The 1967 Oregon State Beavers football team represented Oregon State University in the 1967 NCAA University Division football season. The Beavers ended this season with seven wins, two losses, and a tie, and outscored their opponents 187 to 137. Led by third-year head coach Dee Andros, Oregon State finished with 7–2–1 record, 4–1–1 in the Athletic Association of Western Universities (informally Pacific-8, a name it officially adopted the following year) tied for runner-up for a second consecutive year.
In a four-week period, the Beavers became the only team to ever go undefeated against three top two teams in one season since the inception of the AP poll, earning the nickname
Schedule
Game summaries Before the season Oregon State ended the 1966 season on a six-game winning streak. Nobody expected much out of the Beavers in 1967; even the Oregon State media guide said that the Beavers would be "rebuilding" in 1967. Quarterback Paul Brothers, who led Oregon State to the Rose Bowl as a sophomore after the 1964 season, and fullback Pete Pifer, the Beavers' all-time leading rusher, had graduated. The starting quarterback was junior Steve Preece, the wunderkind Andros had recruited from Boise, Idaho, shortly after he arrived at Oregon State. Another newcomer on offense was junior fullback Bill "Earthquake" Enyart, who previously backed up Pifer. Too talented to keep off the field, Enyart had earned All-Coast honors at linebacker in 1966. The 1967 team only boasted six seniors.
Stanford
Stanford made their first trip to Portland, Oregon, in 12 years. Oregon State and Stanford met for the first time in three years, when the Indians almost derailed the Beavers' Rose Bowl trip. Oregon State entered the game a one-point favorite. In the second quarter, the Beavers' Billy Main opened scoring by running in untouched from five yards out. Mike Haggard's extra point gave Oregon State a 7–0 lead. The lead lasted all of fifteen seconds, as Stanford's Nate Kirtman returned the kickoff 98 yards for a touchdown, knotting the score at seven. Six minutes later, a ten-yard punt return by Mark Waletich gave the Beavers the ball at the Indians' 39. Oregon State drove 34 yards to set up Mike Haggard's 22-yard field goal with less than three minutes left. On the ensuing kickoff, Stanford's Gene Washington mistakenly downed the ball at his own one-yard line. The Indians could only manage four yards and Stanford could only manage a 10-yard punt. The Beavers could only manage four yards themselves, but Haggard's 28-yard field goal gave Oregon State a 13–7 lead with just over a minute left in the first half. In the second half, Stanford could only muster a 44-yard field goal attempt, which fell short of the crossbar. The Beavers' Skip Vanderbundt killed off three drives with interceptions. His second was with less than five minutes left. His last was at the Oregon State 16 with 1:25 left, which effectively ended the game. The Beavers did not win another season opener for a decade, under second-year head coach Craig Fertig.
Arizona State
In heat, Andros summed up the playing conditions by saying, "It's hot as hell." Arizona State caught the first break, recovering an Oregon State fumble at the Beaver 20. Oregon State's Mike Groff ended the threat by intercepting Ed Roseborough at the Beaver 15. Six plays later, Steve Preece dove in the end zone for a 7–0 lead. The Sun Devils responded by driving 63 yards for a touchdown of their own but missed the extra point. Late in the second quarter, Oregon State's Don Summers ran in from one yard and Mike Haggard's extra point split the uprights. The Beavers went into the locker room up 14–6.
In the first four minutes of the second half, Oregon State extended the lead on Preece's six-yard touchdown, but Haggard's extra point was blocked. In the third quarter, Arizona State benched Roseborough in favor of Rick Shaw. Shaw led the Sun Devils on a 47-yard drive and hit J. D. Hill for a two-point conversion to pull within six. Midway through the fourth quarter, Preece ran in for his third touchdown of the game. Arizona State countered with a late touchdown to make the score a more-respectable 27–21 but never seriously threatened after that. The Sun Devils went 8–1 the rest of the way, only losing by two to undefeated Wyoming, which finished No. 6 in the AP poll, one spot in front of the Beavers.
Iowa
In the seventeen seasons from 1956 to 1972, Oregon State and Iowa played 12 times, more times than Oregon State played conference opponents California and UCLA in the same period. The Hawkeyes won the first five meetings, but the Beavers won the sixth 17–3 in 1966. In the first seven minutes, Oregon State built a 14–0 lead. Steve Preece scored the first, running untouched into the end zone from 35 yards out. Billy Main scored the second by dragging two defenders into the end zone. Main tacked on a second touchdown from 40 yards out later in the quarter. The Beavers had a chance to add another first-quarter touchdown but fumbled at the one. Oregon State got the ball back at their own six and drove 94 yards on 11 plays. Bill Enyart's two-yard second quarter plunge put the Beavers up 28–0. Mike Haggard tacked on a 27-yard field goal for a 31–0 halftime lead. Iowa managed to outscore Oregon State 18–7 in the second half, although the Hawkeyes' final touchdown came with three seconds left. The nine-game winning streak remains the Beavers longest since 1962–1963.
