SB Nation - Gerell Robinson

Inside the Pac-10, Week 6: Big Plays

Avinash — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 10:00:41 -0000

In my mind, the three marquee conference matchups came down to those cliched big plays. Small individual moments helped decisively swing each of them one way or the other.

So I didn't take much from the results of these ones about how everyone stacks up, other than, "These last seven games for Cal are going to be real tough."

Washington 36, Arizona 33

Mike Stoops bewilders me. Every now and then his Wildcats lose a game they shouldn't. This is one of them. Although I hardly blame him for the defeat, he did make some questionable decisions down the stretch.

1) Kicking a field goal up 9 (two score game) facing a 4th and 3 at the 7 with 4:45 left. Here's the issue. You kick the field goal, you're up 12 (still only two scores, albeit two touchdowns). If you go for it and make the first down, you have the opportunity to go for the touchdown to make it a two touchdown, two two-point-conversion game to tie (or if you make it and go for two, it's a three possession game).

Even if you don't make it, you leave Jake Locker and the Huskies offense to go 93 yards for a touchdown that would only cut the lead to two, and they'd almost certainly need an onside kick or might've burned a timeout here and there. As it is, the Wildcats curiously poor kickoff team let a return go back to the 45 yard line, and it takes Locker 80 seconds to put them in the end zone and make it a one score game.

2) Coming out and passing on 1st down with 2:50 left. Why. WHY? WHY??? Even if you run three freaking dive plays with Nwoko, you burn those two timeouts Washington have. Worst case scenario, you give the Huskies about two minutes to go, needing to drive a likely 60-70 yards with no timeouts. Even with Locker back there that's a tall order.

Yeah, that was a terribly fluky play, but Arizona shouldn't have been throwing in the first place. While I'm not saying Stoops was the reason they lost (he wasn't), he probably could've made the final decision easier for his Wildcats to escape undefeated in the Pac-10, and likely a ranked team

As for the game itself? Great one, all the way around. Between that fantastic rocking Husky crowd, and Locker and Nick Foles tearing the defenses apart, it was a sweet West Coast shootout. Interestingly, the quarterbacks are a stark contrast in style and method. Locker had about a dozen great long throws that have become his trademark. Although he still struggles with anything intermediate (52% completion rate won't get it done most days), his play-making ability is unparalleled in the Pac-10 (who else can scamper for a 56 yard TD rush?) and keeps his Huskies in ballgames they would probably lose otherwise.

Foles, by contrast, is Willie Tuitama, version 2.0. 39 of 53??? Through his two starts in conference he's now averaging a 72% rate. Although the Huskies defense couldn't stop paraplegics from throwing on them (they were giving up a 63% completion rate and 9 passing yards per attempt BEFORE this game), that's mighty impressive.

It's safe to say a lot of Pac-10 quarterbacks are passing Kevin Riley by these past few weeks. What will be his response in LA?

Despite the clutch QB play from both sides, these offenses have huge weaknesses, notably in the run game. Running backs from both sides were able to combine for barely 100 yards, which just isn't enough to beat stingier defenses. Foles was able to guide the Wildcats down the field several times but the red zone offense stalled from there, settling for four field goals on seven tries. The Huskies scored their touchdowns by evading the red zone entirely, relying on Locker's arm to get them there.

While the Huskies can get by with Locker doing some of the pounding on the ground, I'm not sure what the Wildcats can do. They probably need Keola Antolin back, because neither Nic Grigsby nor Greg Nwoko were able to penetrate a Husky defense giving up 178 rushing yards a game and 5.4 rushing yards per carry. Next week's game hosting the Furd will be critical, with the loser pretty much out of the Pac-10 race (neither of those teams is sweeping the Oregon-Cal-USC trifecta).

Reactions to Arizona-Washington

John Berkowitz, UW Dawg Pound: "The Wildcats dominated time of possesion 39:19 to only 20:15 for Washington. The Wildcats outgained the Huskies 461 to 256 yards! Jake Locker was only 12-23 with one interception for a total of 140 yards. He did run for a season high of 92 yards. Jake was responsible for over 90% of the Washington offense tonight. What was key for Jake and Washington was a 56 yard TD run in the first quarter plus three TD passes and the pass for that important two point conversion."

Scott Cushing, Seattle PI: "All night long, and I mean ALL NIGHT LONG, Arizona ran that wide-receiver screen play. First to one side, then the other. Play after play after play. And why not? It kept working. Desmond Trufant broke it up once, but it worked to perfection every other time. It's almost as if Seattle was Zaire for one night; UW as Ali Arizona as Foreman and that screen pass was the rope-a-dope. I don't know how else to explain it. It's as if Holt and the defense were baiting Foles into throwing that one errant pass at just the wrong (or right) time because they knew that that the ball would bounce off of Delashaun Dean's heel right into Mason Foster's waiting arms and he would sprint untouched into the endzone. How else do you explain it? They must have known it would happen.

I'm only half kidding, but it's amazing that they decided to, at that time, during that play, blow it up. They knew it was coming and smothered the play, confusing Foles, who had been nearly perfect all night, into making a terrible pass."

