It's do or die for the Beavers

The ramifications of this game are huge for the Beavers. Win and the team builds confidence. Lose and this season is going to be more brutal than it already is. 

If the Beavers win they can gather momentum for a tough ASU game away. Winning by 10 or 1 doesn't matter. Even if they lose by a point, it won't help the situation. 

There are no moral victories.  The Beavers need to win. 

Good news- James Rogers and joe Halahuni are supposed to play. I have no idea how healthy he really is,  but even at 90% of where he was before will be helpful. 

I am predicting an OSU victory, something in my gut tells me the Beavers will rally. Somehow. 

UCLA usually doesn't like playing in Corvallis. See below:



Kickoff is at 12:30 PDT. Unfortunately it won't start raining until the evening tomorrow. I am looking for help from all sources these days.......

Beaver Phil's take on the UCLA game

There are many observations one can make about the Beaver/Bruin game but one sticks out to me.

We can't stop the spread/pistol/revolver or whatever they want to call it. Other than the UW 2OT loss we have been abused by the spread QB and it's running game. Brehaut looked like Andy Dalton and Kellen Moore. He is not that good. We can defend the pro set ok and that will help the next few weeks. The Civil War might be ugly.

Really disappointed with the personal fouls. Dwight Roberson hit Brehaut out of bounds on a 3rd and goal after he ran out of bounds on what would have been 4th down. Two plays later they tied the game. Early in the 4th quarter The late hit by Mike Remmers after a 7 yard first down run by Quizz really hurt. We had momentum after the Dockery pick and that made it 2nd and 18. With 48 seconds left they gave Remmers "Diamond in the Rough" status as a team leader. Not tonight. One play makes a difference. I LOVE Dwight, but both of those guys should know better.

The offense big not make mistakes but did not help themselves. Quizz needed more carries and yards.

Don't care about the last play when they put time on the clock. It was a good call. What I do have a problem with is UCLA getting an extra second on the second to last play. Giving them 4 vs. 3 seconds means the game would have gone to OT.

This game was not decided by the last two plays. We let a marginal team beat us.

Our bowl eligibility is in question with the loss. We should handle WSU next week but that gives us 5 wins. Need to beat USC, Stanford or the Ducks. Should squeak one of those out but don't like to have to.

Go Beavs.

Leadership

The Beavers are facing their first losing season in awhile. This loss to UCLA really hurts. There are many problems for the Beavers to overcome. I don't think there is a major coaching problem unless you are talking about recruiting.

A commenter here brought this subject up- and I thought it deserved it's own post. It's clear there is a field leadership problem at OSU. There just aren't enough players who qualify to be called a leader- even Quizz. Quizz doesn't seem to have the "Brett Favre" personality traits to be a real leader on offense, plus he is stoppable. Katz is getting by, not throwing INT's, but missing tons of open WR's and big plays. Giving Katz a title as leader is not fitting right now.

Leaders tend to dominate whenever they are on the field. Occasionally they get stopped or beat, but 90% of the time they kick ass. They also have supreme self confidence because they deliver the goods-consistently.

You can't assign a leadership title to someone who doesn't make plays against any level of competition consistently. The Beavers do not have a player who I would consider really dominant. Quizz is good, but he is starting to remind me of Yvenson Bernard. Paea is not the guy either. None of the defensive players look the part this year.

Here are some general guidelines for being a leader:

1)you should be a recruited player- not a walk-on- Mike Hass is the only exception
2)you should dominate the opposition consistently- even against the top 25 teams
3)you have to be able to be enthusiastic but not a spaz
4)you have to be able to motivate your teammates
5)you have to walk the walk/talk the talk

Just with those guidelines I don't see anyone fitting that description on the Beavers. Maybe James Rogers when he was healthy. But he's out and the Beavers don't have a replacement.

Heartbreaking loss

OSU lost to UCLA tonight 17-14 on a last second 51 yd FG. There is no point in my mind for analyzing the details of this game. It had huge ramifications for OSU's season.

At this point, OSU will be lucky to breakeven this year. A bowl is a long shot. OSU will not beat all 4 of it's remaining opponents. USC, Stanford, Oregon are likely losses.

So how did scheduling TCU and BSU work out for the Beav's this year? Was it worth it? Maybe the Beav's could've been 6-2 instead of 4-4.

Losing James Rogers has turned into a really big deal, the lack of defensive stars is also glaring.

I am not a blogger interested in ripping on Riley or the rest of the coaching staff. OSU's players played hard tonight. They've played hard all year- which I am proud of.

Why I am proud of OSU these days....

I am happy that today's OSU FB program looks nothing like the program I played for- these guys are competitive nowadays, most of all the academic record is getting better. Strangely, OSU tends to take fringe qualifiers every recruiting season but they still have turned out some great scholar athletes lately. Football only lasts so long, academics pave the way for long term opportunities. Below is an excerpt from osubeavers.com for this week's game against UCLA-which is a must win game BTW.

