No Father's Son

[redsox907]

SMU offense is pretty solid. I think yall got this though

it was tight

It pisses me off how much this game rates Mateer

he's in god mode in CFB

good god mode in real life

[redsox907]

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Christmas Comes Late As Beavers Hold Off SMU For Thrilling Holiday Bow Victory

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Ricky McKinley // Dam Daily • Published: December 24th, 2026

Do you believe in miracles?! 'Cause Beaver Nation sure does after their thrilling 31-28 victory over the 16th-ranked SMU Mustangs, securing the Beavers' 10th win of the season.

From the opening play of the game, it was obvious the SMU Mustangs had the edge athletically as Dramecko Green burst 17 yards around the edge. On the same drive it also became evident that the Beavers simply weren't going to back down, as they rebounded after giving up the 17-yard run by forcing a punt three plays later.

That was how much of the game went, with a steady ebb and flow. The Mustangs' next possession quarterback Kevin Jennings completed passes of 7, 5, then 28 yards to move over midfield, but then three straight incompletions sent the punting unit back onto the field. Their third drive, now trailing 7-0, finally saw a small crack in the Dam as Jennings connected with tight end Tripp Riordan for 44 yards before hitting Chris Dawn Jr on a 12-yard slant to tie the game at 7 apiece.

Oregon State would rally for a field goal, retaking the lead at 10-7, but a trio of runs by the Mustangs had them galloping again on their ensuing drive. That is, until Michael Montgomery laid into Kevin Jennings for the sack, a common theme on the night as Jennings would absorb six sacks and numerous other hits, then came up with a pass breakup on 3rd-and-long to send the punting unit back onto the field.

Beavers' return man Zachary Card was runner-up for the Jet Award this year and reminded those in attendance why, weaving through the Mustangs' punt coverage on his way for a 79-yard punt return touchdown to jolt the Beavers into a 17-10 lead.

Jennings and the Mustangs appeared ready to punch right back with a 37-yard completion to Jalen Cooper, but a pair of sacks coupled with an incompletion brought a return from the punting unit, already for the fourth time in the contest for the #1-rated offense nationally. The Beavers would finally be bent to their snapping point the next time Jennings took the field, however, as the senior quarterback found Chris Dawn Jr for a 43-yard leaping grab up the sideline before splitting the safeties with a seed to halfback Dramecko Green for a 27-yard touchdown to pull within three points.

Kallen Gutridge wasn't satisfied taking a three-point lead into the half and took matters into his own hands, going 8/8 for 83 yards with a 9-yard touchdown to Malachi Durant with just nine seconds on the 1st-half clock to buoy the lead to 24-17 going into the break.

Oregon State would be unable to pad their lead with the first possession of the second half and Dramecko Green quickly struck again, churning out 24 yards before jolting up the field again for a 48-yard rushing touchdown, chewing up the entire field in just two plays to once again pull within a field goal of the Beavers.

Both defenses would settle in until Oregon State once again got on the board with a 27-yard touchdown to Zachary Card, marking his second touchdown of the Holiday Bowl, pushing the lead to 31-21 going into the pivotal 4th quarter.

A 44-yard kick return after Card's touchdown had the Mustangs within striking distance, but another sack on Jennings forced the Mustangs to attempt a 44-yard field goal, but in what could be considered the play of the game, sophomore cornerback Trey Glasper came shooting around the corner, with a slightly awkward angle, but still managed to get in the path of the field goal, deflecting it with his forearm for the block. The three points saved would end up being critical to the Beavers' win.

Oregon State was unable to take advantage of the prime field position, however, and Jennings wasted little time in advancing back into scoring range, opting to take the kicker out of the equation with passes of 20 and 49-yards to Jalen Cooper, the last for a touchdown to pull within three points of the Beavers.

A 49-yard rush by Salahadin Allah had the Beavers churning along for what could be a decisive score with just 8:21 left in the 4th quarter, but the Beavers had little traction following Allah's jaunt and were forced into their own long field goal attempt. The Mustangs would not be able to enact revenge and block their own kick, but McCreery missed the 42-yarder regardless and left the score at three, with the Mustangs in great field position to boot.

