Finally, It's Headed in the Right Direction
by Jake Bertalotto on Oct 12, 2009 7:45 AM PDT
in Oregon State Football
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We all thought this would be the year that Mike Riley's team would buck the "slow start" trend, but here we are, six weeks into the season, and the Beavers are just now getting things headed in the right direction.
Bowl eligibility is almost certain now after back-to-back victories over Arizona State and Stanford, so that's not a big worry any more. There are probable victories left on the schedule with Washington coming to Reser and a late November trip to Washington State. Throw in UCLA at home and Cal on the road, and seven or eight wins doesn't seem out of the picture. And obviously, the big games left on the schedule are USC next week in Los Angeles, and Oregon on December 3 at Autzen.
We knew it heading into the season, but the Rodgers brothers are for real. They're freaks. But more importantly, I think what we're seeing here is an offensive line growing up before our eyes. There's no way to go back and replay the Cincinnati game or the Arizona game, but we're seeing Coach Cavanaugh's crew mature more and more each week. On Saturday Cav didn't have to do anywhere near the amount of chewing he did back on September 19, where he held the linemen out in the field at halftime to give them a piece of his mind before going into the locker room. And it was evident by Jacquizz Rodgers' production-- he had 239 yards in the last three weeks combined-- as Quizz racked up a career high 189 yards against the Cardinal. Take a look at his season so far:
Quizz's stats are a reflection of the progression of the offense. He fared well in the first two weeks against lesser opponents, but then once the level of competition ratcheted up, the offense struggled, and therefore Quizz struggled. It's now up to Oregon State to prove the the ASU win and the Stanford win weren't anomalies.
The Beavers now have twelve days to get ready for USC. The game is in Los Angeles, which means the Beavers won't be given much chance to pull off a victory. But given Mike Riley's recent history of out-coaching USC and his success after bye weeks, don't at least feel better about OSU's chances? Throw in the fact that the offense is clicking and the defense just had their best performance of the year, holding Toby Gerhart to under 100 yards, it could be an interesting four quarters in Los Angeles.
Your take?
--Jake (jake.buildingthedam@gmail.com)
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I really want to watch Saturday’s game again. Any word on a rebroadcast? I mean, it WAS on FSN, so the chance that they even were able to record a copy for themselves is pretty slim. What a lousy outfit they run.
Anyway, I thought that the line play was much, much better which was odd because these are probably the best lines OSU will face outside of USC this year. On O, holes were open and Canfield had a lot of time to make decisions. On D, Gerhardt was forced to turn his shoulders to the sideline and run outside on many places which is not the big man’s strength. Plugging the middle and even getting him for a loss a few times was big. Also, I loved the fact that the D kept him out of the endzone when it actually matter.
My only gripe about this game was that the second half was a little quiet on both sides of the ball and that the score was a little too close for comfort. I want to see four full quarters, that’s all.
Oh, and I love to see Quizz hit the long ball. Those runs were great. What a great all around game for that kid.
It was a little too close for comfort
But I still thought that the final score was closer than the game really was.
Hi, my name is Connor. Except over on ATQ where I am known as, "JConnor."
Nuff said
“People been talking bad about me in the papers, man,” Rodgers told reporters. “They say, ‘Quizz hasn’t rushed over 100 yards in three games,’ so I took that personal.”
http://collegefootball.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=1000394
-RVM
I was happy to see the kid reel off those yards on the ground AND through the air. Just a great football player, plain and simple.
Nuff said (Part 2)
"He’s one of, if not the best running backs we’ll face," Stanford safety Bo McNally said. "He’s a rare kind of guy. You don’t see guys that small who can bring it like he can."
-RVM
Even with how they have played of late and all the at Cal game is still a big one. Won’t probably have the same meaning as many of us thought it would for both teams, but will an important, and challenging, one for the Beavs.
-RVM
Cal MIGHT be back.
I see Cal as an overhyped team that was misdiagnosed as a great team when they simply have a great player (Best). All the same, I’m hoping the Beavs don’t turn their back on them because they still have the potential to be very dangerous at this point. They have nothing to lose, except maybe a trip to the Emerald Bowl.
Is Cal that much better than Stanford though?
Without all the hype now they are just a young qb and a great running back.
by HighSchoolQuarterback on Oct 12, 2009 12:30 PM PDT up reply actions
Personally I would say no
But it is at their place and that RB is a different type than we have faced so far this year in that he is VERY good and a VERY fast breakaway type.
