SB Nation - Jacquizz Rodgers

Las Vegas Bowl Preview: Oregon St. vs. BYU

Layton — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 00:39:05 -0000

It's good to be home again...

In what has become a holiday tradition for BYU and its fans, this year's edition of the Las Vegas Bowl (I need to add MAACO in there somewhere) is going nontraditional. Two ranked teams, and hopefully two teams that really care to be there. We know Max Hall and the rest of the seniors want to go out with a win, and we're keeping our fingers crossed the Beavers show just as much interest.

The powers-that-be at ESPN rated this the 7th-best bowl game this year, ahead of two BCS games, and if it lives up to that kind of hype we should a doozy on our hands--in a good way.

In every position on offense, BYU holds a pretty substantial edge against the Beavers' defense. Oregon State's passing defense ranks 87th nationally (6th in Pac-10), giving up 237 yards in the air, and that was with their starting CB, Tim Clark, who won't be playing due to a broken leg he suffered against Oregon. The biggest reason to such weak pass coverage numbers is their front seven rarely put pressure on the quarterback (15 sacks on the season). These numbers, along with a patched secondary that also gave up 20 TDs, and you've got Max Hall in a candy store all night long. It's a pretty good bet 10 Cougars could have receptions in this game, and Harvey Unga will run for at least 80 yards.

Continue Reading After the Jump...

As for the Cougar defense stopping Oregon St., the focus will have to be on Jacquizz Rodgers. BYU struggles against speed, and that's exactly what he is. Rodgers averages 115 a game, can break a play wide open at any time, and will line up behind center in the wildcat formation. He will be a true test for BYU's big, physical D-line. If BYU can make them one-dimensional, the Cougars will have a pretty good shot at beating OSU.

However, if BYU stops the run, that doesn't guarantee a win. Here's why: Jacquizz's twin brother, James Rodgers. He's got 87 catches for 1004 yards this season. He's small, but he's a great route-runner and the fastest guy on the team. Logan and Bradley will have their hands full, and they will need help from the safeties.

The key to the Beavers' passing game is their senior QB, Sean Canfield. He's thrown for more than 3100 yards this season, has 21 TDs and only 6 INTs. However impressive these are, he really shines with his completion percentage (70%). BYU's going to have to fluster him (though a senior, it's his first year playing), get him out of the pocket, or sack him before he can deliver it. If he completes 70% against BYU, it could be a very long night.

In the Beavers four losses this year, they have given up at least 36 points. BYU is certainly capable of scoring that many points, and should they jump on OSU early and often, they'll have won their 3rd bowl game in 5 years.

I saw a computer simulation (not video game) with the outcome of 1,000 games between OSU and BYU. The simulation took into account nearly every circumstance, stat, etc. The final average score was 25-24, Oregon State. These teams are so evenly matched I wouldn't be surprised if it goes down to the final drive.

BYU 31, Oregon St. 28

Offense NCAA Rankings:

Total Yards Per Game:

OSU: 419 (28th); BYU: 437 (18th)

Passing Yards Per Game:

OSU: 294 (16th); BYU: 299 (13th)

Rushing Yards Per Game:

OSU: 144 (64th); BYU: 148 (60th)

Points Scored Per Game:

OSU: 32 (23rd); BYU: 34(13th)

Poll

Is this the best non-BCS bowl game this season?

We're All Americans, But We're Not All All-Americans

Oops Pow Surprise — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 20:51:28 -0000

by Charlie Neibergall - AP

Iowa's Pat Angerer (43) celebrates with teammates Allen Reisner and Dace Richardson, right, after Iowa blocked a Northern Iowa field goal on the final play. Iowa won 17-16. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)

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As is usually the case after a 10-win season, the accolades are beginning to pour in for the Iowa Hawkeye football team. Everyone and their mom has an all-conference or All-American team, but the two that actually matter--Walter Camp and the AP--are now out. And for the 33th year in a row, the unanimous selection for player of the year is Frank Stallone*.

More importantly, the AP named three Hawkeyes to their All-American teams. While nobody made it onto the first team, thanks to Ricky Stanzi's ankle injury--come on, you know if he stays healthy and Iowa goes 11-1 and finishes at #5 or so, even the guys on defense get a little bit more of a bump--both Bryan Bulaga and Pat Angerer made it to the second team, while Tyler Sash made third-team AA as a sophomore. A fine moment for all three players (two of whom, as we insular and provincial types are quick to point out, are native Iowans).

