The 1964 Oregon State Beavers football team represented Oregon State University as a member of the Athletic Association of Western Universities (AAWU) during the 1964 NCAA University Division football season. It was the team's first season in the AAWU after competing as an independent for five years. Led by Tommy Prothro in his tenth and final season as head coach, the Beavers compiled an overall record of 8–3 with a mark of 3–1 in conference play, sharing the AAWU title with USC, and outscoring their opponents 149 to 124. Oregon State represented the conference in the Rose Bowl, where the Beavers lost to Michigan. It was the last bowl game appearance for the program until 35 years later when the 1999 team was invited to the Oahu Bowl. The team captains were linebacker Dick Ruhl and fullback Booker Washington.
Schedule
Roster
Game summaries Before the season In the spring, Oregon and Oregon State were unanimously invited to enter the Athletic Association of Western Universities after five years as independents. They rejoined six of the other seven members of the Pacific Coast Conference, which disbanded in the spring of 1959. (Idaho, having co-founded the Big Sky Conference in 1963, was not invited to join the AAWU.) Coach Tommy Prothro scrapped the T-formation installed for Terry Baker in favor of the Tiger's I-formation, named after offensive coordinator Bob "Tiger" Zelinka. The Beavers were picked to finish in sixth place in the AAWU.
Northwestern
With 1963's starter Gordon Queen sidelined with a knee injury, quarterback Paul Brothers got the start for Oregon State. On Oregon State's second possession of the first quarter, Brothers ran 23 yards for a first down at the Northwestern 13. On fourth down, Booker Washington dove and wound up inches short of a first down. The Wildcats responded by driving 97 yards for a touchdown with 12:30 left in the first half. Later in the second quarter, George Carr came up with a fumble at the Northwestern 47. The Beavers drove 25 yards but had to settle for a 32-yard field goal. Outside of his 23-yard carry, Brothers' other carries accounted for -61 yards rushing. The rest of the team accounted for 58 yards in rushing. The Wildcats dominated most of the major statistical categories.
Colorado
The Oregon State football team visited the state of Colorado for the first time in its history. Playing in a cold drizzle, quarterback Paul Brothers threw for one touchdown and ran for another on the Beavers' first two drives of the game. Steve Clark missed a field goal at the seven in the fourth quarter that would have salted away the game, but the Buffaloes did not mount a serious drive after the field goal miss. Brothers amassed 156 yards of total offense (more than the entire team could muster the week before) in a 14-7 win. The win was the only Beaver victory in the Rocky Mountain State until 2014. The 1964 win remains tied with 2018 and 2023 as Oregon State's most lopsided victory in the State of Colorado.
Baylor
Oregon State made its third ever trip to Texas still looking for its first win in the Lone Star State. The Beavers beat the Bears in 1963 but had never defeated a team from the Southwest Conference on the road. Baylor featured the nation's leading receiver from 1963, All-American, Lawrence Elkins. In the first quarter, the Bears drove down to Oregon State's nine but turned the ball over on downs. Oregon State responded by driving 71 yards in 14 plays to set up Steve Clark's 27-yard field goal with 3:54 left in the first quarter. Elkins put the Bears up 6-3 in the second quarter by hauling in a 33-yard touchdown pass. He and Baylor's Ken Hodge hauled in a total 12 receptions for 226 yards, but the Bears could only manage 47 yards on the ground. Paul Brothers immediately responded by driving 66 yards for a touchdown. Brothers ran in from nine-yards out himself for a 10-6 Beaver lead. Brothers wound up completing 9 of 12 passes for 117 yards and rushing for another 95. Oregon State's Steve Clark tacked on a 34-yard field goal with :26 left in the third quarter. Dan Espalin's second interception with 2:49 left iced the Beaver victory. The Beavers did not win another game in Texas until the 2006 Sun Bowl. Since the 13-6 victory over Baylor, Oregon State has not won a road game in Texas or in any other state which fought for the Confederacy. However, the Beavers did post a tie against Tennessee in Knoxville in 1978. With the folding of the Southwest Conference after the 1995 football season, Oregon State's 13-6 win over Baylor is the Beavers' final victory over a team from the Southwest Conference.
Washington
From 1925 to 1965, Washington did not play a game in Oregon south of Portland, just across the river from Washington, muting much of the home field advantage Oregon State. The Huskies were the defending Athletic Association of Western Universities champion, hoping for a return to the Rose Bowl. They started out the season ranked #7 but had dropped games to Air Force and Iowa. Despite that fact, they entered the game four-point favorites.
Oregon State's Dan Espalin picked off a pass early in the first quarter at the Washington 39, which the Beavers converted into a touchdown on Charlie Shaw's one-yard plunge. However, Steve Clark's extra point was blocked after a bad snap. Later in the first quarter, the Huskies took the lead on a 66-yard drive, capped off by Charlie Browning's 19-yard run. Oregon State's defense took over in the second quarter; Washington could not breach their own 34-yard line. One of two Jack "Mad Dog" O'Billovich's interceptions helped set up Steve Clark's game-winning 21-yard field goal with five seconds left in the first half. After the game, newspapers marveled at the Beaver's use of the seldom-seen no-huddle offense on the drive. Neither team could muster anything in the second half. Espalin, who served as State's "squib" punter, handling punting duties on the opponent's half of the field, pinned the Huskies within the five-yard line three times. Dick Ruhl clinched the game on a fourth quarter interception. Oregon State's defense held Washington to 139 yards in the game with all but 73 yards coming on the Huskies' 66-yard touchdown drive. Charlie Shaw was named the Athletic Association of Western Universities Back of the Week for his play. Oregon State and Washington have not met in Portland since the 9-7 Beaver victory.
