I am pretty bumed I didn't attend the game, but the only tix available were in the corner of the endzone. I hung out with my two boys- Jake and Josh, 5-6 yrs old.
It was a great game for the Beav's! Afterwards, there were a lot of questions about next year....already!!!!! The press is all over the Beav's, which is great. OSU is a top tier program.
The line of discussion is not about a winning season anymore, expectations are way higher. The Beavers are about winning the Pac-10, and competing for the national championship.
Yes, I said it. The Beavers are all about winning the national championship.
10-4 9-4
2008 is the year.......assuming we can find a top-notch QB. Canfield and Moevoa are not the answer.
"They were a lot faster than we anticipated," Maryland senior defensive tackle Carlos Feliciano said, echoing the sentiments of most of his teammates.
They say Defense and a Running game wins championships, and perhaps for suspect QB play the Beaver's could've had a championship greater than the Emerald Bowl. The OSU defense and running game was superb this year. Major props to OSU's offensive line, they were incredible.
Yvenson Bernard played outstanding with over 177 yds rushing, and James Rogers followed up with 113 yds rushing and 2 TD's. OSU rushed for 273 yds in the game..fuck yeah.
3 turnovers was pathetic, and is not acceptable....unless you win! Go Beav's!
OSU's defense was unreal...again. OSU better give Mark Banker a pay raise. He did a great job. So did the kids who played for him this year.
Riley is 4-0 in bowls for the Beav's. Awesome.
9-4 this year with no QB and no All-American WR. Wow.
Derrick Doggett is probably one of the best LB's OSU has ever fielded. Darlin and La"Rock" ain't too bad either. These guys fly to the football on every play.
Maryland had 22 yds rushing and 204 yds passing for the night. 63 yds of passing came on one play.
As I mentioned before, the OSU running game will be the determining factor. Yvenson Bernard fumbled after getting blasted and guess who picked up the ball and went into the endzone....James Rodgers.
OSU's defense is looking unreal. Derrick Doggett is going to be a first round draft choice, quote me know. This guy is all over the field. A complete freak.
The story of the game is the potency of OSU's defense. Except for one big play, the OSU offense has been soley responsible for this close game. Both OSU QB's have sucked big time. Rogers fumble didn't help, but otherwise Canfield and Moevao have sucked.
in the red zone Canfield threw a really stupid INT. Serna missed a FG prior. The Beav's are keeping the Terps in the game. OSU's defense is playing outstanding. 3 turnovers, but the Beav's have coughed it up 3 times too.
The only hope is the running game. Yvsenson has got carry us.
Maryland has some big guys on their squad. Check out BTD's report.
OSU is definitely smaller on defense, but they are faster. I tend to like the faster players myself. They can swarm around the ball and make plays. But big teams have given fits to the Beavers in the past-remember Louisville? They had a bunch of monsters and they punished the Beavers.
I will be posting live reports on the game tonight, so check back for OSUBB op/ed.
Over the last 7 years the Beavers have turned out a bunch of NFL linebackers like Barnett, Ellison, Siegler, and got the moniker "Linebacker U" from Penn St.
But our last two QB's(Anderson and Moore) are BALLING in the NFL.
Derek Anderson has single handedly turned the Cleveland Browns from scrub to playoff contender. Today Derek lead the Browns past the much improved Bills 8-0 in a snow storm. If they win next week they will make the playoffs for the first time since their franchise was restarted in '99. I can't remember when the old Browns went to the playoffs.
Carolina Panthers rookie quarterback Matt Moore got into the huddle late in the first half Sunday and froze.
"I just couldn't get the play out of my mouth," Moore said. "Guys were like, 'Come on! Come on!'"
Moore kept his mistakes to the huddle.
Becoming the fourth quarterback to start for the Panthers this season, Moore engineered three scoring drives in the fourth quarter and outplayed two-time Pro Bowler Matt Hasselbeck, as the Panthers stunned the Seattle Seahawks 13-10.
Kuddo's to OSU alumns for a great showing this weekend!!!!
Oh yeah, check out Al "Hitman" Afalava's massive hit in the Oregon game...awesome! Fouts is such a pussy-he called this a great catch at the end of the clip....
Phil sent me an email from his wife's account...I stand corrected about Bowl econ 101, check the email and the grammar/spelling. LOL. OSU academics at its finest....I can't count, and he can't use the english language...and we graduated...
Meat,
All of the bowl money is actually split between the teams. The Conferrences recieve the $$ no the teams.
Who makes money on the bowls? Mainly the vast majority of the Division IA universities. Most of the bowls are non-profit 501(c) (3) organizations setup by the host communities to manage and promote the bowls, which of course benefit these communities through economic impact and exposure. However, financially the bowls are setup to primarily benefit the universities that participate in the game and their conference partners. Most conferences divide any revenues over typical expenses of attending the bowl with all the other schools in their respective conference. In this way even a program that goes winless can reap a share of the bowl revenue generated by that schools conference. In some conferences that can be millions for each school. Therefore, not only do the 64 teams playing in bowls receive money but so can dozens of other teams that do not even participate. In addition, the BCS provides millions of dollars each year to be divided by each of the Non-BCS conferences and additional funds to Division IAA members, something that was never done prior to the formation of the BCS.
OSU has begun preparations for the Emerald Bowl. Great.
'Qizz Rodgers is lighting up Houston high school football. I am not a Quizz hater, I just don't think the Beaver Nation has to turn into Ohio State because of a sports writers fetish with this kid. I hope he doesn't feel fan pressure yet either. Don't forget the kid hasn't signed paper yet. Idiots.
