SB Nation User Blog: The VD Special

"I committed to Oregon State earlier today," said Cunningham. "It is a great fit for me and I'm...

The VD Special — Thu, 08 Jan 2009 01:24:26 -0000

"I committed to Oregon State earlier today," said Cunningham. "It is a great fit for me and I'm excited to play for Coach Robinson who is both a great mentor and coach."
--Jared Cunningham, 4-star PG from San Leandro, CA
#13 rated Point Guard and #70 overall player in the class of 09

For those not keeping track, this is now three big commitments:
4-star SG Roberto Nelson
4-star PG Jared Cunningham
3-star PF/C Joe Burton

It appears we are Rallying the Legend! GO BEAVS!

http://oregonstate.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=897823

Thoughts/Emotions from Gill

The VD Special — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 01:30:20 -0000

What else can you say after winning your first conference game in 21 tries? That was pure awesomeness. The team played great, coming back from 15 down. And let me tell you, that was as exciting as Gill has been since we beat Arizona at home three years ago. Congratulations Coach Rob on getting your first of what I am going to guess is many Pac10 wins! Some thoughts:

Gill is ready for it. The team is ready for it. Every Beaver fan is ready for it. This program is going to go somewhere. Now, let's not jump ahead of ourselves, as this team has a long way to go. But you can feel the energy inside Gill. You could feel the excitement as the team was coming back from 15 down in the 2nd half. And let me tell you, as exciting and loud as Gill is at 1/2 capacity, I can only imagine what it is going to be like sold out. This win is a first HUGE step in the right direction.
The team played hard. They worked their asses off. You can tell we lack a lot of size. And we aren't as deep as most teams. But guys like Calvin Haynes, Deane, Johnson, and Schaftnaar were flying all over the place, and you can tell the OSU fans appreciate hard-nose, blue collar basketball (just like football).
We need, need, NEED to rebound better. There were many times in the first half where we would take a 3 point shot, or a long 2, and there was nobody under the basket for the rebound. USC was snatching boards all game long. It improved in the 2nd half (don't have numbers, just going off memory) and look what happened. But if we don't start crashing the boards harder, this win is going to be more of an exception than the rule.
Coach Rob is an in-your-face kind of coach. From all his interviews and campaigning and what not, he seemed like a reserved guy. But nope, he was yelling almost every time down the court. Not everybody responds to that kind of criticism, but these guys needed a kick in the pants. He gives that to us. And you can tell the players light up when they do something right and Coach Rob gives them a compliment.
Calvin Haynes is our Brandon Roy. He's the guy we want with the ball when it comes down to it. He was arguably the most inspirational player out there tonight, and when he's on the bench, there is definitely a lack of urgency on the court. Don't be surprised to see him on the 2nd Team All-Pac10 at the end of the year.
We lack size. Serious size. Lucky for us, USC isn't the biggest team either. But when Schaftnaar is out, we are in trouble. I would imagine Coach Rob is looking for another big Euro-style player to play the same role that Schaftnaar plays now. There's gotta be a kid in Oregon somewhere.
And finally, Coach Rob is the truth. He guaranteed the students at Oregon State a Pac10 win, and he got it. The only thing that scares me about him is when he does turn this program around, what will he do when bigger money and a bigger program comes flying his way? In my opinion, he can make OSU basketball as big of a program as he wants. So here's hoping he stays. In the meantime, let's enjoy this moment. GO BEAVS!

Hey guys. So I was looking up our future schedules and came across this website. As tough as our...

The VD Special — Fri, 02 Jan 2009 21:37:49 -0000

Hey guys. So I was looking up our future schedules and came across this website. As tough as our schedule is for conference, it is pretty favorable non-conference, and we could definitely be looking at 3-0 going into conference play. Also, we have a bye week before the Civil War next year. That is HUGE!

But more importantly, check the years 2011, 2013, 2014, and 2015. I know that is quite a ways down the road, but it appears locked up some more home-and-homes with quality teams, Minnesota and Wisconsin. I appears that we might be moving away from the "we'll play you once at your place" mentality, which is awesome!

http://oregonstate.scout.com/3/fbschedule.html

Losing the Civil War turns out to be the best thing for us?

