Thoughts from the Couch - Arizona State

Bumped up to the front page. --JB

Here are my thoughts from yesterday's game and from other various topics surrounding Beaver football. Here's to hoping that no flame war starts after I'm done.

Thoughts

1. Katz (below) showed up and showed up big time. This was easily his best game in his short career. I would not say the level of competition was that much lower, this was a solid ASU squad, but most of the time Katz was beating them. He delivered on critical downs, connecting to Nichols, Bishop, and hit "Joe the Tank" (Halahuni) for a deep TD strike. He looked fantastic yesterday, and we'll see how he handles another solid defense with Arizona next week.

2. It was good to see Quizz bust loose. He's been so bottled up lately that when he broke out for that 74 yard TD scamper it was a relief to see him return to normalcy. Also I definitely called that run to be  right off-tackle, with the receivers set on the opposite side of the formation. I was pretty proud of myself, just thought I would share.

3. The following is a note for future opponents of ASU. If the Sun Devils score, and their flag bearers run on your field, it is imperative that you chant USA as they run back the other way. It might not be very annoying, or even noticeable, but I felt that I should share this.

(Ed. note: I thought they were just very patriotic! - AW )

4. There was a fun moment with Quizz and Vontaze Burfict in the second half. There was an underneath route thrown and Quizz threw a cut block on Burfict at about the same time as the ball carrier went down. They had a substantial amount of jawing and then the next play Quizz was covered well by Burfict, and they had another bit of conversation. I thought it was pretty entertaining, with a game in a game.

5. The Oregon State crowd cannot clap along with the fight song.to save their lives. I cannot explain why an entire crowd starts doing a slow clap with the fight song. It is an odd thing to hear an entire crowd be unable to clap to a beat.

(Ed. note: We actually have a solution for that; its called paying attention to the guy conducting the song! - AW)

6. The pass rush came alive. 6 sacks, although some were coverage sacks. The entire defense played much better, but they will face a much tougher test next week when they stare down Nick Foles. They looked improved but not especially great, hopefully they continue to improve next week.

Stephen Paea makes one of six Oregon St. sacks Steven Threet.

7. Jordan Poyer is a special teams stalwart. I just wish that he could be on the field on defense, and be a productive player while on defense. He hasn't looked as good as a cornerback, he would probably be better suited as a safety. He needs to find more ways to get on the field though.

Jordan Poyer splits the ASU coverage for a 47 yard kickoff return.

[photos by Andy Wooldridge]

With an OSU victory I'll just look at my favorite plays, that ended up making the victory, or some that could have cost the game.

Gamechangers/Gamemakers

1. Ryan Katz hits Halahuni for a TD. This was a great catch after being interfered with, and who doesn't love a touchdown by Joe the Tank?

2. The aforementioned 74 yard TD run by Quizz. It took back the momentum that ASU had gotten with a late score, and made it almost impossible for them to catch up.

3. The blocked punt. That could have cost us the game, but thankfully we got saved which leads to my next play.

4. The closer, James "Clutch" Dockery, makes another late interception to seal the deal. This play was almost called pass interference which might have caused a riot, since Dockery had just as much as of a right to the ball.

5. The goal line stand. The defense actually seems to do better down by the goal line, and this one helped close out the win.

Final Comments

This was the best game all around for OSU this season. The Sun Devils are obviously not as good as Boise State or TCU, but this was still a dangerous team that OSU ended up beating. Hopefully the Beavers can ride this wave down to Tucson, and defeat the Wildcats. It is a worrisome matchup, the Wildcats passing attack led by qb Nick Foles might end up shredding the secondary (Wildcats? Shredding? Got it?). If the defense holds up, the offense should come through. I can't wait for a another weekend of Beaver football.

Go Beavs!