Bobby Stover, Arizona Daily Wildcat: "It was (the coaching staff’s) fault for leaving the option on," head coach Mike Stoops said. "Nick was doing what he was supposed to do and it just falls on us as coaches for make a tactical error late in the game...I’m disappointed we didn’t win but I’m not disappointed in the way our kids played tonight...We probably played good enough to win. It just came down to finishing and then that freak play. But that’s just part of college football and the swings of the game."

Oregon 24, UCLA 10

What the hell do I make of this game? Just like Oregon State-Washington, everything changed on one play.

The Bruins had a great chance to knock the Ducks off the pedestal and gagged it away. In terms of offense, it was Oregon 10, UCLA 3 (and even then, that Duck score came off a midfield fumble by Kevin Prince, so it's hard to say). Both sides had a mind-numbing pick-six, and Kevin Craft wasn't even involved.

The only bright spot on other side was the re-emergence of the Oregon run game. Redshirt freshmen LaMichael James and Kenjon Barner (who scored the kickoff return) could be supplanting Best and Vereen as the most potent Pac-10 running back duo. No offense to Blount, who is a physical horse, but he lacks the speed and agility of these two guys to make moves into the holes and cut in the spread offense. James continues to impress with the spinning and the juking, and Barner has pure velocity that can terrorize any defense he faces. Nate Costa wasn't really impressive, although he did make two nice throws on 3rd down on one second half drive, including the touchdown.

However, on defense? These guys are solid. Not sure what happened that morphed Nick Aliotti into Buddy Ryan, but his units are coming out firing. The pass rush schemes are sweet to watch--delayed blitzes with the linebacker looking like he's dropping into coverage, sending the corner from the side, sometimes pure manhandling one-on-one, etc. The UCLA offensive line was one step short, especially with Breahaut came in and Oregon sent pressure on every other play. And that goal-line stand in the first half changed the complexion of the game; Kevin Prince could never play loose enough with the Bruins either playing in a tight matchup or in comeback mode.

As for UCLA? They had a sixteen-play, eight minute drive that ended with Kai Forbath connecting on a 52 yard field goal. I'm guessing they'll be emphasizing ball control in beating Cal next week, since it doesn't seem the Bruins come by their points easily.

Kevin Prince started out the game okay and seemed to get in rhythm in the 2nd quarter against the zone defense, but had all sorts of trouble when his team fell behind, and Richard Brehaut didn't fare much better being thrown in there in the 4th quarter. The Bruins also could not run the ball, putting up around 70 yards on the ground, 22 of those by Prince. Norm Chow also had some quizzical playcalls--two successive QB sneaks at the 1 on 3rd and 4th and goal?

Logically, next week against Cal, they'll explode for 200 yards rushing, Prince will go out and complete 65 percent of his passes and he'll lead the Bruins to four scores. That's how the script goes with us this year, right?

Reactions to Oregon-UCLA

mdjohns4, Bruins Nation: "But it has become all too clear that Brehaut needs to play. If we have a quarterback making elementary mistakes (like Prince and Craft) why not have the highly recruited, Elite 11 camper that has been bred to be a quarterback learning from them when he makes them? The fact that our quarterbacks are relatively even in terms of effectiveness right now should show that the one with the potential to turn this offense into one that can make plays downfield needs to play. We don't need a "game manager." That is coach-speak for "he sucks too much to make plays himself". We've got a young team with raw talent and the potential to go to a bowl game this year, as well as prepare for the ensuing dynasty over the coming years. Coach, stick with Brehaut. Please?"

jtlight, Addicted to Quack: "I said earlier in the week that this game would tell us a lot about the Oregon defense. And, I think we saw exactly how good this defense can be. After letting the UCLA grind out a 9 first downs and 148 yards in the first half, the Oregon defense brought down the hammer in the second, scoring a touchdown, forcing 3 turnovers, and holding UCLA to 5 first downs and 73 on 2.35 yards per play. Besides one long drive in the first half, the Oregon defense did what it should have done: dominate the Bruins offense."

Chris Foster, LA Times: "[Norm Chow on the quarterbacks]: "I don't know, it's too early to call. I think Kevin Prince gives us the best chance to win. That's one man's opinion."...[Chow on the offensive struggles]: "We have a freshman at left tackle, three sophomores on the offensive line, a junior college transfer, a freshman at running back, a freshman at quarterback and two sophomores at wide receiver.""

John Hunt & Jeff Smith, the Oregonian: "Oregon's defense wasn't about to let this one get away. In these three conference games, the Ducks have yet to give up an honest touchdown. Now having outscored California, Washington State and UCLA by a combined 118-19 score, the two opponents' touchdowns have come on drives totaling one yard.

"I think people are starting to jump on the bandwagon," Oregon coach Chip Kelly said. "They're as good a defense as I've seen in a long time.""

Oregon State 38, Furd 28

via a.espncdn.com (Image from Don Ryan, AP)

In the other two marquee matchups, it was about unexpected plays changing the complexion. In this game, it was a surprise play not being converted that made the difference.

First play from scrimmage, Andrew Luck executes a perfect playfake that the Beavers bite on, then throws it perfectly in stride to Chris Owusu. Owusu snares it, looks like he's about to break for the score...then looks ahead a step too early before securing it. Dropped pass, opportunity lost.