The VD Special — Fri, 02 Jan 2009 10:52:10 -0000

Call me crazy. Say what you will about my intelligence. But losing the Civil War turned out to be a blessing in disguise for not only us, but the entire Pac10. Let's take a look at what the probable bowl schedule would have looked like had we beaten Oregon:

Rose Bowl: Oregon St vs Penn State

Favorite: Penn State, by a large margin, especially without Quizz and Quon

Fiesta Bowl: USC vs Texas

Favorite: USC probably, but very close; UT has the athletes and coach to win, and it wouldn't be an upset

Holiday Bowl: California vs Oklahoma State

Favorite: Ok State. Oregon had the firepower to keep up with Ok St, I don't think Cal would have

Sun Bowl: Arizona vs Pitt

Favorite: After seeing Pitt play, I think UA would be the favorite. But I think Pitt would have put up points. Toss up

Las Vegas Bowl: Oregon vs BYU

Favorite: Definitely Oregon here. BYU just looked like they didn't care to be there after lofty preseason expecations.

So what we have here is probably 2 blowout losses in big games (Rose, Holiday), a potential loss on a big stage (Fiesta) and probably 2 wins in bowl games that aren't really viewed (Sun, Las Vegas). After the crappy non-conference record that we had, this brutal bowl schedule would not have helped at all. For our sake, a big time loss to Penn State would definitely had looked bad. Instead, we got a win (albeit not the prettiest win) and ended the season on a good note. So, as much as it hurts to have lost the Civil War, especially the manner in which we did, it might have turned out to be a blessing in disguise. Your guys' thoughts?

Poll

What do you think about my statement that losing the Civil War was a blessing?

Back from El Paso, and happy to come away with a win!

The VD Special — Fri, 02 Jan 2009 02:36:30 -0000

You know, the silver lining is that at least we weren't on the losing side of a 3-0 game, right? If you aren't new to Oregon State football, then this was a classic OSU game. People stepped up when others were down. 50% of our offense was gone. Our most dynamic players were gone. And who stepped up? The defense and Johnny Hekker. Johnny Mo' Effin Hekker. The guy has been much maligned all year long, and he finally showed the skill that he has shown in flashes this year. And our defense! We weren't going up against the best offense in the country, but we were going up against two very good running backs and shut them down for the most part. Mike Riley again proves why he's one of the most underrated coaches in the country: he can win with almost anything.

One thing became evidently clear from this game: Jeremy Francis, if he should return to the team for next year, will go into the Spring as the #2 running back on the depth chart. I feel bad for McCants, but he just cannot get it done. For whatever reason, his style of running doesn't fit with the blocking that we have. But we need to continue to support him. He has not once complained about anything or mentioned transferring, and should be applauding for dealing with the situation he has been dealt. Also, I think it's great that Moevao is always positive and I still think he's a great leader. But I'm kind of getting annoyed with the smiling after every interception. I don't think he needs to cuss himself out and go pout on the bench, but show a little emotion that you've done something wrong!

It was great to see this senior class, arguably our most productive senior class is some time, go out with a win. Sloppy, yes, but a win. These guys will be missed greatly. I'll write more about what the Beavs are looking at for next year, as well as the rest of the Pac10, in a later article. Also, I'll try to get some pictures up from the game. El Paso was more then hospitable to both sets of fans, and it was a really cool bowl game. I would estimate around 3,000 Beaver fans, and around 10,000 Pitt fans. But the town really got behind the game and filled up the 50,000 seat Sun Bowl stadium. Anyways, I've got to run for now! 5-0 for the Pac10 should help squash some of the anti-Pac10 resentment. GO BEAVS!

Off to El Paso!

The VD Special — Tue, 30 Dec 2008 11:02:24 -0000

Well, my flight leaves in a few hours so I thought I'd put this quick little update according to BeaverBlitz.com. It looks like Mike Riley has agreed in principle to another extension that will take him through to 2015.

"There is no question we are on the right track in all facets of the football program," De Carolis said. "We have enjoyed some of our best seasons ever with Coach Riley at the helm and he has developed a program that continues to compete at the highest level."