Meanwhile, the Walter Camp Foundation agreed with the AP, naming Bulaga and Angerer to their second team as well and effectively establishing the two as the de facto MVPs of their respective sides of the ball. We have a little beef with each designation, but for wholly different reasons.

First, though Bulaga is by far the best pro prospect on the line as of right now and was utterly dominant in 2008, the reality is that even notwithstanding the 3-week absence as he recovered from thyroid issues, he struggled in 2009. Brandon Graham and O'Brien Schofield manhandled Bulaga. And while those are two very good defensive ends, so was Aaron Maybin, the 11th pick of the 2009 by the Buffalo Bills and Bryan Bulaga's personal prison bitch after Iowa-PSU 2008. There was a substantial dropoff in play by Bulaga in 2009, and voters just didn't notice it when it came time to hand out awards.

Meanwhile, Dace Richardson was actually very good in his return to the line, and he got a fair amount of media attention when mid-season awards were being handed out. Then his ankle was rolled up on against Michigan State, and he disappeared from both the depth chart and voters' attention. But why should he have been punished for an ankle injury while voters looked past Bulaga's absence of a similar length? It's all past reputation, and that's not really fair to guys who come from nowhere and work their butts off--especially in their senior year, where there's no chance for any payoff in the "rewarded in Year X for play in Year X-minus-1" system that's come to be when it comes to honoring offensive linemen.

What this comes down to is that if the AP were to select an Iowa lineman for All-American this season, we'd have preferred it be Dace--though we'll certainly "settle for" Bulaga instead. If both men are playing their last game for Iowa next month, as lots of speculation suggests, then they've both had stellar careers in the black and gold and we wish them well.

On defense, on the other hand, Pat Angerer didn't really establish himself as the most dominant player for that Iowa defense, but that's hardly through any fault of his own. After all, one usually does so by being simply better than his teammates, and the talent level on the Iowa defense this year was both so high and so consistent that it was hard to see Angerer as someone who was the best player on defense. After all, you could always come back with, "well why not Sash? Or Adrian Clayborn? Or Amari Spievey? Or A.J. Edds? Or, hell, Jeremiha Hunter?" We're not saying that Angerer was the 6th best player on the Iowa defense by any means--just that ranking the top 5 or 6 or so would be impossible, because the gaps would be so miniscule that personal preference could easily mean a 3- or 4-spot swing here or there and it wouldn't even be objectionable.

Angerer's accolades, then, come from two areas: 1) his name, which is everything you could ever hope for times infinity; 2) and his stats, which sort of sneak up on you for the same reasons mentioned in the previous paragraph. As mentioned before, he was 5th in the nation in tackles at 11.3 a game. That's pretty outstanding, especially since--as TRE noticed during the season--Angerer's real strength might have been in pass coverage, not run support.

Still, absent game-changing plays, it's somewhat difficult to notice the overall impact a player has on a game. And all of those game-changing plays seemed to happen to other players--most notably Sash and Clayborn, and to a lesser extent Spievey.

Thus we have a weird ambiguity about how we look at Angerer's standing as the most highly-lauded member of the 2009 Iowa defense. It's not that he didn't deserve it--far from it--but with a defense like Iowa's, you could basically pick a name out of a hat and feel relatively confident that you made a good choice. It was that kind of year. Effectively singling out Angerer for praise, then, seems unusual and almost a little unfair. Oh well. There are worse problems to have.

Full AP All-American teams are after the break.

