SB Nation - Lyle Moevao

Beavers / Frogs Talk

AndyPanda — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 20:15:03 -0000

Rumors and newspaper columns have been flying for a couple of weeks about ESPN's idea to have Oregon St. ditch next season's home opener against Eastern Washington in order to have the Beavers play a Sept. 4 season opener spectacular in Cowboys Stadium, against the TCU Horned Frogs.

Athletic Director Bob DeCarolis on Monday made the idea seem real, saying "We're still negotiating with ESPN, but I would hope in the next two weeks we'll be able to get this thing accomplished. It's looking good, but there are still some things that need to come together."

The thing that needs to come together is mostly finding someone for Eastern Washington to play.

The reasons for the move are simple, dollars and promises.

The payout is projected to be at least $300,000, with the potential to reach nearly $1 million, which just happens to be the amount DeCarolis projects the school's athletic budget to be deficient in the 2009-10 academic year. Of course, the fact that it could cost some $ to get the Eagles to go away, and the loss of a home game will cost the revenue of an crowd of over 40,000, plus the price of a road trip, will have to be subtracted from that payout.

It's also a way for Oregon St. to get the Rodgers brothers James and Jacquizz an opportunity to play a game in their home state. The Rodgers of course come from Houston suburb Richmond, Texas, about a four hour drive from the Dallas area.

Coach Mike Riley has bought off on the move, saying "We've wanted to take the Rodgers brothers back to Texas for a game before James graduates, and this is our last chance to do that. Plus, I've always liked the big games, and it's a lifetime experience to play in that stadium. I said go for it."

The last chance, unless Oregon St. reaches the Alamo Bowl next season.

The downside is probably the end of any hope of a BCS at-large bid before classes ever start, and yet another slow start to a season, record wise, and the chance of diminished selection for television, and reduced or non-existent rankings, during October, until the regularly scheduled Riley late season surge comes about. That reduced television revenue has to be subtracted from the ESPN check as well.

DeCarolis does consider it a gamble, but feels "If you're fortunate enough to pull off a win, you're in the national conversation. It also helps the players focus in getting ready for the season through the summer."

Considering this a gamble is an optimistic view at best, though.

For those questioning the probability of this gloomy scenario, keep in mind it will mean two road games to BCS bowl teams that return almost their entire roster in the first month.

Undefeated and third ranked TCU is on track to return 18 starters, and any notion that playing the Horned Frogs, who are from Ft. Worth, in Arlington, is a neutral site game is foolish. It's the same as playing the Washington Huskies at Quest Stadium and calling that a neutral site.

And at the end of the month, there is the trip to Boise. The sixth ranked and undefeated Broncos also return almost their entire starting lineup as well, and are 75-2 on their blue turf.

Even though the Beavers return 19 starters, that's a start that will mean the toughest schedule in college football, not just next season, but maybe for several years, as all the national/rational powers try to limit their non-conference schedule to just one game they have a good chance of losing.

The prospect of that start has to make projected new starting quarterback Ryan Katz more than a little nervous.

And while a 1-2 start would limit the BCS options to winning the Pac-10 in order to go to the Rose Bowl, that will be an accomplishment too. With the return of Jake Locker to Washington, it means all nine of the other Pac-10 teams are likely to have a returning quarterback with Pac-10 starting experience.

Makes one wonder how much DeCarolis knows that he isn't saying.

We do know De Carolis, who has repeatedly been identified as a prime candidate for the vacant Michigan athletic director position, knows more about that situation than we do. De Carolis, whose contract at Oregon St. runs through 2011, previously spent 19 years in the Wolverines' athletic department before coming west to OSU in 1998. And his oldest daughter is a junior at Michigan.

But when asked if he had even been contacted by Michigan officials, De Carolis said, "I'm not in a position to talk about that. Let them go through the process, and we'll see what happens."

What we don't know is whether this development is a tip that there is more than yet meets the eye regarding the future status of quarterback Lyle Moevao, who missed all but one play this season, due first to slow recovery from shoulder surgery, and then an ankle injury in practice.

We do know that OSU officials haven't yet filed the formal application to the NCAA Student-Athlete Reinstatement Committee for a sixth season of eligibility for Moevao, who has an 11-4 record as a starter.

The process includes submitting both a letter from the student athlete, and one from the school on his behalf, as well as copies of his transcripts and academic standings to the NCAA. Alex Parker, OSU's associate athletic director for compliance, says the school is waiting for Moevao to complete some paperwork if he decides to go through with the appeal.

Parker said "A decision from the NCAA is usually reached three to four weeks after submission. Most extra years are granted when two different injuries are suffered to cause two seasons lost beyond the control of the student-athlete."

But in Moevao's case, he redshirted his first year at Oregon St. after a season at El Camino Junior College in Torrance, Calif., but has only lost one season due to injury.

With the experienced Moevao behind center, the bold scheduling move, as well as the Beavers' Pac-10 prospects in a year where the conference of quarterbacks will again be loaded with bona fide gunslingers, will look much different.

The prospect of next season's possible schedule with a quarterback, Katz, who hasn't started a game by then in nearly three years, and that a high school game, or perhaps Peter Lalich, who at least has DI starting experience for Virginia, but no game action in nearly two years, harkens back to the dark days.

Not just the more recent days when Oregon St. took on games that produced numerous early season nonconference losses, many of them by lopsided scores, in recent seasons, but also way back in history.

The dark ages known as the nearly thirty years between the original giant killers and the coming of the "Age of Riley" were a direct product of this type of scheduling. Oregon State once would only play only three home games, and one in Portland, loading up with high profile road games. Pull off the upsets, and you are the giant killers.

However, reality was a lot of beat downs, resulting in depressed home attendance (Who are these guys anyway, we haven't seen them around in a month?), and collapsed recruiting (Would a good recruit prefer to win, or get beat in front of a hostile crowd?). And a downward spiral that led to very real talk of dropping down to the Big Sky conference. Where there would be annual opportunities to play Eastern Washington.