With incentives, Riley is set to make approximately $1 million this year. His current contract had been a six-year contract that added a year for every bowl appearance. The new contract will set Riley with a seven-year deal, again adding a year for every bowl appearance.

Not saying Riley doesn't deserve it, but it seems like it wasn't necessary. I'm very pro-Riley, but I don't see the point. Who knows what is going to happen nearly six years down the road. What if he has 3 consecutive non-winning seasons starting next year? That puts us to 2012 with 3 years left on his contract. Discuss.. Also, it looks as if we lost a commit. JUCO Cornerback Cory Smith had committed to OSU after his official visit, but switched over the weekend to Nevada:

Sequoias corner Cory Smith took visits on successive weekends to the University of Nevada and Oregon State and after his visit to Corvallis, decided he wanted to be a Beaver. Upon further review, Smith decided Nevada was a better place to continue his career.

"I really wanted to go to Nevada," Smith said. "My dad and I talked about it and we decided Nevada would be the best fit. Both schools are great schools. I have family from the dad's side there in Nevada."

Smith is 6-foot-2, 175 pounds and runs the 40-yard dash around 4.5 seconds. He visited Nevada on December 12 and then soon after left for Oregon State on December 19. There was some confusion as to whether or not Nevada had actually offered Smith when he took his visit to Nevada, but the Wolf Pack apparently cleared up the confusion to Smith.

It sucks losing him because he filled up a desperate need at Defensive Back, but we wish him the best. Well, big game coming up on Wednesday, and a reminder that it starts at 11 AM Pacific Standard Time and is on CBS. Look for the guy in the Sammie Stroughter jersey with a sweatshirt on underneath.

GO BEAVS!

Poll

How do you feel about Mike Riley's contract extension?

So here's a little Holiday song that a friend read in the Orange County Register. Enjoy! JACQUIZZ...

The VD Special — Tue, 23 Dec 2008 22:25:40 -0000

So here's a little Holiday song that a friend read in the Orange County Register. Enjoy!

JACQUIZZ THE SHORT-LEGGED BEAVER

(Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer)

You know Barnes and Beban and Pritchard and Vince
Lou Holtz and Don James and not many since
But do you recall
The smallest Trojan-killer of all?

Jacquizz the short-legged Beaver
Couldn't stand up very tall
Whenever he got the handoff
He became a bowling ball

Cushing was getting livid
Whenever Quizzie ran around
He'd run through their legs until
The referee said, 'First down'

There must have been some magic there
In Beaver-land, I guess
Because when Quizzie's work was done
The Trojans groaned, 'BCS'

Yes, now the Beavers love him
And they shout it out with glee
Jacquizz the short-legged Beaver
Barred the Trojans from Mi-am-ee

http://www.ocregister.com/articles/strong-bells-celtic-2262711-town-christmasr

Five Reasons to Hate Pitt

The VD Special — Thu, 18 Dec 2008 23:14:43 -0000

Well guys, as we all know, it's natural for us Oregon Staters to make friends. Other then when we play Oregon, we have some of the kindest fans in the country. We are passionate more about our team then we are hating whoever we are playing, which I think is the case for a lot of fans these days. So I gave Pitt a chance.

I saw a lot of Pitt bashing over at Black Shoe Diaries, Penn St's blog, but I figured it was due to the whole "in-state rivalry" thing. But it's worse. Pitt fans are some of the most arrogant that I have come across yet. Granted, it's the internet idiots that I encountered, but PSU fans have assured me that it is the same across the board. So, given all this, I have decided to write 5 reasons to hate Pitt: starting with #5.

#5. Dave Wannstedt

This Mike Riley wannabe not only sucks as a coach, but how nasty is that 'stache? He coached in the NFL, and had very little success (82-86), and was canned twice. Mike Riley has only been canned once. After going 9-3 this year, Wanny has his record at Pitt up to 25-22, which we all know is a solid record in the always tough Big East conference. And again, look at that STACHE! Remind anyone else of another child-molester lookin' fella that we hate?

#4. Their campus

We Oregon Staters love a wide open, college-feel for our campus. This is not the case for Pitt. Looks an awful lot like Gotham City doesn't it? Where are the trees? Where are the pretty buildings? Nice smog. Our campus is so much better.