Washington
By the time Oregon State arrived in Seattle, the season was already beginning to take its toll on the Beavers. Defensive starters, Harry Gunner and Mark Waletich, were sidelined. Gary Houser was unable to play tight end but still managed to perform his punting duties. Oregon State fumbled on its second play from scrimmage. Washington drove to the six before Charlie Olds came up with an interception in the end zone. The Beavers subsequently drove 80 yards in 14 plays for a touchdown, capped off by Steve Preece's one-yard plunge. Mike Haggard shanked the extra point, one of only three missed extra points in 1967, to keep the score 6–0. The Huskies responded by driving 72 yards to set up a 21-yard field goal to pull within three. Late in the half, a bad punt was nullified because the Beavers were called for clipping; instead of Oregon State getting the ball at their own 42, Washington took over at the Beaver 36. The Huskies drove 27 yards in five plays to set up a 26-yard field goal, which sent the teams into the locker rooms tied at six. Neither team threatened until the fourth quarter. The Beavers fumbled at their 35. From there, Washington's Carl Wojchiechowski ran in from 18-yards out with two minutes left to win 13–6.
BYU
BYU was 2–1. Their only loss was to undefeated Wyoming. Wyoming finished the season No. 6 in the AP poll. The Cougars had defeated New Mexico and West Michigan by a combined 55 points. On Oregon State's second play from scrimmage, Steve Preece was intercepted. Eight plays later, the Cougars were up 7–0. Later in the quarter, Don Whitley intercepted a BYU pass and returned it to the Cougar two. On the next play, Bill Enyart plowed in for a touchdown, knotting the score at seven. The Beavers’ best drives in the second quarter ended on a fumble and a missed 50-yard field goal. BYU scored on a 40-yard field goal with less than three minutes left to take a 10–7 lead. They tacked on a 68-yard touchdown pass to take a 10-point lead into halftime.
Early in the fourth quarter, the Cougars added another touchdown for a 24–7 lead. BYU was driving again in the fourth quarter, but Mark Waletich came up with an interception at the Oregon State two yard-line. The Beavers drove 98 yards, including a 31-yard touchdown pass from Preece to Billy Main to pull within 11. The Beavers’ best drive after that point ended after an interception. After Oregon State's defense forced a punt, the Beavers’ next drive ended when Preece's pass bounced off a receiver's helmet and was intercepted by Bobby Smith. Smith returned the interception 27 yards for a touchdown to wrap up the BYU victory. Oregon State committed 11 turnovers in the game, one fewer than the 12 the Beavers committed over the next five games.
Purdue
Entering the game, three undefeated teams topped the AP poll: the Trojans, the Boilermakers, and the Bruins. All three were on the Beavers’ schedule over the next four weeks. The first was #2 Purdue, the defending Rose Bowl champions on a nine-game winning streak. In 1967, the Boilermakers started the season beating Texas A&M in Texas and #1 Notre Dame. The week before Oregon State came to West Lafayette, Purdue beat Ohio State 41–6 in Columbus. The win remains the largest by any team over the Buckeyes in Ohio Stadium since 1946.
Purdue's stars were Mike Phipps at quarterback, Jim Beirne at end and Leroy Keyes at cornerback, running back, and punt and kick returner. Keyes was the nation's leading scorer in 1967 and would finish third in the Heisman balloting in 1967 and second in 1968. In both years, he was an All-American at both cornerback and running back. He appeared on the cover of Sports Illustrated's 1968 college football preview. In 1987, he was voted the all-time greatest Purdue football player. In 2004, College Football News voted him the 86th best football player of all time. Entering the game, Phipps led the nation in total offense. Phipps would finish second in the Heisman balloting in 1970. Beirne was an All-American in 1967 and actually broke the Purdue all-time record for receptions during the game. The Boilermaker faithful did not give the Beavers much of a chance, erecting tombstones with the Oregon State players’ names on them. The Beaver coaches made sure to drive the Oregon State bus past them the day before the game. Purdue entered the game 20-point favorites.
The day before the game, the voice of Oregon State football, Bob Blackburn was at a tuxedo-required event in Seattle. After the event ended, he realized that he would not have time to change before his flight, so he flew to Indiana and called the game in his tuxedo.
Oregon State's first drive went 82 yards, ending in a touchdown on an 18-yard touchdown pass from Steve Preece to a wide-open Roger Cantlon for a 7–0 lead. The Boilermakers took less than two minutes to drive 62-yards for their own touchdown on Keyes’ 15-yard run to tie the game at seven with more than ten minutes left in the first quarter. At that point, the defenses took over, holding both offenses scoreless for more than 24 minutes. Late in the second quarter, Jess Lewis and Jon Sandstrom combined to recover a fumble at the Purdue 26. The Beavers drove 17 yards to set up Mike Haggard's 26-yard field goal with 46 seconds left in the half. Oregon State went into the locker room 30 minutes away from pulling off the upset.