When I was playing ball at OSU I used to have a killer mix CD I'd listen to before every practice and game- yes, I used to get fired up for practice. I loved practice as much as games to be honest. Anyway I stumbled on a great rap song that used to get me fired up(still does), I remember that Stanford played this song during pregame warm ups, yes Stanford had hip hop blaring away. I bet all the straight laced Phd's loved it......
I don't know if I have ever seen this before, but it's worth noting. We have a recruit coming in who has set all the Texas rushing records you could imagine, but he's 5'6" and 185lbs soaking wet.
He is the brother of James Rodgers, the guy who scored the winnning touchdown in this years Civil War. His name is Jacquizz Rodgers. He has verbally committed to coming to OSU next year and T.F. Brown at the Oregonian has a hard on for him.
A couple people have commented that one hit from USC's linebackers will set Rogers straight, which may be true. But who knows. Barry Sanders was as small as Jacquizz, maybe he'll grow in college.
The bottomline is that it's great we are getting interesting players like Jacquizz, but let's see if this kid is actually eligible before annointing him the next Ken Simonton. It's getting ridiculous. We have 30% of our recruiting class who can't pass academic muster every year. We need to get our shit together and get perspective. Rather TF Brown needs to.
It's been a long week. Having to hear how Mike Bellotti voted his sorry team ahead of OSU in the coaches poll was hard enough. That guy is a straight up a**hole. I hope we kick their asses for the next decade.
Message to Mike- watch the vid below you F**kin scrub:
But worse, I've had to read about all the bull***t about the Beaver's either getting screwed or not getting screwed on the bowl selection. It's overwhelming.
Here's is the bottomline regarding OSU getting screwed:
USC (10-2): vs. Illnois (9-3) in the Rose Bowl. Payout = $17 million. Arizona State (10-2): vs. Texas (9-3) in the Holiday Bowl. Payout = $2.2 million. Oregon State (8-4): vs. Maryland (6-6) in the Emerald Bowl. Payout = $750,000 Oregon (8-4): vs. South Florida (9-3) in the Sun Bowl. Payout = $1.9 million UCLA (6-6): vs. Brigham Young (10-2) in the Las Vegas Bowl. Payout = $1 million California (6-6): vs. Air Force (9-3) in the Armed Forces Bowl. Payout = $750,000
If you can't do math, OSU lost $1.15M dollars by not getting selected to the Sun Bowl, even though OSU was #3 in the conference.
Let me state this again, $1,150,000.00.
Do you really think the OSU administration gives a rats ass how many OSU folks attend the game? Hell no. It's not about ticket sales. That is a drop in the bucket. $1.15M is not chump change.
Yes, OSU got screwed.
Always follow the money.....the truth is waiting.....
Fellow Beaver blogger Jason Protho writes a cool piece on the similarities between James Rodgers and Ken Simonton. Jason has two great vid's of both players. I am not 100% sure. Both are clutch at this stage. The similarities are uncanny.
The All Pac-10 teams came out Monday, and OSU had plenty of players on the list, but most were on the 2nd team. It is amazing that we didn't have more than 2 make All Pac-10 first team.
No knock on Dorian Smith-because he is a stud, but he was hurt a few games wasn't he? He makes first team, which is great. I want Beavers on the first team.
How the fuck does Derrick Doggett make 2nd team?????
We have to deal with horrible officiating down the stretch, crappy bowl selections, and now this?
WTF is the rest of the sports world missing? OSU football is the shizzzzat.
The Pac-10 awards are chosen by the Head Coaches. I have no idea when or how, but I have assume that some voted before they got a taste of Al Afalava and the rest of the bone crushing Beaver defense.
Beaver First Team Selections
Roy Schuening, OL, Sr., Pendleton – 2005 and ’06 Pac-10 Honorable Mention
Dorian Smith, DE, Sr., Van Nuys, Calif – 15 career quarterback sacks.
Riley and team broke the home team streak!!! Awesome. #3 in the Pac-10 is incredible given what he had to work with. It is amazing how close this team was to finishing 10-2 vs. 8-4. ASU and UCLA will haunt this team in a good way. OSU is the best 8-4 team in the nation if that means anything. I think it does. I think Riley has won me over for good. I think he has also built a program. A real college football machine capable of anything it imagines.
I want to start this post by apologizing for saying Lyle Moevao is not a Pac-10 QB. He is, and he deserves respect for what he accomplished. He improved tremendously this year. Winning the Civil War is huge. But he is not the QB I see taking OSU to a BCS bowl anytime soon.
Second, I want to apologize for saying Matt Sieverson was not on par with Clinton Polk. Matt played a great game. He was superb. He played with heart and showed the Ducks the back of his jersey all night.
Rogers was sensational. What a freshman season. Game winning TD in the Civil War.
Polk had one of the best TD runs I've seen in awhile too. Great job by the RB's.
OSU's offensive line was the real Offensive MVP. They are absolute studs. No sacks and 214 yds rushing. Are you kidding me? That is outstanding.
OSU's defense played great, except for a couple breakdowns. We gave up 195 yards rushing, which is way off our average. That said OSU's D was unreal when it needed to be. They are an awesome bunch.
Derrick Doggett is a freak. 18 tackles and a INT for TD(2nd time in a Civil War game). He won't last past the 2nd round of the NFL draft. He is a stud.
I am reading reports that Oregon's locker room comments after the game were about excuses, while the Beavers locker room comments were about heart and character. Bellotti is denying that he lost the game, literally and figuratively. He did. Now he's making excuses. What a pussy.