I felt Stanford was dangerous and agree with ArbyOSU that Cal is still too, especially now that are under the radar screen. If all goes the way it is going now OSU will come in with the hype around them and Cal will be the underdog, and I would assume they would love to repay us for previous years.
That said I think OSU matches up very well against Cal now, I was much more worried about it earlier this season, but I think our D could totally control the game and it could be an easy win. It just should not be assumed it will be easy though.
-RVM
I wouldn’t be too concerned about playing at Cal. Oregon State has a good record against Cal in Berkley. Up until last year, there was a pretty consistent string of the away team winning the game.
--Dominic, Addicted to Quack
Autzen Stadium is where great teams go to die." - J. Brady McCullough, The Michigan Daily.
Hey Dom, Could you pass it on to jtlight and Matt Daddy that I’ll happily take a simple ban from AtQ? Thanks and hope to see you over here and around the PAC 10 SBN blogs!
I didn’t think I was, but I think I’m just tired of a few of the types over there. I mean, I’m technically in their house so I can take some smack, sure, OK. It’s just there’s some particularly unimaginative crap that I usually like retaliate against and apparently that hurt someone’s feelings to the point that he apparently told on me and I got some retarded warning.
Anyway, I’m going to make myself scarce because apparently they won’t kick me off and I can’t “un-select” AtQ.
Don’t get me wrong, I have a lot of respect for a lot of characters over there. Takimoto, Quinn/Buthol, JShufelt, Trumpetduck, Marinecorpsduck and a few others. It’s just proving to be too much of a challenge to deal with the others, which is a shame because of their high traffic and the fact that a lot of them like to talk about PAC 10 matters outside of Eugene and Corvallis, which can be worthwhile.
Well, bring us your extra traffic!
Yep about un-selecting it is annoying that you become locked into the blogs, but I think it is a technical deal where if you did it would be hell with the old comments and the comments linked to them. Don’t know if I’m making that all up or not, but that’s what I think is the main reason. Kind-of a cruel irony I guess (if I’m correct).
Playing with fire ArbyOSU, playing with fire…
-RVM
We just need more folks over here. The online community here hasn’t taken off quite yet, so if we can get more people posting with some regularity, desk jockeys like me could entertain themselves on their own side of the fence, ya dig?
I’m going to try to stay home (BtD) a little more. This last little tiff was just annoying and I don’t think I’ll run into those problems here.
Well, you could always post you know. I have an in with the manager, could get you on board pretty easy I bet.
-RVM
We’ll see. My plate is kind’ve full outside of work, grad school, drinking and sleeping. Maybe I’ll contribute as a guest. Perhaps I’ll start over with a new name and try to become best friends DONALDUCK over at AtQ. That guy is a regular chucklefest.
I’ll give it serious thought and appreciate the invite.
Yeah
It’d be nice if we got some more traffic over here. I try to spread the word as much as I can, but it doesn’t seem to really be helping.
Anyways, are community is still pretty good here. Arby, Jake, RVM, CloudyDays, VD, Ray, and Sangdorange. The thing is, we lose half of those guys once Football ends. If we had the same traffic we get in September through December it would be a lot better.
Just my opinion though.
Hi, my name is Connor. Except over on ATQ where I am known as, "JConnor."
I won't be going anywhere...
Checking for new content/comments 20-50 times a day keeps me from going crazy at work. :)
by sangdorange on Oct 13, 2009 4:43 PM PDT up reply actions 1 recs
Hey
I’ll be around as much as possible. I have to make a change in my ISP so it might be hit and miss, but I’m not going away. I’m not so much of a Beaver insider as I’d like to be, but you guys are increasing my knowledge daily. I’m a HUGE OSU fan, It’s just that we old guys are a little slower in picking up techno-savvy, if that makes any sense.
oh man I remember last year during the Cal game
when we were up by 6 points… EVERY TIME Best got the ball I held my breath, really was unsettling that entire game knowing that he could break a long run off at any time and give cal the lead
"Your best?!?!! Losers always whine about their best. Winners go home and &^%@ the prom queen"
He seems to have lost a little bit of his home run ability. After opening against Maryland with a long of 73 yards, Best went on to put up long runs of 30 against E. Wash., at Minnesota 33 yards, 11 yards against uo and 13 against USC.
