SB Nation - BYU Cougars

Nebraska - BYU Preview/Open thread

Mr. Corn — Wed, 23 Dec 2009 22:00:20 -0000

The Huskers can improve to 10-2 this evening (late!), with a win over BYU in the championship game of the Las Vegas Classic. Nebraska played it's best game of the season last night beating Tulsa, but will need to recover quickly as the BYU Cougars are 11-1 while averaging 83 PPG.

Nebraska likely lost its top ranking in scoring defense, thanks to the 70 points put up by Tulsa, and will need a huge defensive effort to take down the Coug's. Here are the teams at a glance:

	W-L	PF	PA	Home	Road	Stk
Nebraska	9-2	67.2	55.0	7-0	1-2	W4
Brigham Young	11-1	82.9	62.3	8-0	2-1	W6

The Cougars put up NBA numbers last night, albeit against a mediocre Nevada team that plays no defense. Let's hope Doc has some more cards up his sleeve and pulls of another upset. We saw that the Cornhuskers can keep up with a talented offense, so I am giving them a shot in this game. The Big Red will need a ferocious effort on defense, swarming the talented BYU frontcourt. Fredette, Emery, and Haws are each averaging double-digit scoring this season for BYU. The Cougars only loss came to an 8-4 Utah State team by 10 points earlier this month.

Probable Starters for Nebraska

Player	Yr	Pos	Ht	PPG	RPG	Asts
#5 Sek Henery	Sr	Guard	6-4	7.8	4.5	2.9
#15 Ray Gallegos	Fr	Guard	6-3	5.2	1.8	1
#21 Jorge Brian Diaz	RFr	Center	6-11	8.6	4.8	1.2
#34 Lance Jeter	Jr	Guard	6-3	9.0	3.2	3.5
#44 Ryan Anderson	Sr	Guard	6-4	11.0	5.4	1.8

Probable Starters for Brigham Young

Player	Yr	Pos	Ht	PPG	RPG	Asts
#4 Jackson Emery	Jr	Guard	6-3	7.8	3.8	2.2
#23 Tyler Haws	Fr	Guard	6-5	5.2	4.3	1.4
#32 Jimmer Fredette	Jr	Center	6-2	8.6	2.8	5.5
#34 Noah Harstock	So	Forward	6-8	9.0	5.2	1.0
#54 Chris Miles	Sr	Center	6-4	11.0	3.5	0.8

Nebraska hasn't played the Cougars since the 1930's, which is a bit strange when it comes to college hoops. The two teams played 4 times during that decade, with BYU taking a 3-1 edge in the series. So far, Nebraska owns a .625 winning percentage over MWC teams. Maybe Santa Claus will visit Husker fans a bit early, and deliver a huge win as the non-con portion of the season winds down.

Tipoff: 9:30pm CST

Television: None

Radio: IMG Husker Sports Network ( Play by play: Kent Pavelka / Color: Matt Davison)

Internet Radio: www.Huskers.com (free)

Internet Video: HoopTV.net (subscription)

Leave It In Las Vegas!

AndyPanda — Wed, 23 Dec 2009 07:08:33 -0000

More photos » by Daniel Gluskoter - AP

Oregon State head coach Mike Riley, center, leaves the field following the Las Vegas Bowl NCAA college football game in Las Vegas, Tuesday Dec. 22, 2009. OSU lost to BYU 44-20. (AP Photo/Daniel Gluskoter)

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Final Score: BYU 44, Oregon State 20

Either OSU didn't learn from the year's first venture to Las Vegas, or maybe they did. After one of the weaker performances of the season in the second week, also on a windy night, the return trip was a poster case for the saying that what happens in Las Vegas stays in Las Vegas.

After four losses by 25 points all season, this one was by 24. And it wouldn't have been that close but for a pair of perfect passes by quarterback of the future Ryan Katz.

The Las Vegas bowl was the worst defensive outing of the season, and the 12^th. worst of 13 offensive showings, and it came at a bad time, in front of the entire country.

After struggling with the Vegas desert winds, and then the two home losses that followed, also in the wind, a passing attack and a kicking game that wasn't prepared for windy conditions was inexplicable, and inexcusable.

The effects of the wind was one of the biggest "what's" that beat the Beavers, but not being prepared for it is the "why".

The second game at the end of the season with a national audience on ESPN, on nights with no other football, this one was much more damaging to the OSU brand than a close loss to Oregon was. That game was generally seen as a good game, one that either team could have lost, but one both teams walked away from with more respect than they entered with.

