Oregonian: Chasing a dream

Al Afalava hopes his play at OSU will be his ticket to the NFL

JIM BESEDA

CORVALLIS -- Every day, Oregon State freshman Al Afalava talks on the phone to his mother in Hawaii.  The Beavers' reserve free safety usually tells her what's happening in his classes and with the football team, and she tells him what's new with his family and the rest of the folks back home. But the daily long-distance contact is no substitute for the thing he misses the most:  Her cooking. "She makes the best stew, the best chicken, the best roast, the best steak, the best everything," Afalava said. "You name it, and she can cook it. And desserts . . . "  If Afalava had listened to his mother eight months ago, he wouldn't even be at Oregon State. He'd be playing for Brigham Young University.  But Afalava said his dream is to play in the NFL, and that's one of the main reasons he picked Oregon State. The 6-foot, 180-pound safety concluded that the Pacific-10 Conference is tougher from top to bottom than the Mountain West Conference, the Pac-10 gets more national exposure than the Mountain West, and the Pac-10 turns out more pro players than the Mountain West.  One catch: Afalava grew up in the Mormon faith, and his family follows the teachings of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Because the Church has strong ties to BYU, almost everybody in Afalava's family encouraged him to go there.  "My dad was the only one who wanted me to go to Oregon State," Afalava said. "The rest of my family wanted me to go to BYU, because they thought I'd focus more out there. But my dad was against that. He wanted me to go to Oregon State where I could play in a tougher conference and get more exposure."  There were other forces at work, including a couple of Afalava's coaches at Kahuku High School who told him Oregon State seemed a better fit for him than BYU. Jeremy Perry, the Beavers' redshirt freshman offensive guard from Kahuku, gave him a strong sales pitch, too.  Afalava said he is happy with his decision, and everything seems to be working out well for him, especially from a football standpoint. He has played so well in limited action through five games, OSU coach Mike Riley and his assistants have been discussing ways to get him on the field more this week when the Beavers (3-2, 1-1 Pac-10) play their first conference road game at California (5-1, 2-1).

"I don't now exactly how that will work, but we have addressed that as a staff and will continue to look at it," Riley said. "I think the more guys that can go in and make plays, the better off your team is.  "We're obviously pleased with how he's playing, but not surprised. We thought that he might be one freshman who could come in here and do something right away. We need to continue to search for ways to have him involved."  Most of the plays Afalava made through the first four games were limited to special teams. Then, against Washington State, starting free safety Lamar Herron came out of the game with a sore left ankle, and Afalava ended up playing a pivotal role as the Beavers rallied from a 17-point deficit for an improbable 44-33 victory.  "I was nervous at first," Afalava said. "Lamar was like, 'Get ready to go in. I'm hurt.' I was like, 'Oh, man. . . .' The first couple plays . . . I was nervous. But as the game went on, I gained confidence, and then I gave it my best."  Afalava made two game-changing plays in the fourth quarter against the Cougars. First, he tackled Washington State tight end Troy Bienemann at the OSU 1-yard line, and the Cougars settled for a field goal. Then he chased down split end Michael Bumpus and forced a fumble that Sabby Piscitelli recovered for the Beavers, setting up what proved to be the go-ahead touchdown drive.  "You always have certain expectations and hopes for individuals," defensive coordinator Mark Banker said. "I felt that's why we recruited Al -- we felt he could come in and contribute. How soon? I'm not sure anybody knew that he would come in as a true freshman in Game 5 and make such an impact.  "I would not want to see him stop here. There are a lot of things that he needs to continue to improve. And with the attitude I've observed in him, I'm sure he'll continue to work and continue to elevate his game."  The Beavers have struggled in the defensive secondary -- OSU ranks last in the Pac-10 in average passing yards (349.2) and touchdown passes allowed (15) -- but the prospects for the next few seasons appear bright, especially with Afalava in the mix.  At the same time, there also are concerns about what might happen three months from now when Afalava turns 19 -- the age at which most Mormon men spend two years in the Church's missionary program, teaching gospel and participating in community service.

"I'm still undecided on that," Afalava said. "We'll see how I do this year, how it goes next year and how I feel.  "Right now, I'm leaning toward not going on my mission, because I'm doing good out here. If I decide to go on my mission, then I'll go on my mission. My whole family wants me to go on my mission, but I'm going to decide on that. Right now, I'm planning on staying all four years."  The Beavers have promised to support Afalava in whatever decision he makes.  "It's a reality you enter into when you recruit young men of the LDS faith," Banker said. "We told Al from the beginning, if he chose to go on his mission, then that's what we wanted him to do, because that's what the spiritual side of his life called him to do. We wouldn't want to lose him in any way, shape or form. But if that's what he chose to do, then we'd respect that."  And if Afalava were to stay, does he have pro potential?  "That's premature," Banker said. "Some guys that are juniors and into their senior years . . . you can never tell. But if he aspires to go on to the next level to play, he certainly has a good start in that direction."