ACADEMICALLY SPEAKING: Every Oregon State senior will graduate (or already has) this academic year. The following players have already graduated; TE Brady Camp (sociology/master's program), OT Timi Oshinowo (engineering/master's program) and TE John Reese (communications/master's program). Fall graduates include LB Keo Camat (liberal studies), CB James Dockery (business), OL Nathan Hannah (exercise and sport science), DE Mitchel Hunt (economics), PK Justin Kahut (engineering), C Alex Linnenkohl (business), OL Wilder McAndrews (pharmacy), DE Gabe Miller (engineering), WR Aaron Nichols (pharmacy), DT Brennan Olander (anthropology), DT Stephen Paea (sociology), OL Ryan Pohl (engineering), LB Dwight Roberson (liberal studies), WR James Rodgers (communications), S Suaesi Tuimaunei (sociology), LB Walker Vave (ethnic studies). Winter term graduates include DT Evan Hull (communications) and LB Keith Pankey (geology). Nichols and McAndrews have been accepted into OSU's Doctor of Pharmacy Program - only 10 percent of the applicants are admitted.

Beaver's Offense delivers at the end

(AP Photo/Greg Wahl-Stephens)

If you have any doubts that Sean Canfield has matured into a great QB, you are nuts. With 2 minutes left he directed a drive to win the game against UCLA. His game tight.

The Beavers won 26-19.

The Rodgers brothers are unreal. They are all about production and consistency. Mike Riley (and all us Beaver fans) are lucky to to have these kids.

If it wasn't for OSU's offense, our team would be 1-7. Maybe.

The defense is lacking "star" players, and by stars I don't mean Deion Sanders, I mean playmakers. Don't get me wrong the defense made some plays, but for the most part they were took to the cleaners. Giving up 4th quarter points is a deadly sin for any defense.

I think youth is the biggest problem on defense. Kristick is a knucklehead and he is a team captain.

Honorable mention kudo's-

Justin Kahut- he can kick the long balls easy, short ones are still an issue

Hekker is crushing it.

Kavanaugh is finally returning some punts.

The O-Line did not make any catastrophic mistakes.

Adenji is still making catches every week.

TE's produced 1 TD for the second week in a row.

Team Stats
	UCLA	ORST
First Downs	20	23
Third Down Efficiency	5-15	2-11
Fourth Down Efficiency	1-1	0-0
Plays-Net Yards	63-374	70-463
Rushes-Yds	29-51	35-144
Passing Yds	323	319
Kick Return Yds	114	90
Punt Return Yds	5	32
Passes	22-34-0	26-35-0
Punts	7-260	4-178
Fumbles-Lost	4-0	0-0
Penalties-Yds	2-11	10-78
Time of Poss.	28:3	31:57

Beavers bash the Bruins 34-6

Quizz rushed 31 times for 144 yds and 1 TD

(Photo Source: ESPN/AP)

Congrats to the OSU Beavers for spanking the UCLA Bruins today!

Canfield managed to overcome a weak first half to make some decent passes. James and Quizz Rogers are the real deal. They are both play makers. Ryan McCants is a great running back too. He and Quizz are a great combination of different styles. OSU is stacked in the backfield. Sammie played a great game again too.

The TE's are still not a part of OSU's offense like it was the prior two years.

The O-line is awesome.

OSU's defense only allowed 48 yards rushing today. 48. Wow.

The DB's made plays and came up with 3 picks.

OSU's defense has proved they are one of the best squads in the country. OSU reloaded on defense this year. The rebuilding happened in the first 4 games. These guys have gelled and they are good. They are confident. They are ballers.

Cal lost to USC tonight in a very physical game. Cal is going to be a very tough opponent next Saturday.

One game at a time.

UCLA loses two OL and a DL because of Weed

Apparently they were caught using drugs. I doubt they were sniffing blow, had to be the weed.

There was a D-lineman busted too. Good news for OSU's offense.

UCLA helps the Beaver cause

UCLA beat Stanford today in a pretty sloppy game 24-23. This puts the Beavers in a better position to make a run for the Pac-10 title.

But of course, they have to beat UW today.....

Comments the day after

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.

Phil's UCLA vs OSU Game Analysis

I am not sure where to start. I am just finished watching the game and these are my first gut thoughts.

Where was the Offense?

Where was Sammie?

Where was the Run Defense?

Now I know why Lawson only plays special teams.

Sat with two overly cordial Bruins. It was apparant that they are not good. I just did not know that we were that much worse.

I am not sure we will recover. Mike might need to tighten up the resume.
P

Embarrassment

40- 14.

This loss is not going to sit well with the Beaver Nation.

The Beaver's will be lucky to win 2 more games this year with arguably the best defense in the Pac-10.

That is pathetic.

14-6 Halftime

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.

1st Qtr Report - UCLA vs OSU

14-0 OSU leads.

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.

Listen to the game here

OSU vs. UCLA game info

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

Special Programming

Riley Press Conference: FSN NW/FCS -- Sept. 26 (2:30 p.m.) -- osubeavers.com every Tuesday

Beaver Sports Talk: Every Tuesday 7-8 p.m.

(osubeavers.com/Beaver Radio Net.)

Beavers All-Access: FSN NW- Sept. 27 (2 & 5 p.m.). Replays on FCS

Joe Beaver Show: Daily (Noon-2 p.m.) -- KEJO (1240 AM)

Riley in the A.M. Every Mon. (8:08 a.m) -- KPAM 860

Read More

Phil's UCLA vs. OSU Prediction

From Phil:

I was never able to see the ASU game.

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.

Prediction:

OSU 28 - UCLA 24 (Net one Turnover)

UCLA 48 - OSU 10 (Dipshit throws 5 more picks)