SB Nation - Kevin Frahm

Roll On: Previewing the Oregon State Defense

norcalnick — Fri, 11 Nov 2011 11:00:27 -0000

Oregon St. might be the Pac-12 team I know least about. They’re young, with tons of new players. They’ve rarely been on TV in the Bay Area, and when they have it’s overlapped with the Cal game. I watched the first quarter of their game against Wisconsin and the last five or 10 minutes of their game against Arizona . . . and that’s it.

So the first thing I did to preview the defense was to study the depth chart. I recognized one name, and unfortunately that one name only jumped out because Jordan Poyer is the latest guy to give Chris Owusu a concussion. There are only three players on the defense with more than nine career starts, which means the other eight guys are all regular starters for the first time this year.

After hearing that you’re probably thinking, "Damn, why couldn’t we have gotten the Beavers early in the year, before the new guys got nine games of experience?!?" Well, it’s true that Oregon St. isn’t nearly as bad as the team that lost to Sac St., but other than a blow out win over Washington St. (who, as it turns out, is still Washington St.) OSU has been outplayed in every game. Only a turnover storm gave the Beavers a home win over Arizona, and that was so embarrassing it ended the Stoops era.

Oregon St. is so bad this year that every team they beat will probably fire their coach at some point before the end of next year. Cal had better not end up in that category.

Defensive Line: Fr. L End Dylan Wynn ; Jr. L Tackle Andrew Seumalo ; Sr. R Tackle Kevin Frahm ; Fr. R End Scott Crichton

You’ve got a true freshman (Wynn) a red shirt freshman (Crichton) and a walk-on (Seumalo). That’s usually not the formula for a fearsome defensive line. Crichton has actually had a pretty solid season and will likely be a pain in our butts for the next three years. 10 tackles for loss, 4 sacks and 4 fumbles forced from a freshman is pretty legit. Unfortunately for him his teammates on the line haven’t done much of anything else – the other three starters have a combined 1 sack.

Linebackers: Sr. SLB Cameron Collins, Jr. MLB Feti ‘Unga, So. WLB Michael Doctor

Doctor is the guy that can hurt you (Oh the irony!). He’s been filling up the stat sheet with tackles, interceptions, sacks and pass breakups all year, which suggests an impressive degree of versatility from any linebacker, let alone a sophomore. Another guy that will probably annoy us for a few years.

Collins is the veteran of the unit but has, like many OSU players, missed time due to injuries. Similarly, Unga has missed OSU’s last three games and his status is unknown. If Unga can’t play then Jr. Rueben Robinson will likely start in his place.

Secondary: Jr. LCB Jordan Poyer, Jr. S Anthony Watkins, Sr. S Lance Mitchell, So. RCB Rashaad Reynolds

Watkins and Mitchell are both some of the leading tacklers on the OSU defense – never a good sign when your safeties are both high on that list. Redshirt safety Ryan Martin is the nickel back, though with Cal likely to run the ball I wouldn’t think OSU would send out the nickel package except on obvious passing downs.

Poyer is the one to watch. He’s got three picks on the year, 12 pass break-ups and 15 passes defended. Those are numbers that could lead to all-conference consideration, and as Stanford can attest he can deliver the big hit. I wouldn’t be surprised to see him lined up against Keenan Allen. If that’s the case it would be nice to see Marvin Jones get involved a little more.

Against the run

4.45 yards/attempt, 76th in the nation

Not good, not awful. For comparison’s sake, Cal’s rushing attack is similar in quality to Arizona St.’s. Sun Devil running backs averaged 5.5 yards/carry against Oregon St. Also for comparison’s sake – Oregon St.’s run defense is only marginally better than Washington St.’s run defense.

"But Nick" you ask, "Surely Oregon St.’s run defense should have an advantage because they know we want to run first, so they’ll stack the box and force Maynard to throw!" Well, that’s a fair point, kind reader. It was my concern as well. But there’s two reasons that doesn’t scare me. For one, our WRs are just too good to allow a team to truly stack the box. KA21 will make you pay.

For another, look at OSU’s game against Utah. The Utes without their starting QB have to be the prototypical ‘stack the box, force them to beat your through the air’ team, right? Yet against the Beavers John White carried the ball 35 times for 205 yards while Jon Hays threw for 62 yards on 16 attempts. Utah ran the ball SEVENTY FIVE PERCENT OF THE TIME and still Oregon St. couldn’t stop them. Color me unimpressed.

Against the pass

7.7 yards/attempt, 88th in the nation

Beyond that iffy yards/attempt, Oregon St. has allowed opponents to complete 64.5 percent of their passes, which is pretty bad. That implies to me that the defense tends to play back but allows receivers to come open underneath. That the Beavers have been reasonably successful at preventing big pass plays despite games against Andrew Luck, and Russell Wilson adds some credence to the idea.

But in the end it’s the same story as the UCLA and Washington St. games – guys will be open. If Utah/Wazzu Maynard shows up we’ll move the ball. If USC/UCLA Maynard is on the field we won’t.

Stats of Dubious Predictive Value

Turnovers

17 total turnovers forced (9 fumbles, 8 interceptions), 40th in the nation.

7 of those 17 turnovers came in Oregon State’s only two wins of the season over Arizona and Washington St. The message is clear. Oregon St. is not good enough to win most games without a significant advantage in turnover margin.

3rd Down

47.37% opponent conversion rate, 102nd in the nation.