If that play converts, the crowd's deflated, the Furd are up 7-0, they can establish Gerhart more thoroughly, etc. etc... Instead? We get a virtual carbon copy of Oregon-Cal (with the caveat that Oregon State isn't quite as potent, and the Furd performed much better in rallying). Jacquizz Rodgers took the role of Jeremiah Masoli, accumulated 134 yards and 3 TDs on the first three drives, putting the Beavers up by 21. Goodnight to the Furd.

On defense Oregon State bottled up Gerhart with seven or eight in the box (rarely nine, they respected Luck's ability to pass). The Beavers always looked a step ahead in the pass coverage, forcing Luck into completing 40% of his passes, including 0% in the first quarter. These are growing pains for the freshman quarterback, although it seemed like he made a valiant comeback effort late. His defense didn't do him any favor, giving up 359 yards of total offense to the Rodgers brothers, including a backbreaking 16 play, 7 minute second half drive where the duo picked up the last 56 of the 80 yards.

So Oregon State's now 2-1 in the Pac-10, 2-0 in October, rolling toward a showdown with USC at the Coliseum in two weeks. Can Mike Riley and Quizz do it again?

Reactions to Furd-Oregon State

Jake Bertalotto, Building the Dam: "Danny Langsdorf brought the Oregon State rendition of the trendy Wildcat formation out of the lab Saturday afterno on. On it's debut play, it produced sophomore tailback Jacquizz Rodgers' longest rush of his OSU career-- a 61-yard scamper that set the Beavers up for their second touchdown of the game. Jacquizz would score four touchdowns on the afternoon and account for 271 yards of total offense-- almost certainly his best game since the Beavers downed USC last season."

Elliott Almond, San Jose Mercury News: "But more than anything, Stanford just couldn't recover from a devastating 21-0 deficit by the second quarter. Jacquizz Rodgers, who had been held to fewer than 100 yards rushing in the three previous outings, slipped underneath defenders in the middle, or wiggled out of the grasp of tacklers in the open field. He looked capable of breaking a big gain almost every time he touched the ball. "We weren't making tackles," Stanford coach Jim Harbaugh said."

Arizona State 27, Washington State 14

via a.espncdn.com (Image from Dean Hare, AP)

The Sun Devils fumbled the ball six times. They turned it over six times in total. Their starting quarterback Danny Sullivan got rotated in and out of the game with Brock Osweiler (only for a series though). And they still had a 20 point lead going into the 4th quarter, with the Cougars needing a 99 yard TD pass to cut it to the respectable two touchdown margin.

Key stat #1: -54 yards rushing for Wazzu. Key stat #2: Their punter was the leading rusher (on a fake punt for 15 yards).

Sigh. Is this what the Tom Holmoe era was like at Cal?

Reactions to Arizona State-Washington State

Grady, Coug Center: "In the end, this game played out the way most of us expected. Two anemic offenses and one stellar defense giving us an ugly game, but also a closer game than we're used to seeing. As one would expect, the stellar defense won out. ASU was too much to handle, with Vontaze Burfict, Mike Nixon, and co. dominating this game from the opening snap. The Cougs faced one of the best rushing defenses in the country, and boy did it show - between numerous tackles for losses, broken plays and sacks, the Cougars ended up with negative 54 yards rushing. Negative 54."

Pitchfork Nation: "[Dennis Erickson] was nailed pretty good on the sideline by Gerell Robinson midway through the 3rd quarter. Originally, the ASU radio broadcast designated a WSU player had run into him. Tim Healey, Jeff Van Raaphorst and Doug Franz described the scene as Erickson laying on the sideline and then being directed to the bench by the team doctor. He got up and stood on the sideline for one play a few moments later, then retreated to the bench once again. However, in classic DE fashion, he basically told the doctors, in no better way, to screw off."

Only Cal fans care about these

Minnesota 35, Purdue 20

The Daily Gopher: "The Mulligan Offense still reared it's ugly head with some occasional plays called that made you scratch your head. But the offense committed just one penalty after the first quarter, the OL played their best game of the year and Adam Weber threw one pick but completed 4/6 with a touchdown run. He wasn't asked to do much (and he didnt') as the Gopher ground game really took over."

Wake Forest 42, Maryland 32

Testudo Times: "Outside of an 85-yard kickoff return from Torrey Smith and a minor emergence by Gary Douglas, there was basically nothing positive for Maryland. Sure, there was a slight comeback, but the game was well over at that point. Wake won 42-32, but the score isn't anywhere close to how one-sided this game was. Want to know how bad it was? Wake had 381 yards of offense...in the FIRST HALF. Maryland barely broke 100. They were on pace for 762 yards!"

Also a hilarious animated image of Debbie Yow (Maryland's AD) looking distressed on the sideline.

Inside the Pac-10: Where Many Things Remain Unanswered

Avinash — Mon, 07 Sep 2009 11:34:33 -0000

More photos » by Tony Avelar - AP

Jahvid Best was spectacular as usual, but are the Bears ready to handle a game when he struggles?

