The concern was obvious two years ago when incumbent Oregon State starting center Keith DiDomenico went down with a knee injury in the Beavers' final preseason scrimmage, a week before the opener at Nevada.

DiDomenico was OSU's best offensive lineman, a preseason all-conference candidate. His backup, redshirt sophomore Chris Gibson, was about 60 pounds lighter and had virtually no game experience.

As it turns out, OSU had no reason to worry.

Gibson performed admirably in two starts while DiDomenico healed, started again in the season-ending Oahu Bowl in Hawaii, and showed enough potential to convince the coaches to move DiDomenico back to guard, his natural position, for the 2000 season.

Gibson did more than merely step up; he excelled.

Last year he blossomed into a star in his first full season as a starter, as the 6-5, 279-pounder earned first-team All-Pac-10 honors, was a third-team Associated Press All-American and became a key cog in OSU's dash to a Pac-10 co-championship and a No. 4 national ranking.

Gibson was an undersized, under-recruited 6-4, 240-pounder coming out of Roseburg, Ore., where he didn't lose a game as a junior or senior playing alongside current Beaver teammates Jake Cookus and Mark Walsh. In four years, though, he's gained nearly 40 pounds and has attained almost the perfect balance of bulk and quickness.

"I don't want to be too big because you have to have the quickness there to be able to still move," Gibson said.

"There are a few times where we do have to pull, and I also have a lot of linebacker (blocking) responsibility, so I want to be able to move well."

Offensive line coach Gregg Smith said Gibson didn't shy away from the added responsibility and accountability when he was promoted to a starter.

"When he came into spring practice (in 2000) knowing he was No. 1, you could just see him come on and develop even more. It really comes down to getting your best guys on the field.

"Chris is a good athlete and smart kid, but because of his size, he'd be limited playing guard or tackle. But he's such a good player, he needs to be on the field."

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