SB Nation - Damola Adeniji

Bowl Games Gameday Thread: Tuesday, December 22nd, 2009

Drew K — Wed, 23 Dec 2009 00:45:09 -0000

Let me begin by introducing myself and just give a brief history of my interest in college football. I began watching football in general at a very young age and my passion for the sport has just increased more and more as the years have gone by. I did not start paying very close attention to college football, religiously like I do now, until I was a freshman in college, but had always watched games here and there since I was a teenager. I went to school at a private University in Oklahoma not too far from Norman and naturally found myself rooting for the OU Sooners being that my school did not have a football team of it's own. I still have a lot to learn about the sport as the game is constantly evolving. I believe that one can never know enough about something and there is always something new to learn. My role on this site will be to continue posting the offseason discussions for NinersNation and to help carry us through the bowl season in looking at some of the key players that will be playing in these games. The main objective I think is to provide more insight for those that don't follow as regularly and give a more clear picture as to who we should be looking at for now and for the future.

Out of the three Bowl Games that there has been, two out of the first three have been great games to watch. Now we are moving in on some of the bigger name schools and I imagine it will only get more interesting from here on out. Tonight in The Maaco Las Vegas Bowl we will see the #14 ranked BYU Cougars taking on the #18 ranked Oregon State Beavers at Sam Boyd Stadium in Las Vegas, Nevada. The Cougars come in to this matchup with a record of 10-2 overall and 7-1 in the Mountain West Conference. The Beavers come in to this matchup with a record of 8-4 overall and 6-2 in the Pac-10. This should be a very interesting game with lots of players to put on the watch list. Both schools have produced great NFL talent (one of the most significant to Niners fans; Steve Young) and there are a few candidates in this game coming out as well. Below, we will take an in-depth look at some of the key players, stats, and other information regarding the game.

# 14 BYU COUGARS VS. # 18 OREGON STATE BEAVERS

MAACO LAS VEGAS BOWL PREVIEW

COUGARS:

The BYU Cougars shocked the world in their first game of the season taking out the #3 ranked Oklahoma Sooners along with Heisman winning Quarterback Sam Bradford. That game gave them all the confidence in the world and from there they took the NCAA by storm. This game will mark the fifth time in a row that the Cougars will appear in the Las Vegas Bowl. The Cougars are putting up 34.8 points a game and most likely will in this one as well. Losing the last time they appeared, the Cougars will look to bounce back and wipe the slate clean with a win tonight. Let's take a look at some of the key players now...

Key players to watch for the Cougars:

*Note: Inside the brackets next to the players names are the jersey numbers for those that don't follow these two teams on a regular basis to keep track of.

[# 15] Max Hall QB 6'1" 201 (Senior):

While Hall is not the biggest QB, he does not lack anything in the skill department. Hall has been one of the most efficient passers in college football. He will definitely have some scouts in the stands tonight and it will be his best opportunity to bump up is value in the 2010 NFL Draft. While Hall transfered from ASU, he still managed to rack up over 11,000+ yards in passing over three years. He has 40 career TD passes and a career completion percentage of 66%; one of the most accurate quarterbacks in college football.

[# 45] Harvey Unga RB 6'0" 239 (Junior):

A big bruising RB will try to tire out the Beavers defensive line this evening and has proven he is capable all year long. Unga finished the year with 1016 yards which marks the third year that he's done so. He also had 10 TD's and averaged 5.5 a carry this year. His career stats for BYU are 3384 yards rushing, 35 rushing TD's and a 5.0 yards per attempt. He also will finish with 1070 yards receiving and 9 more TD's so he will be used in the passing game as well.

[# 32] Dennis Pitta TE 6'5" 248 (Senior):

Pitta will be Hall's primary guy tonight and has been all year. Todd McShay has stated that Pitta will most likely be a 2nd or 3rd rounder in the 2010 Draft. Pitta broke the schools record for TE's in receptions. This year he has 57 receptions, 784 yards, and 7 TD's. His career stats are 199 receptions, 2680 yards receiving, and 18 TD's... his average has been 13.5 a reception. Hey will the key player against OSU and will need to have a huge game.

[# 70] Matt Reynolds OT 6'6" 320 (Sophomore):

Reynolds will be a top prospect after next year. He is a big but fast powerful Tackle. If we need some depth next year after hopefully drafting an OT this year, Reynolds could be a nice addition in later rounds for the 2011 draft. I personally will be watching how this young future prospect plays.

[# 22] Andrew Rich DB 6'3" 215 (Junior):

Rich is the best player that the Cougars have on defense. He will have his hands full with the Rodgers brothers this evening and it iwll be a great test. His career stats are 102 Tackles, 2 Fumbles Forced, and 5 Interceptions. Rish also recorded 1 Sack on a safety blitz so they may send him a couple times this game.

[# 84] Jan Jorgensen DL 6'3" 260 (Senior):

Jorgensen will need to get pressure on Canfield tonight and if he can't it's going to be a long day for the Cougars secondary. He has 28 career sacks and has been one of the better defensive linemen for BYU's defense. With 210 career tackles and 1 fumble forced he should have some impact on the game tonight.

Led by Coach Bronco Mendenhall (4th year, 38-13)

BEAVERS:

Winning five out of their last five bowl games in the last five years, The Beavers enter this matchup with high hopes of maiking it six years in a row with a bowl game victory. This team is just as dynamic on offense as BYU and has been averaging 32.4 points per game. The Beavers when in the redzone have a conversion rate of 96% which is scarey to a team like BYU who is not known for their defense. I look for the Beavers to go blow for blow with BYU this evening.

Key players to watch for the Beavers:

[# 5] Sean Canfield QB 6'4" 220 (Senior):

Very accurate is an understatement to attach to Canfield's name. This quarterback will have a bunch of weapons to go to througout the course of this one. The Senior had 1st team ALL-PAC 10 honors to close out the season and I expect him to play like it tonight. Canfield finishes the year with a 65% completion rate, 5802 yards passing, and 25 TD passes.

[# 1] Jacquizz Rodgers RB 5'7" 193 (Sophomore):

Rodgers, brother to the other Rodgers on the team at WR, rushed for over 1000 yards in each of his first two seasons. This year he finishes 1377 yards with an average of 5.4 a pop and 20 TD's. Since his freshman year, Rodgers has been no stranger to the endzone and currently has 31 career TD's thus far in his collegiate career.