Red Zone

81.08 opponent touchdown rate, 119th in the nation

Only the mighty men from New Mexico prevent the Beavers from having the worst red zone touchdown prevention rate in the nation. I can’t even begin to guess what it is about OSU that makes them so bad in this metric (other than random chance), but there you have it. Cal’s red zone ‘struggles’ have been overstated because of those two horrible games against Washington and Oregon, but it’s still nice to see such a high number next to Oregon State.

Conclusions

Looking at the stats, it’s been a long, slow steady decline in performance for Oregon State’s defense. Consider:

Yards allowed/play by year:

2007: 4.5 (7th in the nation)
2008: 5.0 (37th)
2009: 5.4 (54th)
2010: 5.7 (69th)
2011: 5.8 (81st)

Every year people would wonder if Mike Riley’s inexplicable run of successful teams would end. How could OSU keep getting such production from players with relatively little regard coming out of high school? OSU has been sending unheralded players to the pros for the last few years, but finally they haven’t been able to replace that production. On defense there have been gradually diminishing returns as that talent graduated. Combine that with a weaker offense last year and especially this year, and the bottom fell out. Now OSU is 2-7, and it's not an unlucky fluke - it’s the record they deserve.

Does that mean that Cal should win? Yes. Does that mean that Cal will win? Hell if I know. But if Cal loses it won’t be to the same OSU teams that have beaten Cal in years past. It will be to a young, injury-ravaged, talent-starved outfit. It would be baaaaad. It would likely cost this team a bowl, multiple weeks of practice, any kind of positive feelings that might have developed in the off-season . . . Gotta win this game. Not doing so would be disastrous.

Poll

How many points does Cal's offense score against Oregon State?

0-10, Mike Riley's curse lives!

27 votes

11-20, Enough for an ugly win?

48 votes

21-30, Zach and Isi get it done.

132 votes

31+, Another easy win at home!

27 votes

234 votes | Poll has closed

Midseason MVP

BeaverBeliever12 — Thu, 20 Oct 2011 06:52:14 -0000

So we have reached the halfway point in the OSU football season and while things are tough there are some good things going for this team. This brings up the idea of which player currently means the most to the Beaver football team. Several players could have an argument made for them, but I am going to list my top five in no particular order.

Markus Wheaton: He is the top offensive weapon for Oregon State with a grand total of 46 catches for 548 yards and 10 rushes for 39 yards as well. The main problem with his stats is his lack of touchdowns, but the team as a whole is more to blame than Wheaton. He has exceptional speed, good hands and does just about everything for the Beavs on the offensive end and is far and away the most explosive player on the team. His value is obviously extremely high to the team as no one else even approaches his production on the field, Jordan Bishop has 21 receptions and 296 yards, and he is the closest to matching Wheaton's production. His personal accolades will be somewhat lost in the current void of success for the team, but he was still recognized as Second Team All Pac-12 according to Phil Steele, so he still garners some media recognition.
James Rodgers: This is a list for most valuable, it is not strictly based on stats. Rodgers' value cannot be measured in the tangible measurements as he is one of the true leaders of the team, but his value was shown last year in his absence when the season got derailed with his knee injury. He may not be completely back to where he was at physically, but if anybody can recover it is James Rodgers. That is where he truly shines, very few individuals could recover from that level of injury so quickly and hopefully even when James Rodgers moves on, the remaining team members can remember his otherworldly work ethic.
Scott Crichton: Here's an example of stats prevailing however. This kid is an animal, and certainly approaches being most valuable or even the most talented player on the team. As a redshirt freshman he has racked up 35 tackles, 8 for a loss, 3 sacks, and 2 forced fumbles. He is being recognized by the media as well, being listed as 1st Team All Pac-12 by Phil Steele. He is helping to form a defensive line to be reckoned with for the next couple of years, with Dylan Wynn opposite of him, hopefully Fred Thompson will grow into a dominating DT, and depending on which line Isaac Seumalo plays on, the Beaver defensive line could become a strength of the team, led by the aforementioned Crichton.

More candidates after the jump.

Jordan Poyer: This guy, above breaking up a pass in the BYU game, has become the new all-purpose star for Oregon State, he has the ability to play just about anywhere on the field, but is starting to come into his own as a cornerback. It seems like a difficult position to learn, it seems to be a position that is primarily based off of instincts, but he has really grown into the role. He has grown to the point of being named 1st Team All-Pac-12 according to Phil Steele. To help back up some of this talk are his 3 interceptions on the year, good enough to tie for 1st in the Pac-12, including a big one for a TD last week against BYU to help the Beavs stay in the game. This is only a slim part of his value to OSU though, he is also the best return man for the Beavers. He has a punt return for a TD and an average return of 17.5 yards and is also a dynamic kick returner. When watching a Beaver football game you can always see Poyer making a big play at some point and has certainly earned consideration for midseason MVP.
Feti Unga: Although his brother may have left the team, Feti Unga has stepped up in the middle of the OSU defense to the tune of 45 tackles with 1.5 tackles for a loss and 1 sack. He has been one of the most consistent players for OSU and has also garnered some media praise. While Unga might not wow you with amazing plays every week he has been a steady presence so far this year. He did get dinged up last week, but hopefully he will be back so he can keep filling the middle for the OSU defense.

My pick: Jordan Poyer. He does so much for this team in more than one phase of the game and really has a knack for the big play. Without Poyer, this team is in even more trouble than they currently are. Of course, arguments could be made for other players, for instance a vocal leader like Kevin Frahm, or someone could say Sean Mannion if one were so inclined, but I believe that Poyer's impact is much more felt than anyone else on this current OSU team. Just a reminder that even while times are tough there are some things to help make watching this year of Beaver football a little more manageable.