Now on to the Emerald Bowl in SF! My hometown.
OSU will be playing Maryland. Maryland ended the regular season tied for fifth in the Atlantic Division of the ACC and 6-6 overall with notable victories over then No. 8 Boston College and then No. 10 Rutgers.
Some other Beaver Bloggers have some great posts on the Civil War:
Beaver dam nation- In depth review on what OSU is all about Jason Prothro's Blog- Great post about the game and why Bellotti is lame. Brooks Hatch- The final points about Mike Riley are why he's a "players coach"
12:47 left, Ducks punt again. The ESPN camera zoomed in on Dennis Dixon and his face looked liked it was over.......it was one of those "a picture is worth a thousand words" moments...
OSU's defense has played well. But Moevao got cocky on is second drive and coughed up the football. Luckily OSU's D held. But after getting pinned, Serna punted a 30 yarder. Two plays later Oregon scored after their first string QB was knocked out.
The Statesman Journal figures out that the Beavers have a better Defense than UofO's Offense. Wuppdeedoo.
But they also say that Mike Riley is a better coach than Mike Bellotti. I gotta give the Statesman some credit. No, not for saying that Riley is better than Bellotti. We all know that already. The Statesman Journal doesn't list the author of the comparison, which is really smart. You don't want Colleen Bellotti after you.
A rock band was playing in Eugene a couple years ago and they penned this great song after meeting the coach's then wife....check it out....
In other news, the Portland Tribune describes how OSU players from Oregon really care about the Civil War, while players from outside the state don't really give a shit.
Univ of Oregon played like little bitches against UCLA this weekend, so we should expect more of the same.
I guess Oregon's metro-sexual uniform change did little to hide the fact that the Ducks are better suited for Fashion Design rather than college football. Hmmmmm, I wonder what color combination Oregon comes up with for the Civil War game? Whatever they choose it will suck. What a bunch of pansies.
I can't wait to see our defense tee off on Oregon's offense.
The Beavers have been decimated by injuries this year and it looks bad for Yvenson Bernard now. He hurt his knee in the WSU game and had to get his knee scoped to clean out cartlidge that was damaged.
Sieverson and Polk will get most of the carries against the Ducks, I hope Polk gets more than Sieverson at this point. But we will see. Sieverson is productive.
Dixon is out with a torn ACL, and his Head Coach is a donkey. Oh yeah, and his ex is a psycho.
FYI- we want Oregon to beat UCLA this weekend in order to move up to a better bowl. Of course, we will need to beat Oregon too.
Here's a list of finalists for the all the post season(sort of) awards.
Here's a great video of Pete Carrol saying "f**k you" to Mike Bellotti
Since 2000 Oregon State has produced at least one All-American, either first team or second team. Given the performance of OSU's defense this year, you would expect the streak to continue....or will it?
BTW- Academic All-American's don't count in my opinion. Yeah it's great, but it has little to do with football skills. At OBFB we only care about on field performances when evaluating All-American qualifications.
As I mentioned before, this may be the best defense ever fielded by the Beav's. But will it produce a USC style list of All-Americans? I doubt it.
OSU's defense is highly productive across the board, but with all the rotations it's hard for one player to rack up the stats to make the All-America squad. OSU hasn't had an All-American on defense Mitch Meeuwsenin 2004. See the list below.
2000 - Ken Simonton - TB DeLawrence Grant - DE Chris Gibson - C Richard Seigler - LB
2001- Dennis Weathersby - CB Mitch Meeuwsen - S
2002- Dennis Weathersby - CB Steven Jackson - TB
2003- Steven Jackson - TB Brandon Browner - CB
2004- Mitch Meeuwsen - FS Mike Hass - WR
2005- Mike Hass - WR Alexis Serna - PK Jeremy Perry - OT
One more thing on Oregon State - they have become the model program that we should strive for. Think about it. They compete for at least a bowl bid every season now, and they threaten an upper-division finish when things go right. They play fast, hard, aggressive defense and they preach a strong running game with an outstanding offensive line that will kick your ass if you don't bring it that day. They have a beautifully renovated stadium in Corvallis, which isn't exactly Seattle if you follow my drift. They sell out their season ticket allotments, they pack the house and they make a hell of a lot of noise. They are, today, exactly where I hope our program can be, sooner rather than later. A sugar-daddy donor like Reser would sure be nice right now. Anyone know if Uncle Paul Allen has $25 million in the couch cushions to throw at the Martin Stadium remodel?? Didn't think so. They've already gone to that well, and it was dry as a bone.
OSU played an outstanding football game tonight, pummeling Washington St. 52-17.
I don't think I have ever scene the Beavers dominate a team like this since the Fiesta Bowl ass whipping against Notre Dame.
Oregon State's defense may be the best defense they have ever put on the field. And that is really scary considering that OSU's pass defense could use a lot of improvement. The front seven of Oregon State is the best in nation. Yes, best in the nation. Why? Because of their depth and constant 110% effort. Everyone makes plays on the front seven.. The DB 's could use improvement, but the rest are unreal.
7 Interceptions (ties OSU team record) 1 Fumble 2 Sacks, 5 TFL 84 rushing yards (74 in junk time)
WSU got 399 total yards mostly in junk time.
OSU's offense played really well. I don't want to discount the effort and performance on that side of the ball. Oregon State's offensive line is really impressive. They are physically dominating. The WR's played ok. Rodgers and Catchings continue to improve. They actually led the team in receiving tonight. I can't wait to watch them next year.