[# 8] James Rodgers WR 5'7" 185 (Junior):

Small, quick, fast, explosive... just a few words to describe this very good WR. Much like his brother, he went over the 1000 yard mark this year as well. He finishes the year with 9 receiving TD's. We will also more than likely see Rodgers returning kicks and punts tonight. He has 1700+ career return yards on kickoffs and 151 yards on 13 punt returns this year which is an average of 11.6 yards an attempt. Should be exciting to see the Rodgers brothers tonight...they should be a handful.

[# 80] Damola Adeniji WR 6'3" 219 (Senior):

On the other side of Rodgers is quite the opposite in style. Decent hands and a tall target for Canfield, Adeniji has been another nice option in this game and will give DB's a nice challenge as he can go above the competition to grab a ball out of the air. This is Adeniji's first year starting as a Senior but has developed as a nice third option and has scored 4 times this year.

[# 10] Lance Mitchell S 6'2" 205 (Sophomore):

Mitchell is by and far probably the best guy the Beavers have in their secondary. Nice size for a college safety and good instinct to get to the ball. Mitchell will need to have the game of his life to give the Beavers their best chance in this matchup. He leads the team in interceptions with 3 this year and 25 return yards to tack on to that.

[# 54] Stephen Paea DT 6'1" 293 (Junior):

Good technique and quick off the snap. Paea was ranked in my top 25 DT's to begin the year. He did not have the greatest year but I believe will be up for this game. He may stay in college one more year to try and work on his stock but should be a notable players to watch.

Led by Coach Mike Riley (6th year, 56-42)

WHEN: 8:00 EST, 5:00 PST

WHERE: SAM BOYD STADIUM, LAS VEGAS, NEVADA

TV: ESPN & ESPN HD

SATELLITE: SIRIUS, XM

Q&A: Las Vegas Bowl with Oregon State's Blogger

Layton — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 19:31:51 -0000

Our good friend over at Building the Damn, Oregon State's SB Nation blog, has answered five questions from Vanquish The Foe about tonight's matchup...

1 - What will be the Beavers' general game plan for stopping Max Hall, Harvey Unga and BYU's versatile offense?

For one, the Beavers are going to have to switch things up in the secondary due to the loss of Tim Clark to a broken leg in the Civil War. Brandon Hardin will get the start at that cornerback spot, but it also means that the secondary is now even more thin than it was before the Clark injury. Patrick Henderson, who is a veteran but lacks size, will probably see more plays, and true freshman Jordan Poyer, one of the best athletes on the team, will be utilized as a backup corner, moving over from his normal reserve safety spot.

The fact that the secondary is depleted means that it's up to the defensive line to make life difficult for Max Hall. He's had no problems getting the ball into the end zone all year, and Steven Paea and the line will have to make sure that he at least he doesn't have all the time in the world to find Pitta, Jacobsen, Ashworth, and others downfield. The pass rush has been improving as the year has gone on, but this may be their most important opportunity to prove themselves in the final game of the season.

2 - What should Bronco Mendenhall and the Cougars be the most concerned about? (The Rodgers brothers? OSU's pass rush? Etc.)

The offense is dynamic, and can beat you in many ways. Sean Canfield is right up their with Max Hall as one of the best quarterbacks in the nation, and he's done it by being accurate and making big plays. WR Damola Adeniji has been a big surprise this season and will do his best to keep the BYU defense honest as they look to key on the Rodgers brothers. Now, James and Jacquizz are probably the ones that Mendenhall and company are most worried about... they're playmakers. It's a good sign whenever Quizz and break into the second level with regularity, and as soon as safeties start keying on Quizz, James becomes a even bigger threat out of his flanker spot. And let's not forget about Joe Halahuni, who has become a big threat at the tight end position.

3 - Who is the one Oregon State player VTF isn't necessarily familiar with and should be aware of going into the bowl game?

Damola Adeniji isn't a guy who is putting up huge numbers on the stat sheet, but his contributions to the offense and his rise to prominence make him arguably the most important player on the offense. After Darrell Catchings was injured early in the season, Damola has made Beaver Nation forget about what we lost in Darrell by providing similar production. He never expected to play football again after graduating from West Salem high school, but now he's playing in his final college game as a starting wideout for the Beavers. He's improved his route running and blocking, and is a big reason why this offense is so dynamic.

4 - What caused the Beavers to struggle early in the season - specifically against a disappointing UNLV team and perhaps against Arizona in Corvallis?

Don't forget that Beavers also struggled against Cincinnati, a team that finds themselves playing in a BCS game now but looked beatable on September 19 in Corvallis. What we repeatedly keep seeing out of these Mike Riley coached teams is these early season slow starts. The Beavers tried to buck the trend this year with a more manageable pre-season schedule, but still emerged from the month of September with a 2-2 record. The slow start is not something we saw for the first time this season, trust me. It's something we're starting to get used to.

5 - What is the general perspective at BTD on the MWC's recent success toward gaining future respectability from the BCS?

I think it's games like tonight's that OSU fans and Pac-10 fans in general judge the Mountain West on. If the top tier MWC teams (TCU, BYU, Utah, etc.) can continue to do damage in BCS bowls and win games against the automatic-qualifying conferences, they'll continue to get respect. And obviously, the MWC is 7-3 against such teams since 2004, so they're well on their way. But Mike Riley and his team, as well as Beaver Nation in general do have a great deal of respect for this BYU team we'll be playing tonight. It'll be a great game, that's for sure. It's also interesting to note that Oregon State's next two games-- tonight's, and the opener next year-- will be against the best two teams out of the MWC, BYU and TCU. We'll see how that goes.

Bonus Question - Any sense of pride at OSU knowing that Bronco Mendenhall is an alum and has had overwhelming success in Provo?

Sure, it's always nice to see OSU grads go on to do great things whether it be as coaches or players in the professional ranks. Mendenhall is a great coach and has turned BYU around, much like Riley has done at Oregon State-- and I'm sure there's nothing but respect between coaching staffs.

Ranking the 2009 Pac-10 Football MVPs: Part I

Avinash — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 11:00:29 -0000

More photos » by Ben Margot - AP

Mike Mohamed had some big plays this season. Was it enough to be a Pac-10 MVP?

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In case you missed it, here's Part 1: the LVPs of their respective teams.

This post got too long, so I had to split it into three. Here are the honorable mention categories and the Pac-10 players and units ranked #30 thru #21 (#20-11 coming this afternoon, #10-1 coming Friday morning). Let's dive into it.

