Beaver Fever

Early Thoughts On Civil War

    With the Civil War less than a week away, the tension is building to a climax.  Not that it hasn’t already as both teams, especially the Beavers, have looked forward to this rematch since the Ducks blew out the Beavers 65-38 in Corvallis last year.  Both teams have similar make-ups as they each have terrific leadership at the quarterback position and talented young running backs from the state of Texas.  Besides a Rose Bowl berth, there are quite a few other storylines riding in this game.

Sean Canfield vs. Jeremiah Masoli for 1^st team Pac-10: With a 70.3% completion percentage, Canfield has shattered the school record and ranks as one of the nation’s most efficient passers.  He also leads the conference in passing yards (2,797), and touchdowns (19).  Masoli on the other hand, is one of the nation’s top dual-threat quarterbacks.  Masoli has only thrown for 14 touchdowns and 1,865 yards, but has rushed for over 600 yards and 12 touchdowns.  Whoever plays better should lead his team to victory, as well as claiming 1^st team Pac-10 honors.    

Who will join Toby Gerhart as 1^st team running back?  There are two spots for running backs on the 1^st team Pac-10, and Heisman candidate Toby Gerhart already has one locked up.  Sophomore sensation Jacquizz Rodgers and freshman speedster LaMichael James will compete for the other spot.  James has rushed for 1,310 yards and 11 touchdowns.  He averages a whopping 6.9 yards per carry.  Rodgers is the workhorse for the Beavers and has scored 20 total touchdowns on the year.  Rodgers has run for 1,313 yards, but also has caught 67 balls for 436 yards. 

Damola Adeniji returns home: The senior walk-on grew up a Duck fan in Eugene and attended South Eugene high school.  He has emerged as the Beavers’ second best receiver and has caught 47 passes 672 yards and four touchdowns.  Adeniji has more catches and yards than any Duck.  His strong senior season has earned some NFL interest.  This is his first time playing meaningful minutes against the Ducks and it would be great if he could stick it to his home town team. 

The statistical battle: The Beavers’ have the conference’s best passing attack.  The Ducks’ have the conference’s best rushing attack.  Matching up with the Beavers’ aerial assault is a stout Duck’s pass defense that was ranked as the Pac-10’s top pass defense until last week.  Likewise, the Beavers’ counter the Ducks’ running game with a run defense rated as the conferences’ best.  Both offenses are pretty similar as the Beavers’ average 422 yards a game while the Ducks average 418 yards per game.  Each team’s defense gives up 22 points a game.  Although the Ducks have turned the ball over 19 times, their aggressive defense has forced 24 turnovers this season.  The Beavers lead the Pac-10 in giveaways with only eight, but have only twelve takeaways.  As you can see, these teams are quite identical on paper.

The Beavers will need to do two things in this game: Hold on to the ball, and keep Jeremiah Masoli contained.  In the Beavers’ three losses this season, they have turned it over four times.  Four may not seem like a big number, but they only have eight turnovers on the season.  The Beaver defensive line will have to play superior to the Ducks’ offensive line.  Pressuring, and containing Jeremiah Masoli’s running is the key to success against the Oregon offense.  If the Beavers’ can force Masoli to actually throw the ball downfield, Masoli will become anxious and try to fit the ball into tight spots. 

The Beavers defense has stopped the run against spread offenses so far this year, but has faced nothing like the Ducks’ rushing attack.  Last year the Beavers’ came into the Civil War with a banged up quarterback, without Jacquizz Rodgers, and emotionally and physically worn down from multiple games that went down to the wire.  This year they have enjoyed the conference’s two worst teams and a bye in the weeks approaching the Civil War.  This team is healthy, rested and playing well; and is very dangerous. 

Beavers Keep Composure In Cal Victory

Remember when Oregon State fans (including myself) called for the replacement of Sean Canfield?  Well those days are behind as Canfield continued his stellar play.  Not only is Canfield leading the chase for first-team Pac-10 honors, but he has engineered a potent Beaver offense leading the team’s push for another Pac-10 title.  The Beavers are out game out of first place, and although they certainly don’t control their own destiny, they are in position to make a push granted how unpredictable the Pac-10 continues to be. The Beavers’ win was somewhat tarnished by the concussion to Cal running back Jahvid Best, as he has taken off in a stretcher with an oxygen mask, but even before the injury to the preseason Heisman hopeful, the Beavers’ defense was holding the Cal offense in-check. 

For the fourth consecutive season, the Beavers are now bowl eligible.  They have also won five straight games at Berkley.  Mike Riley’s bunch did many things right on Saturday. 

·  The California defense keyed on Jacquizz Rodgers.  He was held to only 67 yards rushing and 30 yards receiving, although he did have nine catches. He averaged less than three yards per touch.  The California defensive front is talented, and there were linebackers and safeties waiting to meet Quizz early as the Golden Bears loaded the box with eight and nine guys.  The offensive line had a tough time picking up blocks, and getting a good push.  The byproduct of Cal’s strategy was the 342 passing yards they gave up to Sean Canfield.  Canfield has never looked as confident as he did today.  The Beavers also seem to be expanding the passing playbook.  The one interception Canfield threw was on a fake screen to James Rodgers, and Canfield didnt put enough air under the ball for the intended receiver Aaron Nichols.  Although the result wasn’t good, it was nice to see the new plays and diversity in the play-calling. 