First team
Offense
	   Quarterback -- Colt McCoy, senior, 6-foot-2, 210 pounds, Texas.
	   Running backs -- Toby Gerhart, senior, 6-1, 235, Stanford; Mark Ingram, sophomore, 5-10, 212, Alabama.
	   Tackles -- Russell Okung, senior, 6-5, 301, Oklahoma State; Trent Williams, senior, 6-5, 318, Oklahoma.
	   Guards -- Michael Johnson, senior, 6-6, 305, Alabama; Mike Iupati, senior, 6-6, 330, Idaho.
	   Center -- J.D. Walton, senior, 6-3, 305, Baylor.
	   Tight end -- Aaron Hernandez, junior, 6-2, 250, Florida.
	   Wide receivers -- Golden Tate, junior, 5-11, 195, Notre Dame; Jordan Shipley, senior, 6-0, 190, Texas.
	   All-purpose player -- C.J. Spiller, senior, 5-11, 195, Clemson.
	   Kicker -- Leigh Tiffin, senior, 6-2, 212, Alabama.
Defense
	   Ends -- Jerry Hughes, senior, 6-3, 257, TCU; Derrick Morgan, junior, 6-4, 272, Georgia Tech.
	   Tackles -- Ndamukong Suh, senior, 6-4, 300, Nebraska; Terrence Cody, senior, 6-5, 365, Alabama.
	   Linebackers -- Rolando McClain, junior, 6-4, 258, Alabama; Greg Jones, junior, 6-1, 228, Michigan State; Eric Norwood, senior, 6-1, 252, South Carolina.
	   Cornerbacks -- Joe Haden, junior, 5-11, 190, Florida; Javier Arenas, senior, 5-9, 198, Alabama.
	   Safeties -- Eric Berry, junior, 5-11, 203, Tennessee; Earl Thomas, sophomore, 5-10, 197, Texas.
	   Punter -- Drew Butler, sophomore, 6-2, 201, Georgia.
Second team
	   Quarterback -- Tim Tebow, senior, Florida.
	   Running backs -- Ryan Mathews, junior, Fresno State; Dion Lewis, freshman, Pittsburgh.
	   Tackles -- Bryan Bulaga, junior, Iowa; Chris Marinelli, senior, Stanford.
	   Guards -- Rodney Hudson, junior, Florida State; Mike Pouncey, junior, Florida.
	   Center -- Maurkice Pouncey, junior, Florida.
	   Tight end -- Dennis Pitta, senior, BYU.
	   Wide receivers -- Mardy Gilyard, senior, Cincinnati; Danario Alexander, senior, Missouri.
	   All-purpose player -- James Rodgers, junior, Oregon State.
	   Kicker -- Kai Forbath, junior, UCLA.
Defense
	   Ends -- Von Miller, junior, Texas A&M; Brandon Graham, senior, Michigan.
	   Tackles -- Gerald McCoy, junior, Oklahoma; Jared Odrick, senior, Penn State.
	   Linebackers -- Pat Angerer, senior, Iowa; Brandon Spikes, senior, Florida; Sean Weatherspoon, senior, Missouri.
	   Cornerbacks -- Perrish Cox, senior, Oklahoma State; Kyle Wilson, senior, Boise State.
	   Safeties -- Taylor Mays, senior, Southern California; Rahim Moore, sophomore, UCLA.
	   Punter -- Zoltan Mesko, senior, Michigan.
Third team
Offense
	   Quarterback -- Kellen Moore, sophomore, Boise State
	   Running backs -- LaMichael James, redshirt freshman, Oregon; Jacquizz Rodgers, sophomore, Oregon State.
	   Tackles -- Dennis Landolt, senior, Penn State; Ciron Black, senior, LSU.
	   Guards -- Brandon Carter, senior, Texas Tech; Jeff Byers, senior, Southern California.
	   Center -- Chris Hall, senior, Texas.
	   Tight end -- Dorin Dickerson, senior, Pittsburgh.
	   Wide receivers -- Freddie Barnes, senior, Bowling Green; Demaryius Thomas, junior, Georgia Tech.
	   All-purpose player -- Dexter McCluster, senior, Mississippi.
	   Kicker -- Hunter Lawrence, senior, Texas.
Defense
	   Ends -- Jeremy Beal, junior, Oklahoma; Brandon Sharpe, senior, Texas Tech.
	   Tackles -- Brian Price, junior, UCLA; Dan Williams, senior, Tennessee.
	   Linebackers -- Sergio Kindle, senior, Texas; Cody Grimm, senior, Virginia Tech; Navorro Bowman, junior, Penn State.
	   Cornerbacks -- Brandon Harris, sophomore, Miami; Alterraun Verner, senior, UCLA.
	   Safeties -- Tyler Sash, sophomore, Iowa; Mark Barron, sophomore, Alabama.
	   Punter -- Matt Reagan, senior, Memphis.

*Did you know he was in Tombstone, a.k.a. the SINGLE GREATEST MOVIE IN HISTORY? And in a phenomenal scene, to boot.