Honorable Mention

Jeff Locke, Reid Forrest: You know your team's in trouble when your punters are higher than anyone on your offense. And in Forrest's case, you know your team is royally fucked when your punter is the only one on your team who appears on this list.

Donald Butler: Didn't really do anything spectacular this year, but 96 tackles will get you on this list.

Daniel Te'o-Nesheim: So will 9.5 sacks and 12.5 TFL. Too bad the Huskies defense ranged from 'sheer brilliance' to 'human atrocity'

Ed Dickson: I'll be nice as possible about this--FUCK ED DICKSON. AGGGGGHHHHHHHHH.

Damola Adeniji: Despite all the production of James Rodgers, he wasn't Canfield's main target on 3rd down. Probably because secondaries keyed in on Rodgers, Adeniji racked up 27 catches in that situation, 21 for first downs, 5th in the country. Only 49 catches overall, but considering he only had 1 last season, I'll say this is a slight upgrade.

Chris Polk: Finished this season on a tear: Five ninety+ yard games and a 1000 yard season overall. Hard to measure his impact though, since the Huskies lost three of those games and Locker and the defense were the focal points of the other two.

Trojan offensive line: Lost season for these guys. 17 sacks allowed, 40 tackles for loss allowed, only a top 40 rushing offense. Ho-hum for them. I would've dreamed of something like this for the Bears.

Mike Mohamed: Cal's most productive defensive player on a not-so-great defensive unit. You have to give massive props for a 100 tackle season (his 104 tackles were tops in the Pac-10). And he saved another Cal season from sliding into disaster with a crucial interception in the Big Game.

Kyle Williams, Dmitri Nance: Solid production considering their quarterback struggled to complete half of his passes. Plus I feel bad for Williams ending his career like that.

Syd'Quan Thompson: If Cal had ONE guy (Hagan, Hill, Nnabuife, Conte, Rope Guy, someone) step up at corner on the other side of the field, who knows how our season turns out. We sure as hell don't get lit up by Oregon, USC or UDub on defense (Syd's limited ability in the final game pretty much assured we were screwed against Locker).

He was still a fabulous open field tackler when he got the chance, and when quarterbacks threw to his side of the field, he usually shut down. Like Asomugha in Oakland, that kind of effort only gets rewarded with first team All Pac-10, and minimal impact on the box score. So while his talent is easy enough to gauge, it's really hard to measure his value. Which is why he's honorable mention and not on the top 30.

After the jump, here's #30-21. If there are any thoughts of players or units left off, or guesses as to who will end up in the top 20, leave them in the comments.

#30 Damian Williams, #29 Joe McKnight

via theoraclesays.files.wordpress.com

These two are actually the first since Bush and White to break 100+ all-purpose yards a game since Bush and Leinart. Solid seasons, but other than McKnight on the final drive against Ohio State and Williams tearing up Notre Dame, how many moments do you remember concerning these two? That kind of year for the Trojans. It's up in the air whether either will return too.

#28 Ryan Whalen

via www4.pictures.zimbio.com

6th in the Pac-10 in receptions, turned into Luck's best passing threat when Owusu went Section Eight in the biggest games. Thought about ranking him higher, but I don't have any Whalen moments to really justify putting him further up. Perhaps the Cardinal fans can refresh my memory...oh, wait, there are no Cardinal fans. #28 it is.

#27 Arizona's receiving corps (Turner, Criner, Roberts, Dean, Douglas)

via www.azstarnet.com

Five guys with 30 catches or more? Now that's spreading the wealth around. By contrast, Cal had only one receiver (Jones) catch more than 30. Obviously, Cal isn't built to be a passing offense, but still, this is a far cry from two-three years ago. Sigh.

#26 UCLA's secondary

via images.ocregister.com

I know Rahim Moore led the nation in picks, and Alterraun Verner had another fine year--but how good are these guys? Other than shutting down Jonathan Crompton and whoever the hell Kansas State's quarterback is, the Bruins pass D has been surprisingly average. Even Kevin Riley burned them deep. I repeat, KEVIN RILEY BURNED THEM DEEP. Does this happen to good secondaries?

Oh well...at least Moore is capable of that "deep, longing, alluring, penetrating, soul-piercing, heart-tugging look".

#25 Tyson Alualu

via cache.daylife.com

Kind of hard to say how bad the Bears defense would've been without Alualu cracking apart the line. His efforts alone helped shut down Minnesota's passing game in a tight 4th quarter. Extra linemen often were forced to commit to him, and it opened up the rest of the front to get after Arizona and the Furd's high powered offensive attack.

Unfortunately, he never really had a Mebane-like force on the line--he couldn't really disrupt the passing attacks the way his predecessors did How much of that was dictated by scheme or by his own pass rush methods is beyond my knowledge, but Cal's pass rush was far weaker than anticipated, far weaker than the 27 sacks they put up this year.

Still a great season for Tice though--Cal's run defense was top-tier, and a lot of that had to do with #44.

(Story that really depressed me this week: Bear Insider's look at how close Ndamukong Suh came to being a Golden Bear. Imagine Alualu and Suh coming together in the 3-4 the last two seasons, particularly last year. I'm getting bummed out now.)

#24 Jahvid Best

via www.pe.com

For a guy who was supposed to be a Heisman hopeful, it's shocking to see Best not even crack the top 20. But that's how it is in a frustrating season for Jahvid, whose season seemed to peak in Minneapolis. Still had some spectacular runs, but running behind the crappiest offensive line in the Tedford era, it could've been way, way better.

#23 Chris Owusu

via a.espncdn.com

A menace for us, and a big game-changer for the Furd, having huge returns on almost every opponent this year. Surprisingly (and stupidly), everyone in the Pac-10 continued to kick to Owusu long after he demonstrated he would outrace their coverage to the end zone. The Furd ranked 3rd in the country in kickoff returns, mostly due to Owusu's skills.

He gets bumped down a bit because if he could just hang onto a few passes (he dropped big catches in EVERY conference loss), the Furd are going to Pasadena.

#22 Kai Forbath

via tnjn.com

Laugh all you want that a kicker cracks the top 25. When a Bruins fan describes him as your most consistent player...well, that says a lot.

Take a look at the games Forbath swung this season.
~13 of UCLA's 19 points in a 4 point win over the Vols in Rocky Top
~11 of UCLA's 23 points in a 10 point win over the Sun Devils
~6 of UCLA's 24 points in a 1 point win over the Huskies
~11 of UCLA's 23 points in a 14 point win over K-State.