Moevao played a good game, but played too long. Gunderson did not get enough playtime. This game was over midway thru the 3rd quarter. It helped that OSU's defense gave the ball to the offense with a short field over and over in the first quarter. We built a 21-0 lead really fast.
Notes on the Game:
OSU's defense hit Wazzu offensive players really hard tonight. OSU's offensive line dominated. These guys are quite a unit.
Joey LaRoque is a stud. Derrick Doggett is a stud. Slade Norris is a stud. The whole offensive line for OSU are studs. Yvenson Bernard is a stud.
Ok, there are too many studs on this year's team. I am really impressed with Mark Banker and what he has accomplished. I hope he stays with the program forever.
Yvenson Bernard is great, but he needs to stop showboating when he gets tackled and hold on to the ball. At the beginning of this game there were 2-3 plays that involved Bernard and fumbles.
Speaking of RB's, Clinton Polk is better than Sieverson, but because of his off-season academic problems it looks like he is 3rd string. I feel sorry for him. I hope the pro's take a look at him. He had 1 or 2 carries before going 60 yards for a TD. I think the last time Polk got some carries, he ran for a TD after a couple carries. He has breakaway moves and speed. Sieverson reminds me of Pat Chaffey. Pat was a productive back, but could never break one big.
Good job Mike Riley. You have put together quite a season. You had scraps to work with at the beginning. Remember this years' preseason drama?
This years team may be fielding the best defense OSU has ever had. Even with the deficiences in the secondary, OSU's defense is unreal.
I hate Washington St. I don't know why, but that school irritates me. I hated their stadium when I played there back in 1991. It looked like a prison centered in the middle of odd collegiate buildings. The weather at WSU is crap 90% of the time, so imagine they have to construct heavy duty buildings and such. But it still sucks. I am glad I did not go to WSU. Drew Bledsoe liked it, but he's a tree-hugger.
Anyway, OSU is coming off one of the weirdest wins ever against UW. Riley admitted to having nightmares about Bernard's fumble and how it could have cost them the game.
WSU has a good QB in Brink, and our DB's are week. 2 won't be able to play until the 2nd half because of ejections in the UW game.
I heard Victor Butler is hurt. This is a huge loss if true. He is an animal. I am sure Slade Norris can pick up the slack, he is having a great year too.
I am not sure what the outcome of the game will be at this point. Defense and a strong running game will win you 90% of your games in college and pro ball.
The Beav's definitely have a better running game and defense compared to Wazzu.
This was one of the weirdest Beaver games I've seen in awhile.
This game will be remembered for a lot of reasons:
1)OSU has a four game win streak against UW for the first time ever
2)The Pac-10 officiating crew was probably THE WORST EVER. The Bonnell QB sneak call was the start of a pitiful night for the officials. The Bernard fumble call was so insanely stupid I yelled at the TV. They nearly cost OSU a lot of money. The personal foul and ejection calls were horrible too. Yes the Beav's did some things wrong and deserved to be penalized. But most of the calls were crap.
3)Al Afalava's hit on Jake Locker was clean and awesome. Jake needs to learn that if he wants a future at the QB position, he needs to learn to protect himself.
4)Yvenson Bernard ran for 149 yards on a completely bum shoulder. He has huge heart.
5)Moevao only turned the ball 2 times. That's a 50% improvement on his avg. He is not a Pac-10 QB. Canfield probably won't play against WSU, so expect more 100 yd passing days.
6)Victor Butler is a first round draft pick, his size and speed is insane.
7)Derrick Doggett is mid-round pick, unless he can add more weight and speed.
8)Serna had a good game with 5 field goals, and only one shanked punt.
9)OSU's special teams made some great plays all night
10)OSU is going to a bowl in 2007
Next up WAZZU, which is definitely winnable. The Oregon game is going to be a tough one.
BTW- Here is another hit on Jake Locker. This clip is from the USC game. I guess Jake is a hardhead, because if I got hit like this, I would change my attitude.
Here is a brief look into the game tomorrow, from Phil's wife- Dawn.
The one and only key to the game tomorrow is the Quarterback. Moevao must not crap himself like the cincy Game and we must stop Jake Locker.
Moevao - Has some ability (not really, but I need to pump him up if he is the starter). He had a nice throw at SC coming in cold that was defended perfectly at the end of the game. He needs to use his head and his legs, in that order. Last week Canfield took way too many sacks, yes. But he could have thrown picks like before. Grasshopper was starting to learn Moe needs to learn faster. The legs will give him an added facet. He can do it, but frankly I would rather have seen Gunderson.
Locker - According to a Huskie buddy he could be the best Huskie that ever played. He could be right. the only real issue I have with the comment is that he can't pass the ball for crap. The d line and the backs need to be disciplined and stay in the lanes. If the rush on the outside he'll run up the middle for 50. If you plug the middle he'll run around the end for 50. The kid is fast and tough. Putting him on his back will help but he has resolve and keeps fighting. Partly b/c he's a baller and partly b/c he's a freshman and plain knucklehead.
This is no gimmie by any means. We need to watch ourselves and play sound. This team was VERY competitive against #1 Ohio State earlier in the year.
Bernard - needs to ball Receivers and TE's - catch and hold the ball Line - give him time
Defense Stay disciplined - don't lose contain. Sack the Cracker!!! Cause Turnovers.
We will turn the ball over and that is fine. We just need to cause more on Defense and we'll win.
Bernard is in for the UW game Yvenson is still not 100%. I expect Polk to get a decent amount of carries. Depending on OSU's running game is a risky proposition, but considering the alternative-it's all we've got.
Canfield is out for this game USC showed Sean that he needs to lift weights in the offseason if he wants to survive a full season in the Pac-10.