Now earlier I said Glasper's blocked field goal could be considered the play of the game, but ultimately that honor goes to the final play, on the final drive of the Mustangs' season.

Jennings would once again connect with tight end Tripp Riordan for 30 yards to open the drive, then after a penalty forced 2nd-and-14 found Chris Dawn for 19 yards to move the chains once again. Now at the Oregon State 31-yard line, a game-tying field goal felt inevitable. Rhett Lashlee and the Mustangs must have felt that way too, because despite over five minutes of play left, they suddenly slowed the game down with a pair of runs, one of which lost two yards. Now facing 3rd-and-12 from the 33, they had to pass.

Instead, that man popped up once again. The one everyone has been talking about in Corvallis since he arrived from the sunny shores of Hawaii.

Ka'eo Akana stripped his blocker and chased Jennings out of the pocket, with enough of an angle to discourage Jennings from simply running upfield. Instead, the senior QB spun to his left side, desperately looking for an open receiver, or a lane to run through. Instead, he found grass as Akana dragged him into the dirt right near midfield.

Suddenly 3rd-and-12 turned into 4th-and-23 and the Mustangs had no choice but to punt. They would never see the ball again.

Salahadin Allah ran the ball seven times on the final drive as the Beavers salted away the final four minutes and sixteen seconds to secure an improbable Holiday Bowl victory.

Let's take it to the post-game press conference where Armando Leon is live now talking about the final drive as well as his defenses' overall effort in the Holiday Bowl.


•••


Question One - Brent Jones (NBC-7 San Diego): "Congratulations on the Holiday Bowl win, Coach Leon. Can you walk us through that final drive and more specifically, the final play there by Ka'eo Akana?"

Armando Leon: "The game plan going into the final drive was simple: don't get beat deep. If they were going to get a touchdown, I didn't want it to be on one of the patented explosive players we've been prone to give up this year. I wanted to make them earn it, but more importantly I knew that the more plays we could get them to run, the higher likelihood that someone would get home. And Ka'eo did just that. Not only was the swim move to get off the blocker impressive, but the ball IQ to hedge his pursuit of Jennings to cut off his escape route upfield, the patience to stay home and not overpursue, and then simply the athletic ability to get a guy like Jennings down in the open field. It was all a masterclass and just shows why he's been able to turn in such a magical season."

Question Two - Olivia LeRusso (Oregonlive): "Coach, going into this game many in the national media wrote off the Beavers' defensive prowess as "beating up on weaker competition." What do you say to that, and more importantly, what does this win do to that narrative?"

Armando Leon: "I think it puts it right where it belongs, Olivia. Burnt up, discarded, and swept away. People in the national media talk like we didn't hang with Oregon, or Texas State twice, or Boise State. We've played prolific offenses before this year and held our own, so I don't know why the sudden thought process was we wouldn't be able to hang with the #2 offense in the country. They're talented, but not invincible. If you get pressure on the quarterback, good things happen. And if you look at the stats, we do that better than almost anyone in the country."

Question Three - Stan Lewis (97.3 The Fan): "You've been known for your aggressive, yet risky, style all season. That type of aggressive play leads to a tendency to give up big plays on occasion, such as the touchdown receptions by Chris Dawn Jr and the numerous big plays by Dramecko Green. How necessary is it for the team to play complementary football, knowing you guys are going to give up a handful of big plays each game?"

Armando Leon: "We win as a team, Stan, and you saw that again tonight. Special teams were clutch from the punt return by Zach to the block by Trey. And you can't underscore Allah's impact with 155 rushing yards, or Gutridge keeping the chains moving with 240 passing yards and no turnovers. I could play aggressive, or conservative, but if they aren't putting points on the board, at the end of the day it doesn't matter. We go out there and hunt impact plays to swing momentum and we have faith that if we do give up some points, our offense is going to get 'em right back."


•••


For all the talk I heard over the past few weeks about how prolific the Mustangs' offense was, I didn't hear much talk about that egg they laid against Wake Forest to finish out the season. A loss that kept them out of the ACC Championship Game, at that. So while the numbers say this Mustangs' team was prolific, turns out they ain't built for links just yet.

I'm not sitting here saying our boys are either, however. We lost some winnable games this year that kept us from crashing the playoff. But I'm saying we're coming.

