Beavers Fail to Score Touchdowns, Lose to Bearcats 28-18

The Oregon State offense was inside the Cincinnati 20 yard line 4 times last Saturday afternoon and came away with 1 touchdown and 3 field goals. This fact, more then any other on that day was the reason the Beavers could not come from behind to defeat Cincinnati. It was an exciting game for most of the game. The Beavers took an early lead when they failed twice in the first quarter to score touchdowns and took a 6-0 lead after the first quarter.

But the nightmare that was the second quarter started just 33 seconds in when Cincinnati finished off a 9 play 80 yard drive to take a 7-6 lead. After the Beavers failed to move the ball, Johnney Hekker dropped a punt on the Cincinnati 1 yard line and one play later the Beavers had the lead again 8-7 after a safety.

But that was the last bright spot on the second quarter as Cincinnati scored 2 more times and sacked Canfield 5 times in the quarter to lead at halftime 21-8. The Bearcats scored on 3 of their 5 drives in the second quarter while the Beavers punted on all 4 possessions in the quarter.

The Beavers looked like they had figured out their issues at the start of the third quarter as the Beavs took the kickoff and went 80 yards in 6 plays for the touchdown to close the gap to 21-15 Cincinnati. Then the Beavers picked off Bearcat QB Tony Pike but failed to move the ball and punted.

At the start of the fourth quarter the Beavers had just finished shutting Cincinnati out in the third quarter and taken charge of the game again. The Beavers started the 4th quarter with a first and goal at the Cincinnati 5 yard line and proceeded to go backwards from their and once again settled for a field goal when they could have taken the lead.

Cincinnati scored a touchdown on their next possession and the Beavers ended any chance of coming back with an interception with 2.39 left.

All in all the Beavers defense played a great game but the offense struggled, the offensive line did a terrible job in the second quarter and the playing calling in the red zone was questionable. The Beavers could have won this game but they were beaten by a better team on this day.

Next up is Arizona this Saturday in Corvallis. Let's hope the Beavers offense can figure out their issues and bring home the victory. I will be out of town this weekend so I will have to find the game online somewhere to watch.

BY THE NUMBERS - Click Here

Cincinnati Game Photos - Click Here

Beavers Lose To Cincinnati

A pretty disappointing game. The Defense kept the Beavers in it but the offense just could not get the ball in the end zone. Poor execution, some questionable play calling, a second quarter the Canfield and the offensive line will surely want to forget real soon and some very untimely and stupid penalties cost the Beavers a chance at the upset of #17 Cincinnati and the Beavers lose 28-18.

They are a good team with a very poised quarterback, but the Beavers had a chance late to take the lead and let it get away.

More on monday.

Oops!

Sorry to those who receive this blog by email. I use an old formated form to write and did not change the team name in my rush. Don't worry we are playing Cincinnati not Pittsburgh this weekend.

#17 Cincinnati Comes to Corvallis to Face the #24 Beavers

OK Beaver Fans, we have been asking for that big east coast program to come to Corvallis for years and now we have what we asked for. It may not be a Michigan, Notre Dame or Texas, but if you know your college football and are not just some wannabe who thinks those are the only programs in the world. Then you know this IS a big time game.

Not only is this a big big game for our Beavers hopes this season, but it is a big game for the future of more games like this coming to Corvallis. If we want the Oklahoma's, Texas, Michigan type teams to come into Corvallis then we need to sell out Reser tomorrow and also put on the best face we can for our guests from Cincinnati, the Nation and the Network.

Those guys down I-5 from us pack out their stadium, put on great tailgaters, pregame shows, etc. That is what makes kids from other schools and the networks want to come to your town to play. So lets pack out Reser, show up early, party hard, be louder then ever and cheer on our Beavers to Victory. BRING OUT THE ORANGE!

Cincinnati is the defending Big East Conference Champion and went to the Orange Bowl last season, losing to Virginia Tech 20-7. The Bearcats head coach, Brian Kelly is the 2 time defending Big East Coach of the Year. Currently the Bearcats are second in the nation in scoring offense (58.5 ppg) and is fifth in the nation in total offense (571 ypg). This is a team that is returning 8 offensive starters and crushed the Beavers two years ago (when they were not as good as they are now) 34-3.

If you as an Oregon State fan are not jacked up for this game then you had better check yourself into a hospital right now because I believe you are probably dead. WE REALLY REALLY NEED TO FILL RESER ON SATURDAY AND MAKE IT AS LOUD AS POSSIBLE!

Here is just an example of how different it is for teams from the East Coast to come out to Oregon for a game.

They are already talking about selling out their next game and not talking that much on the team website about the Beavers

A reporter for Cincinnati is still talking about the big win two years ago

That same reporter is wondering if the "ALTITUDE" in Oregon will be a factor for the Bearcats.