When suicide scheduling is something others come to you to do, instead of you being willing to do it, is when your program has truly arrived. Seven home games should be the goal, not a schedule that makes exceeding seven wins a major achievement.

Unless Riley and DeCarolis know something the rest of us don't, it looks like a step back in time, more than a step up in national prominence.

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

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.

Pac 10 holes to fill in 2010

John Berkowitz — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 14:03:21 -0000

More photos » by STEPHEN BRASHEAR - AP

Washington tailback Chris Polk became the first Husky frosh to ever rush over 1000 yards in a single season. (AP Photo/Stephen Brashear)

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The Pac 10 proved itself in 2009 to be an elite conference with lots of parity for the first time since Pete Carroll's first season at USC. As for 2010 you can usually make a pretty good prediction on what is going to happen next year based on the previous years record, returning starters, and most importantly experience at quarterback.

If you are using that as a guide it is pretty easy to pick the Oregon Ducks as the favorite to win the conference in 2010. Overall the Pac 10 was young in 2009 and that was one reason for all the parity. Washington and Washington State like to point at youth for being a reason they will be better in 2009 but you can say that about any team in the conference next season excluding ASU and Arizona.

At first glance this is an early look at the holes that teams need to plug next season and what the reasonable expectation should be for 2010.

1. Oregon - Offense - 10 - Defense - 9

The Ducks go into 2010 as the favorite to win the conference. On offense they have everyone coming back except for TE Ed Dickson who will be adequately replaced by David Paulson. Defensively they need to replace half of their defensive line which is graduating but they do have the beef in reserve to do that. The defensive backfield will be young but a lot of those players saw considerable action this season.

The big key for Oregon is the return of Jeremiah Masoli at QB and his partner in crime LaMichael James. The Ducks should start next season in the top five nationally and be primed for a national championship run. If you are a duck fan you don't have too much in the immediate future to worry about.

2. Southern Cal - 7 Offense - Defense - 7

The Trojans lose three offensive lineman and their TE so their is some rebuilding to do up front. On defense they need to replace the entire secondary. This was a young USC team with plenty of talent on the roster which will only get better with time. The key to 2010 will be the continued development of QB Matt Barkley and the hope of some playmakers maturing around him on offense.

Pete Carroll has recruited well at USC but he didn't have any actual superstars on the roster in 2010 at key positions like he did in the past. The Trojans need a RB to emerge to compliment what Barkley will bring next season. Expect the improvement at QB to be there as usual. SC needs some serious playmakers if they are going to get past Oregon.

3. Oregon State - Offense - 8 - Defense - 9

On offense the Beavers need to replace Sean Canfield who played himself into a NFL draft pick this past season. The Rodgers brothers are scheduled to return but I could see James leaving early for the NFL. The Beavers lose only one starting offensive lineman. On defense the Beavers lose a LB and one of their CB's so they are in really good shape going into 2010 if Lyle Moevao can get a sixth year to come back and run the Beav offense.

If Moevao can get another season and James Rodgers comes back the Beavers will be very good on offense. If they don't come back I could see this team fall a couple of spots despite having an improved defense. You win with experience at QB in this league. If OSU is breaking in a new QB there will be some growing pains.

4. California - Offense - 9 - Defense - 5

The Bears only lose one offensive lineman and will likely lose RB Jahvid Best who is headed for the NFL early. No big deal because Shane Vereen is just as scary. Other than that the Bears return pretty intact on offense which means trouble for the rest of the Pac 10. On defense the Bears will loose 3/4 of their secondary, half of their LB corps and a DE so there is some rebuilding to be done.

I expect the Bears to do better on offense next season. Kevin Riley has to get better at QB with another year under Tedford. Defensively the Bears are rebuilding and that will ultimately keep them from winning the title. Tedford has recruited well over the years so he has some talent in the depth that is ready to move up to help fill holes on defense.

5. Stanford - Offense - 8 - Defense - 7

The Cardinal lose Heisman hopeful Toby Gerhart who is a huge part of their offense. He will be tough to replace. They also lose one OL and a TE so with the exception of Gerhart they return pretty much intact on offense. On defense they lose the two best players in their secondary in McNally and Sherman. They also lose monster NT Ekom Udofia and LB Will Powers.

Imagine Stanford without Toby Gerhart in 2009. How competitive would this team have been? Gerhart is a generational talent who the Cards won't be able to replace. Harbaugh continues to bring in solid recruiting classes so the Tree will be an improved team. The questions are will Andrew Luck be able to pick up enough of the slack in 2010 for the Stanford offense to be a factor? Can Stanford find an adequate replacement for Gerhart?

6. Washington Offense - 9 - Defense - 7

The Huskies lose Ossai and Homer from the offense. On defense they lose Butler and Savannah at LB plus Jones and Teo Nesheim on the DL. Jones was more of a spot starter because of injuries and the same can be said of Savannah who will petition for a 6th year.

The Huskies have some good returning at the offensive skill positions but they are in year one of rebuilding the offensive line because Sark couldn't find any to sign in year one. It will take at least two years of development until this highly rated OL class is ready to contribute. The only big question on offense is if Jake Locker will return. If he does UW should go to a bowl in 2010. If he doesn't it will set the program back a year or two.

Defensively Washington played a lot of young players in 2010. They also have a lot of talent coming in with the next class which should alleviate depth concerns. Washington will be improved on defense next season even though the losses of Teo Nesheim and Butler will be felt.

If Jake Locker doesn't come back the Huskies would fall to eighth in my early predictions. Not much of a fall but the difference between making or not making a bowl game in 2010 unless a miracle happens at QB.

7. Arizona - 5 Offense - Defense - 4

The Wildcats lose WR Terrell Turner, FB Chris Gronksowski, and most of their offensive line. On defense they lose half the defensive line and all three of their starting LB's. They also lose two starters in the secondary.