TCU and Oregon State are Very Close to Play the 2010 Opener at Jerry World

Jeremy Mauss — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 22:30:13 -0000

More photos » by Donna McWilliam - AP

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Jerry Jones -- owner of the Dallas Cowboys-- is at it again with the help of ESPN to bring a showcase event to his still usponsored palace in Arlington, TX. The game is rumored to be Oregon State to take on TCU with The Portland Tribune saying this is basically a done deal:

"We’re still negotiating with ESPN, but I would hope in the next two weeks we’ll be able to get this thing accomplished," Oregon State Athletic Director Bob De Carolis said Monday.

The game set to be on opening weekend September 4th, and will be similar to the BYU-Oklahoma tilt. The only challenge is that TCU is currently scheduled to play Baylor and Oregon State is set to play Eastern Washington, but ESPN is helping the Beavers find Eastern Washington an opponent. The Baylor game might be able to be moved, because even if TCU adds this game they still need to fill one more non-conference game.

The pay out is anywhere from $300,000 to $1,000,000 for this game. Another reason for Oregon State to play this game is to give brothers James Rodgers and Jacquizz Rodgers who are from the area a game in front of some fans. If this game is added then Oregon State will play non-conference games against TCU, at Boise State, and Louisville at home. While TCU will be playing Oregon State, SMU, Baylor, and an opponent still not determined.

This would be a daunting game for Oregon State since they will be breaking in a new quarterback in a road game that is being played in close range of the TCU campus. The Horned Frogs will be primed for another shot at the BCS with a possibility of a national title run.

Seven of 12 All-Pac-10 Beavers On First Team

AndyPanda — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 22:04:45 -0000

Twelve Oregon St. Beaver footballers received All Pac-10 honors, seven on the first team.

Four members of the Beavers' offense are on the first team, including Sean Canfield, quarterback, Jacquizz Rodgers, running back, James Rodgers, wide receiver, and Greg Peat, guard.

Joining the first team from the defense are Keaton Kristick, linebacker, and Stephen Paea, tackle. And Suaesi Tuimaunei was named the first team special teams player that is not a kicker or a return specialist.

The seven were more than any other team placed on the first team.

Placekicker Justin Kahut was named the second team kicker, behind All-American Kai Forbath of UCLA.

Center Alex Linnenkohl was one of four Beavers to receive honorable mention, as were three linebackers, including middle linebacker David Pa'aluhi, and outside linebackers Dwight Roberson and Keith Pankey. Roberson and Pankey are notable for this accomplishment, because neither were full time players, instead splitting time at the position.

The offensive player of the year was Stanford running back Toby Gerhart, while UCLA tackle Brian Price was named the Pat Tillman defensive player of the year.

First year coach Chip Kelly was named the Coach of the Year, after leading the Oregon Ducks to the Pac-10 title, and winning the conference by as much as two games for the first time since 1991.

The complete list is available on the Pac-10 site.

2009 Las Vegas Bowl: BYU vs. Oregon State

sroufe — Sun, 06 Dec 2009 23:33:15 -0000

More photos » by Greg Wahl-Stephens - AP

Oregon State sophomore RB Jacquizz Rodgers (1) has run for 1,377 yards (13th in the nation) and 20 touchdowns this season. Rodgers, his brother James and Beavers QB Sean Canfield are three of the biggest offensive weapons in the Pac-10. (AP Photo/Greg Wahl-Stephens)

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The VTF bowl scenario poll overwhelmingly reflected a desire for the Cougars to go up against USC - whether it was in Las Vegas or San Diego. But while some might be a bit disappointed for not drawing the Trojans, it's not like Oregon State is some kind of consolation prize. They are an excellent football team and will be a tough opponent. The No. 16 Beavers are the second-highest ranked team in the Pac-10 and narrowly missed playing in the Rose Bowl when they turned the ball over on downs (on the Oregon 28 yard line) late in the fourth quarter and lost 37-33 in the Civil War.

The Beavers won at Cal, and lost close games to Arizona, Cincinnati and USC. In fact, their loss at USC is their only loss this season to a currently unranked school. Interestingly, Oregon State also came to Sam Boyd Stadium earlier this season and squeaked out a win over a feisty UNLV program.

We'll discuss the Beavers more as the bowl game approaches, but for now let's be very, very pleased with this result. The program gets a larger payout than playing in the Poinsettia, probably a greater home field advantage than playing Arizona or UCLA in prior years, and there is the intriguing angle of Mendenhall coaching against his alma mater. This is exciting!

