The 1947 season had been a bitter one for fans of the Oregon State College Beavers, a significant power in the ten team Pacific Coast Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (PCC).

Spring practice for Oregon State opened in earnest in Corvallis on Friday, April 30, when two intersquad teams ran onto the grass at Bell Field.

[22] In a contest held in the pounding rain, left half Dick Gray was again the star, spinning a 15-yard touchdown to quarterback Rudy Ruppe and racing 42-yards for another in an intrasquad game that was never close.

[23] The final intrasquad game, held at Bell Field on May 14, offered the best showing by the OSC varsity's white-clad newcomers, with the sophomores threatening an upset before ultimately falling to former Portland Roosevelt High School star Dick Gray and the Orange team, 27–13.

One unnamed Corvallis observer gushed that Gray had done "about everything" in spring practice: "called signals, passed, run, punted, and showed great form on defense."

[30] After four days of "daily double" practices to build conditioning, Stiner began to install new offensive plays for the September 18 season opener in Corvallis.

[32] Additionally, four reserve linemen were similarly lost to graduation, adding to the complexity of line coach Jim Dixon's restructuring task.

[35] A newly renovated Bell Field in Corvallis was the site for the season-opener between the Oregon State College Beavers and the Idaho Vandals, with a kickoff scheduled for 2 pm.

[36] The Vandals returned a nearly full complement of players from the 1947 squad that shocked West coast powerhouse Stanford by three points, and, while remaining underdogs on the road against OSC, were still reckoned to be among the strongest teams in school history.

[36] The Beavers easily overmatched their guests, however, tearing apart Idaho with a passing attack led by southpaw halfback Don Samuel, a senior from Hood River.

[3] OSC backs combined to complete 16 passes on 22 attempts for 269 yards — regarded as exceptional both for accuracy and yardage for a team of this era with a history steeped in the running game.

[3] After stopping the Vandals and forcing them to punt, OSC began its second drive around midfield and marched in for the initial score with just over six minutes off the clock.

In the third quarter, the Beavers and Vandals matched touchdowns, with Idaho finally breaking ice late in the period off an intercepted pass by Don Ditz.

[3] Despite losing the turnover battle 5 to 2, the Beavers dominated Idaho in total offense, 445 yards to 177, forcing the Vandals to punt the ball 8 times.

Oregon State athletic director Roy "Spec" Keen was quick to accept the offer to play in the New Year's Day game in Honolulu, declaring that the Beavers were "happy to be invited.

[6] The first USC score was set up by a miserable 17-yard out-of-bounds quick-kick punt by Don Samuel that started the Trojans out for their first series on the OSC 40-yard line.

[6] After trading the ball again on the Beaver end of the field, the Trojans drove and scored on a 2-yard run by left halfback Don Doll with two minutes remaining in the first quarter.

[43] Anticipating a large crowd, the game was scheduled for Multnomah Stadium in Portland, a more spacious venue than little Bell Field in Corvallis.

Both teams arrived in the city on the Friday before the game — the Beavers by bus in the afternoon and the Huskies aboard a United Airlines flight in the early evening.