This one was a lost opportunity to look like OSU belonged in the national spotlight. A spotlight that they will again be in come September, in Dallas, against a TCU team that is markedly better than the BYU unit that reeled off 37 consecutive points when the game was in question. A spotlight that will be harsh if another effort that looks like something less than the showing that emerging power Middle Tennessee displayed Sunday results.

Instead, the skeptics from the rest of the BCS regimen, as well as the Mt. West Conference, saw nothing that will cause them to take another look. Poor fundamentals and poor decisions don't just produce poor results, they expose poor preparation.

By all pregame analysis, the Maaco Bowl Las Vegas, matching two ranked teams for the first time ever, was expected to be one of the top five post-season contests of the season. Instead, the Beavers were beaten in every quarter, so much so that most of the country probably didn't stay around to see anything after midway in the third period.

All-Pac-10 first team quarterback Sean Canfield, who had a 70% completion rate in the regular season, was below 50%, as was Katz. The Rodgers brothers, usually good for around 300 yards between them, were held below 200 yards total, and rarely saw any space to run against a BYU defensive unit that dared OSU to show them something different.

Only Damola Adeniji had what could be considered a good night, hauling in seven balls for 107 yards and a touchdown. No one else among the other eight Beavers with a catch exceeded 40 yards.

And while Oregon St. started strong, with two defensive stops and two sacks, once the Cougars adjusted, the Beavers never counter-adjusted. BYU running back Harvey Unga was held to 71 yards, and no rushes for over eight yards, but quarterback Max Hall overcame the windy conditions that confounded Canfield for much of the night for 19 completions out of 30 attempts, producing 192 yards, and three touchdowns.

Hall had receivers open all night, the product of precise route running, and another indication of preparation, while Canfield threw into double and even triple coverage repeatedly.

One touchdown was thrown away due to poor fundamentals, not making sure a problem with the pitch would be an incomplete pass. Then another was promptly wasted on poor punt protection technique. Those kinds of mistakes shoudn't happen at this level, and certainly should be addressed early on, just to make sure they don't. To have that happen at this point in the season was amazing for all the wrong reasons.

You know you are in trouble when it's hard to decide which is worse, to have three drives end in turnovers, four end with failed attempts at fourth down conversions, or two that culminated with six net yard punts.

The theme of the night was a surprising lack of adjustments from the OSU side. With nearly three weeks between games, BYU shouldn't have taken OSU by surprise, or without options. Unless there was an assumption that this might somehow be easy?

The institution didn't approach the event that will be the lasting showcase of the year with a sense of urgency at any level. While it was evident the team was unprepared, that was just symptomatic of the approach to the event. Around campus almost daily, there was never any indication from the top administrative level that this event happening, much less important.

That message trickled down the chain. For example, while BYU sent their full band in support, OSU decided that they should leave 2/3 of theirs at home. When there is a lack of commitment from the powers that be, is it any surprise that's the message the team, that left apparently about 2/3 of their game at home, got?

As a result, the ESPN money for the preseason trips to Texas and Boise, plus the Louisville game, will have to go a long way. Because the Las Vegas audition won't produce a rush to pick up Oregon St. for a lot of weekly games as next season rolls along. Should the daunting task of two road games against BCS bowl teams that return as many or more starters than the 17 the Beavers bring back not go well, the marketing department could well be looking at a team that is on a 1-4 run come the start of conference play.

And BYU's well conceived defensive strategy, one that absolutely pushed the Beaver offensive line around almost all night, put the Heisman Hype for Jacquizz Rodgers on the back of the bottom shelf, at least for a while. That takes away another reason for lucrative television selections, and makes filling Reser more unlikely.

In difficult economic times, wasting a rare opportunity to showcase your most marketable assets by being unprepared when the lights go on is hard to fathom. And not what you would expect from those we all pay a lot to make sure Beaver nation is at their best.

No one will accuse Oregon St., or at least their students, of not trying. But the old college try doesn't displace SEC programs, or even the leading mid-majors. BYU recognized the magnitude of the opportunity, and came loaded for bear. The Beavers didn't.

And while an eight win season isn't bad, it was the fewest wins in four years, and the most losses. Also the first time a Riley squad has been beaten in a bowl game, much less embarrassed. Only in his first year as head coach in Corvallis (1997), then in the 5-6 2005 season, and now in 2009, has a Riley team finished the season with two losses.

Here's hoping for a successful showcase season in the all-star games and then the scouting combines for Sean Canfield and Keaton Kristick. Otherwise, Las Vegas, known for separating visitors from money, and a poor plan, may cost these Beavers far more than any casino could.

The returning players are the type that will come back from holiday break and on their own go to work. Anyone really think James Rodgers won't take it to yet another level in his offseason work?

But the most important off-season work won't be on the field in spring practice. It will be done in offices in the Valley Football Center and Gill Coliseum, when what went wrong is (hopefully) carefully analyzed, and a new plan is crafted.

Beaver Beatdown: BYU Throttles Oregon St., 44-20

Layton — Wed, 23 Dec 2009 06:58:01 -0000

More photos » by Daniel Gluskoter - AP

(AP Photo/Daniel Gluskoter)

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Ah, that was nice.

The 2009 Las Vegas Bowl proved to be a tremendous bookend to another tremendous year for BYU football, a season that started with a miracle win against Oklahoma, a regular season that ended with a super-sweet overtime win over Utah, and another 11-2 season.

Thanks, seniors, for four incredible years, unmatched by any period at BYU. We'll miss you.

On a breezy night (sarcastic understatement), BYU proved to be the better, more aggressive team from the get-go. And how sweet is it to beat up on Pac-10 schools? Considering this team was ranked in the top 20 and one quarter away from the Rose Bowl, this is real sweet. Probably more impressive than that win in Dallas in early September...

Speaking of that win against the Sooners, as I was watching the Cougar D stifle OSU, it was almost a carbon copy in terms of effort, speed and aggression. Say what you will about the defense, but when they have a month to focus and prepare on one opponent they play extremely well. They held arguably the best player on the field, Jacquizz Rodgers, to 63 yards on 18 carries--the same guy who averaged 115 yards per game this season. This was the guy who was supposed to blow the game wide open for the Beavers. His brother, James Rodgers, had over 1,000 receiving yards this season: tonight (against a small, slow BYU secondary) he managed only 30 yards.

Almost as a side note, they held OSU QB, Sean Canfield, to 19-40 for 168 yards and forced him to throw a costly interception--a ball that was hawked by Scott Johnson. This is a guy who had completed 70% of his passes all year.

And if anybody's thinking the BYU defense was this productive only because OSU was disappointed to be playing in Las Vegas and not Pasadena, think again. Oregon St. guard, Gree Peat said, "Emotionally we were ready for this game. We came in here and expected to win. It didn't work out that way. That's a credit to BYU. They came ready to play. There are no excuses for the loss."

As for the Cougar offense, though it wasn't his best night, Max Hall was, again, good enough. Given the conditions, he was excellent. We knew going into the game he would have a big advantage against OSU's inexperienced and patchy secondary, and he delivered by throwing three TDs and no interceptions. Once again, the leading receivers the Dennis Pitta and Andrew George, combining for 9 receptions, 91 yards and 1 touchdown. When BYU absolutely had to have a first down, Hall found those guys--just like he's done all year. Throw in the production of Harvey Unga and Manase Tonga and the Cougars proved why their offense is so hard to stop.

By the way, Max Hall became only the second BYU quarterback to win two bowl games in a career. The other QB to do such a thing? A guy by the name of Jim McMahon.

So, what does this win mean? In the grand scheme of things, probably not a lot. BUT, the MWC continues to prove it can play on any stage with anybody in the nation. By dismantling a second-place team from a BCS conference, another feather is placed in the cap for future ammunition in the execution of the pathetic criminal system known as the BCS. It's too bad TCU won't be able to fire the gun this year...

BYU now has won 11 games in three of the last four years, and won 10 in 2008. Since 2006, only four other programs have put together such a record. When this senior class began their journey four years ago the entire focus was to return BYU to its past glory and dominance. Not only did they do it, but they've exceeded it. BYU is program that has been built to last, to stay relevant, and perhaps now, is ready to take football in Provo to the next level. One day that crystal football will have to be coming back to BYU...

BYU Manhandles Oregon State 44-20

Jeremy Mauss — Wed, 23 Dec 2009 06:33:58 -0000

More photos » by Daniel Gluskoter - AP

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Final - 12.22.2009	1	2	3	4	Total
Oregon St. Beavers	7	0	0	13	20
BYU Cougars	14	9	7	14	44

Complete Coverage >

Do not let the score fool anyone this was more of a blowout then the 24 point BYU victory. To break it down even further the game was won by BYU and then the wind edge out Oregon State as well in this game. Yes the wind was terrible and saw the net that catches the field goals get tangled up and the sky cam removed, but that was not the reason Oregon State loss. Neither was the fact that this was a let down for just missing out on the Rose Bowl.

The first drive of the game Oregon State was buzzing along and scored nearly at will on a four play 37 yard drive to open up the scoring. Then BYU went on a 30-0 run to bust open the game, but prior to that BYU tied the game on a methodical drive of 14 plays, 84 yards, and lasted six minutes. Then on Oregon State's next possession they fumbled the ball and BYU returned it for a score and then proceeded to punt and BYU had another drive of nearly six minutes for a field goal. Before Oregon State could do much they were down 17-3, and then 23-7 at the half while controlling the ball for approximately 18 minutes of the first thirty.

Oregon State's receiver James Rodgers had zero first half touches which is just another reason why Oregon State was done early, but more so do to their mediocre defense that allowed BYU to do as they wish on offense. By the time anyone from Oregon State was able to do anything the game was over as BYU lead 37-7 before Oregon State put some more points on the board.

Field position played a huge roll in this game as the wind was just going crazy through out the entire game. The Beavers were having problems punting the ball and their punter had four kicks for a total of 104 yards but had a long of 64. Take away that 64 yarder and that changes things drastically with three points at 40 yards or 13.3 yards per punt. Besides that 64 yarder Johnny Hekker had punts of 28, 6, and 6; that is right two punts under ten yards.

The short punts were great to watch as one did an extreme right hand turn to go out of bounds and then another started off as a decent kick but then hit an imaginary wall and then started going backwards. Passing was wacky as well with wounded ducks and non spirals going everywhere.

So, the question to be asked about the Pac-10 was the league full of parity or just mediocre teams? More will be answered tomorrow once Utah plays Cal, but it is looking more along the lines of mediocrity for the Pac-10. BYU crushed a team that was so close to going to the Rose Bowl, Utah nearly beat the Pac-10 champs Oregon, and besides USC's win over Ohio State the next best win from the Pac-10 was a victory over actually the Oregon win over Utah. Arizona did beat Central Michigan which would be the leagues third best win.

The Mountain West is now 2-0 in bowl games and is looking to become 3-0 once Utah takes on Cal tomorrow night.

MAACO Bowl open thread

JazzyUte — Wed, 23 Dec 2009 00:46:27 -0000

If you're watching and want to comment on the BYU-Oregon State game, do it here!

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

MAACO Las Vegas Bowl Open Thread: BYU Cougars vs. Oregon State Beavers

Jeremy Mauss — Wed, 23 Dec 2009 00:22:33 -0000

More photos » by Tony Gutierrez - AP

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This should be a good one tonight, and if the game gets out of hand bust out your best Mormons in Vegas jokes!

BYU Cougars vs. Oregon State Beavers 8PM EST

Lets see if Oregon State is going to come out strong or will there be some kind of let down after missing out on the Rose Bowl apperance. Expect the scoreboard to light up and bring your commentary here during the game.

Let's hear what you think. Register for a free account here on the site and leave your comments, predictions and other game day chatter below in the comments section.

I have now integrated twitter to the open thread. So, within your message you need to put #mwc in the tweet and it will show up and send it to @mwcconnection. Also, if your not following me my twitter name is @mwcconnection

The Uh-oh Better Get MAACO Las Vegas Bowl Preview: #14 BYU Cougars vs. #18 Oregon State Beavers

Jeremy Mauss — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 21:45:10 -0000

Next Game

#14 Oregon St. Beavers (8-4)
vs. #18 BYU Cougars (10-2)

Tuesday, Dec 22, 2009, 5:00 PM PST
MAACO Bowl Las Vegas - Sam Boyd Stadium, Las Vegas, NV

TV: ESPN/ESPN360

Complete Coverage >

The only bowl game to feature two top 20 ranked teams is yes, right here folks the Las Vegas bowl. BYU is making their fifth straight trip to the game and seem to be more interested then last year where the Cougars used only a handful of their practices. Supposedly this year is different with BYU motivated of the possibility of getting into the top 10 for the first time since 1996.