GO COUGARS!!!

Official Announcement - BYU Athletics

"Building the Dam" - Oregon State Blog at SB Nation

Oregon State statistics after the jump...

Passing

		Passing									Rushing					Sacks
	G	Rating	Comp	Att	Pct	Yds	Y/G	Y/A	TD	INT	Rush	Yds	Y/G	Avg	TD	Sack	YdsL
Sean Canfield	12	103.0	284	406	70	3103	258.6	7.6	21	6	46	-161	-13.4	-3.5	1	-	-
Ryan Katz	3	60.0	12	21	57.1	186	62	8.9	0	0	7	-7	-2.3	-1	0	-	-
Lyle Moevao	1	0.0	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	-	-

Rushing

		Rushing					Receiving
	G	Rush	Yds	Y/G	Avg	TD	Rec	Yds	Y/G	Avg	TD
Sean Canfield	12	46	-161	-13.4	-3.5	1	0	0	0	0	0
Jordan Jenkins	1	2	6	6	3	0	0	0	0	0	0
Ryan Katz	3	7	-7	-2.3	-1	0	0	0	0	0	0
Ryan McCants	4	6	25	6.3	4.2	0	1	4	1	4	0
James Rodgers	12	54	289	24.1	5.4	0	87	1004	83.7	11.5	9
Jacquizz Rodgers	12	255	1377	114.8	5.4	20	74	509	42.4	6.9	1
Jovan Stevenson	7	25	136	19.4	5.4	1	5	59	8.4	11.8	0
Markus Wheaton	8	11	79	9.9	7.2	1	7	77	9.6	11	0

Receiving

		Receiving
	G	Rec	Yds	Y/G	AVG	TD
Damola Adeniji	12	49	701	58.4	14.3	4
Jordan Bishop	6	11	135	22.5	12.3	1
Brady Camp	5	5	40	8	8	2
Darrell Catchings	2	2	24	12	12	0
Howard Croom	1	1	4	4	4	0
Joe Halahuni	11	34	474	43.1	13.9	3
Casey Kjos	5	8	68	13.6	8.5	1
Ryan McCants	4	1	4	1	4	0
Aaron Nichols	7	11	176	25.1	16	1
Colby Prince	1	1	12	12	12	0
James Rodgers	12	87	1004	83.7	11.5	9
Jacquizz Rodgers	12	74	509	42.4	6.9	1
Jovan Stevenson	7	5	59	8.4	11.8	0
Kevan Walker	1	1	16	16	16	0
Markus Wheaton	8	7	77	9.6	11	0

Kicking

		Field Goals								PAT
	G	0-19	20-29	30-39	40-49	50+	FGM	FGA	PCT	XPM	XPA	PCT	pts
Justin Kahut	12	-	-	-	-	-	22	27	80.0%	43	44	100.0%	109

Team Stats - Game Averages

	Pts	Yrds	Pass	Rush
Offense	10.2	419.4	275.3	144.2

Where We Go From Here

AndyPanda — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 19:22:23 -0000

"Drat!"

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Now that we have all had our chance to share Benny's "Drat!" moment, the question is where do we go from here?

In the short term, we go to the TV to see whether we get lucky enough to go to San Diego for the holidays, and the Holiday Bowl, or back to Las Vegas, and Sam Boyd stadium, site of the Beavers' 23-21 win over UNLV on a windy night, for the Body Show Bowl, aka, the Maaco Las Vegas Bowl. More on the outcome of this on BTD later, after we see what Saturday's results, and Athletic Director Bob DeCarolis' cell-phone melting sales job, bring.

An important question for OSU fans for sure.

But on the subject of getting another shot at the Rose Bowl in the Civil War, and the third time being the charm, where we must go is back to work on line play.

With no intent to throw any of the Beavers' offensive or defensive linemen under the bus (they wouldn't fit under there any way), the fact remains that is where Oregon St. must make some more headway.

Losing conference games by five, six, and four points is why the Beavers are an 8-4 team, and a 6-3 team in conference, and solidly in the 11-35 portion of the college football world, and not in the 1-10 portion. Both the offensive and defensive lines share in the challenge.

I say challenge, not problem, because when you replace a bunch of NFL bound players, and still play for the Rose Bowl, you are doing a lot right, or the Beavers would be back with the Sun Devils and Huskies today.

