ASU Post Game Tag Team with CV3000: Whoomp, There it is!

VD Special, CV3000 and a mystery guest team up to bring you the finest amateur bull(nonsense) analysis in Beaver Nation.  Read on as they break down the  HISTORIC DEVASTATION Oregon State perpetrated on ASU with superfluous bullet points....and tell you what to think about the game, because they can:

First of all, a huge shout out to Justin Kahut.  If you're a Justin Kahut hater: slow your roll, son.  The Beavers could not have won the game without his huge leg.  Yes, he may have missed the last kick, but what about the snap?  What about the call to kick it in the first place when the best player in the Pac-10 happens to be your running back?

• Wait, wait, wait--we're not making any waves.  Riley wants to kick it?  Right decision.  Riley wants to go for it?  Also correct.  Mike Riley is the man.  At that point in the game, ASU hadn't crossed the goal on offense and Rudy Carpenter only had about 150 passing yards.  The only way ASU was able to contain OSU's overwhelming pressure was through advanced holding technology.  Kicking was the right call.  Either decision would have been fine, but the one that was made was the right call to invest in the future of this team because, guess what?  The Beavers are built for the long haul, baby!  Justin Kahut will be needed to kick some more game changing field goals in his career. 
  
• The defense.  We have a good one.  They played well. Nearly half of ASU's rushing yards came from one  busted play--and the Beavs kept 'em out of the goal on that drive.  We sacked Rudy Carpenter 5 times and held him to 217 yards passing. 
  
• Rudy Carpenter will finish his career as one of the most prolific passers in Pac-10 history and is likely to end up behind only 1 of the several Heisman winning quarterbacks this conference has produced.  The Beavs kept his offense out of the endzone until 0:21 was left on the game clock--not bad.
• All the same, thank God Rudy is graduating this year. 
  
• The 2008 defense has only one known weakness: they're susceptible to giving up passing plays when the defensive backs are in coverage for more than 4 seconds in obvious passing situations....just like, uh, every other team at every level of football.  As much as I like this team, it's pretty clear that the pass rush is not quite as potent as 2007 when the Beavers were 10th in the nation in sacks. 
  
• This slight downturn in the pass rush is directly contributing to some of the more efficient drives we've seen put together by opposing quarterbacks when their teams were behind late in the game and forced to pass due to OSU's overwhelming awesomeness at scoring points and stopping them from scoring points.  But, remember who those quarterbacks were: Brian Johnson, Mark Sanchez,  and Rudy Carpenter--experienced Senior quarterbacks on teams with good or great receivers.  OSU has only one remaining opponent with a quarterback of that caliber whose team is similarly equipped to come back from a late deficit: Arizona's Willie Tuitama.    
  
• Speaking of quarterbacks of Samoan heritage with badass receivers: let's squash any sentimental thoughts right now- there is NO quarterback controversy.   Lyle is the Moevao.  Er, the man.  Lyle is the man.
  
• I'm not going to take anything away from Canfield; he played well and did exactly what he needed to do to win.  Not only that, he outdueled one of the best quarterbacks in conference history.  It was freaking sweet.  I would know.  I was there. 
  
• But it is nothing that Moevao wouldn't have done, and Lyle is still the leader of the team.  This game gave us a chance to be reminded of the key difference between Lyle and Sean: Lyle makes much quicker decisions and gets the ball out in a hurry--Sean takes his sweet time.  Lyle's style is a huge advantage for the offensive line, since they don't have to block as long on each play--this is also why people say that it appears that the team plays harder for Lyle than Sean...and it's why the team leads the conference in fewest sacks allowed, and why Lyle leads the conference in passing.
  
• After the game, a mystery guest overheard Lyle saying that he "would have gone back in if he had to, but he didn't want to be selfish and make it about him when it was all about Sean helping the team."  No idea if he was shrugging off a more serious injury, but that's what was heard by the mystery guest.  We'll find out after the MRI. 
  
• Also, let's just be happy that we have a proven, capable backup QB with a winning record and NFL potential for the first time in program history in case something serious should ever happen to Lyle. But I swear to Benny, if any of we Beaver fans try to start an 11th hour Presidential campaign for Sean Canfield, I am personally going to track you down, tie you up, and make you watch the uncalled block in the back against Noah Happe on Keenan Howry's punt return "touchdown" in the 2001 Civil War for 24 straight hours--continuous loop. 
  
• As long as we're on this Canfield lovefest, he sure did a hell of a job pitching relief in the Emerald Bowl.  Let's all be thankful that he toughed it out with his bum wing that day.  Heck, I think Sean can win all the remaining games this year--that's how talented and productive the skill players are on this team. 
  
• Yet again, the Pac 10 refs show why they are the laughing stock of the nation. Not only did they not flag ASU for their beligerent late hit on Jacquizz that started the fight between the teams (they flagged OSU for the fight, and ASU for the hit), but the blown call when Quizz broke out of the pile, just as he as done game after game, and they called him down. Anyone who watched the game or saw the replay on the board saw that it wasn't even close. NOT EVEN CLOSE. So instead of having a 1st goal from inside the 6, which we surely would have punched in for a TD, we had a 2nd and whatever and ended up having to settle for a field goal. Had they not blown him down, and we scored a TD, it would have completely put the game out of reach.  Look, they're not out to get anyone, but they're generally of limited competence...especially Gordon Reese, no offense.  Verle Sorgen, eat my shorts. 
  
• James had a SWEET crackback block on the outside run play where Jacquizz was hit out of bounds.  Also, career high in receiving! 
  
• Shane, Sammie, James; in the words of Randy Moss: straight cash, homey!
• Tavita was solid and played most of the game.  Welcome back, sir.  We missed you.  We're glad you don't play nice.  Show those NFL scouts you don't play nice, and we'll all get along.   
• Quizz elevated his already LEGENDARY status.  Before ASU, he had a case for First Team All Pac-10, but with his 4th game of more than 175 yards from scrimmage Quizz has to be the favorite for National Freshmen of the Year and one of only 2 players in the discussion for Pac-10 Player of the Year!! 133 yards on 30 carries, 55 yards on 5 catches, and he just finds holes and moves piles. I can't believe this kid is going to be on the scene for what is likely the entire 4 years (but, maybe not considering his historic productivity--this will be an interesting discussion as time goes on). The play that was mentioned above was incredible. He kept his feet moving, pushed the pile, then somehow managed to get break free. It's too bad he won't get the credit for that extra 15-20 yards, but we all saw what a stud he is and I bet he's even more fun for the rest of the nation to watch on TV.  Since all of Oregon State's games are actually on TV.
  

If we were going to have a flat-feeling game and lose the turnover battle against a team that was playing its best game in a month, thank goodness it was against Arizona State. The schedule doesn't get any easier from here, and we need to perform our best at each stop.  We didn't look like a team poised for the Rose Bowl this weekend, but sometimes these kind of games are a good point of reference for a team on a mission. The boys showed they could handle some adversity and to put together those kind of drives in the 2nd half really shows that this team might have that special something that we're going to need the 2nd half of the year.

Go Beavs!