Pros vs. Joes No. 10: Boca Raton is home for Yvenson Bernard, but Oregon State remains close to his heart
Yvenson Bernard is no longer an Oregonian, but he’ll always be a Beaver.
‘The Whale’ spouts off on the great running backs in Oregon State history
By Jim Wilson
(Editor’s note: Oregon State’s spring practice began on April 6. To get Beaver Nation in football mode, radio analyst extraordinaire Jim “The Whale” Wilson offers his appraisal of the top five running backs in Beaver history.)
Jermar Jefferson officially ended his Oregon State career when he declared for the NFL draft in December 2020. That didn’t come as a surprise to most Beaver fans, but it does leave a huge vacancy in the Beaver backfield as Jefferson was one of the best to ever tote the football for the Orange and Black.
In three years — make that one full year and two partial seasons — Jefferson leapfrogged into the conversation as one of the top five running backs in Beaver history. He is fifth in career rushing yards behind a decorated group that includes Ken Simonton, Steven Jackson, Jacquizz Rodgers and Yvenson Bernard.
A game for the ages in the fog at Reser
Here is what’s on my mind after Friday’s epic 41-38 Oregon State victory over Oregon in the foggy, eerie solitude of Reser Stadium …
• The Beavers’ come-from-behind win over the ninth-ranked Ducks becomes an instant classic in this, the strangest of all football seasons in the most unsettling year of our lifetime.
With Ron Callan and Jim Wilson, offering our favorite Beaver athletes ever…
Note to readers: Jim Wilson and Ron Callan will serve as occasional guest columnists on my website. The Oregon State broadcasters’ first offering is a list of each’s top five favorite Beaver athletes to watch through the years. That’s not necessarily the best players, but the ones they most enjoyed watching at their craft.