Go Beavs!

Poll

Who is midseason MVP?

Markus Wheaton

100 votes

James Rodgers

1 votes

Scott Crichton

5 votes

Jordan Poyer

36 votes

Feti Unga

2 votes

Other (explain in comments)

2 votes

146 votes | Poll has closed

Previewing the Oregon St. Beavers - Part II: Defense and Special Teams

AHMB — Fri, 23 Sep 2011 16:22:31 -0000

Oregon St. runs a familiar 4-3 system under defensive coordinator Mark Banker, which should come as no surprise to the Bruin coaching staff, players or fans. Banker has been running the Beaver defense for 9 years, and he has always coached a very good defensive line. The defensive unit has struggled mightily this year, giving up 32 points per game, 382 yards per game, and 5.7 yards per play. The source of the struggles can be found on the usually steady defensive front. The Beavers have registered only 3 sacks and 9 tackles for loss this year, the majority of which came against FCS Sacramento St. (Oregon St. sacked Sacramento St. twice and registered 6 tackles for loss).

Last year, the Beavers sacked UCLA quarterbacks 3 times and registered 10 tackles for loss, but the Bruins were still able to rack up 337 yards of offense including 210 rushing yards and converted on 8 of 17 3rd down attempts. Those negative plays were the key to holding the Bruins to 17 points, and will likely prove the key to this year's game as well.

Defensive Line

Sr. Dominic Glover is out for academic reasons, and fellow starter Jr. Castro Masaniani has been suspended for the game, which means Sr. Kevin Frahm, 6'2 281 lbs., Jr. Andrew Seumalo, 6'3 281 lbs., and Sr. Ben Motter, 6'5 285 lbs., will man the defensive tackle positions.

At end, RS Fr. Scott Crichton, 6'3 258 lbs., and Jr. Taylor Henry, 6'1 258 lbs., will start. Crichton leads the team with 2 tackles for loss and has registered a sack. They will be spelled by Jr. Rusty Fernando, 6'3 232 lbs., Fr. Dylan Wynn, 6'2 240 lbs., and Jr. Rudolf Fifita, 6'3 263 lbs.

Linebackers

Oregon St. lost two of it's starting linebackers to graduation, and the third has been demoted to back-up. The Beaver linebackers are similar to their defensive line- undersized and quick. While Wisconsin did gain over 200 yards on the ground, they did most of the damage after wearing the smaller Oregon St. defense down.

The leader of the group is middle linebacker Jr. Feti Unga, 6'1 248 lbs. He leads the team with 17 tackles, but has yet to register a tackle for loss. Jr. Tony Wilson, 6'1 246 lbs., will be his primary backup.

Sr. Cam Collins, 6'2 238 lbs., will start at the strongside linebacker position. The former safety did start two games last year, but has only made 6 tackles this season. Former starter Sr. Rueben Robinson, 6'3 238 lbs. will back up Collins.

The weakside linebacker is manned by So. Michael Doctor, 5'11 222 lbs. He is second amongst the linebackers with 11 tackles. Fr. Donnel Welch, 6'1 223 lbs. is his primary backup.

Secondary

The unquestioned leader of the secondary is FS Sr. Lance Mitchell, 6'2 207 lbs. After registering 74 tackles and 2 interceptions last year, there was some talk of All Pac-12 honors. To date, Mitchell has made 12 tackles from the safety position. Mitchell will be spelled by Fr. Tyrequek Zimmerman, 5'11 188 lbs.

The strong safety spot is manned by another good tackler, Jr. Anthony Watkins, 6'1 218 lbs., who also has 12 tackles this season. Watkins will be backed up by Fr. Ryan Murphy, 6'3 209 lbs.

At cornerback, Oregon St. starts So. Rashaad Reynolds, 5'10 185 lbs., and Jr. Jordan Poyer, 5'11 190 lbs. Starter Brandon Hardin, 6'2 219 lbs., would have matched up well against UCLA's bigger wide receivers, but he is injured and will miss this week's game. Due to the fact that Oregon St. uses their safeties in run support, look for matchup problems with UCLA's big wide receivers against the small Beaver cornerbacks on the outside.

So. Sean Martin, 5'11 175 lbs. and Jr. Ryan Handford, 5'9 197 lbs. will play in nickel and dime packages.

Special Teams

Fr. Trevor Romaine takes over placekicking duties after the loss of Brian Kahut. Romaine is 2 of 3 on the short season. Sr. Johnny Hekker returns as punter. The steady punter is averaging 38 yards per punt, and has career averages a little north of 40 yards per punt.

Due to James Rodgers' injury, the Beavers have used a variety of returners this year. Don't expect to see Rodgers returning punts or kickoffs this week, and the returner to look out for is Fr. Malcolm Marable. Marable is small enough to hide behind blockers, 5'7 164 lbs., and fast enough to break a seam.

That concludes the Oregon St. preview. Fire away with any additional comments and thoughts.