Tough QB system? Cliff Kirkpatrick makes excuses for kids who don't like to study their playbook. If anyone has watched an OSU game these last few years under Riley, they can see they run the same plays 80% of time, just different formations. Gimme a break.
BeaverNation don't be too disappointed with the loss. Let's face it, this is a game that we were supposed to lose. USC is a very good team, at least on Defense. There is no shame in the outcome, just disappointing because I want them to win them all.
While sitting in the stands yawning with the rest of the 30% or so of the fans that actually waited for the second half I got into a little verbal scuffle with some old crotchety SC crybaby bitch. When Canfield ran for the first down at the end of the game sliding only to get blasted I heard "That is a bullshit call". I turned and replied "you have got to be kidding me". The old wind bad then said "what was he supposed to do". "Not hit him! When the quarterback slides you can't hit him" He snorted "I know the rules" to which I answered "then why are you belly aching?" After a few minutes of sighs and harrumphs the old sack started screaming for SC to call a timeout and "We need to score again" when "Dirty Sanchez" completed a long pass with a minute or so left. I turned and said "you are pathetic, you bitch and moan all game long and now call for a meaningless touchdown at the end of the game just to rub it in." He smugly said "What are we supposed to do?" with a smile on his face. He smile was quickly gone when I said "You probably should not have shit your pants and won all of your games so you don't have to run up the score on us to make yourself feel better. You're pathetic". His wife a few moments later was apologizing for him and telling me how distraught her husband had been when they had lost. NICE FANS.
Here are the follow ups to the keys to the game:
Canfield - You did not make mistakes. I'll live with one pick. You did wait a little too long to release the ball, but normally you would have thrown an ill advised pass that would have been run back for a TD.
O-Line - 10 sacks. Some on Canfield but most are on you.
Defense - Hold your heads high. You were given a short field to work with for most of the first half and looked a bit tired by the end of the second quarter but you held on. The Second half could have been you best on the year. A missed safety was the only black mark.
The running game. Bernard warmed up as if he was the starter but saw no time. Sieverson had good runs and was not too bad. Let's face it, not too many running backs were going to get yards against that defense on Saturday.
What the hell happened to Brandon Powers? He used to have the most solid hands on the team. I saw him drop at least 3-4 balls. They all seemed to be short passes, but you need to help the QB's confidence and grip those balls.
Serna was a solid Punter. He kept it away from McKnight and had 3 inside the 20. Good Job.
We were over matched. The score looked like a blow out, but there can't be any satisfaction on their end.
USC beat OSU 24-3 yesterday. OSU's defense played better than last year, holding the Trojans to less yards and points. SC only had 100 yds rushing and 185 yds passing.
OSU's offense was pitiful. Not having a single playmaker step up and make something happen was painful. No Bernard, no Stroughter, equals a very average Pac-10 offense.
Canfield only threw 1 pick, but was sacked 9 times. He was 11 for 25 for 85 yds. It was obvious that the speed of USC's defense was too much for Canfield to handle. He couldn't make quick enough decisions. That coupled with WR's and TE's not getting open quick enough and we have problems Houston.
Clinton Polk looked ok(12 carries for 45 yds, 3.8 per carry, long of 17 yds), a little rusty, but I like his game when he gets his rhythm going. Sieverson(10 carries for 33 yds) is too slow for RB in the Pac-10. Still not sure why he gets any carries.
USC is winning. OSU needs WR's desperately. Polk is productive. Canfield has only thrown 1 INT, OSU's defense is strong but playing on a short field all the time.
TE and WR must step up. OSU's defense can make more opportunities in the 2nd half.
I go into this week with curious anticipation. The land of Troy is in a state of shock. I normally have so many dinner bets on this game that I am usually preparing to gain about 10 pounds (thankfully I was on the recieving end this year). This year is much different and I am not sure that I like it. The normal "my shit doesn't stink" SC that I have come to tollerate has gone silent. Nothing but crickets. They have lost all care and desire. Last night I was out for Halloween rocking my Beaver gear like a strong fan fully prepared to recieve the normal jeers and verbal assaults that I have come to love and what did I get? No not nothing... instead it was "SC sucks" and "I hope that you crush them on Saturday". The spoiled brats that always seem to fuel my fire were whipped puppies and were almost draining to my BeaverNation strength.
Here are the keys to the game:
Canfield - He needs to play smart. Mistakes will hurt more than the potential of a big play will help. Their Defense is healthier than they have been all year and are among the best in the country.
O-line - Protection...Protection...Protection. They are going to blitz the shit out of us. Keeping Canfield on his feet will be or #1 priority. Give him time and he will make plays. Although their Defense is very good, they also are a bit lazy. They give up a bit on plays and will leave guys open if the QB has time to throw.
Defense - Blitz...Blitz...Blitz. whoever the QB is he needs to spend the game on his back. Both "in Your Booty" and Pablo Sanchez can both be rattled very easily. The O Coordinator Sarcesian (Sp?) is a total Donkey. Calling a reverse on 4th and one after the early turnover when he had the potential first nail in the Duck's coffin was lame. He tries to call the "Norm Chow" type plays and ends up looking like Puppy Chow. Total vanilla play calling.
The Running game will have to be big. This is where I get a bit nervous. an injured Bernard is better than the Cracker Sieverson in the backfield. They need to block for him and control the ball. If he can get close to 100 yards, which will be tough then we will be all over them.
Misdirection plays and play action will help alot. Thay are a fast team and pursue to a fault. we need to get them on their heals and then make plays. No drops by the reciever.