Add in these stats
~26 field goals, second most in the country behind Alabama's Tiffin
~99th scoring offense in the country

Not hard to say Forbath was UCLA's offensive MVP this season, isn't it? Switch Forbath with an average kicker and the Bruins win four games? Three?

#21 Shane Vereen

via dlerium.smugmug.com

(Image from dmo580)

Surprisingly had more impressive performances than Best this season, cementing away a Cal victory in Pasadena and being the workload in two upsets over the Wildcats and the Cardinal. Best racked up big numbers against two of the worst teams in the country and an FCS opponent, managing only one great game this season against a bowl-eligible team. Although Best ended up with more rushing yards, Vereen had more all-purpose yards thanks to his kickoff returns and his own pass-catching abilities. Most importantly, when the offensive line collapsed, Vereen had more of the elusiveness to slip away from encroaching defenders.

Best might be the better talent, but Vereen was the more valuable Bear for this Cal squad...but only by a little.

Coming this afternoon: #20-11.

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.

Canfield or Quizz: Who do you stop?

Jake Bertalotto — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 20:42:45 -0000

More photos » by Ben Margot - AP

about 1 month ago: Oregon State's Jacquizz Rodgers, right, outruns California defense to score during the fourth quarter of an NCAA college football game Saturday, Nov. 7, 2009, in Berkeley, Calif. Oregon State won 31-14. (AP Photo/Ben Margot)

Browse more photos »

Jeff Tedford and California chose Quizz.

They couldn't stop Canfield.

We're witnessing the Beavers get better and better as this 2009 season wears on, and it's largely due to the fact that the offense is so balanced. The Beavers are averaging 412 offensive yards per game. 131 on the ground, and 279 in the air.

California did a good job of clogging holes up front and getting sideline to sideline to stop the Oregon State rushing attack. They obviously frustrated Jacquizz Rodgers, who only rushed for 67 yards on 24 carries, a season low. A fair chunk of his total yardage came on a 24-yard touchdown run late in the game, showing that defenses can't forget about Quizz, even if they successfully frustrate him for a fair portion of the game.

But Cal's decision to stop Quizz at whatever the cost opened the door for QB Sean Canfield to light things up in the passing game, throwing for a season-high 342 passing yards, with a 75% completion percentage, no less. Canfleid has been utilizing one of the deepest receiving corps the Beavers have seen in awhile, with James Rodgers, Joe Halahuni, Damola Adeniji, Jordan Bishop, Casey Kjos, Aaron Nichols, and several others all playing a role. The biggest surprises of the year have been Adeniji and Halahuni-- the two receivers who come in right behind the Rodgers brothers on the stat sheet.

Here's what AndyPanda had to say about Halahuni, one of Canfield's favorite targets, in a recent comment that deserves some front page attention:

Joe Halahuni, who had a career afternoon, will be keeping Nick Holt, and future opponents’ defensive coordinators as well, up late. When Arizona lost Rob Gronkwski, a lot of folks figured only Oregon’s Ed Dickson remained as a premier tight end in the Pac-10 (USC’s Anthony McCoy, now injured, hadn’t fully appeared yet). The position has been relegated to history in many programs at all levels, what with the advent of various spread offenses, but Oregon St. has kept what can be a major threat in their system.

Halahuni has made almost a quantum leap on a weekly basis, and is a physical mismatch for most defensive backs in the business. This requires defensive schemes that provide secondary support on nearly every play, which restricts blitz schemes, opens seams for the wide outs, and if a defense isn’t careful and fast, limits run support.

It will be interesting to see what method Nick Holt takes in order to stop the Oregon State offense. Stacking the box and bringing blitzes will open the door for Canfield to hit the likes of Halahuni, Adeniji, and James-- but may limit Quizz. Dropping linebackers into coverage to stop the passing attack will likely allow Quizz to break off solid gains all game long.

How would you scheme to stop the offense?

The balance that this Oregon State offense is developing has to make you feel good about the remaining three games on the schedule.

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

Roll On: I Have No Idea How Cal's Defense Will Stop Oregon State's Offense

Avinash — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 21:15:21 -0000

Watch this. Then cry.

Canfield passes vs USC @ Yahoo! Video

Trojan Football Analysis's of Sean Canfield's game against USC is as follows.

That is most of the damage by Oregon State in the passing game. Just 12 of Canfield’s 43 passes resulted in 231 yards of gain or 70% of his total throwing yardage. One was a lucky pass and several plays exhibited uncharacteristic poor reads and tackles by USC.

Poor reads and poor tackles. Finding the soft spots in the zone. Throws down the middle against the linebackers. Does this sound familiar?

A lot of talk around Oregon State has been centered on the Rodgers brothers, and deservedly so. But Sean Canfield has grown up since the last time we played him. And now he scares the ever-living crap out of me. To me, the key to beating the Beavers lies through somehow stopping him.

If you were the defensive coordinator, how would you gameplan against Oregon State?

After the jump, more on Canfield, and enter the Rodgers brothers.

What you see from Canfield is a natural ability to read and react to what the defense is giving him. He's become particularly adept at breaking down

This might sound familiar to Cal fans because this is exactly what happened in 2007, when the Beavers came into Memorial struggling, and Canfield considered . Although he only threw 18 for 33, he did lead OSU on two second half scoring drives via a similar style of offense, albeit sans Quizz.

If there's any issue, it's that he has taken a lot of sacks. While you might be quick to fingerpoint the offensive line, The VD Special disagrees and lays the blame on the shoulders of the quarterback himself for getting decked.

Our sacks are up this year, but if you watch our games, its due more to Canfield holding onto the ball than line break down. We only replaced 2 starters from last year. Our Center, Right Tackle, and Left Guard are all the same. And our new starting left tackle was considered one of the top offensive lineman as a senior last year.

I think our stats are again misleading at this point due to our annual Oregon State early struggles. Things should even out by the end of the year.

Now this leaves an interesting dilemma for Gregory. Canfield's "holding-onto-the-ball" tendency leaves you wondering whether the Bears will dial up the blitz. He seems like the perfect candidate for some delayed blitzes, or maybe some stunts if Gregory isn't comfortable sending extra men. Anny sort of pass rush generated could be huge in stalling the Beaver offense, and Canfield did show in several games this season (especially against Cincinnati's 3-4) that he does not seem comfortable throwing out of the pocket.

