Beavers Flat--and Flattened by Trojans : Oregon State: Its football program turns the corner but runs smack into USC, disappointing Coach Dave Kragthorpe.

Larry Vladic, Oregon State’s strong safety, was trying to sort out his thoughts after his team was routed by USC, 48-6, Saturday at the Coliseum.

He said the Beavers were flat, but he didn’t know why. His teammates said basically the same thing.

Then, he mentioned distractions, but quickly added that they weren’t a valid excuse.

What distractions?

“Well, as we were practicing here Friday, the concert people tried to get us off the field. We said we had a game to play,” Vladic said.

He was, of course, referring to the postgame Beach Boys concert, a much livelier affair.

“Then, there was Bo Jackson doing a commercial while we were practicing and running to the end zone,” said Vladic, who attended Diamond Bar High School.

When reporters persisted in asking why the Beavers were so flat after beating three of the California schools--UCLA, Stanford and Cal--Vladic paused and said: “Maybe it was the USC mystique. I grew up wanting to be a Trojan, but I wasn’t recruited by them. Then, I was playing against them.”

Vladic, a senior, said he was reminded of the USC mystique when the Beavers were warming up before the game.

“There was O.J. (Simpson) on that big screen at the end of the field,” he said, referring to the USC highlight film of past accomplishments that is displayed regularly before every home game.

So for Vladic, at least, the Trojans are something special.

“I told (USC split end) John Jackson after the game that USC is a lot better than Nebraska,” Vladic said.

The Beavers lost to Nebraska, 35-7, earlier in the season. The Cornhuskers were unbeaten and the nation’s No. 3-ranked team before losing to No. 2 Colorado Saturday.

Oregon State Coach Dave Kragthorpe agreed with Vladic on his evaluation of the Trojans.

“I knew coming in that USC was the best team we would play, and their performance didn’t disappoint me,” Kragthorpe said.

However, he was disappointed in his own team, which had a 3-1-1 Pacific 10 Conference record coming into the game and was in contention for a Rose Bowl berth.

What happened to the Beavers?

“We just didn’t play well at all right from the beginning,” Kragthorpe said. “It was a tripleheader. “We didn’t protect the passer, we didn’t establish a running game and our special teams and defense didn’t play well.

“When we fell behind early, they just pinned their ears back and came at our quarterback.”

Asked to evaluate USC quarterback Todd Marinovich, who completed 14 of 18 passes for 226 yards and three touchdowns, Kragthorpe said:

“If he continues to progress at his current rate, he’ll be one of the top quarterbacks ever to play in the conference.

“I thought he was a fine quarterback coming in, but he had more velocity with his passes than I anticipated. All he did was enhance my opinion of him.”

So, just as it seemed that the Beavers, a maligned team over the years, were going to turn the corner this season, the Trojans stomped on them.

Asked if such a one-sided loss would discourage his team, Kragthorpe said: “It’s a possibility. However, it may wake them up to the reality of how far they have to come. It could be a positive influence if they stop listening to other people saying how good they are.”

Kragthorpe said he didn’t have any negative thoughts about USC showing off a gimmick play--tailback Ricky Ervins throwing 33 yards to Marinovich to set up USC’s second touchdown in the first quarter.

“It was early in the game. There was nothing wrong with that,” Kragthorpe said. “I thought Coach (Larry) Smith handled (the one-sided victory) in good taste. He didn’t go for more points at the end when he could have had a field goal.”

Beaver quarterback Matt Booher, who was sacked eight times, had only praise for the Trojans.

“They just took us apart. The better team won,” he said. “We just couldn’t control them up front. And they came at us with a basic four-man rush. They’re faster than Nebraska and they were spinning off blocks.”

It was a familiar ending for the Beavers, who haven’t beaten USC at the Coliseum since 1960.

For example, in the last six meetings between the teams here, USC has outscored Oregon State, 289-27.

“We were just flat,” said Oregon State free safety Billy Hughely, who formerly played at El Camino College and didn’t seem to be impressed by USC.

It has been a long flat streak.