·  Joe Halahuni and Damola Adeniji combined for more yards receiving than the Rodgers brothers accomplished rushing and receiving (215-208).  Adeniji made up for his poor performance against UCLA with some terrific catches on the sideline.  Halahuni had another monster performance as he hauled in six catches for 128 yards.  He burned the Cal safeties on corner and post routes, and then showed off his running ability by shaking off three or four defenders to gain a first down on a big 3^rd and eleven.  He can do it all. He has great hands, the ability to get open, and the quickness to pick up yards after the catch.  Jordan Bishop also got into the mix as he caught his first career touchdown.

·  The defense had their best game of the season.  The duo of Jahvid Best and Shane Vereen came into the game averaging just under 140 yards rushing per game.  The Beavs held this duo to only 38 yards on 14 carries.  The defensive line pressured Cal quarterback Kevin Riley constantly, and Mark Banker called good blitz packages that helped confuse the Cal offensive line.  The pass defense was also stellar, only yielding 200 yards while forcing an interception.  In total, the Beavers only surrendered 239 total yards while gaining 436 yards of offense.   

·  Kevin Riley, an Oregon native, just can’t win against the Beavers.  He now falls to 0-3 in his career.  Riley will always be remembered for his freshman year when he failed to run out of bounds and stop the clock as the then #2 ranked Bears were upset by the Beavers. 

·  Numerous Beavers reported Cal players had messaged them this week to talk trash about the upcoming game.  Obviously this happens a lot, but more so by the Golden Bears.  This just makes the win even sweeter and the Bears’ loss more bitter.  The Beavers were very focused and dominated this game. 

Overall, this was the Beavers’ most complete effort of the season.  They played four strong quarters and the offense, defense, and special teams were solid.  The Beavs are again in position to play in a strong bowl game, and are getting better every game.  They now wrap up their home schedule next week with Washington, a team that has beaten USC, but lost to UCLA.  If the good Washington team shows up the Beavers could be in for quite a battle. It will be a good test.    

Two Things To Know That Will Make You The Most Educated At Tailgates

As the Beavers get ready for their final quarter of the season, the Pac-10 race is wide open.  Mike Riley has his team in position to make a run, again. 

• We all remember the dreadful 65-38 Civil War beatdown that crushed the Beavers' Rose Bowl hopes,and his year could be no different.  Except it would be the Beavers doing the beating.  If Oregon and Oregon State win all their games prior to the Civil War, which is a medium-sized if, then the Ducks would be leading the Rose Bowl chase.  The Beavers would be 8-3, and 6-2 in conference play, just like the Ducks were last season.  The Ducks would also be coming off a big win at Arizona, just like the Beavers did in 08.  Wouldn't that be a great ending for Beaver fans?
• The AP reported that since Cal's overtime upset of USC 34-31 in 2003, the Golden Bears are a combined 0-7 against the Trojans and Beavers at home.  In their other 32 home contests, they are undefeated.  This bodes well as Arizona travels to Berkeley this week, and a Wildcat loss would really help the Beavers.   

Beavers Almost Let One Get Away

To all Oregon State fans, an illegal participation is a fancy way to state that there were twelve men on the field.  This came after the Beavers had stopped the Bruins and forced a punt.  With the 2^nd chance Kevin Prince drove his team down the field as they tied the score with two minutes to play.  Luckily Sean Canfield and the Beavers’ had enough time to right the ship as James Rodgers scored on an end-around to give the Beavers a 26-19 victory.  Although barely beating a winless team in Pac-10 is not a performance to hang your hat on, there were certainly some positives:

·  As expected, the Rodgers brothers shouldered the offensive load.  They combined for 140 yards rushing and 198 yards receiving.  James had a rushing touchdown while Heisman candidate Quizz tried his hand at throwing the ball which resulted in a touchdown. What can’t this guy do?

·  For the third consecutive game the Beaver offense piled up over 450 yards of total offense.  They are ranked 35^th in the nation in total offense.  The Pac-10 leader in total offense is Arizona, but the Wildcats are only averaging 445 yards per game.  If the Beavers keep this up, they will have one of the nation’s best offenses. 

·  Sean Canfield is playing out of this mind.  In the last three games, he is averaging over 300 yards passing with four touchdowns and no interceptions.  He has only four interceptions on the season.  He is a major reason why the Beavers rank second in the nation in turnovers with five. 

·  Again the one knock on the offense is the consistent struggles in the red zone.  Just like against USC, the Beavers had way more scoring chances.  Technically the Beavers scored six times, to the Bruins three.  Kahut also missed another field goal.  These are precious points the Beavs are leaving on the field.  The main reasons for these red zone struggles are lack of execution, but also predictability in the play-calling.  On third downs the Beavers’ do two things, give the ball to Jacquizz on a slow-developing run play.  These are good plays to break big gains on, but not ideal for third and short situations.  Then on third and long situations the Beavers line up in a five receiver look.  I like the five-receiver set, but each receiver runs a hook/slant route designed to just pick up the first down.  Opposing defenses are beginning to figure this out as evidenced by the Beavers’ horrific 2-11 3^rd down conversion rate. 