Whether it's better footwork from Michael Philipp, strength training for Grant Johnson, or pass protection improvement by Mike Remmers (just some examples, not the only whole story), the Beavers have to get better at spacing their blocks.

Clearly having to settle for too many Justin Kahut field goals is a problem, but too often the problem with red zone and third and fourth down conversions started with poor production on first down. Jacquizz Rodgers doesn't need a lot of daylight, but he needs some room, and too often opponent defenses were able to jam up all the running lanes forcing the Beavers into long yardage situations.

Note that even though no Duck defenders have a clear shot at 'Quizz, there is no lane to cut into.

Just as serious, the defensive line had trouble getting up field, and as a result couldn't make stops when necessary. The Beavers were overall solid against the run, but when it mattered most, the Ducks ran for 288 yards, and they did it because they frequently carried the battle to the Beavs, rather that the other way around.

When Morgan Flint connected on a field goal in the fourth quarter, which took Kahut out of the equation, it was just the fourth time the defense forced a field goal in such a situation, against over 20 touchdowns. If settling for field goals was a problem for Oregon State, it certainly wasn't for the Beavers' opponents. Turn that one stat around, and OSU is a BCS team.

And even when the Beavers didn't give up a score, needing one more stop, they couldn't get it. Both USC and Oregon needed a first down to run out the clock, and they got it. Big games are usually won by your best players, and to make a difference, they have to be on the field. Sean Canfield, the best passing quarterback in the Pac-10, and the Rodgers brothers, the most dangerous and productive duo in college football, were left standing on the sideline.

Getting to know the Oregon State Beavers: Q&A with Building The Dam

jtlight — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 20:30:16 -0000

More photos » by Don Ryan - AP

Insert your own lame innuendo involving this guy's name.

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We have a Civil War for the ages coming up tomorrow night, so we decided to see how Beaver fans were feeling about the game. AndyPanda of Building The Dam was kind enough to answer our questions. Jake and Andy had some questions for us as well, and the first part of our answers are posted at BtD.

1. Oregon State is at it again. After early season struggles, they've seemed to round into shape at the end of the season. Is this the case this year, or is it simply a case of scheduling?

Some of both. Cincinnati was as good or better than advertised, and Arizona has proven to be better than expected. At the same time, Oregon St. has progressed significantly since those loses, on both sides of the ball. That's as should be expected, given the loss of experience from last year's team.

2. 2008 Civil War score aside, which team is better? The 2008 Beavers or the 2009 Beavers?

The 2009 Beavers are notably better at this point, due to being nearly 100% healthy. Before the key injuries that juggled the QB lineup, and then the loss in consecutive games of the Rodgers brothers, the 2008 team was the better group. The number of departed players that went on to the next level, 7 to the NFL, plus a couple of others, are proof of the quality lost, and their replacements are not three and four year starters yet, so still lack experience, relatively speaking.

3. Sean Canfield has been great this season, and as a Duck fan, I'm much more worried about him than I was with Lyle Moevao. What is the best way to beat Sean Canfield?

Quality coverage in the secondary, forcing Sean to look a long time to find a target. Historically, his weakness has been to stand in too long, taking late sacks when he should have run or made a decision to throw, even if it is to throw the ball away.

4. Who is the second most important offensive player for the Beavers?

Sean Canfield or James Rodgers are the obvious choices, but I'm going to suggest Damola Adeniji, if not second, should be considered. His improved ability as a receiver has been instrumental in Canfield's improvement, by providing the big receiving target Sean needs, and has prevented opponents from being able to almost disregard other receivers in order to overload against both the Rodgers' brothers. Downfield blocking by receivers is critical to the success of the Beavers' offense as well, and Adeniji has worked hard at doing the things that make the overall offense work.

5. Oregon thrives offensively on offensive matchups and creating mismatches for opposing defenses. Will the OSU defenders be able to make tackles in space, especially against Oregon's speedy WR corp.

The OSU secondary is quite capable of tacking in space, but one of the keys to the game will be how well they do at being anywhere near where they need to be. Spacing to minimize the size of the openings the Duck receivers are sprinting into may well decide the game.

6. On the flip side, what matchups will OSU try to exploit when they have the ball. What matchups make Beaver fans excited?

The Beavers will doubtless try to use special teams to tip the field, so to speak. One of the best ways to get James Rodgers in the open is on kick returns. Also, the Oregon St. kick coverage has been outstanding at giving opponents long fields to drive on.

