SB Nation User Blog: olzeke

Don't Blame Lame Refs. Things are looking up.

olzeke — Sat, 04 Oct 2008 05:27:37 -0000

Here's the deal. Most of college football is not based upon luck. Usually, either a play is a good or bad offensive one, or a good or bad defensive one. Occasionally, luck enters into the equation - a hail mary, for instance - or, as with the Utah game, bad luck hit with a pass interference call.

PI calls are highly subjective, unpredictable, and I wish there were a way to tighten it up. But it is what it is for now.

The point of this post is that we all know the refs fall into that "luck" category at times. In the end, the refs did not blow this for the Beavs. The Beavs should have taken the "ref" intangible out of play by having a sufficient lead against the Utes.

Hindsight 20/20 says that Riley should have taken the extra points after the initial miss instead of the 2 point conversion attempts that failed. The game is long, and you got to plan ahead. Had that happened, the Beavs could have been leading 30-20 with 2 minutes to play. Oh well. And maybe that wouldn't have been enough.

The Beavs were also at fault for not scoring twice in the final quarter. Did we set the record for the most false starts in a half? The Beavs did not take the refs, who are out of their hands, out of the game. They should have executed, and put more points on the board in the second half.

The lesson to be learned is to put teams so far behind that refs can't screw you up. The Beavs had the opportunity to do that, but failed to do so.

Unfortunately, the Beavs are at the hands of a "roll of the dice" with their kicker as well. As others have mentioned, this reminds me very much of the LSU game. But also, as others have mentioned, Serna turned out pretty darned good in the end. Let's not give up on Kahut yet. (Although, I would encourage Riley to strongly recruit a proven solid kicker, as aggressively as he'd recruit a QB) I remember Serna getting hissed at on the streets of Corvallis after that LSU loss. Let's not go that low. The guy is the best we have, and let's encourage him. Fortunately, we're not like Ute fans who boo their team. And let's not go there.

On a positive note, the Beavs are still realistically in the hunt for the Rose Bowl. Seriously. Hopefully this game against Utah will give them a white hot fire that carries them through the season with 7 more wins. It is possible. We've complained enough about the difficult starting schedule, but from here on out, the schedule is really favorable, and each game is definitely winnable.

Finally, there is a sense in which this year could be considered a transition, or rebuilding year. Look at the experience this club is getting this year, with the upset of USC, and toughly fought loss at #15 Utah. Next year's roster for OSU is going to have strong experience.

Sheesh, though. It's still gut wrenching, isn't it?

We did it. Who thought we couldn't

olzeke — Fri, 26 Sep 2008 05:34:31 -0000

It's 11:34 Mountain Time. Jake has 217 posts on his game thread, and the congratulations keep coming. The reason for it is simple:

The Beavs earned this one.

There was no luck involved. The D showed up in a powerful way. Yes, I will get to Quizz and the O in a moment, but let's reflect first on the D. First of all, we have had a very touted secondary from the beginning of the season, but let's face it, tonight they showed up far beyond what we've seen earlier this season, except for maybe the Hawaii game. Sure, SC got some guys open on a few plays. But when you're 8 deep, or whatever, in the WR category (a bunch of pros, basically), in the end you have to hand it to our secondary. Two SC touchdowns were just plain dang good amazing catches. Our secondary was there, and they covered well.

We stopped their running game. Again, sure, there were a few runs where SC plowed through us. They should. They're what - 8 deep in the RB category (a bunch of pros, basically). And for the first time all season we had a pass rush that led to some pretty hefty SC mistakes. Again, OSU earned this win.

Our QB drilled the ball exactly where he was supposed to. Played a perfect game.

Quizz is the real deal. That's all that needs to be said. The whole nation saw it tonight. He's a freshman, by the way.

Many things could be mentioned about his running game tonight, but let me point out one. Besides his shifty, smart running, he has one incredible move. He runs for four yards, knows he's about to be tackled, puts his head down, pivots, spins, and pushes his legs for another two or three yards. It was that move that made all of OSU's first downs possible.

Overall, OSU needed to have a flawless performance to beat USC, and that they did. I've mentioned the O and the D, but the special teams deserve two thumbs up as well. Two great punts, and a great catch on an onside kick really put us in position to put this in the W category.

Who would've thought? I did. I knew it was possible. Was SC over ranked? Maybe. But Riley and the Beavs simply earned this win by playing harder and better than the #1 team in the nation. Further, SC's cockiness of laughing and jumping all over their sideline through the first 3 quarters left me with no sympathy for them. It was satisfying to see them lose.

With that kind of play, is it possible to see the Rose Bowl? Yep. Consistency could get us there. Oh, how I would love to see a rematch with PSU. But, it will only happen if we play the way we did tonight.

The dux lose, so the Beavs win

olzeke — Sun, 21 Sep 2008 04:16:40 -0000

Even Bellotti admitted it, he should have put the young QB in sooner.

I just had to point out a duck mistake.

I am an OSU transplant to Boise, but I am not a PAC10 believer. I'm a Beaver Believer, which means I root for any team that plays Eugene, the city where only those who are extreme enough to be kicked out of San Fransisco live.

I should be nice. So let me put it this way. You can still be a duck fan and be a nice person, it's just a lot harder. That was nice.

So, yes, being in Boise I do root for the Broncos when they're not playing the Beavs (which, by the way, every BSU fan that I know of can't wait for that rivalry to begin again. They love traveling to Corvallis, and they like the competitive nature of the BSU-OSU matchup). Today, I was the biggest Bronco fan ever, as a faithful Beaver fan should be.

