CORVALLIS — Long before Oregon State players and coaches faced the Reser Stadium crowd to sing their fight song in victory — yes, victory — a Beavers fan in a packed elevator gave this response to the question, "Do you think we win today?"
"We better," he said.
About four hours later, the Beavers finished off Idaho State 37-7, dismantling the Football Championship Subdivision opponent to snap a 10-game losing streak that had elapsed nearly a calendar year.
The postgame scene, though, was measured. Smiles and the occasional dance move in the private comfort of Beavers' newly minted locker room?