Thank god for Nick Foles and Nic Grigsby because this team is going to need them next year. Arizona and ASU are really the only team in the conference doing a major rebuild from an attrition standpoint next season. If TE Rob Gronkowski returns it will be another big plus.

8. UCLA - 8 Offense - Defense - 7

The Bruins lose FB Chane Moline, WR Terrance Austin, and TE Logan Paulsen on offense. Defensively they lose the Bosworth twins and Reggie Carter at the LB spots. Alteraun Verner is always leaving at CB. You can count on Rick Neuheisel to continue bringing in new talent from the recruiting trail. There are some losses on defense but the Bruins have the talent to fill the holes coming back or coming in. T

The big questions are on offense. Can the Bruins develop an adequate starting QB to go along with an adequate running game in 2010. It all starts on the offensive line. Has Rick built up enough talent and depth here to make a difference on the OL in 2010?

9. Arizona State - 2 Offense - Defense - 5

The Sun Devils are in trouble unless Dennis Erickson can plug some major holes immediately. On offense they lose three starting linemen along with the TE, WR's, RB, HB, and QB. As bad as they were on offense maybe starting over is a better idea.

On defense they lose DE Dexter Davis, LB Travis Goethel, LB Mike Nixon, and 3/4's of the secondary. The defense was the only spark the Devils had last year so this is a major area of concern.

Erickson starts 2010 on the hot seat for the first time as a college coach. He really needs to hit the JV trail this off season to have a chance to get this team near .500 in 2010. I don't think he can get it done in the time he probably has left. Breaking in a new QB won't help matters.

10. Washington State - 8 - Offense - Defense 9

On offense the Cougars lose QB Kevin Lopina, RB Dwight Tardy, C Kenny Alfred, and TE Tony Thompson. On defense they lose LB Andy Mattingly and Safety Xavier Hicks.

The good news is that everyone who matters is coming back. The bad news is that really nobody on this roster matters at this point. WSU needs a massive influx of talent to climb out the basement. Wulff needs to put together a remarkable recruiting class this off season or he isn't going to make it out of Pullman alive next season.

Will the Bruins Be Haunted, or Haunting?

AndyPanda — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 03:37:34 -0000

Halloween games don't come around that often, but when they do, things could get, well, spooky. Especially for UCLA, who walks into the Valley of Reser already the losers of four straight Pac-10 games. Orange and Black are the colors of the day, and the Beavers, of course, are already decked out accordingly.

And looking to make amends for last week, when things went bump in the night.

The opportunity to take a second consecutive win over the Trojans, and three of four, was there to be had, but USC made just enough Sportcenter highlights that a final drive that picked up a first down ran the clock out, leaving the Beaver offensive brain trust of offensive coordinator Danny Langsdorf, assistant Ryan Gunderson, and QB Sean Canfield on the phones on the sideline, planning the drive for the win.

If we got the ball one more time we would have scored. We were rolling on offense; we just kind of ran out of time.

The disappointing loss in Los Angeles was much more disappointing for the lost opportunity than it was for what went wrong, which wasn't much, considering the setting and opponent.

Canfield continued a run of solid efforts, completing 30 of 43 passes for 329 yards and three touchdowns, and without an interception for the second straight week. Sean is completing over 68% of his throws, easily above the school record of 60.6 held by Matt Moore, and good for seventh best in the nation.

Jacquizz Rodgers had another 100+ yard game, and James Rodgers produced 194 combined offense of yards. Even more encouraging was the career best (so far) night TE Joe Halahuni had, nine catches for 127 yards.

This production, which generated 36 points, came as a shock to some, who were used to the USC defense that replaced eight NFL draftees, and still was allowing only 11.6 points per game, and had allowed one touchdown in the Coliseum.

Some still don't get it, but Pete does.

Following the OSU-USC game, at least one member of the LA area media questioned USC coach Pete Carroll as to why the Trojan defense had given up so many points.

Those guys are pretty good offensively.

Trojan Wide Receiver Damian Williams figured it out too.

We knew we had to keep scoring. They went down and scored like it was nothing.

Therein lies the best reason to expect a bounce back against the Bruins. Make no mistake, the Trojans defense is still stout, and did not suddenly fall apart. Oregon State's offensive production, despite the problems with three of the first half drives into the redzone that didn't produce touchdowns, should continue to take some of the heat off the Beaver's defense.

The Bruins, by contrast, are suffering the effects of no support by their offense. An offense ranked 109^th. in the nation in total yards.

The Bruins defense has twice held an opponent under 300 yards, and allowed 303 against Oregon, yet UCLA's last two losses have been 45-26 to Cal, and 27-13 in Arizona.

The Bruin offense ranks ninth in the Pac-10 in passing, at 187 yards per game, scoring only 20 points per game, and in total offense, averaging 296 yards per game.

A traditionally tough opponent comes to town.

Last season against UCLA, Oregon St. exploded after taking a 3-0 first half lead for a 34-6 victory in the Rose Bowl, despite starting quarterback Lyle Moevao sitting out the game after suffering the shoulder injury that continued to hamper him until recently. Sean Canfield, who was making his first start of the season, completed 16 of 22 passes for 222 yards and two touchdowns, while ‘Quizz rushed for 144 yards on 31 carries for the Beavers.

The victory was the first ever over UCLA for OSU coach Mike Riley, who had been 0-5 against the Bruins as a head coach, after going 0-4 against the Bruins as the offensive coordinator for USC.

UCLA still has a 39-14-4 edge in the series, including 7-12-1 in Corvallis, including the last three contests, as the Beavers last beat the Bruins in Corvallis ten years ago.

Special Teams Need To Be Special

Prior to the USC trip, that wouldn't have been that much of a concern, and Justin Kahut did drill back to back 48 yard field goals. But then there was the missed field goal from extra point range, and the rare breakdown by the punt coverage team that allowed Damian Williams to make a 63 yard return for a touchdown. A play where, as Coach Mike Riley put it, "Guys ran down field behind each other. You don't do that!"