WHAT ALTITUDE? Corvallis Oregon, according to Wikipedia is 235 feet above sea level. Cincinnati Ohio is 435 feet above sea level. I never new dropping 200 feet in elevation can be a major factor in a teams performance. You can read Scott Springer's article here. I think Mr. Springer needs to do more research prior to the Bearcats games.

BY THE NUMBERS - Click Here

If you look at the numbers both teams have put up so far this season Cincinnati should be a huge favorite. They dominate the stats winning 23 of the 32 categories selected and in many cases that differences are not even close. But if stats can show who should win then why are the Bearcats only favored by 1.5 points at the time of this writing? The Beavers have played Portland State at home (Big Sky Conference Member - D-1FCS) and UNLV on the road (D-1FBS). Cincinnati has played Rutgers, (a Big East Conference member D-1FBS) at Rutgers and Southeast Missouri State (an Ohio Valley Conference Member - D-1FCS). So there opponents have been very similar. In most cases the home team is given a 3 point edge for home field advantage and then the differences go from there. So is Cincinnati only a 4.5 favorite on a neutral site? I don't see it. Perhaps it is the Big East Conference not getting the respect they deserve. Sounds like we are playing a Mountain West Conference team, oh wait, that is the other school down the road.

What I see in this is a Cincinnati team that has all the makings of being in another BCS Bowl game if they win out. There is all this talk about Utah, BYU or Boise State busting into the BCS but from watching Cincinnati on TV I think they have a chance to play for the BCS title if they keep it rolling. So how are the Beavers going to beat this powerhouse team?

THE BOTTOM LINE

For the Beavers to win this game they have to do a few things right. 1. NO TURNOVERS 2. CONTROL THE BALL WITH THE RUNNING GAME. 3. STOP THE PASSING GAME OF CINNCINATI. 4.LIMIT THE BIG PLAY

Sean Canfield may be playing in the biggest game of his career and he has some payback coming his way. Canfield played in Cincinnati two years ago and knows this team. So did James Rodgers. Canfield, James and Quizz need to control this offense and keep it moving forward. Then a couple other guys need to come up with key plays. If they can do this the Beavers will do enough on offense to win.

The Beavers defense has to stop the Bearcats passing game from eating them alive like UNLV did in the second half. Then the defense front 4 need to put enough pressure on the QB to make him make a mistake while also shutting down the running game. If the Beavers can come out hot in the first quarter like they have for years now they will force Cincinnati to go to the air more and that is when the defense needs to raise to the occasion.

Look for the Beavers defense to hold the Bearcats well below the season points average and keep the Bearcats below or at 30 points. That is the key number in this game. If the Beavers can keep Cincinnati at or below 30 points they have a chance of winning this game. The second half will be the difference in the game. If the Beavers can control the third quarter and come out with a lead I think we win this game.

FINAL SCORE

BEAVERS 34
CINCINNATI BEARCATS 30


GO BEAVERS!

DEFENSE STRUGGLES IN SECOND HALF BUT KAHUT & THE BEAVERS BRING HOME A VICTORY FROM LAS VEGAS

Man oh man! Is it going to be another one of those kind of years. If so, I am not sure my heart will be able to take it. In the first half I am thinking, "Ok, what's is up with the offense? The defense is playing well but where is the offense and what is up with Kahut?". Then when the Beavers come out in the second half and score on their first possession I think, "OK here we go, defense is playing well and now the offense is finally got it going.". Then the defense seems to forget how to play and lets UNLV go 100 yards in a kickoff return and 5 plays for the TD. ARGHHHHHH!

Then the Beavers come right back again and score on a 7 play 75 yard drive to go up 20-7. Alright, calming down now. Beavers hold, things are in control, we have a 2 td lead and the ball with 6 minutes to go in the third quarter. I feel pretty good. Whew! Fourth quarter starts and we are still up 13 and have the ball. Feeling pretty good right now. Got it under control, we are going to roll on to victory, RIGHT???

NOPE! Not so fast, over the next 9 minutes of the game the Beavers offense cannot keep a drive going and UNLV goes down the field twice to score and now we are behind 21-20 with 4:16 to go in the game. OH MY GOSH!!! WHAT IS HAPPENING HERE!

Thank God for online video feeds. So there I am pacing in front of my computer since I cannot get the game on tv wondering if the Beavers are going to be able to pull this one out or if I am going to have to deal with another year of wondering when the team will find its rhythm. And it did not start well, carry for 2 yards, incomplete pass, 3rd and 8. FIRST DOWN! WHEW! Loss of 1, penalty, 2nd and 16. ARGHHHH!!! SACKED!?!?!? THIRD AND 26!! OH NO! HURRAY PASS INTERFERENCE ON UNLV FIRST DOWN BEAVERS!

Oh my gosh, I cannot take this, I have to pee, cannot go to the bathroom I might miss something. COME ON BEAVERS.

