry.