SB Nation User Blog: Noghri_ViR

OSU Spring Football Game Report

Noghri_ViR — Wed, 06 May 2009 03:43:10 -0000

View full size photo uploaded May 6, 2009

Note: Special thanks to Noghri_ViR for compiling his thoughts on Saturday's Spring Game. If you haven't seen it yet, check out my Press Box Report from yesterday's game between the Beavers and the Pilots, including quotes from Coach Casey. --jake

After diving into a deep sports depression with the Blazer loss earlier in the week, I went to the spring game looking for a pick-me-up. Driving into Corvallis and seeing the stadium once again was more then enough to put a smile back on my face. Seeing people out in the parking lot, tailgating for this was a fantastic feeling. Honestly, I would have been right out there with them if I even thought of it.

I got into the stadium about a half hour before the game started. The first thing I saw was James and Quizz throwing the ball back and forth. Neither one looked like they had shoulder or arm problems at all.

A few minutes later we got to see Moevao get out there and passed the ball about 10-15 times before calling it a day. From my spot in the stands, he looked like he had a full range of motion and didn't look to be in any pain throwing. Hopefully he'll have a full recovery from his surgery. From what he said during an interview at the game, he can start throwing again June 15^th.

By then we started seeing Canfield throwing the ball. I've been reading articles from the Corvallis Gazette-times writer Cliff Kirkpatrick's and The Oregonians Paul Baker saying how Canfield has been having a great spring workout and how he looks like he's going to be able to beat out Moevao for the QB position in the Fall. Sorry guys but after Saturday's game, I'm not drinking the Kool-Aid.

Canfield wasn't as accurate as he should be. He kept throwing long or short of the receiver. In addition, I know this was non contact, but he didn't bother trying to scramble when the pocket collapsed. Yea, he had time to sit back there and wait for a route to open up and pass since he wasn't going to get physically sacked. But if you're not trying to scramble in a practice game, are you going to be doing it once you have to do it for real?

Saturday I figured out why I've never been happy with Canfield's passes. When throws a pass that's longer then 10 yards, his pass is a slow lob, that gets to the target, but it gives way too much time for a defender to figure out where it's going and make a move.

Watching Katz, his long passes were high enough to be out of jumping range of the defender, yet they got right where they needed to go with good speed on them. This kid has a cannon for an arm with great accuracy, and I feel he's going to be a good QB, he's just going to need some experience. After watching him play, I don't feel too worried if both Canfield and Moevao were knocked out for the season.

The running game was complete crap, but we didn't have 3 of the guys who carry the load for us playing. If Quiz and James go down this year we're going to be in big trouble. Stevenson looked decent but he wasn't up to the level we've come to expect from Quizz, Benard, Jackson and Simonton.

In the receiver department, Jordan Bishop looked great. With the way he played in the spring game, I wouldn't be surprised if we hear his name more and more in the fall. I also liked the way Catchings looked, he make a couple of nice moves to break open. He didn't have much in the way of numbers on the day but when he did get the ball he was a threat.

The defense was the bright spot on the day. They looked good all around and it seems that we're going to be able to fill the holes left by the departing starters. You didn't pay too much attention to them when the offense was running the ball since Quizz, James and McCants weren't playing. But from what you saw, they were covering the route. On passing they were getting in there and breaking up the pass and in a few cases getting interceptions (I think it was 5 on the day).

Overall, I feel good about the team next year, but the only part that really worries me is the QB position. I think that our defense will rise up once again, Bishop and Catchings will step up and hopefully our running backs stay healthy.

Also, I just threwall my pictures up on Flickr:

OSU Spring Game Pictures

GO Beavs!

Obama give his prediction for the Beavs next year

Noghri_ViR — Wed, 18 Mar 2009 19:20:37 -0000

From this article:

http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/ncaatourney09/columns/story?columnist=katz_andy&id=3991859

The quote:

Craig Robinson, Obama's brother-in-law, is the coach at Oregon State and led the Beavers to seven Pac-10 wins in his first season, after OSU went winless in the league a year ago. Obama picked against five of the six Pac-10 schools in the first round, selecting 4-seed Washington (over 13-seed Mississippi State) as the one league team to advance.

"I want him to have an incentive, knowing that I think the rest of the Pac-10 can be taken next year," Obama said of Robinson's team, which earned a berth in the College Basketball Invitational with a 13-17 record. "I think the Beavers are on their way."

