There was never a question about Oregon State placekicker Justin Kahut's eagerness to learn.
Kahut, a sophomore-to-be from Clackamas High School, followed Alexis Serna around everywhere last season, trying to soak in the bits of information that would help him take over when one of the greatest kickers in Pacific 10 Conference history had finally used up his eligibility.
"Every time I looked up, he was talking to Alexis and getting tips from him,'' said Beavers' quarterback Lyle Moevao. "Now it's time for him to put all that on the table and show what he's got.''
With Serna trying to make an NFL roster, Kahut is busy working on another "walk-on becomes a star'' story and he's off to a smashing start: he kicked field goals of 42, 50, 55, and 31 yards in the first half of Saturday's spring game at Reser Stadium in front of an estimated crowd of 6,852.
The Black team beat the White team 22-3, with the 5-foot-8, 160-pound Kahut accounting for 12 points - nine for the Black team and three for the White team. He made all of his field goals look easy, even the 55-yarder, and made a convincing argument that he deserves a scholarship in the fall.
"It was good for him to be in a game-like situation,'' said OSU coach Mike Riley. "He's got all the leg you want, he gets the ball up high, and I think he's a tough-minded guy. We've had a lot of confidence in him, almost from the time he got here.''
Kahut looks like he would blow away in a strong wind, but when he swings his leg into the ball, he gets impressive loft and distance. "On a good day, I feel comfortable hitting them from 60 (yards) and a little bit beyond,'' he said matter-of-factly. "Things just seemed to come together today. ... I try not to think too much (about replacing Serna). I'm just going to do my best and see what happens.''
Moevao, who a year ago at this time was fighting to beat out Sean Canfield, led the White team by completing 13 of 30 passes for 226 yards and one touchdown - a spectacular 72-yard screen play to James Rodgers. Rodgers, noticeably stronger and faster this spring, turned on the jets when it looked like safety Al Afalava might catch him.
Canfield is still recovering from an operation to repair a torn labrum, but is expected to be 100 percent in the fall but likely will at least start the season as Moevao's back-up.
"I thought Lyle had a really good day,'' said Riley.
"He played fast, and he played sharp.''
He also survived one big sack.
Although hitting the quarterback was a no-no, OSU defensive end Victor Butler "accidently'' got in a good shot on one play.
"I saw him coming, and I figured he was just going to run by and tap me and then the whistle would blow,'' said Moevao.
Instead, Butler roared through and leveled the team's starting quarterback, a gutsy move in front of Riley.
"He was mad the refs weren't calling the sacks (on touches) so he decided he would show them what a sack was,'' said Moevao, grinning mischievously.
"I did a little roll, just to make it look like he hit me hard. But he really didn't.''
Other highlights:
- Redshirt freshman tailback Ryan McCants, who steps into the departed Yvenson Bernard's cleats, rushed 16 times for 57 yards and scored once for the White team. McCants is a power runner who doesn't yet have Bernard's instincts on inside plays, but Riley said that will come with game experience. "As far as running hard and making some of his own yards today, he was oustanding,'' said Riley.
- During the scrimmage time devoted to the younger players, sophomore quarterback Brennan Sim threw a 76-yard TD pass to junior wide receiver Damola Adeniji, and 6-foot-5 redshirt freshman quarterback Justin Engstrom from Scappoose completed 10 of 15 passes for 108 yards for the Black team. "He made a lot of good throws, and the thing I like about him is he's got a quick release,'' said Riley of Engstrom, who comes from the same school that gave the Beavers Derek Anderson.
Notes: OSU was the last team in Division I football to have its spring game. ... practice for the 2008 season begins Aug. 1. ... Moevao stopped short of saying James Rodgers was OSU's "go-to'' offensive player, but he noted Rodgers' versatility and said the return of senior wide receiver Sammie Stroughter would make a huge difference. "Sammie can play the slot, he can split wide, and we can run him deep,'' said Moevao. "We've definitely got a lot of weapons on offense.'' ... Rodgers had 98 yards on four catches, while Strougher had 58 yards on three catches. ... Riley said he liked "the flow'' of the spring game and he liked the fact no one was injured. A dozen players sat out the game because of injuries or other issues. "It was kind of like football a little bit,'' said Riley.