·  The run defense rebounded well from the USC.  They were stellar and gave up less than two yards per carry.  They also sacked Kevin Prince three times in the first half.  The line did a great job getting a push throughout the game, but when they didn’t Kevin Prince tore-up the OSU secondary.  In the first half the UCLA tight ends, full backs, and slot receivers took advantage of the mismatches with Beaver linebackers and safeties.  In the second half, 6-foot, 5-inch target Nelson Rosario came to life, hauling in six balls for 152 yards.  His biggest catch was a circus reception over James Dockery; Dockery had great coverage as Nelson out-jumped him by an inch.  Nelson did the rest of his work on Tim Clark and during the last minute of the game. 

·  Although UCLA had two big receivers playing well, Tim Clark had a bad game and was replaced at times by Brandon Hardin.  Clark is small and not very strong.  On top of this the senior is often caught out of position and usually never knows where the ball is. 

·  For most of the game the Beavers played a man defense.  This style is very tough to force interceptions because none of the players can see the ball.  As the game wore on the Beavers played man defense, but used the two safeties, Cameron Collins and Lance Mitchell, to play back in a zone defense.  This was also ineffective.  Going to a defense where all of secondary can actually see the quarterback would greatly benefit this inexperienced group. 

· Damola Adeniji had three catches for 39 yards but dropped at least three passes.  Some of these were on crucial third downs.  Aaron Nichols even replaced Adeniji at times. 

The Beavers survived the Bruins, and a win is a win.  They now travel to Berkley to play the California Golden Bears.  Playing a ranked opponent on the road is also big, and this game will have serious implications as to where the Beavs will finish in the Pac-10 standings. 

Beavers Face Crossroads After Coliseum Shootout

After San Jose State lost their opener 56-3 to USC, head coach Dick Tomey remarked that USC had the most talented offensive line he had ever seen.  Tomey has traveled the nation and has been a figure in the college football landscape, as well as in the NFL. The point is, Tomey knows a talented offensive line when he sees one.  The Trojan line has many future NFL-draft picks, and they showed why as they piled up 227 yards on just 33 carries.  It was the first time any Beaver opponent has had success rushing, and boy did it come at a bad time. 

Mike Riley’s team outplayed the Trojans; the Beavers could have, and should have won this game.  They just made too many costly mistakes.  For the second straight game, the Beavs’ had an excellent offensive gameplan totaling 482 total yards on one of the nation’s most talented defenses.  Usually scoring 36 points is enough to win, but even with the 36 points, there was much room for improvement. 

The Beavers’ lone turnover, James Rodgers’s first career fumble, proved costly as the Trojans scored three plays later.  There were numerous holding penalties that nullified gains.  The main concern was the ability (or lack thereof) to finish drives.  To put this into perspective, USC had five scoring drives (their 6^th touchdown was a punt return) to the Beavers’ eight attempted scoring drives (the Justin Kahut missed field goal is included).  The Trojans scored touchdowns on each of these drives while the Beavers had four touchdowns and settled for four field goals.  Now two of these field goals were from long range, but on other two (including the missed field goal) the Beavers had penetrated the red zone.  If you only net three points on two red zone attempts and the final outcome is 42-36, the Beavers’ definitely left points on the table. 

Here’s my take on what transpired Saturday night:

· Besides Quarterback, a strong defensive line might just be the most important position in college football.  Although Ben Terry was getting a good pass rush, the Beaver defensive line was weak and porous.  The mammoth Trojan linemen pushed them backwards at will.  Matt Barkley had more than enough time to complete passes. 

· Keaton Kristick might lead the team in tackles and be the defensive leader, but his roughing the passer call in the 2^nd quarter certainly didn’t demonstrate these qualities.  He came close to roughing Barkley a few other times.  Roughing the passer is one of the easiest penalties to not commit because it involves complete common sense. 

· Sean Canfield played out of his mind.  It was by far the best game of his career.  He was composed, confident, and his cannon of an arm threw precisely accurate passes.  He has been so positive this season and he should have a great finish to his career.    

· Joe Halahuni had his coming out party catching nine balls for a game-high 127 yards.  The sophomore tight end did a terrific job catching, as well as picking up yards after the catch.  He does not mind working the middle, a trait quarterbacks love.

· Damola Adeniji had another strong game hauling in five passes for 81 yards.  The one knock on Adeniji was his blocking, as he was flagged for several holding calls and did not block anyone on a few plays. 

· Jacquizz Rodgers was a warrior playing on a sprained ankle.  He actually averaged more yards per carry this year than he did last year.  When Quizz did miss the second quarter with the ankle injury Jovan Stevenson and Ryan McCants filled in admirably.  Although Stevenson dropped a potential touchdown, each back had a good run.  Obviously Quizz is the workhorse of this team, but having a good insurance plan in place certainly helps. 

· James Dockery recorded his first career interception and was the main reason for another (although it was called back on Kristick’s penalty).  His combination of size, strength, and speed has really helped the Beaver secondary. 

· USC’s two passing touchdowns were on corner routes ran by a tight end or slot receiver.  This is always an area of concern because Beaver linebackers and safeties cannot play man-to-man coverage, they need some help.  Defensive coordinator Mark Banker’s defensive schemes again fall into the discussion of questionable play-calling. 

The Beavers’ season has come to a crossroad.  The strong performance against the Trojans is inspiring.  This team has a strong chance to win out the rest of the season, but with a 4-3 record and without a dominant defense, just becoming bowl-eligible could become a hassle.  The offense no doubt needs to keep up its stellar play to give this team any shot at winning games such as at California, and at Oregon.  This team is still very young, and has made remarkable improvement weekly.  Can they continue these gains?  The answer will determine which road the Beavers take. 