On offense, its about getting cutback lanes for Jacquizz Rodgers. If Quizz can get to the second level with any regularity, the game changes drastically. That said, Canfield's accuracy, completing over 70% of his passes, should seriously stretch the Duck secondary.

7. What are your expectations on the OSU defense for Thursday night?

They can't shut down the Oregon offense. With Jeremiah Masoli healthy, no one can. But they are very good against the run, and should curb LaMichael James. That puts the burden on Masoli to make consistently good decisions about whether to run or pass. At that point, its about assignment defense, and not overpursuing. And with Masoli, one step can be too far out of position to recover. The game will be decided by how well the Beavers maintain gap and assignment discipline. It won't require shutting down the Ducks with the OSU offense healthy; it may only require 2,3,4 stops.

The Beavers have been dominant in the early portion of games, both their wins and losses. That's critical, because if they can get off to a fast start, then the defense can be put into a position where they only need those few stops later in the game.

8. Most people though that the Beavers and Ducks were 1 year away from making any headway in the Pac-10 this year. What is your feeling on having the Civil War for the Roses, possibly one year early? Regardless of outcome, how confident do you feel going into next year?

Fairly confident, and the only reason for only being "fairly" confident is the question mark at the quarterback position. If Lyle Moevao were to get another year of eligibility, then the Beavers become co-favorites with the Ducks for the title. Otherwise, the first six weeks could be pretty tricky, with either Ryan Katz or Peter Lalich at QB, especially Katz, because of the inexperience factor.

With most of the roster returning, including both the Rodgers brothers, and a favorable schedule, seven home games, including USC, Cal, and Oregon, and nine games in the northwest, the table is mostly set for a serious run. Even the trip to Boise St. is later in September, so there will be time to work out some issues at the quarterback position.

However, that's no reason to not put it all on the line in the Civil War this season. Much of the conference will be improved, and as been shown, the Beavers, or the Ducks, or anyone, can play a lot of very good football for a lot of seasons, and still not get to the Rose Bowl or the BCS. The conference is consistently that tough.

Quack Fix: Ducks focused for Civil War, new OL commit, and LaMichael vs. Jacquizz

jtlight — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 14:37:55 -0000

We're inching closer to the Civil War. I'm just back from a long Thanksgiving, and it was great to keep my mind off the game for a few days. I have a feeling the next few days won't go so quickly. On to the quack!

The Duck players are showing focus, as well as confidence as they prepare to take on the Beavers on Thursday night. They continue to work hard and fast, showing focus I don't believe we've ever seen from an Oregon team. And that hard work breeds success. This team knows what they have to put in before each game to win, and they're doing it again.
Yesterday's practice in particular sounded like it went well. The Ducks practiced in shells in the Moshofsky Center. The Ducks let out about 20 minutes early, but its tough to know what to make of that fact. With the bye week, the Ducks have been working extra hard in practice the last few days, so look for them to have typical practices over the next couple days.
The Ducks picked up another recruit, this time JC offensive lineman Ryan Clanton, who hails from Jeremiah Masoli's old junior college. Clanton has three years to play 2, and will like redshirt next season. But then he'll be able to step in in 2011, when the Ducks are set to lose a few big names on the O-line. Clanton has the physical talent to make an impact on the line, which has been so integral to the success of Oregon football over the past few years.
The Oregonian has a long piece on the never-ending LaMichael/Jacquizz debate. Both backs have been stellar this season, though LMJ has not been asked to do as much for the Ducks as Jacquizz has for the Beavers. The Civil War should be a great duel between two outstanding running backs.
The Pac-10 takes on the Big 12 in basketball, and Bob Clark says that this could simply expose the Pac-10 even more than it already has been. The basketball season has not started off well, and will likely not get better anytime soon.

As always, leave any other Duck news in the comments below, and discuss away! GO DUCKS!

Quack Fix: Wrapping up a great win in Tucson

jtlight — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 16:13:49 -0000

What a weekend. The Ducks made it out of Tucson alive, though barely. It's always tough to go on the road, and this Oregon team has struggled to find consistency away from Autzen. However, the Ducks were able to pull it out, basically willing themselves to victory despite a number of mistakes and setbacks.