Fifth Quarter Consensus: Badgers drop Beavers to 0-2

Jake Harris — Fri, 09 Sep 2011 19:45:03 -0000

The Predictions:

Sam Zastrow (+3): Wisconsin 45, Oregon State 20

Jake Harris (+5): Wisconsin 55, Oregon State 21

Phil Mitten (+7): Wisconsin 51, Oregon State 24

John Veldhuis (+10): Wisconsin 42, Oregon State 20

Adam Tupitza (+10): Wisconsin 45, Oregon State 27

Louis Bien (+10): Wisconsin 47, Oregon State 17

Chuck Schwartz (+14): Wisconsin 48, Oregon State 17

Adam Hoge (+17): Wisconsin 38, Oregon State 13

The Reasoning:

Concerns over how well new quarterback Russell Wilson would integrate with Wisconsin's offense proved unnecessary. Wilson led the Badgers to a 51-17 victory over UNLV on opening night, throwing for 255 yards and two touchdowns and rushing for 62 yards and another score. Since so much was made of the importance of quarterback efficiency in Paul Chryst's scheme, it is worth pointing out that Wilson's quarterback rating of 292.5 against the Rebels is higher than any rating former quarterback Scott Tolzien achieved in his entire career at UW.

That is not a knock on Tolzien as much as it is a reason opposing defenses should be shaking in their boots over the prospect of facing Wilson as he becomes more comfortable in the system. Oregon State defensive coordinator Mark Banker will try and slow the Badgers' juggernaut Saturday, although his unit had issues stopping FCS foe Sacramento State in a stunning 29-28 overtime loss. The Beavers allowed SSU quarterback Jeff Fleming to throw for 257 yards and three touchdowns.

Senior defensive tackle Kevin Frahm will be back in the lineup for Oregon State, which should give the defense a fighting chance against Wisconsin's one-two punch of Montee Ball (6.3 yards per carry and three touchdowns against UNLV) and James White (5.8 yards per carry and a score against the Rebels). Still, given the shakiness of the Beavers' secondary and the Badgers' spectacular play-action passing game, expect several big plays from Wisconsin if OSU tries to load the box.

Offensively, the Beavers are in disarray. Junior quarterback Ryan Katz, who was once described by Oregon State head coach Mike Riley as "the glue that has to hold this team together," started last week's game and was benched for the second half after going 11-of-22 and trailing 14-3 at the break. Redshirt freshman Sean Mannion, who is 6-5, almost brought the team back, completing 8-of-12 passes for 143 yards.

The one bright spot in Oregon State's embarrassing first loss was the play of true freshman tailback Malcolm Agnew, who leads the nation with 223 rushing yards after one week. Unfortunately for the Beavers, Agnew suffered a hamstring injury and will not even make the trip to Madison. The second leading rusher for OSU against Sacramento State was the quarterback, Katz.

This is starting to look like so many of the non-conference games Wisconsin has played in the last decade, in that it appeared to be a tough matchup when it was first scheduled, but now that the game is finally here, the opponent finds itself in the midst of a down cycle.

Fun Facts

Since winning at No. 9 Arizona on October 9, 2010, Oregon State has lost six of its last eight games, including four to unranked opponents.

Wisconsin has won 29 straight non-conference regular season games.

Who has the edge?

Offense: Wisconsin

Defense: Wisconsin

Special Teams: Oregon State

Coaching: Wisconsin

Intangibles: Wisconsin

Take Five With Building The Dam: Get To Know Oregon State

Adam Hoge — Thu, 08 Sep 2011 01:55:20 -0000

When the Badgers agreed to a home-and-home with Oregon State, they likely thought they were scheduling a tough home game with the Beavers in 2011. But, as was the case with Arizona State a year ago, Wisconsin's Pac-12 opponent comes to Madison as heavy underdogs.

Still, we know what the Sun Devils were able to do at Camp Randall last season as the Badgers squeaked by with a 20-19 victory. The UW coaching staff knows Oregon State can still provide a scare Saturday.

To get you ready for the game, we exchanged questions with Building The Dam, SBNation's Oregon State site. You can find my answers to their questions here. Enjoy:

B5Q: OK, the obvious question first: What the hell happened to Oregon State against Sacramento State? We figured the Beavers would at least give the Badgers a decent test -- kind of like Arizona State did a year ago -- but were we overrating the opponent?

BTD: Coach Riley put it well when he said: "You look at all the ways you lose a game, and we did them all. All those things happened, and we started pressing, and got nervous. And that only made it worse."

Oregon St. is a very young team, and the problem has been exacerbated by injuries. 11 true freshmen dressed for the game, and eight played, including three who started. 14 Beavers made their first start, including eight on defense. And those counts don't even include a safety with one career start last season, or third string CB Sean Martin, who played more than half the game after Rashaad Reynolds, a first time starter in place of the injured Brandon Hardin, cramped up in the 90 degree plus heat. With all that, Oregon St. needed to have experienced QB Ryan Katz play well. Instead, he inexplicably came out very tentative, and it didn't help to have several passes dropped. Two turnovers inside the Sac. St. 25 yard line didn't help either. Defensively, it was a predictable situation with a CB that had never played the position even in high school, a third stringer, and a safety with one start, plus a fairly inexperienced group of linebackers. They were up against a senior QB who had a senior RB and a pair of senior WRs. The inexperienced Oregon St. defense repeatedly lost vertical spacing, and the experienced Hornets got behind them time after time. Still, Oregon St. was in position to win the game with a field goal at the end of regulation, and another of those freshmen hit the upright with his kick.

B5Q: Who are the players to watch on offense? What kind of offense does Oregon State run and how do you think it will fare against the Badger defense?