Turnovers will be the story of the game. Who ever wins the turnover battle will win the game.
My prediction: If the game is close we will win. We need to take their lame ass fan out of the game. If we can get ahead the stadium will be empty by the third quarter. They have little loyalty for a team that was supposed to win the national championship.
Saturday's game starts at 5pm, and will have live TV coverage from ESPN/ABC. The Beavers are 15 pt underdogs according to Las Vegas odds makers.
I hope a lot of Beaver Nation folks make it to the USC game this year. The team is going to need as much support as possible.
I've lived in LA before, and it's an interesting place. Here are some helpful links to place and things in LA you should check out while you are there.
Things are falling in line for the Beavers. They beat the crap out of the Cardinal tonight. OSU allowed 5 yards rushing on the night from the Cardinal. OSU's defense had 2 INT's, 4 sacks and 8 tackles for a loss. Canfield again played mistake free football. Good all around game for the entire team.
The Pac-10 race:
ASU is losing to Cal in the 2nd qtr, 20-14.
WSU somehow beat UCLA 27-7.
Arizona beat the UW puppies 48-41.
USC lost to Oregon 24-17.
Bad News for the Beav's: Yvenson Bernard will be out of the USC game for the second year in a row. Worse Riley keeps playing Matt Sieverson instead of Polk or Fuller. I have no idea what the rational is for this decision by Riley. Polk should be getting the carries at least.
Good News: OSU's offensive line is deep. OSU's defense is one of the best in the NATION. Canfield is improving.
Coach Mike Riley said that Tavita Thompson was "found in violation of NCAA eligibility rules" and will miss the remainder of the season. The Beavers are suffering injuries to an offensive line that was just starting to hit it's groove.
Okay...how does that work again? How does a player play in 7 games before the administration finds out he isn't eligible?
Being eligible usually means that your grades are good enough for you to play......correct me if I am wrong.
So Tavita doesn't like to look at his report card...I never did. But I knew whether or not I was eligible. Nothing is more embarrassing than being ineligible for academics. OSU is not THAT hard of a school. Come on. Either Tavita is as dumb as dirt or the entire OSU administration is dumb as dirt....or both.
He had to know he wasn't eligible. And he kept on playing anyway. OSU is lucky that they don't have to forfeit any games because of this bonehead mistake.....
4 out of 5 OSU offensive lineman are either hurt,sick or MIA. According to Jake at Building the Dam and some dude named Paul Buker(I've never heard of him), OSU's offensive line forgot that a bye week was supposed to help you physically recover....not get worse.
Looks like we may have one starter-Devan, back for the Stanford game. Talk about a meltdown.......
Other Notes:
The OSU vs. Stanford game will NOT be televised. How lame. Read More
The Pac-10 race is looking like a traffic jam on the 405 right now. Although UCLA is 4-0, they still play Oregon, ASU, and USC down the stretch. ASU has Cal,USC,Oregon down the stretch. It is quite feasible that we will have 4 teams at 6-3. I hope it happens. I think it would be hilarious.
This year's Cardinal team is not a push over. I think they are going to put up a fight, but come up short at the end. If it's raining, the Beavers should roll. If it's dry, Stanford will keep it close for 3 qtrs.
Our defense has to shut down Stanford's offense, and create turnovers. Canfield needs to play INT free for the second game in a row. That would be huge.
OSU's defense needs to stop:WR-Richard Sherman- He's #2 in the Pac-10 in rec yds.
(Editor-This may be the best recap on the 'net. This pic is the grade Cal fans got for chanting "We're #1, We're #1" before the game was over...donkeys)
With the Bye I took a little time to review the film a bit. Here are my thoughts.
Tedford - Great work. Throwing your clipboard like a bitch with your Frosh QB right there surely will do wonders for his confidence. Pull you pants up and realize you were out coached and out matched. Face it, your team was over rated. Like Meat points out, nice creativity on the goal line. OUR DEFENSE IS NOT OVER RATED. Try something new after the 2nd or 3rd down. Looking tough does not make you tough. I have CAL friends that are crying "Longshore, Longshore". It would not have mattered, WE WERE BETTER.
Bernard - Way to stand up when you were needed. You earned the Pac Ten Player of the week. Thank you for using two hands to catch the ball. You would not have held on to some of the throws, because you got blasted. You played unbelievable.
Canfield - great job. I am not sure if you have turned the corner yet, but if you haven't you are close. You took control of the game and did not make mistakes and took what they gave you. I think Stanford's D might be a bit better, but only a bit. Look for the TE's.
Receivers - Did a great job. I am sure that Catching is being hounded about his ball carrying skills as he should. Great key grabs late by "Where's the Wheat" Brown. Do we still have TE's? I know that Bernard stole your short throws, but get it Sean's ear and tell him you want the rock.
Serna - Redemption. 3-3 FG's and an above average Punting night was one of the keys of the game. If not for you unbelievable punt at the end of the game we would have lost. GREAT WORK.
O-LINE - 1 Sack. Huge holes. Awesome.
Defense - "And the Heisman goes to"…Not to DeSean Jackson. This kid is a good player. He was covered hit and exposed on Saturday. Speed is tough to contain but hammering him on the line and covering him like a blanket will do it. #1 Punt returner? Might be, but not if you don't give him the ball. Serna is out of the dog house after Saturday. The last Punt to pin the ball on the 5 yard line was nothing but impressive. I was embarrassed for him. Hawkins had the game of his life. We were not going to let Jackson beat us and Hawkins was the beneficiary.
They had given up a total of 4 sacks going into the game. We had 3.