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Week 1 of the college football season is always a magical time. The waiting game is over. There's no filler to battle the endless stream of young hyped-up, irrationally exuberant young adults get sweaty and grimy and move for the prize. Just games games games!

However, as is always the case with a season barely days old, many things remain unanswered. This Pac-10 review (plus for this occasion, Minnesota) post tries to do its best to find the unanswered questions that linger from Week 1, starting with our Bears.

California 52, Maryland 13

I really can't add much outside of what CBKWit talked about his in victory post and what you guys talked about in the game threads and the upcoming report card writeup. You guys covered all bases on this game, good job readers!

Having to nitpick, there are three unanswered questions for me about what the Bears are capable of accomplishing this season.

Can the Bears offense get going without Jahvid Best? Not that I don't appreciate him. I always love to see the Jet flying. Still, you have to admit Cal didn't really do much in the first quarter outside of Best rolling and a nice fumble recovery. And by then the game was pretty much done, since Tedford doesn't blow double digit leads at home.

Maryland controlled the time of possession early and did have two nice drives that really gave you the feeling that the Terps could make a game of it, remarks Testudo Times in their recap post.

It's clear to me that Maryland is better than the score indicated. The first few drives weren't major disasters, and actually gave me some hope. Then a 84 yard touchdown from Jahvid Best and a Torrey Smith fumble basically ended the game. Maryland lost all emotion, and it was clear they were just going through the motions, trying to get home as soon as possible. Of course, that just compounds upon itself and makes it worse. If Best is contained on that run, or Smith holds on to the ball, who knows what happens?

Down and distance-wise, the advantage was with the Terps, but Cal got the one big play and the one big turnover. That was all that was needed for the Bears to bust this one open.

So what happens when Jahvid isn't able to streak for the end zone? What will happen when Cal has to play a close game and Best is not asked to get the long gains but the short three-four yard carries that decide tense ballgames? What will happen when Kevin Riley is called on to lead the passing game

Still not sure if I have an answer for that. We can only find out the answers to these questions as we go along.

Is Cal's offense capable of grinding it out against tougher, multi-dimensional defenses? Given that Maryland had an inexperienced unit, we knew the Terps D-line would struggle. Cal's O-line, although not really known for being a veteran unit, was in total command. 6.6 rushing ypc and 8.5 yards per play overall is plenty good.

However, a lot of this could be Cal taking advantage of the blitzing schemes we said the Bears would see beforehand. Okanes has the scoop.

But although Cal wasn’t exactly sure what they were going to see in terms of specifics ("We need to know who to block," Tedford said during the week), the Bears knew they would see a lot of blitzing and pursuing up the field. That meant the Terps might be susceptible to the big play, and that’s exactly what they were.

Jahvid Best had a 73-yard touchdown run and a 40- yard run. Kevin Riley threw a 42-yard touchdown pass and a 39-yard touchdown pass, and added another 39-yard pass. That helped Cal rack up 542 yards of offense.

Cal’s receivers found themselves facing man coverage most of the night while Best didn’t have may defensive backs waiting for him when he burst past the line of scrimmage.

"When you live by the blitz, if you break it, you’re going to go a long way," Tedford said. "I thought our offensive line did a nice job and then our backs are pretty good at finding creases."

"They were really aggressive and athletic," wide receiver Marvin Jones said. "We were put into a situation where we could make plays."

Undoubtedly, Maryland took a calculated gamble to try and disrupt Riley's game from the get-go, believing that his team didn't have a chance to get it off. Didn't work so well.

What happens when one of our opponents plays us straight up or mixes in both concepts remains to be seen. Cal has plenty of teams and defensive coordinators they're facing this year that know the way they play pretty well. We've got to see what they'll be able to cook up to challenge Best's ability to unleash, and subsequently Riley's ability to carry the load.

Will over-the-middle be the vulnerable spot of our pass coverage? Cal's pass defense seemed good to me except on two occasions: When we couldn't snuff out the screens in the middle of the game, and when we let Chris Turner find the soft spot of the zone yet again. Over. The. Middle.

Keep in mind that when the outcome wasn't totally wrapped up, Maryland did have some success marching down the field. Whether Maryland's O-line strength eroded or Cal's defense became too strong from that point on is something I'm not totally sure of.

Thankfully, the Bears are facing a myriad of teams debuting new quarterbacks, and the new linebacking corps, while struggling in the pass game outside of Mohamed, quickly adapted to their surroundings. It's a promising sign that Cal might be able to shut down even that aspect of the defense, given enough time and ability.

Perhaps a little optimistic even with these unanswered questions, but what else can you say after a score like 52-13? In the end it was a good old-fashioned romp.

Games I watched

Boise State 19, Oregon 8

I had a great recap post all written up for this particular story, then ragnarok had to go and ruin it by posting almost all the thoughts I had in the opening game thread. Not cool bro.

First of all, it’s pretty obvious that Oregon embarrassed themselves in pretty much every way it is possible for a football team to embarrass themselves on the field (and no, the all-white unis aren’t bad, the the wings really do look that stupid).