BTD: I would have said freshman running back Malcolm Agnew, who replaced Jacquizz Rodgers, now in the NFL, and ran for an NCAA leading 223 yards, and 3 touchdowns, against Sacramento St., but he proceeded to pull a hamstring in practice Monday morning. How much this will affect him remains an unknown. Beyond that, watch the quarterback rotation between Katz, who was good enough to be the Pac-10 Offensive Player of the Week on occasion last year, but lacked consistency, and struggled last week, and redshirt freshman Sean Manion, who almost led Oregon St. back to victory against Sacramento St. Riley has said both will play. It could go well or poorly from the Oregon St. point of view, but will be a key to the game, one way or the other. Finally, keep your eye on WR Marcus Wheaton. Until James Rodgers returns from his knee injury suffered last season, Wheaton is the best player Oregon St. has.

Oregon St. runs a pro-style offense, incorporating both a tight end and/or a fullback at times. There are more short and mid-range passes than deep routes in the system, and with a rearranged offensive line, and at times a freshman at QB, the passing routes will be shortened up even more, and there will be a number of runs, including WR fly sweeps. Watching the UNLV game, I expect Oregon St. to have some success moving the ball if the self inflicted errors from week one aren't repeated.

B5Q: Who are the players to watch on defense? What kind of defense does Oregon State run and how do you think it will fare against the Badger offense?

BTD: Watch DT Kevin Frahm, who missed the Sacramento St. game with a knee injury, but will be back this week. Frahm, a senior, is just an animal, and I mean that in a good way. OLB Michael Doctor is mobile, and made some good stops in the opener as well. Oregon St. plays a base 4-3, and utilizes press coverage with the corners. The Beavers have made a conscious move to more speed on defense this year, but that means a smallish defensive front-seven. Other than Castro Masaniai, a 6'3", 325 lb. DT, who backed up Stephen Paea ( now with the Chicago Bears) last year, there is no one with much size. So the concern is that with no one well over 300 lbs., the huge Badgers offensive line will just line up and bulldoze the Beavers. With a pair of running backs like Montee Ball and James White, it could be a long night.

B5Q: Are there any major weapons on special teams the Badgers will have to worry about?

BTD: James Rodgers won't play, but CB Jordan Poyer is also the punt returner, and led the Pac-10 last year. Despite missing the field goal that would have won the game, freshman Trevor Romaine drilled two other field goals and both PATs, and all his kickoffs went deep into or through the end zone.

B5Q: Finally, your prediction for Saturday...

BTD: Realistically, playing in as tough a setting as Camp Randall, with a young team missing a couple of key starters, this was a game Oregon St. probably needed help in the form of some Wisconsin miscues in order to have a chance in anyway, and that was before all the problems that emerged last weekend. I'd like to think there will be a lot of improvement in the form of corrections, but I can still see something like 38-24 Badgers not only happening, but looking like a relatively good outcome for the Beavers, all things considered.

Agnew & Cooks Named Starters Against Sac. St.

AndyPanda — Tue, 30 Aug 2011 20:30:35 -0000

Oregon St. head coach Mike Riley announced the Beavers will make program history Saturday, when they kick off the 2011 season at 1 PM against Sacramento St., looking for their 9th. straight win in home openers.

True freshman RB Malcolm Agnew was named the starter this morning at the Valley Football Center, joining freshman WR Brandin Cooks, who will get the start in the absence of James Rodgers, in the lineup. It's the first time a true freshman has ever started the first game of the season for Oregon St. at either position.

Here's Agnew and Cooks talking about their opportunities.

A third true freshman, PK Trevor Romaine, will also start. In all, Riley said 10 true freshmen will play significant roles for Oregon St. this season, though OLB DJ Welch, who is one of that group, won't this week. Welch is out short-term with an elbow injury.

The other freshmen Riley is tapping immediately include RB Terron Ward, S Tyrequek Zimmerman, S Peter Ashton, DE Dylan Wynn, and LBs Josh Williams and Jarbral Johnson.

With both Jovan Stevenson and Jordan Jenkins, who was cleared for contact starting last Friday, and will play on special teams as well, anticipated to be in the mix at RB, it means Storm Woods will probably red shirt. Riley will preserve Woods initially, though a rash of injuries could change plans later.

Ryan McCants' role at RB remains to be seen, but McCants will see action on special teams in any event.

Riley also announced that he won't administer any of the pending suspensions this week, due to the impact on the rest of the team and program it would have.

With Joe Halahuni out until after the bye in week 3, and Tyler Perry out for about 3 weeks, TE would be down to just Colby Prince without Connor Hamlett, who will have to take a weekend off for the MIP party after the first week of camp. Perry had surgery on Monday to clean up meniscus damage to his knee, similar to the procedure DT Kevin Frahm had.

With Frahm also out at least until next week against Wisconsin, DT Castro Masaniai will start, and also have his weekend off later in the campaign. Riley expects Dominic Glover to start at the other DT spot, based on his expectation that Glover's academic status will be resolved by then.

Riley received several questions at Tuesday's press conference, and has been questioned in the national media, about his decisions about when to administer the outstanding suspensions, but he has maintained that there comes a point when the rest of the team and program could be excessively harmed due to the actions of a few, and doesn't intend to let that happen.

"You just have to think of the rest of the team,'' Riley said.

It's also notable that being suspended for a televised game, against a higher profile opponent, would actually be a more stern penalty than missing a game no one will see on tv.

Riley said he anticipates several starters who have missed multiple practices recently, including S Lance Mitchell, WR Marcus Wheaton, above, and OLB Cameron Collins, will be ready to go Saturday, though there maybe more practice sessions they only watch and walk thru in order to facilitate that. Wheaton is the most questionable of the group, and if he can't go, or can't finish, due to a hip flexor, red-shirt freshman Obum Gwacham will get the start in his first ever game.

