- All the Hawaii fans that I interacted with seemed very courteous and friendly. In fact, I saw two Hawaii fans carrying bags with orange apparel from the OSU bookstore, and many were with Beaver fans.
- The "Haka" dance before the game wasn't a problem. It seemed like the crowd (especially the Hawaii fans) enjoyed it, and it didn't cause any problems with the OSU players. Overall, it seemed like the two teams had a lot of respect for each other.
- It's not a big deal, but I was curious as to why Lyle had to call a timeout on the opening play of a drive early in the game. Maybe he saw something he didn't like with the Hawaii defense, but if it was a communication error, we need to get that ironed out. If we're having problems getting plays in or getting lined up, it shouldn't be happening on the opening play of a drive.
- More nitpicking: I did not see Stroughter call for a fair catch on the punt return where UH punter Tim Grasso had his heels at the back of the end zone. The ball took a big hop off the FieldTurf, and Sammie simply reached up to grab it. It appeared that the referee thought that Sammie was raising a hand to call a fair catch, as be blew the play dead right as Sammie made that motion. However, a 15 yard facemask penalty on Hawaii on that play kept Beaver Nation happy.
- Since we're talking about officiating, remember when Sammie was called for holding on a punt return where he didn't even touch the ball? That was ridiculous. Maybe they got their numbers mixed up, but I mean, come on. The officials may as well have called that holding penalty on graduate assistant Ryan Gunderson.
- The hype that Sammie Stroughter generates makes Shane Morales so much better. He had 151 yards at Stanford, 40 and Penn State, and now 93 against Hawaii. Shane has about 30 more yards total than Sammie through the first three games. Shane is a smart kid who knows how to get open, and it doesn't hurt him that he's got a good bond with Lyle.
- I know I kind of ripped into kicker Justin Kahut in my previous post for missing three field goals. I spotted him holding a clipboard without pads with a serious limp during the second half. It's too bad that he's hurt, as I think he is our best threat at kicker when healthy. However, we just can't afford to miss three field goals in a game. That's three possessions that we a) probably should have scored touchdowns on, b) should have at least gotten three, but instead, came away with none. Oregon State had 14 possessions in the game- 21% of them ended on missed field goals.
- If I missed three field goals, I would be limping too.
- The Beaver front seven, especially the line, did a good job getting pressure on Graunke and the Hawaii backs. There were times (at the beginning of the game, mostly) that I felt our front line was penetrating well into the UH backfield, but by the time they got there the Hawaii backs were already long gone.
- Our offensive line is getting better. Mike Remmers and Greg Peat on the right side are showing improvement, although there were a few occasions where some missed blocks forced Lyle to scramble. Luckily, Lyle showed some great scrambling techniques at times, moving around in the pocket to avoid sacks.
- I'm surprised that Mike Riley called a QB sneak on the play that ended up being OSU's final touchdown of the game. Ryan McCants was responsible for about 43 of the yards that came on that drive, and I thought he should have got the ball on third down. Yes, Ryan had many opportunities to get across the goal line (like first and second down), but it seemed like a great opportunity for him to score a touchdown. If we give Ryan the ball on third down and he can't get it, maybe we call for a QB sneak on fourth and goal from the one.
Lyle scores on a QB sneak early in the fourth quarter. (via Thomas Boyd/ The Oregonian)
- Not sure if anyone who reads this blog pays attention to Oregon High School football, but Lake Oswego upset Jesuit Friday night in epic fashion. There are four former Crusaders on the OSU roster, and two former Lakers. I even heard multiple people in my section talking about that game, with one guy saying it was "the best high school football game I've ever seen".
The caption: "Lake Oswego fans trip over each other as they rush the field following a victory over Jesuit" (via Bruce Ely/ The Oregonian)
- I really liked the way the OSU football staff planned the team's entrance. The fireworks were cool, the entrance video was good, and "Thunderstruck" worked well. I liked the new giant Beaver helmet, too. It's big.
- FYI.... while we're talking about things that don't really matter: Helmet #1 won the Dam Cam's "Helmet Shuffle" game. Why do they have to make those things freaking impossible? I always liked the helmet races on the old school message board. And what happened to the horse race to Pendleton or wherever? Okay, nevermind.