However, while it may be time to ratchet down expectations for the Ducks, I don’t see that it’s time for them to panic at all. Their offensive line had a terrible, terrible game, and it ruined Chip Kelly’s offense, but it’s not a dire, throw-out-the-playbook sort of situation. Masoli runs the spread very well (go back and watch the 2008 Holiday Bowl if you don’t believe me), though he’s still not much of a downfield passer, and Boise’s disruption up front lay waste to their offensive game plan before it ever really got started. I expect Oregon’s offense to get better as the line gets more experience, but that may not happen for a while.

The whole game itself was sloppy in the way that first-week games often are. Neither team looked great, although Boise at least acquitted itself fairly well, and I’ll take that into consideration when evaluating these teams. Boise will still make my Top 25, and Oregon will still go bowling this year, although I think any conference title talk is completely out the window until further notice. Maybe they figure a few things out and turn it around after a couple games, like Oregon State did last year, but I’m not holding my breath.

Missing Barry takes a harsher view, believing Oregon's about to go in the tank.

I’m pretty much in the opposite camp as you. I think Oregon got exposed yesterday. Boise didn’t beat them on flukes, trick plays, or by injuring all their QB’s – Boise beat them while playing a sloppy game themselves because they pushed Oregon around and dominated them on the line on both sides of the ball. They were simply the better team out there, and if it wasn’t for Moore just dropping the ball onto the field, or a few missed field goals, we’d have the perception that Boise smoked Oregon, instead of just beating them in a sloppy game.

Basically, Boise was simply the better team. They completely outmatched Oregon on the field, and I don’t think that bodes well for Oregon’s future. With a situation like @UT for Cal, I felt Cal got sucker punched by Syd getting beat (because Mixon was hurt) and just didn’t recover very well, but was capable of matching up with them most nights. Last night I saw a big gap between the two teams – Boise was clearly better – they slowly and methodically moved the ball for the entire first half, not on big plays, but by simply dominating Oregon on almost every play. Meanwhile the defense shut Oregon down completely. I really don’t think Oregon even showed the potential to be a very good team last night.

Of course, they’ll still probably play us tough in Autzen.

Addicted to Quack sums up the situation quite well:

But what's important here will be the response. This team could implode faster than the 2006 team, or, it could pull it together like Cal did in 2006. We just don't know. And so we'll get to stew with this terrible game until at least next weekend.

How do you guys feel Oregon will respond from this? Will they lay down or step up?

USC 56, San Jose State 3

I didn't try to analyze much of this, especially when the first real test for the Trojans comes next week. That being said, anyone thinking USC would miss a beat with Matt Barkley seems (at least through this weekend) mistaken. Conquest Chronicles notes that with so much talent at every other position on offense, the freshman quarterback won't have to be asked to do much.

Well, I think he had a decent game yesterday but I won't celebrate for a while..at least not until we get through the meat of the schedule. SJSU was a nice appetizer but lets concentrate on the steak and not the peas next weeks game in Columbus will give us some more infor on Barkley but it will it will be on the road against Cal and Oregon and at home against UW before I can make a solid opinion on the kid.

Barkley had a terrific supporting cast yesterday and that went along way to making his first start a little easier. There wasn't a running back on the sideline that didn't contribute and with the staff calling a very conservative game plan it was hard for Barkley to mess this one up.

How do you feel Matt Barkley will do in the Horseshoe Saturday night?

via i79.photobucket.com

Minnesota 23, Syracuse 20 (OT): Not an impressive game for the Golden Gophers, as the Dukie whipping boy Greg Paulus did plenty of damage before reverting to his natural state of choking Blue Devil (author's note: I hate Duke). The Daily Gopher goes over the best and the worst of the game (the best is below).

DEFENSE. The defense gave up a few big plays, but did a spectacular job of adjusting to the Syracuse offense as the game progressed. Cosgrove and Lee got the job done.

KICKING. Despite one bad field goal attempt, both the kicking and punting was strong for Minnesota. This bodes well for future close games. Eric Ellestad was cool under pressure with his last two field goals.

LEE CAMPBELL. Campbell was dominant at linebacker, and appears to have improved greatly from a solid 2008 season. Look for him to become the leader of the defensive squad on the field.

ERIC DECKER. Minnesota would have lost without him. He's back to his top form after finishing last season with some wear and tear.

TROY STOUDERMIRE. Despite a bad decision late in the game on a punt return, Stoudermire appears to be a great kick returner and a solid option at receiver.

Which of these positives worry you the most about the Cal-Minnesota contest?

Brief looks at the rest.

#11 LSU 31, Washington 23

UW Dawg Pound is pleased with what Locker did against LSU.

Jake Locker put up some big numbers last night which was good to see. The interception that was returned for a TD in the first quarter was unfortunate because without that gift LSU might have been playing in catch-up mode for most of the game. Jake flashed his wheels when he had to especially in the second half but he was definitely in pass first run second mode all night. LSU's team speed negated Jake's ability to create a big play with his feet. He did however pick up some critical third down conversions. What we saw last night was a kid who is a future first round draft choice who finally is getting the type of coaching he needs. Look for Jake to continue to improve every game and when he isn't playing a team as fast as LSU he is just going to eat the opposition up.