The miscues offset Jordan Poyer's brilliant 70 yard kickoff return, in just his second collegiate career runback.

But against UCLA, a outstanding performance may be needed just to break even.

UCLA's Kai Forbath, a multi-time Pac-10 special teams player of the week, who has made 19 of 21 field goal attempts, is the top kicker in the Pac-10, and Jeff Locke leads the conference in punting, with an average of 46.5 yards. Plus, Terrence Austin averages 27.0 yards on kickoff returns and 10.9 on punt returns.

Will the Bruins be "Haunted by Orange"?

When the Bruins come to town on Halloween, Beaver Nation should be out in force, with the crowd bolstered by Homecoming.

Starting with the parade at 9:30, and followed by the fall carnival and student showcase on Parker Plaza, plus the Homecoming barbeque and Beaver Nation tailgater at the CH2M Hill Alumni Center, game day will have a three and a half hour build up to the unusual 1:00 PM kickoff.

Horizon Airlines will make a flyover of Reser Stadium with there OSU themed Bombardier CRJ-700 jet over Reser Stadium prior to kickoff. Two flyovers in different directions, similar to, but slower than what the F-18's did for Military Day against Cincinnati will take place, starting at approximately 12:52 PM, eight minutes before kickoff.

With television on a two and a half hour delay on Fox Sports, taking in the festivities live and in person is the only way to not be left behind, and could produce the first sell out of the season.

Halftime will feature a show based on the Halloween classic "Thriller" by the Oregon State University Marching Band.

Notable alumni planning to attend Saturday include Sammie Stroughter, now a kick returner and defensive back for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and Gary Payton, recently retired from the NBA, who led the Beavers to the postseason in each of his years at OSU.

Is Cal's Defense Underachieving?

Avinash — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 17:30:26 -0000

More photos » by Ben Margot - AP

Cal's pass defense struggled again. Are we going to see this all year long?

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DEFENSE, BEARS...DEFENSE???

Most of the postgame reaction has been focused on Cal's lamentable defensive effort, especially against the pass. It's been discussed everywhere, and I figured I'd throw myself into the fire. Literally, since I figure 80-85% of Cal fans will disagree with my next statement:

Outside of Autzen, Bob Gregory hasn't done that much wrong.

Now before all of you start hollering about Prince and Tuel lighting us up, I understand where you guys are coming from. Like many people, I assumed that the depletion of our linebacking corps would be offset by improvements in the defensive line and the secondary, with everyone having starting experience coming back.

Unfortunately, it doesn't work like that. Units don't just revamp at certain areas and expect to get by because the front and the back are supporting them. The linebackers are the core of the defense, especially in a 3-4; take them away and the middle is open to exploitation.

Think of an army with great tanks and experienced soldiers but no aircraft, anti-aircraft or flak. You might have the power and the wherewithal to take out your opponents, but a good enough air attack can blast all that heavy weaponry and veteran savvy out of the park. So it is with the passing defense this season, where the weakness of the linebackers has been felt by the rest of the lineup.

Cal is returning seven but we're missing those four BIG TIME. Let's rank the top players on our defense last year.

1) Zack Follett
2) Syd'Quan Thompson
3) Tyson Alualu
4) Anthony Felder
5) Worrell Williams
6) Mike Mohamed
7) Darian Hagan
8) Rulon Davis (when healthy)

So those four who are gone are in the top 8, and the three linebackers in the top five. Big big losses.

Rulon Davis might never have been as healthy as we'd have liked him to be, but when he was, he was ON. Cameron Jordan is a jolly guy from what I've seen, but at the moment he really hasn't stepped up to replace Davis's raw ability. Don't be deceived by those 6.5 sacks--3.5 came against really bad teams. He's on pace for 2008 numbers, and he's playing probably 50% more than last season after splitting time with Rulon in 2008.

Derrick Hill has performed well, but centers can still battle him one on one, leaving one side to double, triple team Alualu at will. So that means that extra one or two guys blitzing or moving in on the line of scrimmage has to step up, rush in, and hit the quarterback.

Unfortunately...

Cal does not have a pass rushing linebacker. When Cal put that linebacker at the LoS on passing downs last season (usually Follett), it collapsed the pocket, overwhelmed the edge and forced the quarterback into the errant throws, incompletions or sacks. Not this season. Young, Mohamed, Kendricks, Bishop, Holt, none of these guys have been able to fill that mantle. Jarred Price might be the guy to show it, but what he has in pass rush (2 sacks) he lacks in consistency (4 season tackles)

Follett had 10.5 sacks and 4 hurries on his own last season; through seven games, the ENTIRE Bears linebackers corps has combined for 7.5 sacks and 4 hurries.

Note: Interestingly enough (as you probably saw with some of the highlights), Gregory tinkered with a four down linemen set on passing downs to gain extra pass rush, although I'm not sure how much of it had an effect on slowing down Tuel. I'd been pondering a similar idea considering the weakness of our linebackers to add an extra defensive lineman (our strength) for more pass rush, and it seemed Gregory was thinking along the same lines. We'll see how it bears out when Cal plays formidable/weaker offensive lines down the road.

Cal's linebacking corps is still learning the pass defense ropes: Probably the biggest mistake I made in my predictions was asking this question: "is Mike Mohamed capable of becoming Cal's greatest linebacker of the Tedford era?" Whoops. Desmond Bishop, you keep the title.

Don't get me wrong, Mohamed's been good, still the best all-around linebacker for the Bears (he has picks, a forced fumble, a sack, and 61 tackles). Nevertheless, he seems to be suffering from the Rajon Rondo syndrome--he looked like the best linebacker last season because guys were always throwing in his direction to avoid Felder and Williams. Unlike Follett or Desmond, he lacks that game-changing ability. Maybe that'll change, but right now he's merely good when Cal needs great.

Devin Bishop and Eddie Young are okay, but as BWNQ noted, they probably lack proper football instincts, as they've been duped on several important occasions by doing bad things on the field. No matter how good the coaching is, it's REALLY hard to undo instinct.