Bellotti Gone

Noghri_ViR — Fri, 13 Mar 2009 21:26:04 -0000

Read all about it here:

http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/news/story?id=3977901&campaign=rss&source=NCFHeadlines

http://www.goducks.com/ViewArticle.dbml?SPSID=3383&SPID=233&ATCLID=3691955&DB_OEM_ID=500

Mike Bellotti, who has guided the University of Oregon football program to unprecedented success in his 14 seasons as the school’s head coach, will relinquish his duties to become the Ducks’ director of athletics beginning July 1, according to an announcement Friday by University President Dave Frohnmayer.

The school’s winningest football coach of all time (116-55) will replace Pat Kilkenny as head of the University’s athletics department at the beginning of Oregon’s next academic year as part of a succession plan previously announced on Dec. 2. Until that time, Bellotti will assume the title of senior counselor to Kilkenny, who was named to the department’s top post on Feb. 14, 2007.

Offensive coordinator Chip Kelly will become the Ducks’ 30th head football coach in school history and only the third in the last 33 years when he officially takes over the reins of the program on March 30, which will mark Oregon’s first day of spring practice.

The 58-year-old Bellotti has navigated the university’s football program through its most successful era in school history, leading the Ducks to 12 bowl games in his 14 years at the helm while tallying eight or more wins in a single season nine times. Included was a single-season best 11 victories in 2001, capped by a 38-16 Fiesta Bowl win over Colorado and finishing the year ranked second in the country.

He became the first coach to lead Oregon to 10 victories in 2000 – a feat he would duplicate on three other occasions, including a 10-3 record and a 42-31 win over Oklahoma State in the Holiday Bowl in 2008.

His teams finished the season ranked among the nation’s top-25 six times in the past 10 years and in the top-10 on three occasions since 2000, including this past season when Oregon closed the year ranked ninth in the country in the final USA Today coaches poll and 10th by The Associated Press.

Since first becoming a part of the Oregon coaching staff as offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach under Rich Brooks in 1989, the 36-year coaching veteran has been instrumental in assembling close to 28 percent of the school’s all-time victories (155 of 558).

Bellotti steps aside as the third-winningest football coach in the history of the Pacific-10 Conference in regards to league wins (72-43) – trailing only UCLA’s Terry Donahue (98-51-5, 1976-95) and Washington’s Don James (97-38-2, 1975-92) – and is 16th in all-time conference winning percentage (62.6%).

Kelly, 45, has engineered a dynamic offensive attack the past two seasons that has resulted in establishing school records in scoring, rushing yards and total offense in each of the last two years. The Ducks capped 2008 ranked second in the country in rushing (280.1-yard avg.), and seventh nationally in both total offense (484.9-yard avg.) and scoring (41.9 avg.).

Since joining the Ducks in 2007 following eight seasons as offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at the University of New Hampshire, Kelly has masterminded an offense that has accounted for 50 points or more in 10 games. His offensive attacks have been responsible for establishing no fewer than 24 school records during his brief Oregon tenure.

While the Oregon quarterbacks coach first grabbed the nation’s attention by molding an inconsistent Dennis Dixon into a Heisman Trophy contender in 2007, he expanded his persona by developing untested quarterbacks following Dixon’s season-ending injury as well as creating a system conducive to breeding confidence among his players. His ability to prepare Justin Roper for success in Oregon’s 56-21 Sun Bowl win over South Florida in 2007 was nothing short of amazing, while his role that led to the progression of newcomer Jeremiah Masoli was vital in the Ducks winning six of their last seven games a year ago.

The 19-year collegiate assistant coach earned his reputation as one of the nation’s most innovative offensive technicians at the Football Championship Subdivision level (formerly NCAA Division I-AA) as he was named the College Assistant Coach of the Year by the Gridiron Club of Greater Boston following the 2005 season. In addition, he was selected as “one of college football’s hottest coaches” by American Football Monthly.

Coordinating offenses at New Hampshire, his teams averaged better than 400 yards of total offense in seven of eight seasons. In 2005, his offense finished second nationally in total offense (493.5 avg.), third in scoring (41.7 avg.) and fifth in passing (300.1 avg.), while the school recorded an 11-2 mark. The following year, quarterback Ricky Santos was the recipient of the Walter Payton Award as the Division I-AA’s best offensive player.

The Manchester, N.H., native and 13-year New Hampshire coaching veteran was elevated to offensive coordinator following two seasons as the Wildcats’ offensive line coach (1997-98) and three years coaching the school’s running backs (1994-96).

The 1990 physical education major returned to his alma mater following a one-year stint as defensive coordinator at Johns Hopkins University (1993).

He broke into the coaching ranks in 1990 at Columbia University before beginning his initial coaching stint as New Hampshire’s running backs coach in 1992.

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