A new chapter

Gary Anderson is the new coach of Oregon State. Yes, the former head coach of Wisconsin. 

This week has been huge for the Beavers, new facilities and a new head coach. 

I did not see Riley's exit or BDC's score with Anderson coming. I am in a daze with it all. 

Recruiting should go from a question mark to huge opportunity now. We will recruit ballers.

Gameday Behind the Scenes - Oregon State defeats #6 ASU

7 Games left

The Beavers need to win 3 more games in order to get to a bowl, let's look at the remaining games and make a prediction.

Utah

This will be a tough game. Utah always brings the effort. They have a backup QB replacing their starter, but they play tough physical football. They beat a pretty good UCLA team last week.

Prediction- OSU +3






Stanford

Stanford is not as good defensively as they were last year. That said, they still have a lot of good athletes and are well coached. If Stanford is .500 club by this game, it will only help.

Prediction- Stanford +3







Cal

Cal is a crazy team, completely unbalanced. They are similar to Colorado. But better. The defense and running game for OSU will need to make the difference.

Prediction- OSU +6







Wash St

Another offensive happy team. They put up crazy numbers. Running game and defense for OSU will need to make the difference again. OSU special teams will need to step up.

Prediction- OSU +2



ASU

Arizona St is always tough, not sure OSU will have the mettle to win the game after two exhausting efforts against offensive juggernauts.

Prediction- ASU +7


UW

Washington is not a bad team and could give the Beavers fits. Their coach is outstanding, but depth is an issue.

Prediction- OSU +1







Oregon

The grand daddy game of them all. This will be a nail biter or it will be a blow out. I don't see how OSU can dominate this game. They can make it close and potentially win it at the end though. 

Prediction- OSU +1








Conclusion:

The common theme for OSU to be successful is having a strong running game coupled with good enough defense and special teams. Turnovers could kill the season. Mannion needs to show that the USC game was not defining his capabilities.

Utah upset UCLA

Utah is going to be a tough game for the Beavers. Defense and run game are going to be the difference. Mannion just needs to play turnover free. Riley's record on bye weeks is awesome. This should be a close match. I think OSU TE's are going to make a difference. Garrett is finally realizing that his TE's offer a distinct advantage against any defense given their size. It's not even fair. Time to start exploiting them.

USC loss sucked, Colorado was nice

Good to see the Beavers recover from a very lame game against USC.  Riley comments: Mannion comments:

The OSU MU.....on bikes

Pre Game pics from USC

I know the loss to USC stings, but OSU's players are really good kids. The pics are not mine, a friend was invited to join OSU for pre-game dinner Friday night. All the players and coaches where super friendly and gracious. I am so proud to be a Beaver and know that these players are representing the Beaver Nation. 

 

USC rattles Mannion

The only thing I can say about the loss to USC was that Mannion looked like a freshman. 

He stayed in school because the NFL forecasted him getting drafted in 3rd round or later. After Saturday's game, he''ll be lucky to get drafted in the 5th round. USC is not that good, even if they are good, a Senior QB with credentials should carve them up. This sucks because Sean is a good kid.

I am still optimistic about OSU's season, but I am kinda bummed that Mannion hurt himself. He is a good kid, dedicated to OSU's success. If character and heart meant something in the NFL, then he should be a 1st round pick. 

That said, I am not happy with Garrett's OC and QB work. Mannion should be prep'd better. Stress tested better. Pushed harder. His fundamentals should be tight. So should his mentality. Mannion should feel like he can conquer the world. Regardless of opponent. 

I wasn't happy about the hail mary, but the defense played hard. To the point that USC got dirty and went for the knee's of OSU's defensive lineman repeatedly. We lost 3 DL's in the game. 

Great day at OSU

OSU stomped SDSU Saturday. Best of all I got to hangout with my old teammates from the Kragthorpe era. Lot's of history, lots of fun memories. All the bad stuff passed away. It was one of the greatest weekends of my life. 