As for Kendricks and Holt, they have promise, but as sophomores they're still not fully polished. We can probably expect better things from them...in 2010. Right now we can only hope they're given the time to grow and mature so they can come back and smash next season.

Finally, the secondary. This is probably the most mystifying of the three units, even to a guy like me. Last season these guys were ballhawks, and now they're getting pumpfaked, beat at the point of attack. What's going on??

Syd'Quan Thompson has done his job, but the other side, plainly, has not. Darian Hagan got pump-faked out of the starting lineup in Minnesota. Josh Hill got the Oregon start and got picked on, over and over and over. And then both have been taking their turn even though they've been playing more man coverage. Although both are improving, it does leave you a little frustrated, especially with Hagan, who looked so promising last season. The safeties have been competent--Ezeff and Johnson are good at delivering hits, and Cattouse has also shown great promise, but for whatever reason they've been beat a lot.

So why has the secondary regressed? A few possibilities:

1) With the linebackers having trouble defending their zones and tackling afterwards, the secondary has to edge toward the middle of the field to be prepared to support...which in turn opens up the flats and sideline throws. And it doesn't necessarily secure the middle either.

2) The secondary might be more experienced, but given the depth of gamefilm, there is plenty for opposing teams to scout on them. Cal's secondary is not like USC's, whose weaknesses are harder to pinpoint and exploit. Even Syd'Quan might be lockdown one-on-one, but he's still undersized--tall physical receivers can do damage against him if given the proper time. You can only imagine how many more double moves and pump fakes against Hagan and throws to the flats against Hill we'll see this year.

3) PAY ATTENTION. This is the big one...

There are a lot of good quarterbacks in the Pac-10 this season.

Four freshmen have shown great promise--Foles, Luck, Barkley, and, yes, even Tuel (don't forget he also went about 67% against USC too). Add in three guys who've been here before (Masoli, Locker, Canfield) and that's SEVEN Pac-10 quarterbacks who are at the very least competent. That's the most depth the conference has shown at the quarterback stable this decade.

Compare it to the Pac-10 QBs we saw last season: Sanchez was pretty good but still developing, Willie Tuitama had his ups and downs, Masoli was in his first year escaping the shadow of Dixon, Lyle Moevao had his moments although he was carried by the Rodgers brothers, Rudy Carpenter was digesting turf thanks to his awesome offensive line, the Kevin Craft Interception Show missed no stops, Tavita Pritchard was a placeholder, the Washington/Wazzu quarterbacks we faced were bad, bad, bad.

Masoli has quietly worked his way back to a solid 60% completion percentage. Canfield and Foles are horrifyingly good at finding their receivers, hovering at 70% and putting them in the top seven in the conference. Luck isn't as accurate, but he throws touchdowns and not many picks (kind of like Riley-lite). Locker is the most dangerous player in the Pac-10 if he faces a defense that gives him cushion. And Barkley is only going to get better.

They're so good that they're not just beating Cal's zones, they're beating Cal on man. Tuel's two touchdown throws came against man coverage, where he fit that ball in just the right place for the receiver to get it and the defender had no chance to play the ball. Kevin Prince had excellent throws that burned a few guys with excellent man coverage too. Surprisingly, they played pretty well against Barkley after spotting the Trojans ten points. Of course the big fail was Masoli where the Bears played mostly zone, but even when they played man they got beat.

Now the solution would be to be aggressive in the pass rush and send more guys. But who? Cal's linebackers haven't shown they're able to speed their way. Not many of these guys have the ability to stunt or delay the way our group did last year--maybe Alualu, but again he's facing constant double teams. Plus with the quarterbacks being better this season, sending more guys leaves the Bears vulnerable to a precise pass going for six.

So pick your poison. So pick your poison. Do you key in on stopping the run and not allowing big plays and risk giving up easier underneath throws, or gamble with a pass rush or man coverage and take the risk of quarterbacks connecting on long strikes? This is the quandary Gregory is in, and we’ll find out what he comes up with these next few weeks. (HT Hydro for the rephrase)

Is Cal's defense underachieving, overachieving, or performing as expected?

Reactions to defense.

More reactions: AERose has some interesting numbers on 1st/2nd half stats, Rocky63125 wants Gregory to go, royrules had thoughts about Cal's D against UCLA.

Gary Peterson, San Jose Mercury News:

Then came the part no one expected. When Tedford had finished dousing his defenders in lighter fluid, linebacker Steve Fanua set them on fire.

"He's a young buck, a redshirt freshman," Jordan said, smiling. "He has fire in his veins. He gave us a nice little talk."

And this was received how?

"That only amps you up more," Jordan said. "Here's a guy, barely 18 years old, letting us know what this means for him. He's a young kid. He's hungry."

So was Cal's defense when it returned to the field. Jordan recorded two of his two-and-a-half sacks, and three of his six tackles in the second half. One sack defused Washington State's first drive after the intermission. Another, coming on fourth-and-10, ended a Cougars drive at the Cal 18.

Jimmy Tran, Daily Cal:

One of the points emphasized was tackling.

Arguably the most noticeable player guilty of missed tackles was cornerback Darian Hagan. Despite coming off one of his best performances ever last week against UCLA, Hagan struggled to make several key tackles in the open field and gave up a couple big passing plays against WSU.

"He needs to be more consistent, no question about it," Gregory said. "Very poor game today, and we just got to keep working with these kids to grow and mature."

Oregon St. Game Day Notes

Paragon SC — Sat, 24 Oct 2009 18:41:46 -0000

Some are calling tonight's game a grudge match or a revenge game...

I do not see it that way at all. This is just another tough Pac-10 match-up. Oregon St. has proven to be a solid football program coached by one of the more underrated coaches in Mike Riley. Like USC sometimes does they get off to slow starts but always seem to finish strong.

It is not surprising that some feel that Oregon St. beating USC two out of the three previous seasons gives the Beavers some confidence. I can see where it would but those wins came in Corvallis not at the Coliseum.