On the other hand, from watching the video above, Canfield also doesn't seem intimidated by the pass rush and can rip off some HUGE throws to the usual "unknowns who will in 3 years become prized NFL starters". Plus Cal's personnel lacks a single strong pass rusher to get at the quarterback. So you're stuck in a dilemma--if he sends the blitz and the offensive line can stand in there long enough, the Bears are vulnerable to getting burned deep and losing control of the defense early. If you don't send additional men for pressure and keep guys in coverage. What would be your choice, death by slow burn or firestorm?

Interestingly, due to the threat of the Rodgers brothers, Canfield has been put into a similar position as Kevin Riley. Like Riley, Canfield is being dared to throw by most defenses due to the threat of his running back. Like Riley, Canfield has had to throw a lot more than you'd like for him to do. Like Riley, Canfield is good at getting the ball away, having thrown only 4 interceptions this season. But unlike Riley, Canfield has had little difficulty connecting with his receivers, both short and medium (although he doesn't have quite the arm to throw it much deeper). Obviously, Cal fans would like to see at least a comparable effort from Riley this week, at least something akin to what he did against ASU.

Now, onto the badass midgets...

via bloximages.chicago2.vip.townnews.com

Because the Beavers are already well out of the Pac-10 race, Jacquizz Rodgers's second season in the trenches has gone unnoticed. That sucks, because his 2009 campaign has been even deadlier than his 2008 one. A s AERose notes, the big danger in Jacquizz is he can kill you both ways . Not only are his running numbers on pace with last season's, they're more efficient yards (5.36 as opposed to 4.84 yards per carry), and he's racking up all-purpose.

He’s second in catches with 49 and third in yardage with 371. For comparison, Quizz has more catches than Cal’s top two pass catchers (Marv and Best) combined. OSU’s been chucking it more than Cal and at a better completion percentage whereas Cal has more options to spread the ball around, but still, Mike Riley obviously believes he can use Quizz on every down and it looks like he’s right.

(Also btw Quizz is the second leader in the Pac-10 in rushing yardage, so he hasn’t disappeared though if you look at the rushing stats it’s wild that Rodgers provides 90% of Oregon State’s rushing yards whereas Best provides more like 60% of Cal’s ground offense. Interesting to see that through 8 games Cal is outrushing Oregon State by 500 yards and 1.5 ypc.)

Even worse, between the tackles, there's nothing more formidable than Quizz. Although the Beavers O-line deserves a good deal of the credit for disguising exactly where he is behind them, Jacquizz is the one cutting through the blocks, slipping off tackles and finding a hole to bust through. Check out those touchdowns against the Furd and see the Cardinal front seven aim to tackle, bounce off him and FAIL.

Stanford at Oregon State '09 (via thomasg86)

Brett Johnson talked about the difficulty of trying to take the little man down.

"(Jacquizz is) hard to tackle, because he's fast, shifty and low to the ground," Bears safety Brett Johnson said. "I'm kind of a taller guy, so I practically have to get down on my kneecaps to tackle the guy."

You can imagine the issue most defenders have. Trying to reach down and tackle a running back of his size. Does anyone know the best way to properly tackle him (and by proxy, his brother) down?

While Quizz is the outside threat, James is the one guy on the outside to look at. Obviously Syd'Quan will be playing him on conventional receiver plays, but what about when they run the fly sweep? Oregon surprisingly ran little outside zone against us last year and ditto USC; a lot of their big running plays went straight up the middle or via inside zone. Oregon State will probably not deviate as much from inside, since they don't want to run Quizz into the ground like they did last season. It'll be interesting (and by interesting, I mean excruciating) how well the Beavers can attack us with any outside rushes.

Cal's defensive line needs to be stout again and try to find ways to penetrate into that Beaver backfield. Unfortunately, with Derrick Hill not likely to play, I'm not exactly sure how good a job they can do in the middle. You just feel the linebackers will try to play close up in support....that'll leave the middle open for Canfield to throw to Halahuni or Adeniji and the flats open for screens to James or dumpoffs to Quizz...ugh.

Indeed, this season the Rodgers brothers continue to do more and more for this team than even last season, which might make you fret as a Beaver fan going down the stretch--an injury to one of these guys and OSU's offensive production gets nearly cut in two. But for now, they are a looming danger, and depending on what happens between now and December, could be ready to spring a trap on Oregon's celebration plans in the Civil War.

I said a few weeks ago that I didn't really feel Gregory and the defense had underachieved. This would be the perfect week for them to start overachieving.

Bonus: Wild Beaver.

For all the hullabaloo about Cal's Wild Bear formations, Oregon State's Wild Beaver formation has quietly been adapting the strongest version of this particular strand of offense. Moreover, like Vereen, Quizz can throw in the end zone! Except he does it in the first quarter, when it's not insane to try a running back throw.

Jacquizz Rodgers throws TD pass from the WildBeaver formation (via OSUBeaverTV)

And here he is taking the direct snap.

OSU's Jacquizz Rodgers runs for 61 yards out of the WildBeav formation (via OSUBeaverTV)

So if you look at an all-around football game, although Jahvid runs better, because he can't break tackles as well as Quizz, because he's a step behind Quizz in the receiving game, and because he can't pass, on the college level...*gritting teeth*...Quizz>>Best. In that sense. Ugh.

Poll

I feel ___________ at facing Oregon State's offense.

Excited

22 votes

Calm

25 votes

Belligerent

27 votes

Depressed

36 votes

Scared shitless

109 votes

219 votes | Poll has closed

Inside the Pac-10: And Troy Fights On, And On, And On...

Avinash — Sun, 13 Sep 2009 19:36:45 -0000

More photos » by Amy Sancetta - AP

Stafon Johnson and the USC Trojans eeked out an enormous win over the Buckeyes. Is this their first step on the long, hrad road to Pasadena?

Browse more photos »

Don't forget to fill out the Eastern Washington report card, only thirteen grades in so far! They're due in Monday at noon PST!

USC 18, Ohio State 15

Golden Bear fans keep on getting more and more confident that this is their year, that the Bears are going to take over the Pac-10 and set their mark. You watch USC stumble around for fifty-five minutes at the Horseshoe, their quarterback not being able to thread a football through, and you start feeling the same things.

Then you see the Trojans rock on two quick two minute drives at the end of each half. You see Matt Barkley complete two huge passes, you see the offensive line take over when they're called to do so and help the Trojans convert every short yardage opportunity that comes theri way. You see Joe McKnight juke and jive his way on that las tcritical drive. You see USC take advantage of two Buckeye miscues (Terrell Pryor's interception, and the Buckeyes not running out the clock at the end of the half).