Beavers Trample Cardinal

When Stanford receiver Chris Owusu dropped an easy touchdown on the game’s first play from scrimmage it signaled that it was the Beavers’ day.  After the Beavers’ opening drive stalled, a roughing the passer penalty on the Cardinal rejuvenated the possession.  Just a few plays later, Jacquizz Rodgers scored the first of his four touchdowns.  Although Sean Canfield flirted with 300 yards passing, it was Quizz’s day as he rushed for a career-high 189 yards, a career-high four touchdowns, and recorded the longest run of his career (61 yards).  Oh by the way, he had 82 yards receiving which is also a career high.  The entire Beaver offense was hitting on all cylinders, as they piled up 363 yards and 31 points in the first half.  As the game went on the defense failed to stop the Cardinal’s attack, but had dug deep of a hole to overcome.  The Beavers now have a 4-2 record and are 2-1 in the Pac-10.  They have a bye week Saturday which will give them extra time to prepare for a trip to USC.  Here are my thoughts on what played out Saturday at Reser stadium. 

• Coming into the Arizona State game, the Beaver defense was allowing third-down conversions 43% of the time (22-51).  In the last two games they have limited their opponents to an 18% conversion rate (5-27).  The defense is figuring out how to finish possessions, mainly because there has been a pass rush.  Although they only had one sack, Andrew Luck was forced to scramble or get rid of the ball earlier than wanted.  Luck did have success running on them and with quarterbacks such as Jake Locker and Jeremiah Masoli looming on the schedule, they might want to figure out a way to contain the opposing quarterback. 

• The run defense is solid.  We are now half-way into the season and the Beavs are yet to allow a hundred-yard rusher.  For the most part, Toby Gerhart was held in check with his longest run coming on the second play of game (only 16 yards).  After the Beavers opened the season with primarily passing teams, the run defense is now proving they are one of the Pac-10’s best. 

• The secondary struggled.  Although Luck completed only 40 % of his passes, most of his incompletions were due to a combination of Luck’s inaccuracy and a solid pass rush.  Stanford receivers always had a step on the Beaver defensive backs.  It was also puzzling to see just how often Stanford receivers got behind the coverage, especially when the Cardinal were way behind and airing it out.  It would also be nice to force a few turnovers.    

• Jacquizz Rodgers looked more explosive and bounced off more tacklers than usual.  He was clearly motivated to succeed and did just that.  He was still used as a security blanket in the passing game, but it was on swing passes and he caught the ball in more open areas allowing him to gain more yards. 

• The offensive line played their best game of the season.  Aside from the few times Stanford sacked Canfield, the line usually got a good push up front and had the Cardinal defense on their heels the entire game.  There was only one real concern with the run blocking: Jacquizz Rodgers had great success on outside runs and counters, but when he ran up the middle the lanes were hard to be found. 

• Sean Canfield has his third turnover free game of the year.  He also threw for 290 yards and showed off a strong and accurate arm.  He did not look as comfortable in the pocket as he did last week, but he was still composed.  The one knock on Canfield was he locked on to his receivers and sometimes failed to recognize an open man.  Overall it was a solid performance.  Canfield is quietly second in the conference in passing yards per game.  

• The vaunted wildcat formation made its debut and was an instant success as Jacquizz Rodgers took the direct snap 61 yards.  They lined up in this formation a few other times, but did not break any other big plays.  This creates another weapon opponents will have to gameplan for, and gives the Beavs one of the Pac-10’s most potent offenses.  The question remains on how much will the Beavers utilize this formation, and how creative will they get. 

• The wildcat formation was just part of the great game plan, especially offensively, that Mike Riley and his staff constructed.  The Stanford defense was clearly not ready for the Beavers’ offensive attack. 

Overall it was the Beavers’ best performance of the season.  The offense is off to the races while the defense is continually improving.  They are gaining confidence and experience and it should culminate when they travel to Los Angeles and take on the Men of Troy.  Once again the Beavers are in position to have a great season. 

Stanford Preview: Beavers Eat Trees

On opening day last season the Beavers unexpectedly witnessed the Toby Gerhart breakout party.  His 147-yard, two touchdown performance not only led the Cardinal to a win, but spring-boarded Gerhart to over 1,100 yards and fifteen touchdowns in 2008.  The 235 pound Gerhart has picked up right where he left off, averaging 130 yards per game.  His 650 total rushing yards lead the nation.  Gerhart’s play is a big reason why the Cardinal are 4-1 and a road win away from a top 25 ranking.  Head coach Jim Harbaugh has quickly transformed this former Pac-10 doormat into the conference’s most physical team.

    The Beavers got extra helpings of Gerhart last season, but this season they will look for revenge.  The Cardinal boast a Pac-10 best 3-0 conference record and the Beavers should have their hands full on Saturday.

Three keys to victory:

1.)    Control Toby Gerhart- Among others, redshirt freshman quarterback Andrew Luck has helped contribute to a rushing attack ranked twelfth nationally at over 200 yards per game.  Gerhart is the heart of soul of the Cardinal’s offensive attack.  The Beaver defense certainly remembers last season, which will add to their motivation of stopping Gerhart.  The Cardinal are 4-0 when Gerhart carries over twenty times and gains over one hundred yards, but their lone loss came when Gerhart totaled only 82 yards on 17 carries.  It was also the only game he has been held without a touchdown. 