And that's a helluva lot more than we could say prior to this season.

Enjoy the offseason, Beaver Nation. 'Cause if this train keeps rolling, we're going to have plenty to be excited about come August.

#GoBeavs.


•••

Team	1st	2nd	3rd	4th	Final
SMU	7	7	7	7	28
Oregon State	7	17	7	0	31

Q	Team	Time	Play	SMU	Oregon State
1st	Oregon State	1:30	Jake Reichle, 1 Yd Run	0	7
1st	SMU	0:30	Chris Dawn Jr, 12 Yd Pass From Kevin Jennings	7	7
2nd	Oregon State	7:59	Logan McCreery, 50 Yd FG	7	10
2nd	Oregon State	6:23	Zachary Card, Returned Punt 79 Yds	7	17
2nd	SMU	2:31	Dramecko Green, 27 Yd Pass From Kevin Jennings	14	17
2nd	Oregon State	0:09	Malachi Durant, 8 Yd Pass From Kallen Gutridge	14	24
3rd	SMU	8:15	Dramecko Green, 48 Yd Run	21	24
3rd	Oregon State	1:44	Zachary Card, 27 Yd Pass From Kallen Gutridge	21	31
4th	SMU	8:24	Jalen Cooper, 49 Yd Pass From Kevin Jennings	28	31

SMU                                                             Oregon State

Passing               | Stats                                   Passing            | Stats
----------------------|------------------------------------------------------------|------------------------------------------
Kevin Jennings        | 25/41, 413 Yds, 3 TD                    Kallen Gutridge    | 21/35, 240 Yds, 2 TD

Rushing               | Stats                                   Rushing            | Stats
----------------------|------------------------------------------------------------|------------------------------------------
Dramecko Green        | 9 Att, 98 Yds, TD                       Salahadin Allah    | 22 Att, 155 Yds
Kevin Jennings        | 8 Att, -47 Yds                          Jake Reichle       | 7 Att, 19 Yds, TD

Receiving             | Stats                                   Receiving          | Stats
----------------------|------------------------------------------------------------|------------------------------------------
Jalen Cooper          | 10 Rec, 168 Yds, TD                     Zachary Card       | 7 Rec, 104 Yds, TD
Chris Dawn Jr         | 5 Rec, 85 Yds, TD                       David Wells Jr     | 5 Rec, 72 Yds
Dramecko Green        | 4 Rec, 61 Yds, TD                       Malachi Durant     | 1 Rec, 8 Yds, TD

Defensive             | Stats                                   Defensive          | Stats
----------------------|------------------------------------------------------------|------------------------------------------
CB La'modrick Spencer | 12 Tkl                                  LB Mike Montgomery | 4 Tkl, 2 TFL, 1.5 Sacks
DE DJ Warner          | 6 Tkl, 2 TFL, Sack                      DE Ka'eo Akana     | 3 Tkl, 2 TFL, Sack
DE Jakhai Lang        | 4 Tkl, TFL                              FS Kodi DeCambra   | 8 Tkl, TFL, Sack

Additional Media

► Show Spoiler

[The JZA]

Sweet mercy Kevin Jennings ate you boys up

Good job keeping them at bay, that 4th qtr could've been ugly.

[djp73]

Not the prettiest but it’s a year 1 bowl win!

[ShireNiner]

A nice bowl win, Holiday bowl is always a goal for PAC teams not in the playoff picture.

Defense wasn’t pretty but did enough in the end. Any good recruits coming to help next season?

[redsox907]

Sweet mercy Kevin Jennings ate you boys up

Good job keeping them at bay, that 4th qtr could've been ugly.

we were holding on for dear life

but that was the game plan, keep them in front of us and make them at least earn it, not give up big plays over the top for cheap scores

Not the prettiest but it’s a year 1 bowl win!

DUB IS A DUB WE MOVE

A nice bowl win, Holiday bowl is always a goal for PAC teams not in the playoff picture.

Defense wasn’t pretty but did enough in the end. Any good recruits coming to help next season?

hey, we got ours in the end too

some decent recruits, portal is where we will have to find impact guys until the recruiting catches up

[redsox907]

Chapter Twenty-Four: First of Many

It didn’t ease the bitter taste that still sat in my mouth and slowly gnawed at my confidence in the late hours of the night, but it was a damn nice distraction, if only for a moment.