"It’s a concern,’’ Riley said about Wheaton's status. "I’d be kidding if I didn’t say that, because any time a receiver has gone all through camp, and then all of a sudden he can’t run, that’s not a good thing.’’

Even if Wheaton doesn't miss the start, Oregon St. will have over a dozen first time starters against Sacramento St.

LG Josh Andrews is also on track to be back by the time the Hornets buzz into Reser for the second time ever. (Riley's first game back at Corvallis in his second stint, in 2003, a 49-10 Beaver win, is the only other meeting between these teams.)

Riley also said CB Jordan Poyer, above, will return punts, with sophomore Rashaad Reynolds, who is also getting the start at RCB in place of Brandon Hardin, filling in for Rodgers on the kickoff return unit. Ward, red-shirt freshman Malcolm Marable, or Poyer will join Reynolds, probably depending on the severity of the situation.

Notably, the absence of Rodgers, Hardin, Frahm, and Halahuni have a combined 65 starts for Oregon St.

Oregon St. is down to about 2,200 tickets left to sell for the non-televised game, only the second game in the last 44 that has no television availability, due to the bad expiring Pac-10(now 12) tv contract, and a weak marketing effort that couldn't come up with even a third tier regional option.

25.036 season tickets have been sold so far, second most in Oregon St. history, behind only to the 26,900 sold last year, which was a Civil War season.

(Photos by Andy Wooldridge)

Andy_Wooldridge@yahoo.com

"The Cavalry Will Be Coming"

AndyPanda — Tue, 23 Aug 2011 03:30:31 -0000

That was the reminder Oregon St. head football coach Mike Riley had for nervous Beaver fans late last week as worries (and injuries) mounted as pre-season practice for the 2011 season reached the mid-way mark.

Riley, of course, was referring to when WR James Rodgers gets up to speed after off-season knee surgery, TE Joe Halahuni finishes re-habbing his shoulder, DT Kevin Frahm, who had surgery to clean up a meniscus tear in his left knee today, and the chipped bone in CB Brandon Hardin's shoulder is healed.

Beaver fans are getting a taste of that this week as well, though. In addition to QB Ryan Katz, who rested his arm Saturday, backup QB Cody Vaz was back to work today as well, after being out a week with back spasms. That's important when you consider that 11 of the 12 Pac-12 teams, Oregon St. included, had to make unplanned quarterback changes under duress at some point last season.

Outside LB Cameron Collins, who has been doing only limited work during the first two weeks of practice, after abdominal surgery 5 weeks ago, also went full speed in Monday's practice sessions, and will participate in the full scrimmage in tomorrow's 2 PM practice.

"Ask any football player, and they will tell you that having to play spectator is the worst feeling,’’ Collins said.

"He’s pushing the envelope a little bit,’’ Riley added. "But that’s what his doctor told him he needed to do."

Freshman WR Brandon Cooks, one of the pleasant surprises so far for the Beavers, was also back to work Monday, sporting a sizable tape job on the ankle he sprained last week, but showing little effect otherwise of the injury.

"It's a good sign to see an athlete come back so quickly, after just four and a half days, from an injury that should have kept him out a week," Riley noted.

Cooks' return, along with some progress by redshirt freshman Obum Gwachum, could be critical if Rodgers' return is delayed for some time to come, a possibility Riley is managing expectations for.

"We have a pretty good picture of where he is right now,'' Riley told the Oregonian's John Hunt Monday. "And that is 'not ready' at this particular time. The fact that he still can, when running fast, sink his hips and come out of the break, which is how he really made a living at his position, those are good signs. It’s not there yet, but maybe it’s coming.''

Gwachum, at 6'5" and 225 lbs., a full 10" and 35 lbs. bigger than Rodgers, couldn't be a bigger contrast to Rodgers, but is certainly an imposing challenge for any secondary.

Katz doesn't seem to mind the difference though, noting "With 'Boom', I just have to throw it in the vicinity."

CBs Keynan Parker, who has been sitting out recent practices with a quad problem, and Sean Martin, who became ill in the heat Saturday, both were back in action Monday as well.

Halahuni hopes to get clearance for full contact this week when he visits the doctor, and RB Jordan Jenkins could get his contact clearance after shoulder surgery this spring by next week.

DT Castro Masaniai, who got off to a late start to fall practice until he cleared up his legal issues, and safety Tyrequek Zimmerman, who switched positions from wide receiver just a week ago, both have worked their way quickly up to #2 in the depth chart as the third week of preparations for the 2011 season began as well.

But for all that good news, there were some new concerns Monday as well, as TE Tyler Perry turned an ankle, and WR Danny Evans hurt a knee. Perry's concern if of greatest concern because of the lack of depth at his position until Halahuni is back in action, and may play into Riley's decision about which weekend he will have Connor Hamlett take off as a result of the party that Hamlett co-hosted that got out of hand just over a week ago.

Andy_Wooldridge@yahoo.com

Frahm, Hardin Evaluate Surgery Options

AndyPanda — Sun, 21 Aug 2011 02:55:30 -0000

While Oregon St. quarterback Ryan Katz beat the heat of the hottest day of the year, defensive tackle Kevin Frahm and corner back Brandon Hardin were evaluating surgery options.

Frahm, who got a second opinion on the meniscus damage in his left knee Friday in Portland, told head coach MIke Riley that he will have surgery Monday. Frahm expects to be out 2-4 weeks.

Hardin is looking at different procedures for repairing the chipped bone in his shoulder, trying to determine which will allow him to return to the field the soonest.