Jacquizz Rodgers realizes he will be a marked man Saturday at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. The fourth-ranked Trojans have had more than a year to ponder a loss that ultimately kept them out of the BCS national championship game.

Whether last year's defeat provides added incentive for USC remains to be seen. It could work in OSU's favor, as well.
"It's confidence that USC can be beaten," said Jacquizz Rodgers, who is ninth in the nation in rushing. "We can't live off what we did last year, but it's possible that they can be beaten."

Last Year USC really didn't have any clue about Jacquizz Rodgers but they found out quickly about his abilities in that disaster in Corvallis. USC made some decent 2nd half adjustments that kept Rodgers to only 60 yards rushing in the second half. But SC was playing catch-up the whole game and they and you could tell they were just not their typical dominant selves.

Sure, OSU has some confidence because they have proven they can beat SC. But it isn't like The Beavers own us...especially not at the Coliseum. If I am OSU I would use those past wins as a road map as well but USC is mindful of their deficiencies from last year and USC will move the chess pieces on the board accordingly.

This is not a revenge game...at least not in the coaches' eyes.

Pete Carroll doesn't play it that way...

USC coach Pete Carroll didn't get frothy this week reminding his players what happened last year at Oregon State. He didn't rant and rave about how the Beavers took something from the Trojans and made them look bad on national television in a 27-21 defeat.

"We've never used that," Carroll said. "We don't use last year or the years before for anything. It's clear to our guys that this is the team that got us last year and all that. That's nothing new. That's just the facts. I'm not going to spend any time on it."

Just the facts: If USC had not lost last year at Oregon State, it would have played for the national title. And it almost certainly would have been favored to win Carroll's third championship.

The players on the other hand could be a little more focused...

SC has some things going for them in this game when it comes to the Beavers defense...

First, how will Oregon State's pass defense contain the rapidly improving Matt Barkley, who passed for 380 yards and two touchdowns at Notre Dame?

The Beavers rank ninth in the Pac-10 in pass defense -- though they are fourth in pass efficiency defense -- and have struggled to pressure opposing quarterbacks. Their four sacks rank 116th in the nation.

All four starters in the secondary from last year were replaced as well as both defensive ends.

"I think the secondary may actually be the strength of their team," USC receiver Damian Williams said. "They run well. They play great press defense. Their coaches have a lot of confidence in them. They put them out there on an island and tell them to go to work."

I expect the Beavers secondary to up for this game but the rest of the information above is telling...

Barkley does not have to air it out, he can go underneath.

Here is little more.

The second issue for Oregon State is how its young offensive line will match up against a USC front that ranks No. 1 in the nation with 26 sacks and fourth in the nation in run defense (68 yards per game).

That line has surrendered 19 sacks, which ranks ninth in the conference.

That means Rodgers needs to make plays in the running game, because the Beavers probably can't win if they don't obtain a modicum of offensive balance.

As far as the passing game, this will be a big road test for Sean Canfield. The senior wasn't the quarterback of record in last year's game -- that belonged to now-backup Lyle Moevao -- and playing USC on the road obviously offers some unique challenges.

Yet Canfield, much like his ascending team, appears to be peaking at the right time.

It is a challenge but Canfield is playing some very solid football right now. SC got to Canfield in the 2007 game at the Coliseum, hitting him hard on one play by Will that ended up costing him the following season so he has some extra motivation to play out of his mind. This Beavers O line, while talented is not quite as good as last season but they will come to play. They will also see a very different defensive line from USC, with the different rotations that SC will throw at OSU. Seeing Griffen, Perry, Armstead and Casey coming your way could be very intimidating and it could make it a big challenge for the Beavers O line.

You can thank Jethro Franklin for that...

USC deployed 10 defensive linemen in its victory over the Fighting Irish, depth that enabled the Trojans to bring fresh pressure that resulted in five sacks.

USC enters today's game against Oregon State ranked first nationally in sacks and second in tackles for losses.

"In terms of production," Coach Pete Carroll said, "I'm surprised we're this far out there numbers-wise."

Trojans defensive linemen are not.

To a man, they credit Franklin, who is in his second tour of duty at USC.

In a program that preaches competition for playing time, the defensive line is the one position group that consistently rewards weekday effort on Saturday.

I think we are amazed at the production of the defensive line. These guys are monsters and if they can contain 'Quizz then it will be along night for the Beavers...but they HAVE to contain him.

I think SC linebackers will also "stay at home" and not overrun plays like we saw Rey do a few times last season. It hink that helps the D line do their thing. The secondary has some work to do as well when it comes to defending James Rodgers and Howard Croom...Rodgers has had a good season so far as well. Croom has put a target on his back with some comments he recently made.

Howard Croom, a tight end from Long Beach, Calif., thinks the Beavers get extra hyped to play USC. Maybe that's why he said the following to Trojan defensive end Everson Griffen.

"I was blocking him all night," Croom recalled. "Coach was on us last year about finishing through the whistle, don't stop even if they get mad. I kept blocking him real hard and he got mad. He was holding onto my arm when we were walking to the next play and I hit it down. He looked at me and said, 'You're terrible.'

"I said, 'Yeah, I'm terrible, nobody knows me and you're an All-American -- and I'm handling you right now.'"

Croom, who grew up a USC fan, said last year's win meant a little extra something for him and the other players from Southern California.

"We weren't good enough (for them)," Croom said, "but we were good enough on (Thursday night)."

Mike Riley can't be too happy if he saw that article...Don't think the players won't remember that passage...

Moving on.

I don't think this game is cake walk but I do think SC wins, but SC will not cover the spread. SC has to stay focused and not let the emotion of the game get to them like we saw last week in South Bend.

This should be an interesting one!

