HONOLULU — It had been so long since Rashaad Reynolds had seen the end zone, you almost can’t blame him for what happened.
Seventy yards is a long way for anyone to run, so forgive the senior cornerback if he came up a little gimpy after his sprint to score. It’s been awhile since he’s done that.
The best football of your life in your last year is Mike Riley’s goal for all his players, and Tuesday afternoon in Aloha Stadium against Boise State, Reynolds took that message and ran with it. Literally.
In the game that could very well be the swan song for junior standouts Brandin Cooks and Scott Crichton, it was Reynolds, a senior cornerback, who took his final bow in spectacular fashion, scoring two touchdowns after fumble recoveries.
In 49 previous games as a Beaver, he had zero.
Those early scores helped hold off a late push from Boise State as the Beavers won 38-23 in theHawaii Bowl.
Reynolds, perhaps Oregon State’s most underappreciated corner the past two seasons, told Riley every day, “I’m just soaking it all in, I want to finish well, I’m embracing it all.” He did that, and then some, scooping up two fumbles and returning them for scores.
“I love that kid,” Riley said. “He’s had a great career, and I’m really proud of him.”
The first came at the end of the first quarter, when Crichton sacked Boise State quarterback Grant Hedrick and knocked the ball loose. Reynolds was there, and it took him only a few strides to cruise in for a 3-yard touchdown. Minutes later, Larry Scott shook the ball loose after a Troy Ware reception and Reynolds pounced, picking up the ball and racing 70 yards to give the Beavers a 24-6 lead.
“In high school I was a quarterback,” said Reynolds, who was named the bowl's MVP, “that’s probably the last time I touched the end zone.”
Once he returned to the sideline, he pointed out to Cooks that the defensive guy had more touchdowns than the offensive guy. It stayed that way for the rest of the game, as Cooks totaled just 60 receiving yards and one touchdown. But as it turns out, the Beavers (7-6) didn’t need him: His best friend, running back Storm Woods, rushed for 107 yards, and backup Terron Ward chipped in 54.
“I wasn’t surprised,” Riley said of the Beavers’ dominant first half. “I thought we were ready to play. As a matter of fact, I was telling people, quietly, that I would be shocked if we didn’t play well. I felt really, really good about this team’s preparation.”
Boise State receiver Matt Miller, who caught 11 balls for 206 yards, said afterward, “This program is about perfection, and we strive for it every day.”
But this week Broncos football was more about distraction, as Boise State coaches and players dodged questions about the future — former head coach Chris Petersen left for Washington and reportedly is taking a good chunk of the Broncos staff with him — and spoke candidly about the frustration of sending home starting quarterback Joe Southwick, who was suspended for urinating off the balcony of his hotel room. (Southwick denied this to the media once back in Boise, and accused teammates of lying to get rid of him.)
But all of that might not have helped the Broncos (8-5) deal with Reynolds. Cooks, who set the Pac-12 single-season receiving record and finished with 1,730 on the season, said Reynolds has been as responsible as anyone for his success. “Going against him, it made me the receiver I am today,” Cooks said. “Him and (former standout) Jordan (Poyer) pushing me the way they did, I look up to them like big brothers.”
Now it’s decision time for Cooks, Crichton and junior quarterback Sean Mannion, all of whom have NFL futures. Cooks said he will make his decision before classes resume on Jan. 6, and Mannion said, “I haven’t really had a chance to think about, it’s something I’m going to think about.” Crichton instructed “next question” when asked.
Reynolds, of course, is already planning to head to the pros. And Tuesday night, as the Beavers danced at midfield and Hawaii Bowl reps hung leis around their necks, it was Boise State running back Jay Ajayi who walked up to congratulate Reynolds, telling him “That’s how you’re gonna make your money!” surely a reference to his two touchdowns.
But before he can cash his paycheck, he’d better start practicing long runbacks.
-- Lindsay Schnell