First of all, Jeremiah Masoli. It's not always pretty, but he gets the job done. His improvement from his early season problems has been the main reason for the Ducks offensive success, and he's earing lots of national recognition. He's being called a winner and unflappable by Ivan Maisel. George Schroeder has a column on him as well. Masoli, more than anything else, has learned to just allow the game to happen, and take what is there. He rarely makes bad decisions, and when he does, he doesn't let that affect his future play (like Dennis Dixon did in the early days). In a tough road environment where things hadn't been going well, Masoli and the offense came through when they needed to.
We're not the only people praising Nate Costa. Sporting News named his hold the play of the day. For a play as routine as an extra point, Costa and Flint handled the poor snap like pros, and allowed me to breathe a sigh of relief after a half second of sheer terror.
Both Masoli and LaMichael James set record this weekend. Masoli set the record for the highest scoring QB in Oregon history (passing Joey Harrington), while LMJ set the Pac-10 freshman rushing record, surpassing Jacquizz Rodgers' record from last season.
Jeff Maehl is also earning some well-deserved praise. He's received a lot of unwarranted criticism this year, but his rapport with Masoli was huge in moving the chains during the final Oregon drive, and the throw and catch for the first OT touchdown was a thing of beauty.
Ken Woody's blog on the game is an excellent read, as always. He's not as positive as many of us are, but that just means that there are some good things to work on in the week and a half ahead.
Arizona President Robert Shelton apologized to UO for the behavior of the Arizona fans. Hopefully this will be a lesson to Arizona and all other Pac-10 schools, and some of these issues can get cleaned up.

After the jump, a couple of videos on the game, including player reaction. As always, leave any other links in the comments. GO DUCKS!

Masoli, James, and Maehl react after the win

Inside the Pac recaps the weekend and looks forward to the Civil War

Oregon State 42, Washington State 10

Grady. — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 03:08:54 -0000

More photos » by Dean Hare - AP

about 1 month ago: Washington State defensive backs Aire Justin, left, and Easton Johnson (81) tackle Oregon State running back Jacquizz Rodgers (1) during the second quarter of an NCAA college football game Saturday, Nov. 21, 2009, at Martin Stadium in Pullman, Wash. (AP Photo/Dean Hare)

Browse more photos »

Beavers vs Cougars Recap

I'm trying a little something different with game recaps, which is linking to the SBN recap (above) for those of you that missed the game and may want to know all the ins-and-outs that got us to the final score.

Yet again, there's not much for me to add, except this: for whatever its worth, this game restored my faith in Paul Wulff a little bit. Pay no attention to the final score - this game was close throughout most of the first half and was 21-10 late in the third quarter. Sure, the Cougars never led, but this wasn't the roll-over-and-die type performance we've seen every week since the USC game. In fact, this game was pretty reminiscent of the game against the Trojans, with the obvious differences today being a lack of Jeff Tuel and the lopsided final score.

Still, there's a long way to go. Watching Arizona play Oregon at this moment, I remember how Arizona struggled in the early years under Stoops. While he never reached these depths, the Wildcats didn't have a winning season until the fifth year under Stoops. However, they've reeled in solid recruiting classes, built their program up, and now find themselves in the conversation for a Pac-10 championship.

Is it an equivalent example? Not exactly, but I try to look on the bright side after the 1,238 times that we see a Cougar QB pass go to Dwight Tardy in the flat for no gain. Earlier today, I felt like it was only a matter of time for Wulff. Now I feel like maybe there's a glimmer of hope.

What else is good news? We're a year away, at least in my opinion, from knowing the answer to our Wulff question. Either the program starts to show signs of life (which is a win), or Paul Wulff proves he can't get it together and we move on to the next coach (also a win).

Player of the Game: Seniors. Rather than give the award to an individual player, I thought I'd throw it out to the seniors who stuck with this program through good times and bad (mostly bad) over the past four to five years. Hope they got to go to some basketball games!

Unsung Hero: Jared Karstetter. Six catches for 72 yards, and a bright spot in a still struggling Cougar offense.

It was over when... Jacquizz Rodgers spun away from a Cougar defender en route to a 39-yard touchdown with 12:10 left to play in the fourth. It put OSU up 35-10.

Play of the Game: Dwight Tardy's 1-yard dive into the endzone to get the Cougars within 21-10 at halftime.

Stat of the Game: Jacquizz Rodgers finished with 165 rushing yards. WSU, as a team, had 192 total.