Beavers’ Mind-Set in Question

Oregon State is coming off consecutive one-point losses as it prepares to play UCLA on Saturday, leaving even Beaver Coach Mike Riley to wonder how his team will react.

“We talked about the fact that everybody’s pretty down,” Riley said. “We gave everybody two hours [after the last loss] to rebound and start looking up. We’ve been a pretty resilient group. We’ve had a lot of competitive, good football games this year, but we’ve got to get over the hump and we’ve got to get ready to play a great football team coming in here.”

The Beavers were 4-3 when they lost at Washington, 35-34, on a failed two-point conversion on the last play. The next week, they lost to California, 20-19.

The test this week is to make sure those defeats didn’t break their spirit.

“I think we’ll just have to prove that’s not going to happen,” Riley said. “It’s something that’s out there, it’s obvious. Our kids have played competitively and have done a lot to get to the brink, but not gotten over the hump. I think those things do wear on you a little bit. It’s just a matter of ‘We can’t let it.’

“What I’ve tried to tell them is that we’ve got at least two great weeks left here, two great games, and that we have an outstanding group of guys that are seniors, and those guys have to go out of this deal feeling good about what’s gone on here. The only way that won’t happen is that we fold our tent. We’re improved, we’re doing some good things, we’re playing hard in games, and we can’t let that all go for naught by not playing well the last couple weeks. We owe it to our seniors to get together and go forward.”

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Linebacker Michael Wiley, who had hoped to return this week after missing the last six games because of various ailments, won’t make the trip. The Bruins want to give his sprained right ankle more time to heal.