2.)    Establish a rushing game- The Cardinal are ranked in the top 40 nationally in run defense.  Jacquizz Rodgers needs to end his three game drought of no one hundred-yard rushing performances.  In the last two games, Quizz has a total of only 33 carries.  Establishing Quizz is the top priority on offense.  Last season he had 37 carries in the win over USC, 31 carries a triumph over Arizona State, and 27 when they knocked off California.  Not only is he only two touchdowns away from his 2008 total (11, he already has 9), but he has increased his yards per carry average from 4.8 to 5.3. 

3.)    Pressure Andrew Luck- The Beaver defensive lineman finally decided to join the 09 season and it couldn’t have been better timing.  Now they get to face an offensive line that can actually block.  The defensive linemen have communicated their excitement of facing a physical team and their desire to meet the challenge.  Luck has only thrown a mere 103 passes this season, but has been incredibly efficient with only two interceptions.  Luck has the wheels to scramble, which has to be accounted for.  Nevertheless, pressuring a freshman making only his third road start will reap benefits. 

Key players:

Oregon State

# 5 Sean Canfield- The Cardinal pass defense is not bad, but nothing special.  They give up 210 yards per game, and have only three interceptions on the season.  Sean Canfield should be able to exploit their secondary.  He has throw four picks in his last three games; he needs to be turnover free against Stanford.  He will especially need to watch out for senior safety Bo McNally. McNally is one the top safeties in the conference.  The Beavers have thrown the ball quite a bit this season, as Canfield leads the conference in completions per game, and is tied for the conference lead in touchdowns with seven.    

# 32 Keaton Kristick- The senior ranks 2^nd in the Pac-10 in tackles.  He has been invaluable to the Beaver defense, and will be even more important in stopping Gerhart.  When Gerhart normally meets the linebackers, he uses his power to bull right over them.  It’s Kristick’s job to prevent this.   

Stanford

# 12 Andrew Luck- While the focus is on both running backs, the quarterback play should decide the outcome of this game.  Washington State and Wake Forest are not known for having the most ruckus crowds, so this should be the first time the freshman Luck plays in a hostile environment.  So far, Luck has not had to do much, but he has been very efficient.  The Beavs will force him to go to the air early and often.

# 22 Bo McNally- Last year he had a pick-six against the Beavers.  He is a terrific leader on defense and is incredibly smart.  He led the Cardinal in tackles last season, and is having a solid senior campaign.  He plays the run and the pass well and will be a disruptive force. 

Notes: James Dockery leads the conference in pass broken up; Lance Mitchell is tied for second… James Rodgers leads the conference in receiving yards at 93 a game and Damola Adeniji ranks 7^th at 56 yards per game… James also leads the conference in all-purpose yards, younger brother Jacquizz is second.  The Rodgers brothers rank one and two in receptions per game…Even after three games without hitting the one hundred yard mark, Quizz still ranks 20^th nationally in rushing…Sean Canfield leads the conference in completion percentage.  Stanford sophomore receiver Chris Owusu leads the nation in kick returning.  He averages 55 yards per return and has three touchdowns on the year.   

    With the exception of Washington, the Cardinal are yet to play a strong offense.  The Beavers will create some problems they have not had to deal this year.  The two deciding factors in this game will be the beavers’ ability to control Gerhart and how well they can move the ball.  If they can’t control Gerhart, don’t expect this game to be close.  Once again, it will be another great test for the young Beavers.    

 

Beavers End Drought In Tempe

With the Beavers’ 28-17 over the offensively inept Sun Devils, Mike Riley’s crew ended a forty-year losing streak in Tempe, and also eluded a 2-3 start, which would have been the fourth time in as many seasons.  The game was sloppily-played with frequent penalties, dropped balls, and turnovers.  A win is a win, and this was the Beavers’ best performance of the season.  Here are some thoughts on the game:

· James Rodgers is developing into not only the conference’s best all-purpose receiver, but is competing for the honors of “top pass-catcher”.  In the last three games he has 29 catches for 323 yards.  Mike Riley has really figured how to use the 5’ 7” Rodgers.  Aside from the screens and quick routes Rodgers runs, he is becoming an effective deep threat.  On the touchdown he caught on Saturday, he snuck behind the defense on a play-action pass.  It was a great play call.

· Damola Adeniji is also emerging as a big-time receiver.  In the last three games he has 15 receptions for 208 yards and two touchdowns.  His size has made him a terrific target and he has snagged some remarkable catches along the sideline.  He also was used as a goal line threat as he caught a one yard fade/jump ball route.  In ten years of following the Beavers, this was the first time I had ever seen them run this route.  Many teams do this, and with the addition of Adeniji’s 6’ 3” frame, the Beavers add to the list. 

· The Beaver defense again surrendered many yards through the air, but holding Danny Sullivan to only 335 yards on 58 attempts is a success.  The reason is because Sullivan averaged 5.8 yards per attempt, which is extremely low.  He also threw an interception and faced a strong pass rush. 

· Youth sparked the Beavers’ defense.  Freshman Taylor Henry recorded the only sack, and sophomore Brandon Hardin had an interception.  Hardin, who is mainly known for his crushing blows on special teams, is one of the nation’s biggest corner backs (6’ 2”, 210).  Not only does he have size, but speed as well.  He replaced senior Tim Clark, who was thought to be one of the defensive leaders, but was having coverage issues.  Hardin has good instincts and is just barely getting experience.  Sophomore Lance Mitchell also had a good game with numerous pass deflections. 