Oregon State 34, Portland State 7

Building the Dam is quite happy with the offensive line play

The offensive line was quite another matter. With zero starts on the left side, even the most zealous Beaver Believer had real questions about what would happen, especially against a veteran defensive line, albeit a Big Sky one.

The first test of fall term produced passing grades, however. Michael Philipp avoided what is often the downfall of otherwise solid linemen, something that showed so glaringly in Boise. When linemen are confused about assignments, and block no one because they aren't sure who to block, otherwise very good teams quickly look very bad, and it can be the whole program. Philipp turned in a solid job, and so did Grant Johnson at guard.

Leland Furd Junior 39, Washington State 13

Grady of Coug Center really likes the way James Montgomery is performing.

Let's talk about special teams first. The Cougars wasted a half's worth of kick returns by using Aire Justin in favor of James Montgomery. Let's not go crazy about Justin's horrible decision to start a return seven yards back in his own end zone; he knows that was a bad call and so do the coaches. What was a poor decision, however, was failing to put the better pure runner (Montgomery) out there in the first place. Justin is a defensive back who managed 16 yards per return. Montgomery is a running back who averaged 30 yards on three returns and gave the Cougars some hope in the field position game. Let's keep him there. (Side note: I'm growing to like Montgomery - especially the whole "I'm going to hit the other guy before he hits me" mentality")

UCLA 33, San Diego State 14

Nestor at Bruins Nation wasn't pleased with the slow start by the D, although believed they slowly got better as time went by.

Turning over to the defense, I am with 66 in the sense that I was disappointed by the slow start last night. The only explanation I have is that perhaps Coach Bullough was handicapped a bit because he didn't have any kind of game film to analyze. The pressure upfront towards the beginning of the game was non-existent. Seemed like Lindley had all day. However, we did seem to make decent adjustments after the first few series, and turned it on. Perhaps another reason we weren't getting to him faster was because he seemed to be taking 10-15 step drops to elude our pressure.

I like the fact that our defense seemed to be getting stronger as the game went on. Reggie Carter and Bosworth (although I am blanking out which one) had couple of vicious pops in the second half. However, I would like to see even more (controlled?) aggression in the first half, allowing the defense to make a statement. We are going to need that next week, if we want to stay in that game.

Arizona 19, Central Michigan 6

Arizona Desert Swarm is more than happy with how the Wildcats shut down CMU's stud senior quarterback.

What can you say about our defense? They were awesome. Dan Lefevour only had 108 passing. 108! This guys has set all kinds of records in the MAC and nationally. We held him to 108 yards. VunaTuihalamaka intercepted Lefevour on CMU's first possession for his first of the year. Tuihalamaka was absolutely everywhere last night. We'll be back later in the day or tomorrow to grade the defense coaching plan for the CMU game.

Arizona State 50, Idaho State 3

House of Sparky talks about the athletes on ASU's team that could be the ones to look out for in the future, although there is one aspect of the Sun Devil performance that should give their fans cause for concern.

Mike Nixon looked incredible last night. His experience, wisdom and superior talent really shone through. We're going to need him to come up big all season if we want to achieve the goals we are capable of.

Thomas Weber is looking pretty good, even if he missed one of his chip shots.

Danny Sullivan appears to be more comfortable than I've ever seen him before in a Sun Devil uniform, but Brock Osweiler looked poised in the pocket as well. Watch out, Danny.

Is anyone else concerned about the lack of a running game? In reality, we barely scratched the surface of what we should be doing on the ground.

I expect Gerell Robinson to be increasingly utilized over the course of the season. He's a quality player.

First Impressions From Week 1; ASU wins big, 50-3

Cory Williams — Sun, 06 Sep 2009 16:28:27 -0000

More photos » by Matt York - AP

Danny Sullivan is comin' to getcha.

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Lets take a quick look at last night's game.

Mike Nixon looked incredible last night. His experience, wisdom and superior talent really shone through. We're going to need him to come up big all season if we want to achieve the goals we are capable of.
Thomas Weber is looking pretty good, even if he missed one of his chip shots.
Danny Sullivan appears to be more comfortable than I've ever seen him before in a Sun Devil uniform, but Brock Osweiler looked poised in the pocket as well. Watch out, Danny.
The new jerseys look fantastic (see above).
Is anyone else concerned about the lack of a running game? In reality, we barely scratched the surface of what we should be doing on the ground.
I expect Gerell Robinson to be increasingly utilized over the course of the season. He's a quality player.
I am very happy with Cameron Marshall's first appearance in maroon and gold, he played well for a freshman.
Finally, Idaho State is truly brutal. I am embarrassed that we played such a creampuff when there were such better options at the time we made our schedule.
The Sun Devils are now 1-0, and are undefeated!

Building the Dam Skull Forks Sun Devils

CV3000 — Fri, 31 Oct 2008 01:12:38 -0000

Another week, another Pac-10 foe to dominate. We got together with C.W. of House of Sparky fame for his take on just how badly The Beavers are going to crush ASU this Saturday.