Statistical Recap: OSU/UNLV

Jake Bertalotto — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 17:00:39 -0000

More photos » by Daniel Gluskoter - AP

3 months ago: Oregon State quarterback Sean Canfield looks to throw during an NCAA college football game against UNLV on Saturday Sept. 12, 2009, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/Daniel Gluskoter)

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Oregon State snuck out of Las Vegas with a win on Saturday night, clinching the victory with a 33-yard Justin Kahut field goal after 14 unanswered UNLV points in the fourth quarter.

First, some miscellaneous game notes via Oregon State:

· Attendance for the game was 25,967.
· The 8 p.m. start is the latest currently on OSU's schedule for 2009.
· Captains for OSU at the start of the game were Lyle Moevao, Keaton Kristick, Stephen Paea and Dwight Roberson. OSU won the coin toss and elected to defer.
· The game was the 20th straight game that the Beavers had a game televised, which is a school record. It dates back to Nov. 3, 2007 at USC.
· The Beavers started the game with three safeties ... Cameron Collins got the first start of his career.
· The Beavers won their 29th game in their last 41 contests, the second-best mark in the Pac-10 behind only USC.
· The Beavers improved to 27-3 in their last 63 games when committing less than turnovers than their opponents.
· Head coach Mike Riley improved to 57-42 at Oregon State.
· Redshirt freshman Jordan Bishop made the first reception of his career on a first quarter grab.
· Sophomore safety Lance Mitchell created the first turnovers of his career ... first an interception and first forced fumble.
· Sophomore defensive end Kevin Frahm turned in the first quarterback sack of his career.
· Sophomore tailback Jacquizz Rodgers got loose twice recording career-long runs on two occasions. First he had a 45-yard run in the first half ... he then beat that on the first drive of the second half going 47 yards.
· Jacquizz Rodgers went over 100 yards rushing for the ninth time in his career and the second week in a row.

Linescore:

Final - 9.12.2009	1	2	3	4	Total
Oregon St. Beavers	0	6	14	3	23
UNLV Rebels	0	0	7	14	21

Complete Coverage >

Scoring Summary:

2nd 01:04 OSU - Camp, Brady 1 yd pass from Canfield, Sean (Kahut, Justin kick failed)
13 plays, 70 yards, TOP 5:51, OSU 6 - LV 0
3rd 13:07 OSU - Rodgers, Jacquizz 2 yd run (Kahut, Justin kick)
5 plays, 60 yards, TOP 1:53, OSU 13 - LV 0
10:42 LV - ANTHONY, R. 19 yd pass from CLAYTON, Omar (WATSON, Kyle kick)
5 plays, 36 yards, TOP 2:14, OSU 13 - LV 7
07:17 OSU - Rodgers, James 4 yd pass from Canfield, Sean (Kahut, Justin kick)
7 plays, 75 yards, TOP 3:21, OSU 20 - LV 7
4th 10:53 LV - ANTHONY, R. 13 yd pass from CLAUSEN, Mike (WATSON, Kyle kick)
7 plays, 66 yards, TOP 2:44, OSU 20 - LV 14
04:16 LV - PAYNE, Phillip 10 yd pass from CLAUSEN, Mike (WATSON, Kyle kick)
6 plays, 51 yards, TOP 2:40, OSU 20 - LV 21
00:07 OSU - Kahut, Justin 33 yd field goal
12 plays, 64 yards, TOP 4:09, OSU 23 - LV 21

Rushing:

Jacquizz Rodgers 26-166 1 TD, 6.4 ypc

Jovan Stevenson 2-28

James Rodgers 3-16

Sean Canfield 4- -26

Team: 186 yards

Passing:

Sean Canfield: 25-31, 198 yards, 2 TD

Receiving

Jacquizz Rodgers: 10-65

James Rodgers: 6-48, 1 TD

Jordan Bishop: 5-43

Casey Kjos: 1-15

Brady Camp: 1-1, 1 TD

Team: 198 yards

Drive Chart:

[Complete stats at OSUBeavers.com]

So what we have here is a good day for the Rodgers brothers, and another solid start for Sean Canfield. The coaches did open the playbook more than they did against Portland State in terms of spreading the ball around with passes to Bishop, Kjos, and Camp, but the Beavers were still Rodgers-dimensional. But why not be? A heavy dose of James and Jacquizz was obviously working, especially down the stretch in the second half. But the Beavers did show that they can rely on other players under pressure. Adeniji and Bishop both had key grabs on the final drive, and Jacquizz burrowed his way into Rebel territory on his longest reception of the game to set Kahut's field goal at 33 yards.

I mentioned this earlier today, but I felt that the Beavers were really conservative in their play-calling, especially in the passing game. You'll see that other than Jacquizz, who was mostly making short receptions and picking up tough yards after the catch, the Beavers leading receiver was James Rodgers with 48 yards. He almost had twice as many yards after the first play of the Portland State game. Canfield's longest completion was a 21-yarder to Jordan Bishop.

We can question play-calling all we want, but with 382 offensive yards and a 5.8 yard-per-play average, it's tough to complain about coaching decisions made on Saturday night.

But that's just me. What's your take?

--Jake (jake.buildingthedam@gmail.com)

UNLV Preview: Rebels host #24 Oregon State Beavers

TheRant — Sat, 12 Sep 2009 19:19:37 -0000

Next Game

Oregon St. Beavers
@ UNLV Rebels

Saturday, Sep 12, 2009, 8:00 PM PDT
Sam Boyd Stadium

TV: CBS College Sports

Radio: ESPN Radio 1100

Complete Coverage >

The Rebels will host the No. 24 Oregon State Beavers Saturday at Sam Boyd Stadium in one of the biggest games the Rebels have ever hosted. The Rebels are 5-23 all-time versus ranked opponents and have not defeated a ranked opponent at home since 1984. The game is not only huge for the Rebels but also for the Mountain West Conference. The Rebels have a chance to knock off a top 25 team.

It would also give the MWC the credit it deserves knocking off a top Pac-10 opponent. A win will help the Rebels gain the necessary momentum for a tough stretch in their schedule. This game is Oregon State’s first visit to Sam Boyd Stadium to play the Rebels since 1991, when Oregon State lost 23-9. The Beavers played New Mexico State in the Las Vegas Bowl in 2003.