· Although James Dockery had multiple pass interference penalties and was beaten a few times, he had another good game and delivered the game’s best hit.  If a team plays man-to-man defense and the opponent throws almost 60 times, then giving up a few catches is typical.  Dockery is also above average in size, and has shown good skills locating the ball, which is unique to Beaver corners.

· The Arizona State offensive line is not particularly strong, actually very weak, nonetheless the Beavers FINALLY had a pass rush.  They only recorded one sack, but constantly pressured Sullivan and forced him to get rid of the ball early.  The run defense was also stellar.  Matt LaGrone was especially disruptive, but everyone played well.  Also, Stephen Paea returned to his 2008 form and showed his tremendous potential.

· This year’s version of the Beavers does seem to have a very close team unity.  Closer than most years.  This is partially due to team bonding, a lot of youth and not much of a mix of older and younger players, and no direct team leader.  Last year, the team rallied around Sammie Stroughter.  When they needed a big play, he came up with it.  The Rodgers brothers are great, but they have not stepped up to take the spiritual leadership like Stroughter did.  Sean Canfield is a quiet leader, what the Beaver’s need is a loud, assertive leader.  I’m not calling for Moevao, if Canfield could assume this duty it would be great. Someone has to though.

· Arizona had great success with this, and Arizona State did too.  Because of the Beavers’ man defense strategy, opponents are lining up three receivers to one side and isolating the other for a run or a screen pass to the running back. 

The Beavers needed this win, and have momentarily got their season back on track. They host Pac-10 leader Stanford next week and they will have to come out strong again.

Recapping Another Ugly Home Loss

Hello, its captain obvious speaking: Its Moevao’s turn!  After another uninspiring performance by Sean Canfield, the leadership and motivational skills of Moevao are needed.  Now don’t misread, Sean Canfield did not lose to Arizona, the entire Oregon State team did.  Also, if there was blame to be placed on any one individual, it would probably fall on safety Suaesi Tuimaunei, who frequently missed tackles and gift-wrapped the Wildcats’ last touchdown.  Getting back to Canfield, his three hundred yards passing, two touchdowns and 65% completion percentage were all positives. Still, his two interceptions and failure get rid of the ball before being sacked will be how his performance is remembered.  To Canfield’s credit, he ran and lowered his head into Arizona defenders to pick up fourth downs numerous times. He was passionate and demonstrated a desire to win, but did not convert in key times, and the players did not respond to him as they have done to Moevao’s spirited leadership.  Also, Moevao plays faster.  Moevao uses the pocket better and does not hang onto the ball.  Not only does the speed of Moevao’s play result in fewer sacks, but it should rub off on the other ten Beavers on the field and inspire them to play faster.  After two poor performances, Moevao deserves a shot to rejuvenate the Beavers’ attack.  

    Although benching Canfield would mean a lot, it is not the answer.  The answer is when will the defensive line join us this season? Next week? November? 2010? After four games they have managed a measly one sack.  Saturday was billed as their first test against a running team, and they even caught a break as Arizona had to resort to using third-string back Greg Nwoko. Despite that fact, they still failed and gave up 134 yards and two touchdowns.  Once the defensive line shows any sign of life, we can then turn to other areas of concern.

    Every fan in Reser stadium watched the defensive line get blasted, now a few other thoughts on what transpired:

· Defensive coordinator Mark Banker needs to switch up his coverage’s.  It seems that every year Banker’s defensive is criticized for his secondary getting burned and his defensive backs not even knowing where the ball was.  While that may have been the case, at the end of day his defense got the job done.  They forced turnovers and ranked near the top of the Pac-10 in yards surrendered.  This year the Beaver’s are still getting burned, but fail to force turnovers, and have given up an average of 400 yards a game (last year they gave up 312 a game).  Arizona’s bread and butter passing play was a bubble screen to the slot receiver, while the other receiver blocked.  Arizona ran this play at least ten times, and gained at least five yards just about every time, because no Beaver defender ever lined up close enough to the slot receiver.  As the game wore on every fan in the stadium anticipated the counter of this play, in which the other receiver would fake the block and go deep.  When Arizona went to this wrinkle, Suaesi Tuimaunei bit hard as Nick Foles hit a wide open Terrell Turner for a touchdown.  Tuimaunei has given up most of the passing touchdowns this season. 

· To account for the defensive line’s lack of a pass rush, blitzing linebackers were normal.  The added pressure was to no avail as a Pop Warner 5^th grader could have figured out where they were coming from.  When the line backers blitzed, it was neither creative, nor disguised as they met an Arizona lineman every time.  All the blitz did was help Arizona receivers get open, which they did frequently.       

· James Dockery was the lone bright spot on defense.  Early on he was burned and gave up the first touchdown, but as the game went on, he was tested many times on deep fade routes and every time he broke up the pass.  In fact he should have had an interception, which is a rarity for Beaver cornerbacks.

· The coaching staff has no confidence in their offensive line.  While the defensive line has been atrocious, the offensive line hasn’t been much better.  Whenever the Beavers needed a yard or two, it was a pass or a play fake of some sort.  They never ran straight up the middle.  They also passed a lot of first downs, and very rarely committed to the run game.  When they did run the ball consecutive times, it resulted in good drives.