In an uncharacteristic display of mercy, CV3000 saves this Sun Devils fan from having to watch his team for the rest of the season. via farm1.static.flickr.com

1. Do you think the Devils have any chance of winning in Reser?

I would like to think the Sun Devils can go into Reser and pull out a hard-earned victory. Of course, they have a chance. We wouldn't even show up if we didn't, and we wouldn't be in the Pac-10 either. Heck, Wazzu can beat someone .... okay sorry, my mother told me not to lie.

ASU is playing very poorly, and has not been the same since the UNLV loss. With our Lou Groza-winning kicker Thomas Weber playing the worst we've ever seen, we have no leg to stand on in Reser(oh my god, that is horrible). Regardless, if Carpenter can get some time and go through the progressions, our wide receivers are fairly solid and can find the seams in the OSU defense.

But legitimately, do I think ASU will win? Probably not. But I will be cheering them on the whole way. Orange Hell, be damned.

Only, in Reser, it's way Oranger. via babypoobarellah.files.wordpress.com

Continue reading our condescending interview...

2. Did you know the last time that Erickson coached against the Beavers in Reser it was 38-0? You can change your answer to the first question if you want to.

Dennis Erickson is a mastermind. An old man, to be certain, but a creative genius who is capable of exacting his revenge on the Beavers.

Heh. No, this could be ugly.

3. Rudy Carpenter. That guy plays for you. Is he pretty good or what?

He is good, but he's been getting a lot of heat from the local media. They want him benched in favor of Danny Sullivan. I can't agree with this, especially after seeing Sullivan play in person, but Carpenter looks mediocre at best with his bum ankle.

I always supported Rudy, but his attitude is very, shall we say, controversial. Opponents hate him; our fans seem to feel the same way when he isn't performing up to his potential. His job is thankless, but he has done it well for 3 years. He shouldn't be punished now.

Given that, you all saw what happened in 2007 in Tempe, when the Beavers were up 19-0. That turned out well for the Devils.

4. When Erickson was at OSU an opposing coach said that his offense was "spread 'em out wide and then hand it off up the middle to Simonton." Is it pretty much the same thing now, just with Keegan Herring instead? That guy's pretty good, isn't he?

It would be that type of game plan, if the offensive line didn't leak like a sieve. It doesn't help that Herring's hamstring has been problematic for the entire season, and Dimitri Nance has been incapable of gaining any useful yards in the running game.

I really wish injuries had not derailed his season. He is a decent back with speed and a nose for the end zone. Had he been around all year, I think ASU's record would be 4-3 or 5-2, rather than 2-5.

5. Honestly, I can't name a single player from your defense. Should I know about someone, or am I better off not knowing?

Dexter Davis is a beast on the line, and he is capable of attacking Lyle Moevao all game long. Sophomore Omar Bolden, our #1 corner, has looked much better in recent weeks, shutting down Oregon's Jaison Williams last Saturday, and showing some more promise than he did against Georgia freshman A.J. Green.

6. We heard there's killer bees in Arizona. What are your thoughts? Can you promise to not bring them with you to Oregon? Thanks.

Killer bees are scary. I am putting them in the checked baggage of the Sun Devil charter. Feel free to do with them what you wish, whether you release them en masse on UO's campus, or whatever it is you Beavers do.

7. Who is your most impressive player on either side of the ball?

Easy... No wait, it isn't. Since we are just plain awful, this will take more effort.

Offensively, I want to say Kyle Williams. He is short for his position (WR), but that doesn't prevent him from being a great threat. He has oodles of speed and runs routes quite efficiently.

On the defensive side, safety Troy Nolan is a ballhawk who never gives up on any play. Even when we were down 28-0 against USC with only a few minutes left, he was still playing as hard as he can, which is a great sign for prospective employers at the next level.

8. When I look at the games that the Devils have played, the only conclusion that I can come up with is that the Sun Devils definitely are not a great team, but there's still a chance that they might not be that bad. They probably have one or two good games left in the tank. What do you think?

I won't disagree. Put the game plan together correctly, and this team is capable of scoring 40 points. Will that happen? I can't be sure. It seems more likely that we will score in the range of 13-27 points, but it wouldn't hurt me at all if the defense can shut down the Beavers, and Carpenter can put up some big numbers.

9. Who is your best young player that we might look forward to terrorizing us for many years in the future for writing this?

Interesting. No one has really stepped up this year, and we don't have any "explosive" players like Orange Jesus in the pipeline. I am excited for Ryan Bass and Gerell Robinson, though. RB and WR, respectively, they are both true freshmen playing real minutes for the Devils.

For our sake, they will step up by the time we go down to Tucson, and we can show the Wildcats what they have to look forward to for the next 3 years. Will they make a huge difference in Corvallis? Probably not... but a guy can dream.

10. The Beavers have no known weaknesses on offense, but if there is a weakness on the defense, Washington showed that they could throw it deep 9 times and have 4 long completions and also earn a couple pass interference calls to complement their pathetic offensive output. Do you anticipate that your offense will rely heavily upon drawing penalties to sustain drives like Washington was forced to do or are the personnel and coaches talented enough to gain yards through actual football skill?