Yet despite the brutal loss to Washington State two weeks ago, there we were, standing atop a stage on the field at Allegiant Stadium, celebrating the first Pac-12 Championship for Oregon State since 2000.

By the time the actual presentation began, Jessica had broken off to the side with AJ, unable to keep him corralled in her arms anymore, to let him run amok with the other children celebrating in the confetti without a care in the world as to why.

That left me and Tara Lydia standing on stage, sometimes she wanted to be held to gain a better glimpse at the festivities, at others content just to stand by my side, refusing to leave until the celebration was over.

“Daddy,” she whispered into my ear when I picked her up to watch the trophy be brought on stage, “Did we win that championship now?”

“Kind of, but not the one you’re thinking of Lydiabug,” I corrected her, furthering her confusion.

“You say it’s not a championship…but there’s a championship right there!” she protested. Not even three years old yet, but she already had her mother’s sass, I thought to myself.

“It’s…complicated. There are levels to this stuff, baby. But yes, as far as you’re concerned, we won a championship. The first of many, sweetie.”

“Yay! That means we get ice cream again right!?”

If only everything in life boiled down to getting ice cream or not. Despite the Pac-12 Championship and a 9-4 season following the conference championship, the work was far from over. While we didn’t qualify as a top five rated conference champion, thus eliminating us from Playoff contention, we were recognized for the season with an invite to the DirecTV Holiday Bowl in San Diego.

The trophy presentation felt like a lifetime ago by the time we arrived in San Diego three weeks later. What should have been a triumphant season-capper had been overshadowed by the talking heads already writing our Holiday Bowl obituary before we'd even stepped off the plane.

Our opponent? 16th-ranked SMU Mustangs, who narrowly missed out on competing for their own ACC Championship after a Week 13 loss to Wake Forest.

Another contest against a top-rated offensive unit and another two weeks of preparation listening to the talking heads in the media wax poetic about how “this time” we would be exposed, that we didn’t match-up athletically, or simply my scheme would be picked apart by the dynamic Mustangs’ offense.

Listening to Joey Galloway continue to sing the praises of the Mustangs’ offense, boldly proclaiming, “I don’t see how Oregon State hangs with these guys. You saw what Texas Tech did to them, and in my opinion the Mustangs’ offense is on a different level. It’s going to get ugly, quickly, and that “aggressive scheme” they’re running is going to be so shot full of holes, it’s going to look like Swiss Cheese.”

Having heard enough, I finally snapped the telecast off. It had been a consistent theme throughout the coverage of the Holiday Bowl, that we had a “nice season,” but we were simply out-manned and out-gunned. Nothing to be done but take the field like good little soldiers and accept the massacre.

“I don’t know why you bother to watch that stuff,” quipped Jessica as the kids came screaming in behind her, already rushing to claim the spot on the couch I’d just vacated.

“No one can point out your flaws better than someone looking to tear you down,” I countered, stepping in the way of Tara Lydia and AJ in the process, ushering them to slow down as they passed.

“I swear they’re going to split their heads open slipping on the hardwood,” I added with a sigh, before turning my attention fully to Jessica.

“So even if I think they’re wrong, they make points that warrant attention. That’s part of the game,” I said while planting a kiss on her cheek.

“That sounds like a quote out of that stupid crusading game you play,” she threw over her shoulder, turning to round the kids up for lunch.

“Hey! Crusader Kings isn’t stupid, it’s about strategy! It’s like football, but with swords,” I countered, even as Jessica already disappearing around the corner without acknowledging my argument.

As frustrating as it was, they were right. We simply couldn’t bash our heads against the wall and stubbornly leave the defensive backs one on one in man-coverage and expect to win.

But we didn’t have to, either. They were right, we were going to give up yards and probably a lot of them. We could try and switch our coverage scheme completely, drop more zone coverage and blitz less, but all that would do is open wide-open lanes for Dramecko Green to gallop through. Instead, the plan was exceedingly simple.