While Oregon State is coming off a heart breaking loss against rival Oregon which also cost them a shot at their first Rose Bowl appearance since 1965. Oregon State traditionally finishes the season strong, but a big drop from the Rose Bowl where the Pac-10 champ goes down to the fifth spot to the Vegas Bowl is a huge let down.

BYU always tries to be balanced and will need to be to win this game. Look for BYU to give a heavy dose of RB Harvey Unga early and then start throwing to TE Dennis Pitta. For either of those to happen the BYU offensive line needs to perform well which has been a problem in a few games this year.

If the line holds up QB Max Hall should have a great passing day since Oregon State is 87th in the nation in passing while BYU is 18th. Oregon State will need to do what most teams -- minus Air Force -- do is to either double or shadow TE Dennis Pitta and force Max Hall to find someone else to pass the ball around to. Even if Pitta is slowed down BYU has other weapons to make things happen and rack up the yards. Max Hall will need to not force the pass if Pitta is not open. Look for a heavy dose of Unga to wear down the Beaver defense.

BYU's defense has had great games and then not great games. It seems that BYU's defense gets up for the big games and in other games takes a while to get in their groove. Tonight's game BYU will need to stop RB Jacquizz Rodgers from getting in the open field since he is elusive and very fast. That speed going up against a BYU defense that is more power then speed will be interesting. OSU's starting QB Sean Canfield is one of the most efficient in the country with a 148.6 passer efficiency rating. The BYU line will need to disrupt Canfield who rarely throws any picks who has only six on the year.

Oregon State brings in their own weapons starting with senior QB Sean Canfield as mentioned above is a very efficient passer, and one who does not make mistakes. Oregon State will run an offense similar to Utah which consists of quick short passes and allow their play makers specifically Jacquizz and James Rodgers. Both are play makers with speed which will cause some type of problems for the BYU defense.

Defensively Oregon State is a typical Pac-10 defense that will allow some points and yards while engaging in a shoot out. Their defense is middle of the pack in the nation and is solid in rush defense, but their achilles is the pass defense that is 84th in the country. If BYU is to get off in the passing game then the Beavers could be in for a long night. They will need to get pressure on Hall and force him into bad passes that will end up as turnovers.

Expect for this game to be a high scoring affair that comes down to the last quarter or the last few possessions. This will be a very pro BYU crowd as the drive from the Salt Lake area is about six hours, so expect around 70 percent of Cougar blue.

Total Yards Per Game:

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

Passing Yards Per Game:

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

Rushing Yards Per Game:

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

Points Scored Per Game:

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

Here are the season highlights from Oregon State and is provided by Athletix Nation (not to be confused with out own Athletics Nation blog) a new partner for the SB Nation network of blogs.

video platform video management video solutions free video player

For a team specific perspective go check out Building the Dam SB Nation's Oregon State site and Vanquish the Foe the BYU site.

Las Vegas Bowl Preview: Mormons in Vegas! Get It?

cocknfire — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 21:25:38 -0000

More photos » by Paul Connors - AP

Mike Riley reacts to news that his team is going to Vegas for the postseason.

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MAACO Las Vegas Bowl, 8 p.m. ET, ESPN
No. 17 Oregon State vs. No. 15 BYU

We finally get to games now that people want to watch on their own merit instead of watching because college football is almost over. BYU is in the Las Vegas Bowl again, but we've been spared most of the "Mormons playing football in Vegas" jokes that in retrospect weren't really all that funny when we first made them years ago.

WHY YOU CARE / Good college football is back. We don't need the surprise of overtime or the excuse of "well, it's football" to enjoy this game. But if you need another reason: The Pac-10 might end up losing a bowl, and that's always a plus for SEC fans.

OREGON STATE (8-4) / Muddled to a 4-3 start before going on a four-game winning streak and needing only a win against Oregon to go to the Rose Bowl. For the second year in a row, they lost. This time, the defeat in the Civil War sent the hated Ducks to Pasadena and sent the Beavers to Vegas. They did win against Cal and Stanford before we knew that Stanford was a good team.

BYU (10-2) / Remember when BYU defeated Oklahoma and was supposed to have a chance to play for the national title? Yeah. Remember when they got waxed by Florida State at home in the most confusing 54-28 win in football history? The other loss was to TCU -- by 31. They did win against Utah by three in overtime.

WHO WILL WIN / OREGON STATE, because BYU is too inconsistent to count on and they must be bored with Las Vegas -- if that's possible.

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.

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