Please don't compare us to that mess that is the Washington football team. We will try our best to beat you with the talent, not the refs. Besides, chances are that the Pac-10 officials wouldn't get the calls right anyway. We might air it out, but the offensive line might not be able to give adequate time for such an activity to even take place. In the end, I'm just like Dennis Erickson: I don't have the answer.

11. When your practice facility blew away in a storm earlier in the year, was that pretty much just a really obvious metaphor?

Yes. It is inflated now for insurance purposes... I wonder if the ASU team has that same policy? Can they be artificially inflated for a few weeks to save the season?

The search party seen above is on the lookout for signs of life in ASU's football season. via www.eastvalleytribune.com

-CV3000

Poll

Do you expect the Beavers to cover the 14.5 point spread this week against ASU as they muscle their way to the Rose Bowl?

Beavs cover the spread and DOMINATE

78 votes

Devils keep it close and/or win?

21 votes

99 votes | Poll has closed

Previewing The First Weekend Of Pac-10 Football

Cory Williams — Wed, 27 Aug 2008 05:57:49 -0000

Previewing the first weekend seems to be a chic blog move these days, so naturally I wanted to do one as well. In this rousing rendition of a week one preview, I will discuss all Pac-10 teams and their matchups.

Interestingly enough, the Pac-10 starts conference play very early this season to make room for non-conferences games later on in the fall.

Oregon State @ Stanford. Thursday, August 28, 6:00 PM Pacific, ESPN2.

Oregon State finished strong last year after getting off to a middling 5-4 start that included a shocking 44-32 loss to Arizona State. OSU was up 19-0 after the first quarter, but could not hold back Rudy Carpenter and the Sun Devils' offense. The Beavers lost their star running back Yvenson Bernard (due to that whole graduation/eligibility thing), but junior quarterback Sean Canfield is still around and ready to connect with Sammie Stroughter.

On the other side of the gridiron, Stanford returns Tavita Pritchard, the QB who led the Cardinal to the astounding upset of USC in Los Angeles. This was the same team that managed to beat Arizona, but couldn't take care of a crippled Notre Dame. The Jekyll and Hyde performances last season couldn't hide their lack of talent, and they finished 4-8 on the year.

OSU will overwhelm the Cardinal, and win by 20.

USC @ Virginia. Saturday, August 30, 12:30 PM Pacific, ABC.

Mark Sanchez is back under center in Trojan-land. Pete Carroll is more than likely going to start him against Virginia this weekend, but USC would not need him to take care of the Cavaliers. Despite a 9-4 record last season, Virginia got off to an unbelievably slow start (which included a 23-3 embarrassment of a loss at Wyoming).

USC, on the other hand, is known for strong starts. Strong starts, strong finishes, strong seasons. You know what I am saying. USC does not go into Charlottesville and pick up anything other than a capital W.

Oklahoma State @ Washington State. Saturday, August 30, 12:30 PM Pacific.

Washington State is a notoriously difficult place to play. ASU barely escaped 23-20 last year. Unfortunately for WSU fans, the game is being played in Seattle. Also, just in case you hadn't already known, Oklahoma State's Head Coach, Mike Gundy, is a 40-year old man.

That's all I need to see. Oklahoma State wins by 50.

Michigan State @ California. Saturday, August 30, 5:00 PM Pacific, ABC.

California and Nate Longshore have waited all spring and summer to avenge their disgraceful collapse from #2 in the country all the way down to unranked in a span of 3 short weeks. The Bears somehow finished 7-6 despite a 5-0 start, which is something I can't see happening again.

Michigan State was also 7-6 on the season, losing every game against ranked opponents. California at least went and took out the erstwhile Tennessee Volunteers. The Bears will win this by double digits.

Northern Arizona @ Arizona State. Saturday, August 30, 7:22 PM Pacific, FSN Arizona.

Hopefully, ASU can treat the Lumberjacks like a legitimate foe, and put them to task early and often. I'd like to see Sam Szakaczy, James Morrison, and Gerell Robinson on the field in the second half quite a bit, giving them experience just in case they are needed more frequently in the future.

The offensive line can also use this game as an opportunity to gel as a unit. ASU will win by 30.

Washington @ Oregon. Saturday, August 30, 7:00 PM Pacific.

Oregon is a sleeper that everyone seems to be writing about, and in that way I don't see them as a sleeper at all. Washington, on the other hand, is returning Jake Locker, who I think would be a great quarterback at a school with talent on the offensive line. Since we're in the "House of Loud" (patent pending), Oregon will take this, but only because it is so Loud™ in Autzen.

Idaho @ Arizona. Saturday, August 30, 7:00 PM Pacific.

Tucson is as close as the Vandals can get to Dennis Erickson these days. As much as I'd like to say that Idaho will storm into town and ruin the Wildcats' season, I just can't do it. Willie Tuitama will have a field day, and probably win by 20 or 25.

Tennessee @ UCLA. Monday, September 1, 5:00 PM Pacific, ESPN.

Ohhhhh boy. This is going to be ugly. UCLA has no real direction yet (give it time), no set quarterback (give it time), and no chance. Tennessee lost to California last year and will not accept another Pac-10 defeat. Going into Pasadena and taking it to the Bruins is just the remedy.