That Familiar Feeling Returns with the Start of College Football Season in Oregon — Sport Oregon Voices
Photo: Oregon State Athletics
Beavers, Ducks, and Vikings all set to begin respective campaigns this week
The start of another college football season in Oregon is upon us. While the beginning of the fall ritual in our state is always a celebrated occasion for area sports fans and alums, this time around it just has a different feeling about it.
Objectively, after two years of various restrictions related to the pandemic, the 2022 college football season represents a fresh, more robust return to the familiar routines and tribal experiences that are so near and dear to many in our state, such as tailgating, traveling to road games, gathering around a local pub or eatery to watch the game.
As is the nature of college athletics, in particular, there’s always a healthy degree of “new” and “change” to each season, but there’s an added zip to the anticipation surrounding this week’s kickoff to the season, something the top athletic administrators at the state’s three Division I schools wholeheartedly embrace and look forward to.
“This fall is particularly exciting because it’s going to be the first fall where it feels like we’re back to normal,” said Rob Mullens, athletic director at the University of Oregon. “Fans are excited to get back into venues, and we’ll get back to the normal pageantry.”
The Portland State Vikings are the first to kick off this week, as they travel to take on San Jose State tonight. There’s added anticipation for the start to the fall sports season at PSU for the school’s new director of athletics, John Johnson. Hired in May, Johnson says he hasn’t really had a chance to take in much in the way of actual competition yet, and is looking forward to seeing the student-athletes at Portland State in action for the first time.
“I’m just excited about the fall season and for our student-athletes to come back, and to be able to watch our teams compete,” he said. “I really haven’t had a chance to do that yet.”
As is typically the case, Portland State has a difficult early schedule, also facing formidable competition in the Washington Huskies (Sept. 10) and the Montana Grizzlies (Sept. 24) before making their home debut against Northern Arizona on Oct. 1.
Complete Portland State Football Schedule
Down the road in Corvallis, the Oregon State Beavers get underway this weekend when they play host to Boise State at Reser Stadium on Saturday night. The Beavers are hoping to build on the momentum generated last year under head coach Jonathan Smith, who led the team to its first winning season and bowl appearance since 2013 with a solid 2021 campaign.
Complete Oregon State Football Schedule
“Whatever you accomplish, there’s always a next step, and we’re looking forward to taking that next step,” said Scott Barnes, vice president and director of intercollegiate athletics at Oregon State. “The thing I’m excited about most is that Jonathan has built a strong culture from the inside out. Working from a foundation like that means everything.”
At Oregon, the lead-up to the fall sports season has been busy as usual, but it was also an eventful summer on campus. The recently reimagined Hayward Field served as the center of the track and field universe over the summer, hosting an unprecedented array of top-tier events including the World Athletics Championships, held in the United State for the first time.
On the head-coaching front for the Oregon football program, the highly anticipated opener at No. 3 Georgia this Saturday marks the beginning of the Dan Lanning era for the No. 11 Ducks. After spending the last four seasons at Georgia, including the last three as the defensive coordinator for the 2022 national champions, Lanning makes his head-coaching debut against his most recent team.
Complete Oregon Football Schedule
“Dan’s done an outstanding job,” said Mullens, who credits Lanning for his leadership skills, strategy and his knack for putting the care factor for the student-athletes at the forefront. “It’s been fun to watch and great to be a part of. Now, it’s time to play that first game after all the offseason of hard work. We’re going to go on the road, test ourselves against the defending national champions, and see where we are and continue to build.”
Portland State is once again led by Bruce Barnum, who begins his eighth season as the head coach of the Vikings and his 13th on the Park Blocks. Barnum and Johnson have ties dating back to their football playing days, as the two competed on the same team while student-athletes at Eastern Washington.
On the job for less than four months, Johnson has been busy getting acclimated with his new community and filling out his staff. Now looking forward to seeing all the school’s various sports in-person beginning this fall, he says most of his current work has included assessing the various programs and infrastructure, and building out long-range planning initiatives and goals to keep improving the overall student-athlete and fan experience while placing an emphasis on continuing to be competitive.
“We’re looking at opportunities and setting the tone to plan and set the strategy moving forward,” Johnson said, who is no stranger to the Pacific Northwest through his previous work experience and family ties. “I’m also looking forward to really being engrained in Portland, particularly in downtown.”
In terms of facilities, it’s a bit of a transition year for Oregon State, as work continues on a $161 million stadium-completion project at Reser that will transform the venue with a complete rebuilding of the west side infrastructure to greatly enhance the fan experience on gameday and provide the school with year-round facilities for all OSU students, faculty and staff.
“This is going to be a really special experience for Beaver Nation,” Barnes said.
The stadium will operate at a capacity of roughly 26,000 this season while work continues on the west side with completion of the project anticipated for spring 2023. But new amenities such as a state-of-the-art video board and additional points of sale and ingress/egress options will be front and center as fans flock to Reser Stadium this year. Additionally, the Beavers will play one of their home games at Providence Park this year, playing host to Montana State at the downtown Portland venue Sept. 17 (Click here for tickets).
No matter how you slice it, this is an exciting time of year for football fans, student-athletes, coaches, administrators and alums statewide.
Oh, and don’t forget to mark this one on your calendar – the Beavers and Ducks renew their familiar intrastate rivalry at Reser Stadium on Nov. 25.