If you take away the first run of 45 yards by Forsett he would have ended with 105 yards on 27 carries for a 3.8 average, not too impressive. The #1 against the run in the country was a bit misleading due to many bad shotgun snaps and all of the sacks and I think It got to their head a bit.
Victor Butler - OH MY!!! He looked like a RB on that pick. Doggett was standing there initially saying "give up the rock fatty" and then turned and blocked and they almost took it too the house. Would have liked a TD there, but the win was just fine.
Alan Darlin - STUD…nothing else is needed.
Greg Layborn - Even with a target on your chest you keep saying bring it…keep it up!
Gerard Lawson - All in the rear view mirror. Took the returns and ran like the wind…
Mike - Enjoy the week off. We must CRUSH Stanford. Nothing less. Two more wins and you and Canfield are off the hook.
Not to get ahead of ourselves, but SC in three weeks looks good to me. They are battered and have big problems.
I think that Mike Riley got into the head of Jeff Tedford during the game Saturday.
Why do I say that? Because I think Jeff Tedford was sloppy in his goal line strategy against OSU. When Cal had first and goal and they couldn't get it in, it was pathetic coaching the caused it. Yes, OSU's defense made the plays, and I love 'em for it, but Cal could've ran at least one play action counter bootleg. I think Tedford over analyzed the play calls because he was so spooked by Riley.
I think Mike Riley's gambling attitude pressed Tedford into making some high risk decisions. I am sure Tedford remembered the Sun Bowl. It was a flash of true big game glory in the back of his mind. He wished he had the balls Mike Riley had in going for it. During the game Saturday, Riley was gambling and winning again. I am sure Tedford's ego clicked and he got tweaked.
Mike Riley got into Jeff Tedford's head saturday. He used Jedi mind tricks to take him out of his game and it showed.
Ted, if you are reading this blog, here's a clip of true big game glory, keep this vision in the back of your mental rolodex:
High SAT scores don't seem to correlate with intelligence on the football field as Cal blows an opportunity to tie the Beavers in the final seconds of the game.
Oregon beat the #2 Cal Bears 31-28 in an incredible game. OSU survived a late push from the Bears to pull a huge upset.
OSU basically hit all of my keys to the game, except for stopping the run and minimizing big plays. Sean Canfield played his best game as a Beaver today. He did not throw a single INT. He made no major mistakes and it was the main reason we won. Bernard played hard as always. That kid has heart.
Layborne(sp?) nearly cost us the game with some big mistakes....
OSU played with huge heart and intensity. The offensive line was fierce for 4 qtrs. The defensive front 7 played unreal. Stopping Cal 4 times at the goal line was insane. Our defensive line is probably the best in the NCAA.
The ending of the game was bizarre. I thought this was going to overtime. Cal's QB is a redshirt freshman and it showed at the end. All he had to do was throw the ball out of bounds instead of trying to run it up the middle. This loss will hurt for a long time for the Bears. Worse, LSU lost to Kentucky earlier. If Cal won, they would have been #1 in the nation.
Cal has to self destruct somehow, someway for the Beavers to have a chance.
No turnovers on offense- in order for them to win on the road, in front of 80k fans, they will need to play near perfect.
OSU's punt team has to avg 35yds net per punt- this will be hard to do considering how bad Serna is.
OSU must convert 100% of their FG attempts- Serna has to have a great game.
OSU's offensive line must control the line of scrimmage for 4 qtrs.
Yvenson Bernard has to rush for 150 yds, and get 80 yds receiving.
OSU's defense needs to shut down Desean Jackson. OSU's punt team has to contain him too. NO BIG PLAYS.
OSU's defense has to hit Nate Longshore hard, early and often. 5 sacks minimum.
Cal can't rush for more than 80 yds as a team.
If the Beaver's are lucky and these keys come together for them, they can win. I think Cal is overrated at #2 in the country. But they are real good, and this could be a major blowout......
I listened to parts of the game and have not seen it yet.
A tale of two weeks. Last week we gave them the turnovers this week we took them.
Bernard was the work horse as usual. Had some catches and nice blue caller 140. Still tries to catch the ball one handed too much (led to pick last week vs UCLA).
Nice to see the team step up (early) without Sammie. Canfield played fine. Made few mistakes and did not give away the game. When he threw the Pick 6 before the half to Cason (who actually had committed to Beavs and went to AZ after Stoops took the job). Then throwing the pick on the first drive of the second was the "here we go again" music. Instead they settled him down and never put him in a position to fail. Didn't score in the second half, but won the game. Will always take a win.
The defense was stellar. Didn't see the plays, but can see by the stats that they were dominating. AZ had not been sacked regularly and they changed that. Three picks were needed and huge.
Serna is horrible. Love that he rose to the punting challenge, but his legacy will be ruined. He was a Groza winner now he is an average kicker (miss after miss) and a shitty punter. Lawson must have talked to Lester "stickum" Hayes and got rid of the yips.
Not calling an upset this week, but want to point out that Cal is not great on defense and we should be able to handle their offense. This is the year of the upset.
Three more wins and a bowl game and you get a reprieve on the Canfield experiment.
In what's been the year of the upset in college football, Stanford's stunner just might top them all.
Tavita Pritchard threw a 10-yard touchdown pass to Mark Bradford on fourth-and-goal with 49 seconds remaining Saturday night, giving the 41-point underdog Cardinal a 24-23 victory over No. 2 Southern California.
I’m tired of it because it is a killer. There is no question that one of the major reasons that we are where we are is because we have turned the ball over. Now we have found all different ways to do it. It was interceptions early and we still had a couple of those that were unnecessary. Then the special teams turnovers and then the blocked punt. Those are all reasons for what has happened.