Hardin is considering going to see Dr. David Chao, the team doctor for the San Diego Chargers. Chao saw tight end Joe Halahuni before Halahuni had shoulder surgery this spring.

"The more options you can give these kids, the better,'' Riley said.

Katz took the day off from throwing, and backup Cody Vaz continued to stay on the sidelines, for the fourth day now, with back spasms, which resulted in Sean Mannion taking all the reps with both the 1s and the 2s in Saturday's practice.

"We asked him about it, and he said let’s go," Riley said. "I think it was good for him."

Given that the heat apparently led to corner back Sean Martin leaving practice part way thru due to getting ill, it might not have hurt Katz to cool it.

"Sean took all the reps, and did a good job," Katz said after practice, "and that’s not easy to do. He looked good, too. That will be good for the team."

The day of rest is consistent with Riley's plan going into fall camp to have Katz on a pitch count to avoid any sore arm problems, but Vaz's prolonged absence is a complicating factor.

It will be interesting to see if Mannion is able to capitalize on a great number of reps in recent days with the better players, and possibly supplant Vaz as the #2. Given that 11 of the 12 Pac-12 teams had to make an unplanned quarterback change under duress at some point last season, it's more than likely that whoever is the Beavers' #2 at QB will see action with the game up for grabs at some point.

Corner back Keynan Parker also sat out practice, but freshman wide receiver ran some drills, suggesting the ankle he sprained mid-week is well on the way to being recovered.

With Parker slowed, sophomore Rashaad Reynolds has seemingly locked up the starting job on the corner, at least as long as Hardin is hindered.

The Beavers will take Sunday off, hopefully without a repeat of last weekend's party incident (if you listened closely Saturday afternoon, you could probably make out Riley telling his troops 'We are OSU, NOT LSU!'), and return to work Monday morning, hopefully rested and recuperated, with a full gear practice at 9:30 AM, followed by a 6:30 light gear (helmets and shoulder pads only) session.

Andy_Wooldridge@yahoo.com

"Some Of It Looked Like Football"

AndyPanda — Fri, 19 Aug 2011 05:40:43 -0000

That was Oregon St. head coach Mike Riley's assessment after Thursday afternoon's scrimmage in Reser Stadium.

The Beavers ran through their first nearly full contact scrimmage of the 2011 fall camp, with referees, and all aspects of game situations, but without a number of players, who were watching with various injuries.

From amongst the freshmen running backs, it's Malcolm Agnew who appears to be the one emerging, with Terron Ward also getting a lot of work with the "1s". Agnew had 8 carries for 65 yards, including a 25 yard touchdown run off left tackle, and another 18 yard carry.

"For my first scrimmage, I was happy. But I'm never satisfied,'' Agnew told the press after practice. "It was pretty good, but I've still got a lot of stuff to work on.''

"You saw some really good runs by Malcolm today,'' Riley added. "I thought he really stayed on his feet when he was hit. It was impressive.''

Quarterback Ryan Katz, above throwing in traffic, was moderately sharp, completing 10 of 17 passes for 125 yards, with 5 going to a very sharp Marcus Wheaton, below, catching a pass in front of CB Jordan Poyer, for 80 yards. Katz missed Wheaton deep once though, and also had a couple of passes deflected at the line of scrimmage.

The offense worked without WR James Rodgers, TE Joe Halahuni, and RB Jordan Jenkens, none of whom are cleared for full contact yet in the rehab of their knee (Rodgers) and shoulder (Halahuni and Jenkens) surgeries. Right tackle Michael Phillip also sat out the action with a sore knee.

Third string QB Sean Manion got all the reps with the second string, as Cody Vaz didn't participate for the second day in a row with back spasms.

WR Daryl Catchings was back in action after missing time recently with a knee problem, but could be in danger of dropping a spot on the depth chart, even with freshman Brandon Cooks out for about a week, according to Riley, after spraining his ankle yesterday. Mitch Singler had 5 catches for 95 yards and a touchdown, and looks like he should be working with a higher group on the depth chart.

Cooks, who had been challenging for a spot in the regular rotation before landing awkwardly after catching a deep pass yesterday, doesn't look like he will be out long, as he was walking without any limp. Don't be surprised if he's back in action ahead of schedule, by the first of the week.

The defense was without both DT Kevin Frahm, who strained his knee in a pile up two days ago, and also worked without CB Brandon Hardin, who sat out with a shoulder problem. Frahm finally had his MRI, and indicated it looks like a possibly torn meniscus in his right knee. He said he will get a second opinion, but wants to get it worked on as early as the first of the week if necessary, and intends to be ready by the Wisconsin game in week two. That seems like a stretch if even minor surgery is needed, but Frahm is tougher than the average bear (or beaver), and one should never rule anything out with this guy. Frahm was walking without the crutches he had had.

Speaking of defensive linemen with knee problems, DE Blake Harrah is not officially out of action until after the opener against Sacramento St., with Jeff Bedbury moving up the chart to take his spot.

Despite the injuries, most assessed the defensive performance as not being a "total mess", and there was good pressure at times on quarterbacks. Some running plays were stuffed, while others seemed to find pretty good seams.

Despite all the talk of newcomers on kick returns, it was Jordan Poyer and Jovan Stevenson back for all the kickoffs, and Poyer handled the punts. Don't expect Riley to really take chances with inexperience here.

Trevor Romaine has been a concern taking over the place kicking duties for graduated Justin Kahut, and those concerns persisted. Kickoffs weren't as deep as would be helpful, and Romaine also missed a 35 yard field goal wide. He did connect on one from 39 yards, above. Max Johnson made an extra point, and also a field goal from about 34 yards, below.