If you look at his season stats, he’s also getting increasingly fewer carries each week, resulting in back to back performances of 55 and 47 yard performances against PAC 10 competition. The last time he was in the end zone was the last time Cal score a TD… almost a month ago at Minnesota.
Anyway, players like him eventually bust out of their slumps. Lets just hope its not at the expense of our young, but steadily improving, defense.
Fourth Quarter Safety?!
I forgot to mention this earlier, but did anyone else realize how badly the refs screwed the pooch on that call?! They completely missed the 2-points there and then didn’t even bother to review it. Riley must not have seen a good angle because from where I was that was a clear cut safety. When I watched it on TV it was even more evident.
Oh well. At least it’s not as bad as the ball that got skipped off the ground by Arizona and picked up by Washington for an “interception” on Saturday. Yikes.
Oh, I had a great view of that live and then on the big board!
Don’t get me going. We were on that endzone side in 121 and I can only think that they thought the ball wasn’t across the line, but on the replay it did look to me everything was down in the endzone.
I also wonder a bit about Riley and if it wasn’t totally clear cut if he didn’t want to seem too cut-throat about it all. You know not much time left and okay they are on the one anyway so let’s let the defense take care of it instead of playing coaching games with my bud across the way when I’m up 38 to 22. Just a wild guess on my part and personally 40 to 22 would be even better than 38 to 28, but I’ll take it nonetheless!
-RVM
With the safety, we're looking at possibly 47-22
I thought that he might be showing Harbaugh too much love by not pursuing that but still, you gotta take the points coach. I’m going to chalk it up to the fact that he doesn’t like whining and rarely challenges anything unless he absolutely needs to. Obviously, we didn’t “need” that safety. Would’ve loved the chance to get the ball back right there after scoring 2 though.
I'm trying not to think about it too much! Fingers in my ears, lalalalalalala
Yep, and yep. Still a great game though.
-RVM
With all due respect to our brainy buddies at Stanford, that game SHOULD have been a blow out. Riley eased up on the gas a little bit probably because Harbaugh’s son (intern on OSU staff) was begging, “Stop beating up on my dad!”
lalalalalalalala, what did you say something?
Yep, but it was Stanford so I can’t get too disappointed. I don’t know what the hell that tree is, but it is original and just strange enough, and their band has geeky balls trying to overplay our band! I just can’t get all that too pissed off at them.
But it still was a hell of a payback game for last year, and I was in a VERY good mood after leaving the stadium.
-RVM
The tree does a line of coke before every game. It’s obvious..
I support Takimoto in his effort to support Roger Kieschnick in his quest to becoming the best Kieschnick ever to play professional baseball.
by The VD Special on Oct 12, 2009 11:19 AM PDT up reply actions
if it was a UO frosh, it would have been a line of “toke”, not coke
--Dominic, Addicted to Quack
Autzen Stadium is where great teams go to die." - J. Brady McCullough, The Michigan Daily.
That would of been a good one.
Hi, my name is Connor. Except over on ATQ where I am known as, "JConnor."
USC
Great game vs. Stanford. Solid or exceptional in all phases of the game. Too bad we don’t play SC this weekend because that kind of rhythm is hard to turn on after a week layoff. Let’s hope SC is so focused on ND that they think they will cruise at home.
I think we need to shut down the run and force Barkley to throw… a lot. That and get a special teams score would be sweet.
"Orange isn't the only color in the world....but it should be. -TIG
The key is going to be that DL of ours
If they can’t get sacks they need to get after Barkley like they did Sullivan at ASU. He needs to be hit hard and often. Beat him up and it most likely will hinder his ability to make a good calculated decision on who to throw to and when. Like ASU, it’ll take pressure off of our corners and most likely cause him to lock into one guy, just as Sullivan did.
This’ll be a big one.
They got after Luck too. No sacks, but they forced him to scramble on a couple plays, which is a hell of a lot better than watching Tony Pike pick apart our DBs
I support Takimoto in his effort to support Roger Kieschnick in his quest to becoming the best Kieschnick ever to play professional baseball.
by The VD Special on Oct 12, 2009 11:47 AM PDT up reply actions
Not only did Pike have a lot of time but he also happens to be the best passing QB we'll see this year.
Pike will be a very rich man one day. I think he projects nicely as a pro.
Totally
I will say yes he had a lot of time at times, but he also had a good deal to do with that. I know, I know that the DL and DBs weren’t playing their best game and have improved, but still he was VERY good back in that pocket and also could run when needed. We actually played him pretty well, they only scored 28 which wasn’t that horrible.
