Fansided

Oregon State coach Gary Andersen conveys frustration with start to season

By Brad Berreman

SEATTLE, WA - OCTOBER 22: Head coach Gary Andersen of the Oregon State Beavers gestures from the sidelines on during the game against the Washington Huskies on October 22, 2016 at Husky Stadium in Seattle, Washington. The Huskies defeated the Beavers 41-17. (Photo by Otto Greule Jr/Getty Images)
SEATTLE, WA - OCTOBER 22: Head coach Gary Andersen of the Oregon State Beavers gestures from the sidelines on during the game against the Washington Huskies on October 22, 2016 at Husky Stadium in Seattle, Washington. The Huskies defeated the Beavers 41-17. (Photo by Otto Greule Jr/Getty Images) /
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With his Oregon State team not looking good in its two losses so far, head coach Gary Andersen is not too happy.

Oregon State is 1-2 this season, and the win was a narrow victory (35-32) over Portland State. In two losses to FBS opponents, the Beavers have been outscored 106-41 by Colorado State (58-27) and Minnesota (48-14). Things won’t get any easier, with a road trip to take on No. 21 Washington State on Saturday followed by games against Washington and USC.

Andersen made a radio appearance with John Canzano of The Oregonian on Thursday, mostly to  preview the Washington State game. He also acknowledged the frustration he hears from fans.

“There’s nobody more frustrated than I am…I’ll do my best to keep banging there and keep fighting. I’ll always have my kids’ backs.”

In two-plus seasons at Oregon State, Anderson has a 7-20 record. Things improved a little last year, with a 4-8 record and a win over chief rival Oregon after a 2-10 debut season in 2015. But there’s still a rebuilding job to be done in Corvallis, and last year’s three conference wins will be tough to repeat.

After an 11-2 campaign and a top-20 finish in both polls at Utah State in 2012, Andersen moved on to take the head coaching job at Wisconsin. The Badgers won 19 games in his two seasons there, and Big Ten West division title in 2014. But reported frustration with the academic standards at the school, and family considerations, led to Andersen leaving for Oregon State before the bowl game to end his second season.

In leaving Wisconsin, with good (family) or flimsy (academic standards) reasoning, Andersen went from coaching a perennial Big Ten contender to coaching a low-tier Pac-12 team. Andersen also pointed to the difficulty of the situation he finds himself in.

"“This team has had some tough times come its way, “I’m not going to be a guy who is going to yell and scream, whine and cry. … We come back on Monday and we learn on Monday from the good and the bad, win or lose.”"

Andersen signed a contract extension through 2021 during the offseason, so he’s got some measure of job security. But another season with less than five wins is surely coming, and unless his buyout is excessive Andersen could still be relieved of his duties. Expectations can’t be incredibly high for the football program at Oregon State, but barely beating an FCS program is not a sign of progress so far this year.

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Andersen did not come off as a proverbial “Wisconsin guy” when he was the coach there. But there’s something to be said for winning at least nine or 10 games every year, and based in part on high academic standards for his players Andersen bailed on a very good situation. What’s that they say about being careful what you wish for?

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