The Beavers loss has been on my mind. I think I could deal with it better if they didn't have a chance against UCLA. Defense was above average. Special Teams and Offense were horrible. Alexis Serna is not going to be missed by me when he graduates this year. I know he's not a real punter, but missing FG's is not okay. The 45 yarder he missed hurt. His punts were pathetic. A walk-on could do better.
How does OSU only have 1 punter on the roster going into this season? Doesn't that sound strange? WTF was Riley thinking? Serna is horrible, and he is costing the team. Kyle Loomis is looking like he won't have many friends in Oregon anytime soon.
The new Special Teams coach for Oregon State is a donkey. Here are some videos he should buy so he can learn the basics again....check out Joe Avezzano's in particular.
Jake at Building the Dam is making excuses for Sean Canfield who is actually Junior in terms of spring and fall practices. Sean should have learned from Anderson and Moore, but didn't.
Jason Prothro is using mental fortitude to deal with the Beavers football team. He also makes some interesting points about the real status of the Beaver football program, and how we should have realistic expectations. I heard a lot of excuses in his argument, but to each their own. Jason asks this question: "Do all the 5-6 and 7-5 seasons make the 10 or 11 win seasons that much better?"
Answer: No. I expect 9-11 wins a year. 5-6 is a losing season is unacceptable. Just what are we exactly trying to teach these kids in college anyway? FYI- corporate america doesn't tolerate losing efforts.
The Beavers have everything they need to be a contender every year. All BS about the "small town" and "location" and etc, etc. It makes me want to puke. OSU's facilities are top notch, and OSU is a good school, and it's in the Pac-10. There is no excuse for this program not to be able to build on last year's success.
UCLA has made some adjustments on offense. It's called the screen play. They also are using misdirection. Bottomline is that the OSU defense is really badass.
If Canfield can make some plays, and the WR's catch the ball, OSU could win.
Sammie Stroughter is out of the game with a bruised kidney. I think he is cursed this year.
The WR's look weak without Sammie.
OSU's defense is outstanding. The front four, whoever they are at any given point in time, is ferocious. 3 sacks in the 1st Qtr alone.
Sean Canfield is retarded. If anyone who attends classes with Sean can attest to his intelligence, please feel free to comment. He has 2 INT's already.
Bernard is running UCLA ragged. He has 62 yards already.
If Canfield can't get it together the Beavers could lose.......then again OSU's defense could win it for them too. Al Avalava scored on a fumble return already.
Date: Saturday, September 29 Kickoff: 3:41 p.m. Site: Corvallis, Oregon Stadium: Reser Stadium (45,674) Series: UCLA 38-13-4 Television: FSN and Fox College Sports Television Replay: FCS (Midnight Sunday)/FSN 1:30 a.m. Sunday Television Crew: Barry Tompkins, Petros Papadakis, Jim Watson Radio: Beaver Sports Network (osubeavers.com) Radio Crew: Mike Parker, Jim Wilson, Todd Mansfield, Ron Callan, Steve Preece Radio Broadcast: 4 hours prior on KEJO (1240 AM) 3.5 hours prior on AM 860 KPAM 2 hours prior on the entire Network XM Radio: Pac-10 Channels 193-195 Spanish Radio: Churchill Media’s LaX Network Spanish Crew: Juan De Dios Andrade, Javier Cervantes Livestats: www.osubeavers.com
Sounds like there was improvement on the Offense, but continued setbacks. Both Matt Moore and Derek Anderson threw tons of picks and they worked out eventually. The picks are a drag, but are growing pains. Getting Bernard back on track was a good sign. Not sure if the Line played well or is Bernard made the difference. Stroughter looks like he is heating up for another huge year.
My biggest concern is the DB's getting beat deep (64/43/48 yard tds). If we don't hold them we have to take more chances (Pass) and put us in a position to fail. Not sure about QB pressure, but 4 sacks are good.
This week should be interesting. Ben Olson needs to be pressured and hit. Sounds terrible, but he is coming off a headache/concussion week off. Their back up is the biggest scrub in the world that has never thrown a pass (Yes, worse than Moevao!). He handed off every play that he was in last week after their other "starter" was knocked out. Their Defense is good but not great. UW over threw pass after pass and still was in the game. If we can have 2 or less turnovers and maybe cause one on our end this game should not be as tough as everyone thinks it will be.
#1- Sean Canfield should not have split time this past spring with Lyle Moevao. His lack of reps is his biggest problem. I think he has the physical tools, but his decision making is pitiful. A lot of those skills are developed by position coaches in the film room watching tons of reps. The only way to train quick thinking is reps...I blame Riley on this. The sad fact is that it's hard for a QB to get out of INT rut once they are in it. John Canzano at the Oregonian agrees with me. He also thinks Riley was severely "out-coached" by Erickson. I agree.
#2- The offense is actually pretty good. There were obvious break downs in the ASU game, but 98% were from the QB. The WR, RB's, TE's, and OL did a "winnable" job.
#3- OSU's defense has a really strong rotating front four. The LB's are ok. Where is Derrick Doggett BTW? The DB's are average and can be burned deep. Which is considered a cardinal sin for DB's. They should never get beat deep. Rudy Carpenter threw 4 TD's that were 25 yds or more.
#4- It's going to be a long season.
Interesting Factoid: OSU has had more passes intercepted (13) than any Div. 1-A team in the country.
Links: Click Here for Visual Stats on the next blood bath- OSU vs. UCLA