Vulnerable? Probably. Deadly? Always. Not in this lifetime can you count USC out. And they will always be the favorites until someone burns their walls for good.

What did USC-Ohio State tell you about the Trojans? Do you respect them more or do you fear them less? Discuss it in the comments!

Rest of the games and more discussion questions after the jump.

Paragon did have three additional observations on USC's performance, take note of the first two observations Cal fans!

First...Special Teams was absolutely atrocious. For all the pissing and moaning we have heard about not having a special teams coach having one didn't seem to help with the poor punting and missed field goal.

Second...It didn't matter how many running backs we had in The Stable never was able to get up a lather to really be effective because the Offensive line was getting pushed around by their D line. But Props to Joe McKnight for stepping it up at the right time!!

Third...The defense did a great good job against Pryor, he made some plays...a few nice throws and some key runs but lets not get crazy he was not Vince Young tonight...At least not yet.

via farm3.static.flickr.com (Image taken by Monica's Dad)

California 59, Eastern Washington 7

Okay, the Bears didn't bring their A-game for this one. Hell, you could say they didn't even bring their B-game. Given the result, that seems okay to me.

Cal played a lot of soft zone coverage (and by soft I mean "I WILL STAND RIGHT HERE AND DARE YOU TO NOT THROW HERE"), and Matt Nichols obliged by completing 70 percent of his passes. Yet the Eagles only gained 235 yards, and Taiwan Jones was completely shut down as the Bears enveloped the line of scrimmage. While Cal didn't have a flawless run blocking scheme or even very good pass protection (Riley was blitzed on several occasions and had to get rid of the ball a little bit more than he wanted to), the focus wasn't quite there for many players, excluding the runners.

Like I said on Thursday (because I'm a prophet!!!), Cal would run the ball a lot today, and it showed quickly. In fact the Bears really did nothing out of the ordinary with their run blocking. Lot of man blocking, lot of guard pulling, occasional zone runs, but otherwise a very standard performance in terms of form and style. Other than a clever little pitch involving Best lining up at the LoS, Cal did nothing out of the ordinary. Well, except rush for 300+ yards.

Ultimately this one was a game of talent, and Cal happens to have way more. Credit the Eagles for fighting, but even after playing as best as they could, they were down 31 after three.

via a.espncdn.com

Forest 24, Trees 17

Don't let the final score deceive you. Andrew Luck had a deceptively good game, 23 of 34, 272 yards, 2 TDs, 1 INT is nothing to frown at, considering the Furd's recent inability to airmail anything.

On the bright sense, the Furd's defense still looks horrid. Blogger So Dear, Wake Forest's SBN blog, has the story.

For all of the ups and downs, Wake Forest is 1-1, and finally had solid play on both sides of the ball, with 459 yards of offense on the day and no scoring from Stanford in the second half. Josh Adams and Kevin Harris combined for over 100 yards and Chris Givens and Devon Brown also racked up 98 yards on their own. [Riley] Skinner was 18-26 for 187 yards, had a rushing touchdown of his own and a 20 yard reception.

More importantly, the Cardinal only ran 20 plays in the second half. You could say that the Furd offense didn't do enough to keep the offense off the field or the Furd defense couldn't do enough to put the offense on the field. Given that five Demon Deacons rushed for more than 5 yards per carry (including Skinner), I'll opt to the latter.

via farm3.static.flickr.com (Image from EDSBS)

UCLA 19, Tennessee 15

The result is irrelevant here, because like most games last Saturday, it came down to turnovers. Rocky Top Talk discusses how turnovers cost the Vols their chance at victory.

Turnovers were the definitive story on the day, as the one lost fumble by UCLA led to Tennessee's only touchdown on the day, while the three interceptions and one lost fumble by Tennessee allowed the Bruins to score 10 points that would prove crucial to their victory in Neyland Stadium. The Volunteers will now have to answer some questions about their performance, including whether the interceptions and errant passes thrown by Jonathan Crompton were flukes, or if Crompton is indeed back to his 2008 habits. His plight will not be helped much in the eyes of the Volunteer faithful as even the fumble recovered by UCLA was one that had last touched his hands (on a botched snap when Cody Sullins initiated the play too early).

Also:

This is how little faith Tennessee fans have in Jonathan Crompton:

On the Vols' final drive of the game, dozens of UT fans where I was sitting headed for the exits on third down. They didn't stop to watch 4th and 14. They didn't turn around when an offsides penalty created 4th and 9. They didn't listen when other UT fans chastised them for doing so.

And Crompton, true to the form that is without question a more accurate picture of his abilities than the one we saw last week, didn't give them a reason to be wrong.

So the short answer is that Jonathan Crompton was horrible. The better answer is that UCLA's defense was really good.

Hardesty (who you remember from 2007) and Brown, Tennessee's two primary backs, averaged a quiet 2.4 yards per carry, and Monterio was stopped on the biggest play of the game in the Volunteer red zone. Crompton telegraphed his passes pretty well, and UCLA's excellent secondary were quick to snuff out most of Tennessee's offensive drives. Bruins Nation was especially happy with the play of Rahim Moore.

We might as well just start the Rahim Moore for Heisman campaign, given all the hype we were barraged with on the greatness of Eric Berry. Berry is a great player but Moore is now on a journey (if he stays on course) to become one of the greatest Bruin defenders in the tradition of Easley and Turner. Moore once again put together a monster game with 2 picks and would had 3 if not for the homerrific SEC (how do you say that slowly again?) officials who seemed to be making terrible calls and giving Bruins bad spots all game long.

Pretty grimy, but the Bruins get the job done. That's exactly how you'd expect UCLA to upset Cal. A performance like this one shows you they're definitely capable of that sort of mayhem October 17th.

Did the Bruins convince you they're a good team this Saturday?

via a.espncdn.com

Oregon 38, Purdue 36

This was a totally ridiculous, highly entertaining game. This result could've gone a thousand ways. You could say Oregon got plenty of fortuitous bounces--five turnovers turned into 24 points, 17 of those going to Oregon. Purdue also missed an extra point, which was the difference. The Ducks were quite the opportunists.

It was the sign of two teams with two rookie head coaches. Execution was not there.

Big question: Can Oregon overcome the loss of their two incumbent running backs? From the results of yesterday, you'd have to say....uhh, maybe? The Ducks got 193 on the ground, but their leading rusher was Masoli, who ate up half of those yards. The running backs averaged around four and a half yards a carry--reasonable numbers, but they're going to need more than that to win their tougher games. For a pretty rookie offensive line, you can't ask for much more.

