Aaron Woods always has a smile on his face, and the senior wide receiver and kick returner’s positivity permeates every practice and game. If a receiver drops a ball, Woods is the kind of guy who will pull the receiver aside for a little back-and-forth with the ball to rebuild confidence.
Woods, at a diminutive 5 feet 5 inches tall, has started all of his 22 games since arriving at Portland State. He is a leader in every way and a model of what can be accomplished if the work gets put in.
The Portland native and Sunset High School graduate came to Portland State two years ago after being recruited from Santa Rosa Junior College. He expected to play for former head coach Tim Walsh, but the coaching shakeup changed that.
When the coaching change happened in 2007, assistant coach Jim Craft stayed on as recruiting coordinator and Woods began talking with him about a future with the Vikings.
“That’s pretty much who brought me back up here,” Woods said.
For the Viks, it’s a good thing Craft was so persuasive.
Last season, Woods had over 1,000 yards receiving and set single-season school records for kick returns and return yards. This season, he broke four kick return records, including the two he set last year.
When the last pigskin of this season had been tossed, Woods was the Vikings’ record holder in kick returns and return yards in a season with 53 returns for 1,314 yards. He also set the benchmark for career statistics in the same two categories, with 88 returns for 2,222 yards.
Woods received Big Sky Conference and National Player of the Week honors for his performance against Weber State by racking up 330 all-purpose yards and three touchdowns, including a 97-yard kick return for a touchdown.
But not all aspects of Woods’ season have been so rosy.
“I felt like we were on track at the beginning of the year to go to the next level, but I felt like with the loss of [former offensive coordinator] Mouse [Davis]…we were trying to find ourselves,” he said. “But I don’t want that to sound like an excuse.”
The Viks finished the season with a 2-9 record—the worst in 27 years—and only one conference win. Woods saw a significant drop in his offensive production as well.
He racked up only 535 receiving yards whereas last year he had 1,028. He is quick to add that he sometimes didn’t perform the way he should have.
He feels that the season started off difficult with games against Pac-10 Oregon State and conference powerhouses Montana and Weber State, and instead of these games pushing the team, they wore them down—players and coaches alike.
“That’s what happens during the football season,” Woods said. “You can’t really say that was the sole reason we didn’t achieve the wins that we should have.”
However, it can be seen in the statistics and points put up during the Weber State game that it was the pinnacle in Portland State’s performance, and the last-second loss lingered on.
The offensive struggles did not help. Known for being a pass-heavy team, the Vikings made a serious stab at the running game by tallying 1,185 rushing yards, compared to last season’s 322. However, the passing game suffered and totaled over 1,000 yards less than last year.
“We had a really, really good offense, and I’m not saying that we didn’t this year, but I guess we just didn’t produce like we did last year,” Woods said.
“Sometimes running the ball is more effective than passing and I guess that’s the path that we were taking this year,” Woods said, waxing pragmatic about his struggles and frustration with the diminished role of the long ball in the game plan.
When asked if head coach Jerry Glanville’s resignation was the right move for the team, Woods showed that he understands the game of football at its most basic level, not something many can claim to do.
“I feel like the decision that was made was, I guess, based on the production that was done. We had three losing seasons,” Woods said. “I’m a receiver. If I drop every ball, I’m not going to be able to play, you know?”
Woods is on track to graduate winter term with a degree in communications. However, he’s not done with football just yet.
Starting in the beginning of the year he will start training for the pros and “shoot for the stars and hopefully land in the clouds.”
Woods said he would be happy to sign with any team accepting of a short receiver, but in the event that doesn’t come to pass, he is thinking about work in social services.
No matter where he goes or what he does, Woods will be remembered by Viking fans as the interminable team leader and record-breaking returner that he is.