I am sorry for posting this......

Someone in Oregon State's administration approved this video.

Don't worry there is more pathetic jingoism out there....New Zealand got their ass kicked after this episode 98-71.....

Andrew Susac is balling for the SF Giants

Susac is a former Beaver who is lighting up the MLB. Folks in SF are talking about Buster Posey moving to first base because Susac has turned out to be such a stud. Here's an interview of Andrew in 2012(awesome)

Well....they sound like they know they need to improve

We will see how things go this Saturday at Hawaii. I expect a close game. OSU will improve on it's boneheaded mistakes from last week, how couldn't they? 

The TE's are going to be "Brandin Cooks" this year. The problem is that they seem soft. The potential for Hamlett and Smith looks like they could be Jimmy Graham clones. The only difference right now appears to be physical and mental. If I was going to scheme against them, I would tell my DE's and OLB's to hit them hard early and often. 

Riley's postgame interview:

Mannion's postgame interview:
Dylan Wynn's postgame interview:

Oregon St vs PSU comments

The third quarter was generous to the Beavers. They are leading 26-14. 

Mannion is a saint, his surrounding assets are sucking. The TE's are very soft. If they had game Mannion could feed them. 

Raw effort by the team is good, but they are playing stupid. Still very sloppy in all facets.

Oregon State 2nd Qtr comments vs Portland State

This is sooooo embarrassing. The score should be 35-0. It's 14-13 PSU.

The offense and defense are completely sloppy and unprepared. At one point Portland State had more penalty yards than offensive yards. I am not sure the Beavers can play worse. 

If the Beavers lose this game......I don't know what I will do.  

Bright spots are the TE's(minus the boneheaded penalties). The offense is going to have to center on them this year. The height difference they bring is awesome. The only weak part is that they all look soft, none look in incredible physical shape. They have good hands, and can move(although not fast). 

Mannion is playing down to his teammates. He needs to ignore their shortcomings and make other players look good.

RB's look okay. OL looks horrible unless in pass protection. None of the WR's look good. This is going to be a TE//RB oriented offense this year. 

The DL and LB's need to play smart and physical. They are not using their heads this game. 

Oregon State 1Q comments vs Portland State

OSU- 6

PSU- 0

Sloppy. In all facets. Oregon State should be destroying PSU. 5 penalties is pathetic. 

This is on the coaching staff. The kids don't look prepared.

The offensive plays and over all scheme look good. But the offensive line is inexperienced. Once they develop, it should be awesome. The running game looks solid.

Mannion looks great BTW. The defense is looking good. 

Top 10 Oregon State Football Highlights #2

Happy moments...

Small Ball

Oregon State released it's roster for the Portland St. game this week. 

Oregon Live has the list

My takeaway is that the defense looks small. DB's and LB's are 5'10" to 6'1".  Weights 178-230. 

Victor Bolden is also light. As well as his back ups. 

FYI- the Pac-12 is for big boys. Why OSU players are not beefing up is strange. 

Here comes the boom...

This happened during a Civil War game.....

Tom Holmes, OSU Football Player

With all the social media about the ALS ice bucket challenge, it's important to me to remember a great Oregon State football player who died of ALS too young. Tom Holmes played defensive tackle for Oregon State 1991-1995. I only got to know him in 1991, my senior year. He was one of the nicest players I've ever met. I am not saying that because of the hoopla with ALS, he was really the nicest ever. On the field, that was a different matter.

 

I am all for the ice bucket challenge. Anything to bring awareness to this horrible condition is worth it in my opinion.

PS- the deal with the challenge is that you either take a full ice bucket over the head or you donate $100 to ALS, aka Lou Gehrig's disease. Each video, post, etc to social media is worth $$, depending on reach, easily $100. This disease sucks. Make it go away in your own way. My family and friends did this......




