Rotating Oregon State coaches meet when Oregon State hosts Idaho
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By ANNE M. PETERSON
AP Sports Writer
CORVALLIS, Ore. (AP) - First, Mike Riley bolted Oregon State for the NFL and Dennis Erickson replaced him. A few years later it was Erickson who was off to the NFL, paving the way for Riley's return to Corvallis.
On Saturday night, Erickson returns to Reser Stadium with his new team, the Idaho Vandals - which is also his old team.
Is everyone keeping track?
``I mean, I was here and then left, then Dennis was here, then I came back, now he's coming back to play here. That's what happens in sports after a certain period of time,'' Riley mused. ``But I think it's a good thing, and it adds a special quality to the game.''
Riley, whose father, Bud, was an assistant coach at Oregon State, grew up in Corvallis and first came to the Beavers as head coach in 1997, after a stint as an assistant at Southern California.
He stayed for two seasons, compiling an 8-14 record, before becoming the head coach of the San Diego Chargers.
Erickson, who won two national titles at Miami and coached the Seattle Seahawks before taking over the Beavers, was at Oregon State for four years. In 2000, Oregon State went 11-1 with a victory over Notre Dame in the Fiesta Bowl under Erickson.
It was a surprise when Erickson abruptly left for the 49ers, where he lasted two seasons.
Erickson first coached the Vandals from 1982-85, his first job as a college head coach. After stops at Wyoming (1986) and Washington State (1987-88), he found his greatest success from 1989-94 at Miami.
As for his latest job, Erickson would prefer to have the tour of ``Dennis Erickson's Former Teams'' over. Earlier this season, the Vandals lost 56-10 to the Cougars.
``There are great fans there, it's a great university,'' Erickson said about Oregon State. ``Am I looking forward to it? Not really, but I'm looking forward to the game. Hopefully when this one's over, I don't have to go on that tour any longer and we can concentrate on what we need to get done here at the University of Idaho.''
That said, he still anticipated that the trip to Corvallis would be ``very, very emotional.''
Both coaches are finding mixed results with their teams this season.
The Beavers (1-1) are coming off a bye after a 42-14 loss to Boise State back on Sept. 7. The team opened the season with a 56-17 victory over Eastern Washington.
``It feels a little like starting over, and I think that part of it has been good,'' Riley said.
The Vandals opened with a pair of losses, to Michigan State and Washington State, before defeating in-state rival Idaho State 27-24 last weekend.
Erickson's return is causing a buzz among fans in Oregon, where his name invariably arises when the Beavers appear off track.
Both coaches would prefer to focus on Saturday's game. The Beavers hope to rebound, and the Vandals hope to gain momentum.
But even Riley said Erickson's return is the natural storyline Saturday.
``It definitely adds - in a positive way - the fact that Dennis is back coaching in college football. He did a great job at Oregon State and I'm proud to have been able to precede him and then take back over again in our crazy world of football,'' Riley said. ``But besides that, it really doesn't enter into our preparation or what we have to do to try to win the game.''
Erickson was asked if there was a danger he would head for the wrong sideline on Saturday.
``I know exactly where I belong,'' he said.