Our offense shows up like it has the last couple games and let’s say the defense still plays at that level we actually saw against Cincy, we will that game I think.
-RVM
DBs
Made some awesome plays in the game, got lucky on that first deep throw but after that the combo of pressure and DB play really looked good I thought.
Seemed like it was broken assignments on the TEs that really hurt us, at least seemed that way to me. Thoughts?
-RVM
As far as the passing game goes, I think Stanford was forced to go underneath on short plays to RBs and TEs. I think that the stanford game plan, defensively, was predicated on stopping the North-South running game of Gerhardt and keeping the trees from stretching the field with their deep passing game.
Collins stretching out to break up that late touchdown was great—what an athletic play. All in all, I like where the defense is headed. I just want to see the LBs and D-linemen getting to the QB when he still has the ball—when it REALLY counts. Love the hurry-ups and the hit-upon-releases though.
That Collins deflection was the play of the game, in my opinion
I support Takimoto in his effort to support Roger Kieschnick in his quest to becoming the best Kieschnick ever to play professional baseball.
by The VD Special on Oct 12, 2009 12:10 PM PDT up reply actions
Yes, that kind-of what I saw too, and agree about step it up even more on the QBs. We’ll need this against SC, Cal, and UO. Cal just because that is very much the weak link (man, I thought they would have the QB shored up finally) and get him rattled and stop Best they will be in deep doo-doo; and with SC and UO because that could be a possible weak link but at the least don’t want their QBs feeling good and comfortable back there.
-RVM
Although a home game
The beavs can’t overlook UW. Something tells me it could be a trap game. It seems that whatever SC is lacking this season so far, has taken up residence in Seattle. I think Sarkesian was more of USC’s program than Carroll gave him credit for.
As noted above, I worry about everything
And yes I totally agree and the UW is another one to take seriously. I think if the Beavs are on like this Stanford game they should be able to take the Huskies without a lot of issues, but UW seems to be a team this year that will take advantage of being off on either side of the ball.
Basically, I’ll cover my bases and say the Beavs can’t overlook anyone here on out, yes even the trip to Pullman, I really believe it is about making a serious run at the Pac again this year.
-RVM
UW would be a bad one to overlook for sure.
I don’t buy all of the UW hype but clearly they are more capable than years past. With the SC and Arizona wins, I can only wonder if they’re out of luck and good football, both of which have been in short supply for about a decade now.
Anyway, I give OSU the nod here but only if they show up and play hot from the get-go like they did against stanford. If they can come out swinging from the start (you know, instead of AFTER the game, wink) the huskies simply don’t have the arsenal to catch up.
I agree that it will be a tough game
But the Huskies haven’t proved themselves on the road yet.
Hi, my name is Connor. Except over on ATQ where I am known as, "JConnor."
Man
271 All Purpose yards for Quizz. He is such a beast.
Hi, my name is Connor. Except over on ATQ where I am known as, "JConnor."
about USC
we catch them at about the best time possible…
they get an away game at their rivals this week, then OSU, then another away game on Halloween night at Oregon.
even though they will probably be looking for “revenge”, I still think it is likely that they look over the game on the 24th a little bit; just looking ahead (or behind) at the big games either the weekend before or after they play Oregon State
"Your best?!?!! Losers always whine about their best. Winners go home and &^%@ the prom queen"
I was thinking the same thing. Catching SC after a big non-conference against ND and after we’ve had an extra week to prepare and rest is big. I love that Quizz likes to jaw back at guys who are jawing at him but I also fear that his name is on the top of every Trojans’ list and he will have to work a lot harder to get anywhere near that century mark on the ground. Not saying it’s not possible, but this is a challenge without a doubt.
Getting healthy and being prepared will be OSU’s edge here. The D needs to come ready and needs to play fast and loose. If the Beavs can get to their young QB early and often and bottle up McKnight (is he their main RB this year? god, where have I been) I think there will be a lot of Trojan mistakes to profit off of.
This’d be huge.
yeah we bottled up McKnight pretty well last year
Quizz gets all the credit for that win, but the D was unbelievable in that game last year. Considering how USC has shown a lack of offensive firepower, I don’t think it’ll take an “unbelievable” performance…
"Your best?!?!! Losers always whine about their best. Winners go home and &^%@ the prom queen"
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