Ted Miller over at ESPN, with his PAC10 blog wants the PAC10 to dominate. It makes the conference stronger as a whole, and that's good for each member college. True to a point. But I still can't root for the ducks. No matter what. Sorry. Period.

So, it was good to see the BSU offense pick apart UO's secondary. The ducks can come up with many excuses on offense, but can they on defense? No, they are what they are.

The ducks offense was the run for three quarters of the game, and was stifled at a three possession deficit. Finally, Bellotti puts in some freshman QB that can throw the ball, and they score 19 points in the final quarter.

Watch out, this kid could be good (if he don't get hurt). I think Bellotti finally realized that, but it was a little too late.

It would be great for an OSU team to be an annual top ten team, striving to make the national championship year in and year out, like the other OSU, or USC, or Florida, or LSU. But that is aways off. For now, the state's bragging rights are up for grabs. The Civil War is the game that gets remembered (just like last year, where the bowl game against Maryland could be buried and forgotten as pitiful as it was, but the Civil War game was one to remember). Even so, I like our friends in Eugene to have losing seasons. I don't like to hear, "Yeah, you beat us. So what, we beat Michigan." So, when the ducks lose (especially at home), that is a W for the Beavs. But, come late Thursday night, hopefully we'll see something even bigger.

Okay now, PSU is a must win.

olzeke — Fri, 29 Aug 2008 06:26:46 -0000

Here's the deal. Last year was a great year, all things considered. I've always been a little skeptical after Erickson left, and being a Beaver believer with season tickets through the 80's and 90's (when they were quite affordable and the term "Beaver Believer" hadn't been created yet, by the way), I was worried the Beavs would slump back into those unglorious days.

But Riley has proven me wrong the last two seasons. Last year, after the Cinci game, I was ready to hang my hat for the season. More so after 42 interceptions at ASU. So it is tempting to have the same doubts after losing to a Stanford team who is picked to do no better than any other California highschool. Sorry for that, Cards. I forgot. We lost.

While it can't really be said that last year's home game against Utah pumped us up for Cinci the following week, at least it was a home game to start the year. Provided we lost to Cinci, at least we could come back home the following week, and beat up on some college team from the nuclear testing grounds of south-central Idaho. However, I don't feel so hopeless this year. Yet.

I'm a believer, don't get me wrong. But I'm a realist as well, and we have the #2 toughest schedule of the Pac 10 teams. Following this game on a flight to Penn State ain't going to be easy. The Lions smell fresh blood, and we can't play there like we did in Cinci last year, and have any sort of prayer. (I'm assuming the N.Lions roll all over their opponent this weekend)

The Beavs want another 9 win season. And we can attain it. But PSU is a must win for that to happen. It's too bad that the Beavs are in such a crucial situation at the beginning of the season, but with the loss to the Cards, they are.

Now to a short analysis of the game this evening. I hate to say it, but I think much of this loss could have been avoided if one player was present. Afalava would have sealed up so many of those holes. I don't doubt it for a second. I don't know why he got suspended, and I don't care why. But I hope he learned his lesson, watched the game, and cringed knowing that he is crucial to the Beaver D. He'll be back next week, will make a presence, but there are other adjustments to the D that Riley will have to make in order to shut down PState.

While it would be great to have some all american stud at QB, I'll take LM. Jonathon Smith showed us what a little heart and good aim can do. I think LM played outstanding. One interception was first tipped. I can live with that. One was a bad mistake. One bad mistake throwing to the other team is a tenfold improvement over last year. And the receiving corp was incredible. Sammy is back, and Morales can't seem to drop anything. Keep that sort of show up, and we're looking good.

The only criticism I have on offense is this. We need a running back. We need that go to guy. That Jackson or Yvenson. Was Riley giving Quizz and McCants a see tonight? Do we have a #1 guy going in? Both are great. I would've just liked to have seen McCants get enough touches to get into a rhythm, to put a consistent game together.

But in the end it's the D that needs the work. Certainly they had some great series, and if they can tighten that up some more, we have a legit shot at going into Beaver Stadium and claiming it.

Rolling Over Stanford

olzeke — Mon, 22 Oct 2007 13:48:14 -0000

Bumped from the diaries. A little bit out-dated at this point, but still a good piece to read as we start preparing for Stanford. --JB--

Stanford had quite a "follow up" week after upsetting #2 USC. TCU isn't a bad team. They have beat who they should beat this year, and they've lost some close ones to some decent teams. And they beat Stanford, at Stanford.

So who is Stanford? Are they a team that can beat anybody any given week? No, I don't think so. I'll say it flat out - I don't think they stand a chance in Corvallis on the 27th...

Provided...

the Beavs don't spend 2 weeks preparing for USC.

But I don't think Coach Riley will let that happen. Sometimes we may question Riley's decision making (although after his decision to go for 2 in the Sun Bowl, I haven't done it much), and we wonder about his recruiting. But there is no way he will let his team think that Stanford is a rollover.

So - I'll do that for them. I think Stanford will be blown out in Corvallis. At least, there will be no excuse if it doesn't happen. We are definitely a step or two up when it comes to individual talent and team play.

We have beat the #2 team in the nation. So have they. Rutgers will have a great shot at it tonight, and I suspect they probably will get it done.

So as this Beaver squad prepares for Stanford, I trust they will prepare well for Stanford, but I also hope they are looking forward to the rest of the games. The goal should be to adamantly win the rest of their games. I think they can. I'm a Beaver Believer.

It is both one-game-at-a-time and about goals for the rest of the season.