Riley it appears is getting some of the decisions made, such as about Agnew apparently being in the mix at running back. And who is (at least) a "2", vs. the 3

's and 4's seems generally to be shaken out pretty well except where the rash of camp injuries has forced a change, but Riley is still taking a look at a lot of people in some cases, before making his mind up over the next week. He has said he wouldn't make the serious decisions about sorting out the running back situation until after the 10 day mark.

"No need to make any choices right now," Riley commented.

Besides the need to determine how to proceed in the aftermath of Jacquizz Rodgers at running back, there are a couple of scholarship players being pushed hard by walk-ons, and a lot of speed to evaluate on the defensive side of the ball.

"I'm anxious to keep going," Riley added "This day was just part of the process. We are halfway through our time we spend to get ready for our season. This live part was an important part of the process. We need to let these guys play."

The Beavers take the field for a pair of practices tomorrow, at 8:30 AM in full gear, and again at 6:30 in the evening, for a helmets and shoulder pads only session. They have only a single session over the weekend, in full gear at 2 PM Saturday, before taking a day off to heal up some of the bumps and bruises, but hopefully not have a repeat of the hearty partying that punctuated last weekend.

(Photos by Andy Wooldridge)

Andy_Wooldridge@yahoo.com

Poyer Featured in the GT; Frahm Out An Estimated 2 Weeks

AndyPanda — Wed, 17 Aug 2011 20:00:58 -0000

While the old news is new news again news cycle continues down the road at the University of Oregon with the Cliff Harris controversy, and it's spill over to Darron Thomas, and the University of Miami might be looking at the NCAA "Death Penalty" after about a decade of Nevin Shapiro spending his ill-gotten gains from a Ponzi scheme to provide every imaginable illegal extra benefit to Hurricane players, things continue to be comparatively quiet in Corvallis.

One key player almost no one is talking or writing much about so far in fall camp is former safety turned cornerback Jordan Poyer, and the reason the special teams demon hasn't attracted more attention is he just shows up, does everything he is supposed to, and goes off to study video of cornerbacks, including a lot NFL ones, in order to improve his skills.

No getting hurt, no getting in trouble, no getting in scuffles, and therefore nothing that demands he be in the news. That of course will probably change as soon as games start, and Poyer makes plays that earn mention in the stories, just as he has since he stepped onto the campus at Astoria High, never mind Oregon St.

The Corvallis Gazette-Times' Aaron Yost has taken notice of Poyer in practice though, and has a great read today on the Beavers' do everything guy.

"He is one of the best football guys I have ever been around," Oregon St. head coach Mike Riley said in Yost's article. "His football IQ is just ... he just understands the game. He uses every bit of ability he has and his instincts kick in. He could be a slot (receiver) for us. If we were running the spread offense he could probably be our quarterback. I’ve never seen a guy, no matter what level, be the state player of the year on both offense and defense."

The fact is Poyer, who can punt as well as return them, could play any position other than on the line that Oregon St. needed him to. And he was effective as a baseball player, and a high school basketball player, before consciously and voluntarily stepping away from those sports in order to focus on football.

Riley wanted to red-shirt Poyer as a freshman, but he was one of those players that was just too good from the beginning to keep off the field. Now, halfway through his career, he is one of the reasons for optimism for this season.

"He’s a great player," Ryan Katz said. "He’s coming into his junior year, and it seems like he got here yesterday. But the kid’s stepping up and making plays. He’s filling in for that starting role pretty well, and if he continues to play like this, we’re going to have a good secondary."

Frahm "Strained"

Starting defensive tackle Kevin Frahm showed up at practice after getting treatment on his knee and ankle, sporting a brace as well as the crutches he was using last night. The initial diagnosis is a "strain", not a "sprain".

Riley said Frahm will have an MRI later today to determine just how serious his knee strain is, but will probably miss at least 2 weeks of work. That makes his availability for the opening game Sat. Sept. 3 against Sacramento St. seem unlikely.

Frahm suffered the injury in a pile up in yesterday's practice.

Masaniai Puts On The Pads

While the Beavers are down one DT for a while, another has begun practicing in full gear. Castro Masaniai, who didn't join practices until after resolving his legal issues last Thursday, has completed the NCAA pre-requisite number of acclimation practices, and donned full gear for this morning's session.

Masaniai may be down the depth chart, and needing to work into shape and out of defensive line coach Joe Seumalo's doghouse, but being the only real size on an otherwise smallish Oregon St. defensive line, and with Frahm out of action, the opportunity to quickly climb into a key role originally planned for him has materialized.

Putting he Punting Pieces Together

Oregon St.'s new punter Tim McMullen watched practice Wednesday morning, but the question about where a scholarship might come from could be answered. Junior safety Josh La Grone from San Diego has retired from football, according to Riley, as a result of on-going knee problems that apparently have become too much to overcome. If La Grone chooses, he can finish his education, but the move may open up an active player scholarship spot (the Beavers were at the NCAA maximum 85 scholarship limit).

It also makes the shift to safety of several other players more timely.

The La Grone family has now seen their second member not be able to make it through their career, as Matt, who was a defensive end, also left early, moving to Reno for family reasons.

Oregon St. will go through a second workout this evening at 6:30 PM, in helmets and shoulder pads only, before having a scrimmage-like practice tomorrow at 2 PM, with game officials scheduled to be present.

Andy_Wooldridge@yahoo.com