“We let them get those chunk plays, so long as when they’re getting them, we’re laying the wood on Jennings and anyone else with the ball, and keeping them in front of us,” I continued preaching to the team at another film session. It had been the same message at every meeting for two weeks leading up to the game.

“We’re sticking with man coverage, but under no circumstances are we pressing. Give them a cushion, don’t get beat over-the-top,” I reiterated to the secondary.

“They’re going to get their yardage; our job is to make sure it doesn’t come with points. The more we hit Jennings, the more gun-shy he’s going to get. And that’s how we get him. Make him start second-guessing the wide-open throws, lay the wood on his guys when they get their hands on it. We can give up those big plays and still get some yardage back with sacks, or tackles for loss, to keep them from continuing the momentum.”

“It’s a dangerous game, Mando,” levelled Coach Smith in our individual meeting leading up to the game. “Those big plays could give them all the momentum they need to finish the job. Ever think about that?”

I let his words hang in the air for a minute before steadying myself to answer. Of course I’d thought about it, but the alternative was to try and take the underneath stuff away and watch the ball sail over our heads. Saying that, however, wasn’t going to do me any favors with Coach, or inspire confidence in the team.

“If we keep them in front of us, I trust our guys to come through when we need them. We’re going to give up points, that’s a given.

“But I’d rather do it while mitigating the long touchdowns, make them chew some clock so we can keep them in the game. The offense just needs to do its part, Coach.”

Now, it was Coach’s turn to let the words linger, before giving me a simple nod and rising out of his chair. “It’s both our asses if it doesn’t work, Mando. We may have come in looking to build upon a ten-loss season, but now that we’re here?

“They expect results, even if they seem out of reach.”

SMU would indeed get theirs, to the tune of nearly 500 yards of total offense. Jennings found big plays aplenty, finishing with 413 passing yards and three touchdowns, while Dramecko Green was a force out of the backfield, chewing up 98 yards on only nine carries, while hauling in another 61 receiving yards.

But despite the yardage, they only put up 28 points. We gave up our fair share of big plays, but more times than not, we rallied, stopped the leaking, and forced a punt, even forcing a field goal that would be blocked in the fourth quarter.

Then came the moment. Up 31-28 with just over five-minutes remaining, the Mustangs were driving again. Jennings found tight end Tripp Riordan for thirty yards up the seam, with both safeties a hair too slow to break up the pass. Then another 19-yard out to Chris Dawn Jr, and the Mustangs were within field goal range.

It appeared that at best, the game was going into overtime, but five different times during the contest, SMU had driven at, or over, midfield, only to be pushed back and eventually forced into punts by a critical sack.

And once again, the Dam stepped up. Fittingly, it was Ka’eo Akana who burst through the line, cutting off Jennings’ escape route before burying the QB for a huge loss that forced 4th-and-23, and pushing the once makeable field goal distance suddenly a daunting 59-yards.

Rhett Lashlee and the Mustangs opted to punt and the sack ended up being the final offensive snap for the Mustangs, as Salahadin Allah ran out the remaining clock.

Two weeks after our conversation on stage at Allegiant Stadium, little Lydia was once again asking if we’d won the championship, despite no trophy being in sight this time. Instead of going through the rigamarole of another answer, I cut to the chase.

“You want some ice cream?” Of course, the answer was yes.

The celebration in San Diego was short-lived and by Monday, it was back to work once again in Corvallis. While the regular season was over, the grind of a college football head coach never stopped.

“We’ve got to start reviewing who’s in the portal, what needs we have to address, start building out the roster for next year,” I explained to a frustrated Jessica as I peeled myself out of bed, “Recruits aren’t going to discover themselves.”

The morning turned into a blur of scouting reports, game footage, and energy drinks with the occasional interruption from Coach Smith bringing another player file into my office for review.

The monotony of it turned into its own rhythm, with the sounds of the rest of the facility blending into the background. That is, until my phone buzzing on my desk, buried under three different folders, cut through the noise.

I found it underneath the stack of folders and scouting reports with just enough time to register the area code before hitting the green answer call button on the final ring.

803 area code. South Carolina.

[ShireNiner]

We bringing CK into chises now??

[Soapy]

boy already gone

great 1st season though

[Caesar]

This man loyalty on zero huh?