Editor’s Note: This is a column and does not reflect the views or opinions of The Daily Barometer.

Huddled together this past Saturday at Reser Stadium, Beavernation was cold and collectively throwing away their nights to watch the last home game of the season. Yet, by the final whistle, they leave demanding from a higher power for their time back. 

The winless Sam Houston Bearkats came to Corvallis and left victorious for the first time all season, dropping the Beavs to 2-8. 

While yes, OSU will aim to move forward, one question remains: Was that one of the worst losses in Beaver football history? 

“Well, I’m sick to my stomach, for our seniors, obviously, their last opportunity (to win at home),” said Interim Head Coach Robb Akey in the postgame presser following the loss. “None of us obviously had the intention of it ending like this.” 

Akey couldn’t have put it better, this loss hurt, bad. 

But I began to think, has any other loss previously hurt more? And I argue, within the past decade, no. After extensive research, I have my reasons. 

Going just back over the last ten years, to when current Vice President and Director of Intercollegiate Athletics, Scott Barnes, was brought in. Have the Beavers lost a game worse than this one in the Scott Barnes era? 

For starters, my case for this game being the worst; the last home game of the season, on senior night, a nearly sold out crowd in attendance, on the week that was designated as parents weekend, against a 0-8 team, results in a loss.

A loss that saw the offense outgain the Bearkats by over 300 yards, and their defense allowed only one offensive touchdown. Plus, with under a minute to go, a last second interception set up the Beavs to retake the lead, and they proceeded to turn it over once more. 

Throw in Bearkat head coach Philip Longo getting his first win as a head coach since 2004, and you sprinkle in that extra salt in the wound. 

So now with the standard of pain set, we begin the search…

Starting in 2016, while Barnes began his duties in 2017, this year is still a good candidate to start at, as the Beavers would begin a slog of five straight losing seasons. 

From 2016 to 2020, the Beavs did not win more than five games in a season during this “football dark age.”

Two years stand out, 2017 and 2018, where OSU went 1-11 and 2-10, respectively. 

In 17’, this team was molly-whopped constantly, losing to both ranked Washington schools, the Cougars and Huskies, in back to back weeks, with scores of 52-23 and 42-7. 

Yet, as we saw in the last week of the season against Oregon, a 69-10 loss, this team was horrible. And therefore, losing to any school with more than one win was expected; there were simply no stakes any week. 

18’ is the exact same, with the game that jumps out being a nasty, 77-31 loss at The Shoe against The Ohio State Buckeyes. 

So, how to narrow this down? The post-COVID Johnthan Smith era of Beaver football is by far the most successful this team has been over the last decade. And therefore, losses here carry more weight. 

 From 2021 through 2023, the Beavers finished in a bowl game every year. And therefore, their down to the wire loss to Utah State in the 2021 LA Bowl is a possible contender. 

Down 13-24 at the start of the fourth quarter, future draft pick for the Green Bay Packers, Kitan Oladapo, would grab a pick to set up the Beavs offense with a chance to rally. 

They would not. 

OSU’s defense held the Aggies scoreless and forced one more turnover in the fourth. The Beavs’ offense would answer with their own two turnovers and go scoreless as well, leaving bowless by a deficit of 11 points. 

However, as bad as this may be, the reason why I think this loss stings less comes down to two reasons. One, the football gods were benevolent, and OSU would walk away with a commanding 30-3 Las Vegas Bowl win over the Florida Gators the very next year. 

And two, there was no historic 0-7 start, followed by a 2-0 stretch of hope, under a fun bumpkin interim head coach. Smith set a standard of winning all season and continued it the following year. 

This loss still stings, and if the Bearkats never find another win over the remainder of the season, the stinging will become burning. But nonetheless, I believe this past weekend stands as the worst loss in the Scott Barnes era of Beaver football, and Benny prays it will never be topped. 

“We’re gonna pick our boots up, we’re gonna have these guys rolling, and we’re gonna go get after (our last) two opponents,” added Akey.