To help wipe out this BS disease- Donate here

Funny highlight videos

Here is a couple of highlight videos set to funny music. I am not sure Depeche Mode or EMF have enough testosterone for today's players, but it is funny that these songs were used for football highlights back in the day.

Here's UW's highlight video from 1991 set to Depeche Mode-

Arizona used EMF's Unbelievable for their 1993 highlight film-

Top 10 Oregon State Football Highlights #3

Final plays of 2007 Civil War. Awesome....

Top 10 Oregon State Football Highlights #4

A great win in 2008, tee'd up a huge Civil War battle.

Top 10 Oregon State Football Highlights #5

This short but sweet video doesn't paint the full picture, but it's great. If you were watching this game, you remember how long it took for OSU to decide to go for two. This was a great game to watch.

Need some motivation OSU football players?

Top 10 Oregon State Football Highlights #6

Enjoy one of the biggest ass whuppin's against USC ever!

12 Days till Kickoff, issues loom

Source: Oregon Live

I've been checking on the Beavers pre-season camp and there seems to be a lot of injuries. Some from last year, some new ones. Many of the projected starters are banged up. 

This is not too unusual, pro teams suffer from this problem too. The issue with the Beavers is that it looks like the new generation of ballers are weak(or something).  I understand injuries due to crazy circumstance, but this fall seems like an all out bitch session. 

Injuries are a part of football. So is pain. At first glance, this year's team seems soft. The guys who are tough are injury free(sorta). There seems to be a lot of kids who are either out of shape or have low pain thresholds. This is not a good sign. The Beavers do not have depth. They have a lot of new kids on the block too. They need reps. 

Anything less than an ass-whipping against PSU is BS in IMHO. These kids need to step it up or this is going to be another lumpy long season.

Here is a link to an amazingly thorough analysis of the 2014 Beavers from SB Nation. 

Top 10 Oregon State Football Highlights #7

The key charactaristic of a good highlight film is emotional music, this ones pretty good....

Glaring issues for the Beavers this year

Mannion is going to have to carry the team this year. There are no two ways about it. The WR core is young and inexperienced. That's not a huge issue if Mannion is the real deal. The RB's and TE's are not pro caliber today. The defense is unproven. A lot of seniors have to step up. Thoughts?

Top 10 Oregon State Football Highlights #8

This highlight of the 2002 Civil War had arguably the most pro players in it.

On the road #2- Cal

Another video from last year's campaign...awesome

 Are you getting psyched for this season?

Top 10 Oregon State Football Highlights #9

This is a good video of a lot of past highlights. Great historical perspective IMHO.

Good Stuff

Yvenson Bernard is a GA with OSU this year, he was a great back for OSU and will definitely help a running attack that has sucked lately. Markus Wheaton is projected to have a breakout year for the Steelers in 2014. It's good to see ex-Beavers making it in the pro's. Markus was injured last year, but seems to have the skills to produce.

On the road for OSU football

An accurate video on the experience from last year.

Top 10 Oregon State Football Highlights #10

2006 Oregon State Football- Boom As a lead up to the season I am posting IMHO awesome OSU highlights I've found on YouTube. This might be the best OSU highlights reel ever to be honest. The music, hit sounds, excitement, are awesome. But I am starting this at #10, counting down to the first game this year.

Oregon State Dub Step

Enjoy your dub step people.....

I'm back

It's been awhile. I took a break for some time. Not much to post. Throughout the last few years of frustration, there have been so many great players that have played for the Beav's. A few years ago I was a lot more energetic about the Beavers outcome every season. Not so much anymore. While I would like National Championships or a least Pac-12 championships, I am more reasonable these days. The program needs improvements, but those don't come without money. So if you are an alum who reads this, put your money where your mouth is. The reality is that money moves programs, nothing else. Good coaches steward, Riley has done that. With limited resources, based on the alumni's contribution.

Brandin Cooks Oregon State Facility Tour