ESPN ranks the Rebels as a seven point underdog going into the game. Oregon State finished last season at 9-4 but are only returning seven starters on offense and three on defense. Running back Jacquizz Rodgersleads the Beavers. Rodgers stands only 5-foot-7 but is a shifty and elusive runner. He finished last season with 1,356 yards and 14 touchdowns. Rodgers ran for 103 yards and three touchdowns last week in the Beavers’ win vs. Portland State. Oregon State might be without last year’s top passer Lyle Moevao, who is still recovering from a torn bicep in last seasons bowl game versus Pittsburgh.

Quarterbacks Sean Canfield and Ryan Katzeach threw for more than 100 yards last week against FCS school Portland State. Receiver James Rodgers, brother of the star running back who also stands at 5-foot-7, is the Beavers top returning pass catcher with 607 yards last season but also finished with 400 on the ground. Rodgers has the big play abilities to take it to the house on the suspect secondary at any point, shown by his 87 yard touchdown catch last week. If the Rebels can exploit the Beavers’ defense, it will be through the secondary, who are returning zero starters.

This unit is even less experienced than the unit that finished #79 in the country in 2005. The Beavers’ starting secondary has a combined total of 11 starts; 4 of those are from last week against Portland State. The Beavers’ strength lies in the linebacker core, which returns two starters from last season. For the Rebels to get a victory against the No. 24 team they must be able to stop both Rodgers brothers, especially Jacquizz on the ground.

The Beavers have won 14 of their last 15 games when one of their players rushed for more 100 yards. The Rebels’ offense musts move the ball and use their great receiving core to take advantage of the inexperienced secondary.

Previewing the Season: Oregon State Beavers

jtlight — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 17:00:13 -0000

What a great way for Mike Bellotti complete his final regular season game as the head coach of the Oregon Ducks. Photo via photos.oregonlive.com

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What a difference a year makes. This time last year was frustrating to be a Duck fan. Despite the soaring heights of 2007, it was surely grating that we had lost to the Beavers, and boy did we hear about it. There was a constant yapping from Beaver fans about how they'd beaten us two years in a row. But then, well, I think you know what happened.

What made last year's victory so special was that it was the first Civil War since 2000 where both teams had something at stake. With both teams looking to continue their momentum from last season, we could very well see a Civil War of similar magnitude in 2009.

Oregon Offense vs. Oregon State Defense:

Oregon State had a stellar defense last season. However, as good as they were through 11 games, they had no answer for an Oregon offense that simply did whatever it wanted. Oregon set the tone early by throwing the ball. OSU was simply not prepared for an offense that could both run and throw, and after Oregon established early that it could move the ball through the air as well as on the ground, OSU was off balance for the rest of the game.

While I think Mike Riley is a very good coach, if Oregon is marginally healthy coming into the game, I don't see how OSU will be able to stop the Ducks. They do not have the quality of safeties, cornerbacks, or defensive ends that they did a year ago. Though they return studs DT Stephen Paea and LB Keaton Kristick, the beauty of a spread offense is that it will isolate the defensive weaknesses. Oregon State has done an exceptional job at team defense, especially against traditional offenses. But they have not fared well against a fast, talented offense that can isolate OSU's weaknesses. As much as OSU fans talk about how great Mike Riley is at recruiting talent, and developing players, there can be no ignoring the fact that for all the very good players they develop, OSU is still made up of 3* players, who can be beaten when isolated. And there are few offenses throughout the country that can exploit those weaknesses as Oregon can.

And while OSU has some very good players on defense, none of their units as a whole will be dominant. As good as Paea is, he is no Haloti Ngata, who can carry an entire defense for stretches at a time. As a whole defense, they will be good, but they will not have one thing that they do extremely well, which will catch up with them when they face very good offenses.

Oregon should be able to move the ball in this game, and though expecting another almost 700 yard onslaught is unrealistic, 500 yards and 40 points is not.

Oregon Defense vs. Oregon State Offense

On the opposite side of the ball, it's all about the Rodgers brothers. They are two of the best players in the league. James Rodgers is one of the fastest players in the conference, while Jacquizz Rodgers just gets his yards. For any defense, stopping these two players will be the key to beating OSU. If you can hinder these two, OSU will have to rely on their QBs and an inexperienced downfield receiving corp.

I have taken from heat from Beaver fans for saying that I think that Jacquizz will regress this season. But this has nothing to do with his skills, but the fact that, unlike last year, the offense will rest entirely on his shoulders. Last year OSU had two great receivers in Sammy Stroughter and Shane Morales. They could stretch a defense and their threat led to not only very good passing stats for the Beavers, but to the running game success.

This year, every defense will be gameplanning for Jacquizz. They will force OSU to beat them through the air. And that means the Beavers must rely on either Lyle Moevao or Sean Canfield. And when the ball has been in Moevao's hands, things have not ended well. Though Canfield did well in last year's Arizona game, he has not looked well in spring practice. On top of this, I seriously doubt that either of these players will make any significant progression this season, considering Mike Riley's record for developing QBs, which has been very poor for one of the best coaches in the conference.

For teams like Oregon, whose strength should be their run defense, this bodes very well. Jacquizz will get his yards, but will have to work very hard to get there, and if the OSU passing game is not as explosive as it was last year, it will be very hard to keep up with an offense like Oregon's.

Conclusion:

All the credit in the world to OSU, who has been one of the most consistent teams in the Pac-10. This year, that should continue, as they are clearly the #4 team in the conference in my mind. However, this year, I feel that the talent gap between OSU and USC, Cal, and Oregon is quite large. I see them having a lot of problems competing with these teams, on both sides of the ball.

Oregon has the advantages in this game, and can force OSU into the type of game it wants to play. In the end, OSU can't keep up, and Oregon ends up winning by 2 TDs.