· One sign of not running enough is when you’re starting running back, one of the nation’s premier players, nearly has more catches (13), than carries (16). 

· The Beaver offense is full of athletes.  There is a lot of youth, but there is a lot of talent and depth.  A result of this is displayed in the abundance of Beaver formations.  Never before has Mike Riley used this much shotgun, bunch formations, as well as the use of Will Darkins at full back.  Usually the Beavers primarily use a single back with three receivers and a tight end, or two receivers and two tight ends.  Due to all these new sets, the playbook has become considerably larger.  The Beavers are yet to blend these formations together, and it looks as if they are in a separate offense whenever they switch formations.  This makes it easy for opposing defenses to pick up on the schemes.

· Special teams play certainly did not help the Beavers.  Beaver returners passed up fair catching the ball and gaining field position at the fifteen or twenty yard line two times in the fourth quarter.  Instead they let it bounce and had to start out of their own end zone.  The shanked punt and kickoff out of bounds made matters worse. 

· Damola Adeniji had a great game and is a big reliable target.  He and James Rodgers account for a talented duo at the receiving position.

Overall it was a weak performance which produced a lot of worry about the how well the remainder of the season will go.  The good news is that this team has been in this position the last three years.  The bad news is that it is not a good spot to be in.  The team is young and inexperienced; the athletes are there to make it a successful campaign, but currently that is in doubt.   

Beavers Look To Bounce Back In Pac-10 Opener

    After three non-conference games Pac-10 play begins and the Beavers officially begin their quest for the Pac-10 title.   After a disappointing loss to 14^th-ranked Cincinnati exposed many holes in the Beaver’s attack, Mike Riley’s team will look to rebound against an Arizona team which is also licking its wounds.  The Wildcats dropped a 27-17 decision at Iowa last Saturday.

    Sophomore Matt Scott, who started out the year as the Wildcats’ starting quarterback, has been benched due to his inefficiency (one touchdown and three interceptions in three games).  Michigan State transfer Nick Foles now takes the reins.  While Scott accounted for 170 yards with his legs, Foles is strictly a drop back passer (6’ 5”/235 lbs.).  The offensive gameplan will be altered to accommodate Foles’ abilities, but only slightly.  This is a running team that ranks 8^th nationally in yards per game.  Scott helped in this department, but they will still commit to the ground game with running backs Nic Grigsby and Keola Antolin.  Another reason why Foles will rarely throw is because tight end Rob Gronkowski is out for the season with a strained back.  Various sporting outlets named Gronkowski to their all-American teams.   

    Arizona’s commitment to the run goes against the usual schemes of offensive coordinator Sonny Dykes. Dykes is one of the father’s of the spread passing attack, and became famous during his tenure at Texas Tech for almost never running the ball.  Iowa forced Arizona to pass and Scott failed miserably.  If Foles has greater success, Dykes’s most balanced offense is in the making. 

    Head coach Mike Stoops, is a defensive guy.  He was the defensive coordinator for his Brother Bob’s team at Oklahoma, and his Arizona teams have almost always had success defending the Beavers.  Senior corner back Devin Ross is one of the conference’s best and looks to redeem himself after his poor coverage cost his team the game last season.  Ross’s partner, sophomore Trevin Wade, led the team in interceptions last season and returned an interception 38 yards for a touchdown last week.        

Key Players:

# 77 Michael Philipp , # 50 Mike Remmers and the rest of the Beaver offensive line-  The offensive line has surrendered ten sacks this season, and the running lanes for Jacquizz have been few and far between.  Philipp and Remmers anchor each side of the line, and will each be facing an experienced defensive end.  They cannot allow the Wildcats to pressure Sean Canfield.  Canfield has been incredibly slow at realizing the pass rush and needs as much time as possible.

# 1 Jacquizz Rodgers- Last year he hurt his shoulder against this team which ended his season.  Quizz is seeking revenge for not just the injury, but his lackluster performance last week against Cincinnati.  He has been battling an ankle injury, which may have impacted his agility against the Bearcats.  He needs to be 100%, and get over 100 yards if the Beavers want to come out victorious.

# 54 Stephen Paea- Over the summer, the colossal amount of weight Paea squats (over 700 lbs.), and benches (over 500 lbs.) became highly publicized and lofty expectations were set for the defensive tackle.  So far, Paea has had zero impact this year and will be counted on heavily to clog the running lanes of Grigsby and Antolin.  Paea will also strive to pressure Foles as the Beavers only have one sack on the season.  Paea should have a busy day.

# 8 Nick Foles- If the offensive line can create holes for the two backs, Foles’s day will be easy.  But when and if the Wildcats need to pass, Foles will need to produce.  It will also be interesting to see how Foles handles the pressure of making his first start in a hostile environment.

# 5 Nic Grigsby-The junior speedster already has over 400 yards rushing and is averaging an eye-popping 8.2 yards per carry.  He is one of the most underrated backs in the country.   He only had eleven carries against Iowa; keeping the ball out of his hands would benefit the Beavs greatly.

# 42 Brooks Reed- We have already discussed the two playmakers in the Arizona secondary, now add the junior defensive end who had eight sacks last season.  While the Oregon State line is struggling, Reed hopes to take advantage of their blunders.  Blocking Reed and the rest of the Arizona defensive line would open up both the pass and run game. 

