Points of Contention

Ken Simonton expresses himself the way he runs with a football. The words just flow.

“ How beautiful the feeling of triumph will be. Claim it. Believe it. Fight for it.”

The Oregon State tailback and Heisman Trophy candidate writes a candid, inspirational online diary that at first glance appears to address the Beavers’ disappointing 1-1 start and game today against UCLA.

“It is said that we should rejoice in our time of suffering, because we know that suffering produces perseverance, character and hope.”

Simonton actually is referring to the nation’s response to the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. He has enjoyed hero status after leading Oregon State to national prominence with three consecutive 1,000-yard seasons, but in his mind police officers and firemen deserve more recognition than football players.

“ And to the very officers I once had a healthy disdain for, I would like to say ... you are our new millennium heroes in Blue and Red. Perhaps you understood this long before I did.”

So pardon Simonton if he isn’t overly concerned that Oregon State has not played in 20 days because a Sept. 15 game was postponed and the Beavers had a bye last Saturday.

He is eager to take the field, excited to begin Pacific 10 Conference play against a strong contender. But like so many Americans, his perspective has been forever altered.

“It is said that all things will pass, but that does not have to be true of our unity.”

He said he feels a sense of brotherhood even with his foes. It remains to be seen whether the sentiment is shared by the rest of the No. 19 Beavers, who are notorious for trash-talking.

It comes from the top. Coach Dennis Erickson encourages a bit of a swagger.

“You’ve got to have that air of confidence,” he said. “A lot of the swagger in college football was taken away because of penalties for taunting.”

Erickson sounds almost rueful. UCLA coaches have told their team to resist jawing and avoid personal fouls.

“We’ll talk with our pads,” safety Jason Stephens said.

The No. 12 Bruins have reason to be humble. Yes, they are 3-0 with victories over two ranked opponents, but their last two games against the Beavers were debacles.

In 1999, the last time UCLA played here, Oregon State embarrassed a Bruin team decimated by injuries, 55-7. The loss put UCLA in the Pac-10 cellar.

Last year at the Rose Bowl, Oregon State scored 23 unanswered points in the fourth quarter to win, 44-38. It was one of several conference games in which a potent UCLA offense was not quite as good as the Bruin defense was bad.

And there is one more historical point to consider. Last year UCLA opened 3-0, traveled to Oregon and got waxed.

The Oregon Ducks administered that 29-10 reality check, the first of many for the Bruins en route to a 6-6 record.

“It’s not like last year, this is not the same football team,” Bruin Coach Bob Toledo said. “There are some similarities, but it’s not the same.”

And why is that?

“It’s experience, it teaches you an awful lot,” he said. “Win three and start popping off about being the best team in the country, that’s a big mistake.

“That’s what happened last year and our players learned from it.”

So instead of viewing the game as the next step on a road to certain glory, the Bruins see it as a huge test--proof that this year’s team is, indeed, different.

“This is the biggest game of my career, and it should be the biggest game of everybody’s career here,” quarterback Cory Paus said.

Much is on the line. This is the Bruins’ only road game against the Pac-10 elite; they will play Washington and Oregon at the Rose Bowl.

A victory would mean the Bruins emerged from a difficult September schedule that included three road games against ranked opponents unscathed.

And six Pac-10 teams are 3-0 or 2-0, an indication the conference might be particularly strong this season.

Oregon State will try to right a season that began with enormous expectations and is threatening to capsize. For the Beavers, the victories over UCLA the last two years provide reassurance.

Simonton, of course, remembers those games well. He wrote in his diary about the impact of important events.

“It is amazing how memory is formed. How an impression can be indelibly stapled to your eyelids or trapped in the scent of the city.”

Again, though, the topic was not football.