Elu Aydon, a 378-pound defensive tackle, cradled the bowling ball in his hand, and it resembled a shot put in his gigantic grip. He unleashed a surprisingly finessed roll with deadly spin down one of the lanes at Sun Mountain Fun Center.

Quarterback Jake Luton preferred a more straight-down-the middle approach.

All sorts of bowling styles — and plenty of gutter balls and strikes — could be seen and heard Wednesday afternoon at the Bend facility as the Oregon State football team enjoyed a team-bonding outing during its three-day visit to the High Desert. There were also lots of shouts, chest bumps, hugs and high-fives as the Beavers let off some steam 10 days before their looming trip to Ohio State to open the 2018 season.

First-year Beavers head coach Jonathan Smith did not participate, but he watched closely from behind the lanes as players took advantage of a couple of hours away from football before they scrimmage Thursday at Summit High School to close out their Central Oregon stay.

“I’ve seen some bad bowlers, but I think they’re having fun,” Smith said with a smile. “I think it’s good. It’s something different to do with each other. Get in a different environment. That was the whole logic of coming over here to re-create (a game road trip) but also have some fun. You learn a little bit about their athleticism, or lack thereof, but also just watching them interact, man, and clapping and high-fiving.”

Smith, a former quarterback at Oregon State (1998-2001), said he recalled some team-bonding activities from his playing days.

“I can remember we had a belly-flop contest, and some of those O-linemen going and belly-flopping, that was entertaining,” he said. “You can’t be just focused 24/7. You’ve got to be able to take a deep breath at times and they’re doing it, so this is a good event.”

Junior linebacker Andrzej Hughes-Murray said events like the bowling session allow the players to grow closer off the field and learn about each other — but they are always competitive. While in Bend the Beavers have also held a free-throw shooting contest, a water-balloon fight, and a home-run derby session (with tennis balls).

“There’s a lot of team camaraderie and a lot of fun,” Hughes-Murray said. “It’s a chance for us to get away from football for a little bit and just be around each other and have a lot of fun, that’s all this is. You get to know guys and stuff like that, so everything is not just about football.”

Senior cornerback Dwayne Williams said the bowling event can help bring players and coaches — a number of the assistants got into the keggling mix — together as a team.

“Sometimes we don’t interact with the offensive line, but having things like this helps with that,” Williams said. “You learn a lot about guys — guys that you don’t always talk to on the field.”

Smith said he is using the trip to Bend to sort of simulate a road-game trip. If the players know generally what to expect during the trip they can focus more on playing fifth-ranked Ohio State in its massive Ohio Stadium, which seats more than 100,000.

“We want to remove the uncertainties and the anxiousness that comes, just because they’ve done it before, and they can just focus on the game,” Smith said. “And it’s always great to come to Bend — it’s a beautiful place. I think it’s good to have a change of pace. We spent 2½ weeks at training camp, so coming over here is good.”

Hughes-Murray said that during the last couple of practices he has noticed a lot of high energy, and Thursday’s scrimmage will provide a final chance for players to show coaches what they can do in a game situation.

Smith said he hopes to see improvement in Thursday’s scrimmage and players “taking the next step.”

“We want to re-create some game situations for them and see how they react to that,” Smith said. “I think they’re prepared, but one more time putting them out there, I want to see them play well.”

— Reporter: 541-383-0318,

mmorical@bendbulletin.com