Idaho
The game marked the first time all season that Oregon State played a game in Corvallis, Oregon. The Beavers took the opening kickoff and drove 53 yards to the Idaho 21, but Steve Clark's field goal was short. Oregon State ended the first quarter at Idaho's 15, but the Vandals intercepted a pass in the second quarter to kill off that drive. The Beavers had an apparent touchdown called back for illegal procedure, so Oregon State kicked a 22-yard field goal to go up 3-0. The Vandals went up 7-3 on a 62-yard third quarter drive. With 5:04 left in the third, the Vandals were forced to punt from their own three. Danny Espalin returned the third quarter punt 43 yards for a touchdown, turning a 7-3 Oregon State deficit into a 10-7 Beaver victory. In the fourth quarter Idaho drove down to Oregon State's 18 yard-line, but the Vandals' 25-yard field goal was no good. Idaho's coach was Dee Andros, who took the head coaching position at Oregon State early in 1965. The Beavers' win was their second and final victory over their future coach.
Syracuse
Syracuse's backfield featured two future AFL All-Stars, Floyd Little at tailback and Jim Nance at fullback. The duo combined for 14 touchdowns in the first five games for the Orangemen. Nance was also the defending NCAA heavyweight wrestling champion. Syracuse entered the game on a four-game winning streak, having held their opponents to four touchdowns over the span. In the process, the defense earned the odd nickname "The Spiders." The Orangemen were ranked as high as seventh coming into the game.
On Syracuse's opening drive, Wally Mahle connected with Little, who broke three tackles and sauntered into the end zone to complete the 55-yard touchdown reception. Oregon State responded by scoring 31 consecutive points. Cliff Watkins ran in from 13 yards out to knot the game at seven. Paul Brothers then took over, throwing for two touchdowns and running for another. Watkins caught Brothers' second touchdown pass. Nance's two-yard run in the fourth quarter made the final score 31-13. The 13 points were the most the Beavers had surrendered in 1964. The late touchdown staved off what would have been Syracuse's biggest loss in a decade. The 18-point loss was still the biggest for Syracuse in almost two years and was the largest the Orangemen experienced in 1964. At season's end, Syracuse was invited to play in the Sugar Bowl. The 31 points were the most the Spiders surrendered all year.
Washington State
Oregon State entered the game having not won on Halloween since 1936. The game served as the Cougars' homecoming game. On the game's second play, Washington State's Clarence Williams fumbled. The Beavers recovered at the Cougars' 42 and marched 42 yards for the touchdown. Paul Brothers, who played most of the game with bruised ribs, hit Doug McDougal for the touchdown and a 7–0 lead. Washington State responded by driving 80 yards to knot the score at seven. Oregon State marched to the Cougar five, but Booker Washington's run on fourth-and-one was stopped for a loss. After holding Washington State, the Beavers got the ball at midfield. Brothers' 12-yard touchdown run capped off the 50-yard drive to give the Beavers a 14-7 lead. For most of the rest of the game, both teams' defenses dominated. With less than two minutes left, Steve Clark made a 26-yard field goal attempt. Marv Crowston, who started the season as a backup quarterback against Northwestern and who had been subsequently converted into a running back, had another touchdown plunge. The win was Oregon State's last Halloween victory until the Beavers' 26–19 win over UCLA in 2009.
Indiana
Indiana made its only trip to Corvallis, Oregon. The AAWU and Big Ten met seven time prior to the Hoosiers traveling to Corvallis in 1964 with each contest ending in a Big Ten win. Oregon State struck first on a 46-yard tackle eligible touchdown pass from Brothers to "Big" Bill Stellmacher. The teams went into the locker rooms tied at 14. Clark kicked a 34-yard field goal to put the Beavers up 17-14 in the third quarter. In the fourth quarter, Brothers dove into the end zone from six yards out for a 24-14 win. The Hoosiers' loss to the Beavers was its second biggest loss of the year. After the game, Indiana's head coach, Phil Dickens said, "I said it before and I’ll say it again: Oregon State is as good a ball club as we play this year." Dickens' words were high praise, considering Indiana had stayed within one score of #5 Ohio State in Columbus. The Beavers' win is the last meeting between the programs and the only meeting between the two programs in Corvallis.
Stanford
The highlight of Stanford's season was upsetting #7 and undefeated Oregon on Halloween. #8 Oregon State presented the Indians the chance to claim a second Top Ten victim and simultaneously sweep the state of Oregon. Dave Lewis became the first Native American to start a game at quarterback for the Stanford Indians. San Francisco 49er and Oregon State alumnus, Vern Burke, was on hand to watch the Beavers.
On Stanford's first possession, Oregon State forced the Indians to punt, but Dan Espalin fumbled inside the Beaver 10. The defense held Stanford out of the end zone, but the Indians' Braden Beck kicked a 23-yard field goal for a 3-0 lead. Later in the first half, Stanford got a first down at the one-yard line, but Oregon State held the Indians to -1 yards in four carries to preserve the three-point deficit.