But they might need more, especially with Utah and Cal coming to town the next two weeks. Also worrisome: Nick Allotti's defense giving up 451 yards of offense and allowing 86 plays to Oregon's 62.

Has Oregon regained their groove, or are they still funking around?

via media3.washingtonpost.com (Image from Daniel Gluskoter)

Oregon State 23 UNLV 21

Saw the tail end, so all I have to say is that Canfield stepped up pretty well for the Beavers on the road, with big contributions from the Rodgers brothers too. Building the Dam concurs.

Senior quarterback Sean Canfield completed 25 of 31 passes for 198 yards. He threw two touchdown passes (Camp, James Rodgers), and was sacked on three occasions. Canfield was 10 of 11 passing in the first half.

In addition to the aforementioned players, Damola Adeniji, Jordan Bishop, and Casey Kjos also caught passes in the game for the Beavers. The most memorable was Bishop's 14-yard reception from Canfield in which he was upended by a UNLV defender, did a complete flip in mid-air, but retained possession of the ball. Jordan fishished with 5 grabs for 43 yards in the game.

...

For the second week in a row, the Beavers relied heavily on James and Jacquizz Rodgers. Jacquizz rushed for 166 yards on 23 carries and scored a touchdown, and James caught six passes for 48 yards and scored once as well.

"We're just going out there and playing for ourselves," James Rodgers told televison cameras after the game. "A lot of people doubt us. We didn't play to well today. And I thought the defense did great. Offense, we still have a lot of work to do."

Is Oregon State going to be a dangerous team down the road?

Quick looks

Minnesota 20, Air Force 13: Cal fans should watch out for throws to Decker next week, according to The Daily Gopher.

Adam Weber is going to get Eric Decker killed in the Big Ten season. HE HAS GOT TO STOP THROWING TO HIM ALL THE TIME. Worst indication of this: Hayo Carpenter came in in the second quarter and BLOCKED FOR DECKER ON A SCREEN PLAY. Anyone else see something wrong with this? There is no way teams with solid secondaries, such as NU, UW, OSU, PSU and Iowa are going to let Decker beat them, so it's imperative to develop Stoudermire, Green and Carpenter more than we are.

How do you think Cal should gameplan to beat Minnesota?

Maryland 38, James Madison 35 (OT)

I didn't include this in the primer last week. I should have. What on Earth happened Testudo Times?

I'll be frank: Maryland probably shouldn't have won this game. If JMU had a decent kicker, or if they didn't commit 105 yards of penalties, or if they didn't - for some reason I am still yet to grasp - share phenomenal QB Drew Dudzik's time on the field with Justin Thorpe, James Madison probably wins the game.

Both the offensive and defensive lines were manhandled by smaller, less athletic players. Sure, the OL was without Bruce Campbell, but they were facing a much smaller opponent, and one with less natural talent. There were several occasions when Chris Turner had to make a hurried throw and was under pressure, and there was a gaping lack of holes for Da'Rel Scott and Davin Meggett. That hurts Meggett especially - he's a downhill, run hard type of back, and needs holes to succeed.

Bottom line: You shouldn't read too much into Cal's opening season victory. The fact that an FCS team could gash the Terps for 268 rushing yards in College Park on 6.4 yards per carry...it just isn't good. Certainly makes our rout of Maryland way less impressive.

How do you feel about Cal's opening victory given Maryland having now seen their performance against JMU? Are we really as good as we looked?

Washington 42, Idaho 23

UW Dawg Pound is impressed with the way the coaches are pumping up the players.

The enthusiasm on the sidelines was fun to witness in person. This staff works harder than the players which is just fun to watch. These guys leqd by example and I really like it. From a scheme and play calling perspective they didn't impress me as much as they did last week. Once again with USC coming in next week I am sure that they are saving some stuff on both sides of the ball. They did make some gutzy calls along the way but I don't think they open up the complete bag until next week. I would give the offense an A but the defense is scaring me right now. Lets hope it was the vanilla schemes because if it isn't USC is going to have a field day.

Does UW have a chance to upset the Trojans?

Hawaii 38, Washington State 20

James Montgomery is one of the few positives in this depressing loss for Cougars fans.

Player of the Game: James Montgomery. 6.9 yards per carry! 117 yards! A thingy where you go in that one zone that scores points! What's that called? I forgot. Anyway, Monty is for real, and he keeps convincing me that we need to put the ball in his hands more often. A bright spot in a sea of gloominess.

Is Wazzu in danger of going winless?

Arizona 34 Northern Arizona 17: AZ Desert Swarm was quite happy with the performance.

Nic Grigsby ran for a career high 207 yards and had the 2nd longest run in school history with his 94 yard TD scamper in the 4th quarter. Matt Scott played with the first team for the majority and was 14-20 for 150 yards with a TD and an INT. Foles was 6-8 for 44 yards and had 1 TD. Scott actually returned to the game after Foles entered, confusing the hell out of me. We'll get to that later. The defense was not nearly as impressive as they were against CMU, who just beat Michigan State, but Trevin Wade did come up with a pair of interceptions.

Do you care at all at what Arizona does this September?

Poll

The most impressive team in the Pac-10 through two weeks is...

USC

149 votes

Cal

200 votes

Oregon State

3 votes

Arizona

1 votes

UCLA

36 votes

Someone else

5 votes

394 votes | Poll has closed

Beavers Survive Las Vegas, Defeat UNLV

Jake Bertalotto — Sun, 13 Sep 2009 10:22:14 -0000

More photos » by Daniel Gluskoter - AP

3 months ago: Oregon State coach Mike Riley gestures before an NCAA college football game against UNLV on Saturday, Sept. 12, 2009, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/Daniel Gluskoter)

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Final Score: Oregon State 23, UNLV 21 (Box score)

Déjà vu, anyone?

The Beavers defeated the UNLV Rebels 23-21 on Saturday night. It came down to a last-second field goal by Justin Kahut that clinched the win for the Beavers. Earlier in the game, Kahut missed a field goal off an upright, and then missed an extra point.

Sound familiar yet?

On November 22 of last year, Justin Kahut missed an extra point following a Beaver touchdown, then hit a 24-yard field goal as time expired to defeat Arizona 19-17.

As Justin told the Oregonian's Paul Buker after the game, "I was on the sidelines when they were up by one, thinking, 'well, it's happened before, why not again? I feel like everything happens for a reason."