The Beaver’s have only lost to Arizona once in the last ten years.  While the Beaver’s have holes to fill, so do the Wildcats.  The key factor in deciding the outcome is how Nick Foles reacts to the Reser stadium atmosphere.  The second is how well the Beavers’ offensive and defensive lines play. 

The Beavers should stop the running game, although it will be the first time they are tested.  Foles will make too many mistakes and the Beavers will be locked in and focused to redeem themselves.  Beavers win 24-10.

Looking Back On An Ugly Loss

    A warm sunny night in Corvallis was tarnished by an ugly loss to Cincinnati, which ended a 26-game home winning streak against non-conference opponents.  The mood was quite depressing.  As it should be, but the threat of an undefeated season was the only thing washed down the drain by the loss to the Bearcats.  Yes, the loss was their first non-conference loss at home since Montana, and yes, Giovanni Bernard the highly touted running back who was in attendance may decrease interest.  But the Beaver’s sustained no major injuries. Also, Bernard will not base his decision on strictly this game.  The Beavers were exposed in many areas, but this should help the coaching staff and team learn and mature quicker.  If not for a questionable fumble, they nearly beat a very good and composed Cincinnati team, while playing a terrible game.    

    While we can spend as much time as we like trying to plan ahead and be optimistic, the Beavers have many areas of concern.  Often their youth and inexperience were on display.

· The Beavers blew it.  On Cincinnati’s first three possessions, the Beavs forced a three and out every time and gained good field position on each punt.  Yet they only came up with only 6 points.  It was such a great start, scoring 10, or 14 would have been huge for the team’s morale.

· Whoever was responsible for calling the plays on offense needs a reminder that using Jacquizz Rodgers on 2^nd and short is usually a good idea, and doing a double play-action pass or a tight end screen usually is not.  I was at the game and I saw the offensive line struggle to block anyone, but the Beaver’s never established, or even tried to establish a running game.  They got way too “cute.” They overused play action passes, fly sweeps, screens, and draws.  To have a successful play-action pass, you need to have a run game that the defense respects so they bite on the fake.  James Rodgers carried the ball eleven times, mostly on the exact same fly sweep play.  The Bearcats had it successfully figured out by about the 5^th or 6^th time. 

· Jacquizz Rodgers came in listed as questionable, and didn’t look 100%.  The first reason is that Canfield chose not to throw to him as much, and usually Canfield overuses Quizz in the passing game.  Something wasn’t right.  Secondly, on the rare occasion when Quizz did run the ball, the success was minimal.  He averaged 3.7 yards a carry compared to his 6-7 yard average.  The offensive line was pathetic, but maybe the ankle of Quizz had a hand in the running game’s inefficiency.

· Getting back to James, he had eleven catches too.  He dropped a potential touchdown, and failed to even think about cutting up the field when running his fly sweep. Still, he was a bright spot. 

· Another bright spot at times, was the trio of cornerbacks James Dockery, Patrick Henderson, and Tim Clark.  Two or three times Bearcat receivers had them burned but each time Tony Pike failed to connect with them.  While they did give up a large amount of curls and under routes, they routinely covered the deep fades well.  This is worth nothing, because I can’t remember the last time they covered the fade route well.   Shockingly Tim Clark, or any other Beaver defensive back, did not commit pass inference.  With the expection of the second quarter the Bearcats were limited to just under 200 total yards of offense.

· Tony Pike attempted 49 passes and amassed 332 yards passing.  Giving up so many yards is tough, but when a team throws that much, yielding that amount is normal.  Forcing another pick or two would have been much better. That’s how you shut down a team that throws it nearly every play.  Pike is good and the Beavers will not see a better pocket passer this year.

· But the key to forcing turnovers is creating pressure, and the Beaver’s pass rush was as infrequent as ranked non-conference opponents visits to Corvallis.  The pass rush was better than the first two games though.

· Sean Canfield is not a big fan of pressure, nor does he seem to realize it exists.  Yes, the line caved in and Canfield was sacked five times, but he failed to notice until he was already on the turf.  Is Lyle Moevao healthy?  Besides having better leadership qualities and a will to win, Moevao plays fast and has good pocket presence.  Canfield is a step behind the overall speed of the game, and goes through his progressions at a snail’s pace.

· The Beavers committed seven penalties. They were mainly mental mistakes which included, a bad roughing the passer call, and an ineligible man down field, which discarded a big pass play.  While each team amassed the penalties, James Rodgers was horse collared at least five times.  He is so small, but strong, and defenders resort to horse collaring (a 15-yard penalty) in an attempt to tackle him.  His size makes him unique, but the same rules apply. Future defenders should be penalized.     

· After a questionable fumble ruling, in which the runner was declared down, the Beaver defense failed to focus and allowed the Bearcats to pick up a long 3^rd and 14 and keep the drive alive.  They lost focus and if they did not worry about the ref’s decision they would have been able to get the ball back anyways. 

Overall, it was an effort that lacked team motivation.  Both lines need a lot of work, and so does Canfield.  Hopefully Jacquizz will be 100% for the Pac-10 opener.  Arizona will be the first team that favors the run instead of the pass, and it should be a nice change-up for the Beaver secondary.  Although a strong running game will add pressure on the defensive line.  The Beavers always rebound well and improve as the season wears on.  Saturday’s game showed where they need to improve, and now the Beavers can focus and get better.