It has no college feel to it. College towns are so much better. Oh you know what else their campus doesn't have? A football stadium. Which brings me to....

#3. They play in an NFL stadium!

A stadium of 65,000, that they only get 50% full. Sure, a lot of fans do the whole "color out" stuff, but nothing quite beats a Pitt Yellow Out! Either there is nobody there, or their fans are disguised as seats. Hmm. And we thought our attendance was bad..

#2. LeSean McCoy

They think he's better then Quizz. Honestly, they do. Now, he does have a QB rating of 108, which is 108 points better then Quizz's. But honestly, they are equals. Both average just under 5 yards a carry. Both are good receivers out of the backfield. Now, McCoy boasts 10 more TDs than Quizz. But 10 of his 21 came against Buffalo (3), Navy (3) and Rutgers (4). He had a whopping 71 yards on 23 carries against Bowling Green, and against Louisville, he rushed 17 times for an insane 39 yards. The guy is good. I'll give him credit; but he doesn't show up every game. Quizz does. And McCoy has yet to face a defense like us (say what you will, 694, yeah blah blah blah). Pitt doesn't run a smoke-and-mirrors offense. They will run him pro-style, and we all know what happens when a team runs a pro-style offense against us: 27-21

And finally, the #1 reason to hate Pitt:

#1. December 26th, 2002. The last time we lost a bowl game.

The #23 ranked Panthers took it to us in the Insight.com Bowl, 38-13. That year, Larry Fitzgerald was doing his best Mike Hass impersonation, catching everything that went to him. They took it right to us though. Steven Jackson had only 34 yards on 19 carries, arguably his worst game as a Beaver. Derek Anderson didn't have a good outing either, completing only 21 of his 45 pass attempts. We rushed for a total of 8 yards that game. This year, it's going to be different. We are going to come out firing. And you better believe we are going to score more then 13 points this time.

Thanks to all the Penn Staters for help in finding reasons to hate Pitt. And thanks to all the readers of Building the Dam. It is much appreciated. Keep coming back during basketball season, as the team is improving, and myself and Jake will be covering every game. GO BEAVS!

(photo credits: assets.espn.go.com, media.scout.com, oregonstate.edu)

Poll

What's your #1 reason for hating Pitt?

Their city smells

86 votes

They rent their stadium

166 votes

Wannstedt does his best Bellotti and has a nasty-stache

81 votes

38-13

103 votes

Other (Leave in comments)

104 votes

540 votes | Poll has closed

I already hate arm-Pitt

The VD Special — Thu, 18 Dec 2008 20:45:06 -0000

So reading the ESPN conversations, and I've decided that Pitt fans are what you say they are. I was going to give them a chance, I really was. It's a natural Oregonian instinct to try and make friends first, enemies second. But the fans are ridiculous. And stupid. They run their mouth's about Oregon State like they have watched every game this year. They talk to us like WE have the second rate team. They tell us that we couldn't stop Oregon and YOUR offense's (both some of the best in the nation, mind you) that there is no way we're stopping Shady McCoy and coming out with a win. Well, I say, Bowling Green found a way. So did a crappy Rutgers team. But then they bring up Stanford and Utah. Apparently the same rules don't apply to PItt. Apparently, a loss at home to Bowling Green is better then a loss on the road to Stanford (who had 5 wins this year-- not a great team, but they were improved). Anyways, the point of this post is I am writing a "Top 10 Reasons to hate Pitt" article over at Building the Dam and I was hoping you guys would have some good, funny, and/or true reasons to hate the team known as Pitt. Something that us west coasters wouldn't know. Thanks a lot.

Go Beavs! YOU ARE...

Men's Basketball Open Game Thread: Nebraska

The VD Special — Sun, 14 Dec 2008 00:51:36 -0000

Men's basketball (1-5) takes on the Nebraska Cornhuskers (6-1) in Corvallis. Nebraska's only loss came against Arizona State (44-64) last Sunday. The boys, despite the record, are keeping games close, averaging close to 60 points a game and giving up only 63. For those in the Northwest, the game is on FSN starting at 5:00 PM. Go Beavs!