"I feel like God has something in store for me," Kahut continued. "Didn't know if it was going to be today, but I knew I was going to grow from it.''

Kahut, who had to be frustrated from missing two kicks earlier in Saturday's game, put it all behind him for the final field goal.

"I was feeling very calm. I was very confident."

* * *

The Beavers struggled to move the ball on their initial three drives. The only points of the first half came when Sean Canfield's lob toward the end zone found junior Tight End Brady Camp. Outside of their lone scoring drive in the second quarter, Oregon State only had 48 yards of offense in the first half. However, the 70-yard drive made the first half respectable.

The Beavers would score touchdowns on their first two drives of the second half, drawing accolades to OSU's game with UCLA last year. Against the Bruins, the game was tied 3-3 at halftime before the Beavers exploded for 31 points in the second half, and won by 28.

However, the game soon became more reminiscent of OSU's win over Arizona from last season, as UNLV charged back with three second-half touchdowns, taking their first lead of the game with 6:56 remaining.

For the second week in a row, the Beavers relied heavily on James and Jacquizz Rodgers. Jacquizz rushed for 166 yards on 23 carries and scored a touchdown, and James caught six passes for 48 yards and scored once as well.

"We're just going out there and playing for ourselves," James Rodgers told televison cameras after the game. "A lot of people doubt us. We didn't play to well today. And I thought the defense did great. Offense, we still have a lot of work to do."

The Oregon State defense held UNLV to only 82 rushing yards, but starter Omar Clayton and eventually backup Mike Clausen had their way at times with the OSU secondary. Clayton threw for 170 yards and a touchdown, while Clausen came in to throw for 58 yards and two touchdowns in the fourth quarter.

Safety Lance Mitchell came through for the defense and was involved with both turnovers recovered by OSU. Mitchell intercepted a pass by Clayton in the first quarter, and later delivered a blow to UNLV WR Rodelin Anthony, causing a fumble that was recovered by Keaton Kristick.

Senior quarterback Sean Canfield completed 25 of 31 passes for 198 yards. He threw two touchdown passes (Camp, James Rodgers), and was sacked on three occasions. Canfield was 10 of 11 passing in the first half.

In addition to the aforementioned players, Damola Adeniji, Jordan Bishop, and Casey Kjos also caught passes in the game for the Beavers. The most memorable was Bishop's 14-yard reception from Canfield in which he was upended by a UNLV defender, did a complete flip in mid-air, but retained possession of the ball. Jordan fishished with 5 grabs for 43 yards in the game.

With the win, the Beavers picked up their 29th win in their last 41 contests, the second-best mark in the Pac-10 behind only USC. Also, they begin with their first 2-0 start since 2005, when the Beavers beat Portland State and Boise State to begin the year.

I'm sure most of you will agree with this sentiment-- I'm just happy that the Beavers will leave Vegas with a win, but there's still lot of improvement to make. Let's hope that what happened Saturday night in Vegas stays in Vegas.

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

Portland State Media Roundup

Jake Bertalotto — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 17:05:27 -0000

Are you ready for some football?

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Here are some stories of interest as we head into tomorrow's game with Portland State:

One of the more interesting and heart-warming story lines is what's going on regarding the Kavanaugh family this weekend. Taylor, the senior wide receiver/holder/punt returner will suit up for the Beavers tomorrow, while brother Connor will be on the visiting sidelines as Portland State's back-up quarterback. Parents Dan and Jenifer Kavanaugh have made a spreadsheet in order to catch as many games as possible this season, but this weekend, their location is an easy one.--Saturday's game marks the first time that Taylor and Connor will play for opposing teams. Lindsay Schnell has the full story in the Oregonian:

"It would have been great to play with my brother, but the whole time he kept telling me, 'Do what's best for you,'" Connor said.

That turned out to be Portland State, where Connor backs up starting quarterback Drew Hubel.

When he signed, Connor said he never imaged matching up against Taylor. "It never really crossed my mind," Connor said. "When I first heard about us scheduling them, I can't even describe it, what it's like playing against your brother."

Taylor, who is now on scholarship at Oregon State, has published his first diary on OregonLive for the upcoming season. If you haven't read the first installment already ("Of Building Blocks and Brotherhood"), it's definitely worth the read. An excerpt:

Ask anybody on this team, and they will honestly reply that there are always opportunities to take the short cut and "come down" from our hill. But I know I speak for many when I say it has simply become the culture of this team to ignore those many distractions and continue to do great work every day. (And sometimes twice a day, but thankfully those are over!)

Carl Sommer, the Wilsonville High School graduate, also has ties to both programs. Sommer signed his letter of intent to play for Oregon State, then left the program a day before the Beavers upset USC last season after developing a poor relationship with defensive line coach Joe Seumalo. Sommer was expected to be a difference-maker on the defensive line, but as Jim Beseda notes , his NFL aspirations are still alive at Portland State, despite his potential to have played at OSU:

"When you lose a guy like that, it's always like a failure," coach Riley said. "He was a redshirt freshman at the time, and we were looking at him just like we do with all our guys' development. To me, there was no doubt he was going to find his way in this program."

With Darrell Catchings still nursing a hand injury, Damola Adeniji will start at split end for the Beavers in the opener, completing a journey from walk-on to starter. Cliff Kirkpatrick has more on Damola, as well as another player who could make a difference: Brandin Hardin.

Hardin will likely play in the secondary in Saturday's game behind cornerbacks Tim Clark and James Dockery. Clark, who is the leader of the secondary, expressed on Tuesday that he fully expects to be tested by Drew Hubel and Portland State's offense.

PSU will come right after the Beavers' secondary, Clark predicts.

"We have the most inexperienced group on the defense, so we expect to get attacked a lot,'' said Clark. "I hope we respond to that.''

Keaton Kristick, the leader of the linebackers, is nervous yet excited for Saturday's game, but also knows it will be no cakewalk:

Said Kristick, "it's football. Anything can happen on any given day.'' Kristick is nervous. Expects major butterflies Saturday as he begins his senior year and what he hopes is the launching pad to an NFL career. "Reser's gonna be rocking,'' he said.

Quotes like these from the Beaver defense were the norm at Tuesday's press conference, as the Beavers said all the right things heading into Saturday's game.

Also, take the time to check out Paul Buker's profiles on some prominent OSU players... Jacquizz Rodgers, Kevin Frahm, and James Rodgers.

Feel free to share some of your other favorite links in the thread below.

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