OH NO, THIRD AND 7. PASS COMPLETE WAY TO GO ADENIJI!! We're at midfield. Twenty yards to go to get into field goal position. I feel like I am going to throw up. Time is running out. Hurry up, let's go!

YESSSSSS, PASS COMPLETE AT THE 32 OF UNLV. WE'RE IN FIELD GOAL RANGE. Need to get it closer! Time is running, hurry up and throw the ball. Another completion. Only 24 seconds left. It's a 46 yard field goal from here. One maybe two more plays to get it closer. Come on Beavers.

YES, COMPLETE AT THE 16. CALL TIME OUT!! Ok Justin, just relax and knock it threw. YESSS, WE WIN!!! (Jumping up and down and screaming, woke up my kids who had to get up early to play softball.)

I am getting to old for this stuff. A great win for the Beavers to come from behind at the end of the game. My nerves are shot but it feels good.

In watching the game it seemed that the Beavers did not have a good game on offense but when you look at the stats it is pretty clear that they did. Quizz goes for 166 yards rushing, 1 td and 65 yards receiving. James catches 6 balls for 48 yards and a td. Canfield was 25 of 31 for 198 yards 2 td's and no picks. Hekker averages 43.5 per punt. Pretty good really. The only person on offense (sort of) that had a bad game was Kahut. He missed a 47 yarder and an extra point. But he made up for it all with the game winner with 7 seconds left. Way to go Justin.

The game stats show just how close this game was. Although the Beavers won most categories they were almost all pretty close. The Beavers running game was the difference with 184 yards rushing to just 82 for UNLV. Canfield is doing a great job but the line has given up 5 sacks in the first two games. The Beavers win this game with a great running game, two takeaways and a gutsy last second drive and kick to win. There is much work to do this week if the Beavers are going to be ready to take on Cincinnati on Saturday. The Bearcats have put up 117 points in their first two games.

BY THE NUMBERS - Click Here for Post Game Stats

Holy Cow! Beavs Win!

Man oh Man! I didn't think they would be able to come back after blowing 13 point leads twice in the second half but by gosh the Beavers came back and pulled out the victory on a 12 play 64 yard drive in the final 4 minutes of the game Justin Kahut redeems himself for a missed extra point and a field goal early in the game by nailing the 43 yard field goal with 7 seconds left to seal the victory. Quizz goes for 166 yards rushing and 33 yards in receiving and 2 TD's. Canfield 25/31 for 198 yards and two td's.

The defense has to really step up and get better to stay in the game next week.

More tomorrow. Good Job Beavs, way to come home with the win.

BEAVERS TRAVEL TO SIN CITY

The Oregon State University Football team travels to "Sin City" today to face Mountain West Conference Title Hopeful UNLV in a 8pm game Saturday night at Sam Boyd Stadium. The expected temperature at game time is 90 degrees.

The Beavers are coming off a solid performance in their opener vs Portland St. 34-7 where the Rodgers brothers once again dominated the offensive stats. The two brothers scored all 4 touchdowns for the Beavers and accounted for all offensive yards in the first quarter. Quizz had 103 yards on 16 carries and also had 4 receptions for 32 yards in a half and one play. James Rodgers caught two balls for 95 yards and carried the ball 2 times for 23 yards.

Sean Canfields trimmer self look good in the pocket and I felft threw the ball with confidence. Sean play a half and one play as well and finished the game 8-11 for 158 yards and 1 td. Ryan Katz replaced Canfield after the first play of the second half and finished the day 7-12 for 124 yards.

UNLV opened their season at home against Sacramento State and won 38-3. UNLV is expected to contend for the Mountain West Title this season and is expected to win 8 or 9 games. The Rebels stats from their first game are very similar to the Beavers. UNLV's leading rusher (Trotter) carried the ball 16 times for 102 yards and 3 TD's. Their leading receiver (Anthony) caught two balls for 73 yards and a TD. Sac. St. plays in the same conference as Portland St. so this should be a good measure of the UNLV team and we should expect this to be a close hard fought game that the Beavers will really need to be well prepared for and focused at game time.

Both teams played Big Sky Conference teams last weekend so the comparison of stats is obvious. The only thing we do not know is how long UNLV starters played vs the Beavers starters leaving one play into the second half. UNLV won more categories then the Beavers did but many of those were very close and could have gone the other way if the Beaver starters played longer into the game. The big stats are the defense, the Beavers did better (as expected) vs the run but UNLV really shut down Sac. St. in the air. The Beavers gave up 272 yards in the air to Portland St. which could show a real weakness in the Beavers defense. However, PSU is a run and shoot team that pushes most of it's offense through the air so that stat can be skewed.

Another stat that stands out to me is the lack of sacks by the Beavers on the PSU quarterbacks. The Beavers will have to turn up the pressure on UNLV quarterback to help out the DB's.

UNLV scored 21 of their 38 points in the forth quarter and scored touchdowns on their last 4 drives of the game. UNLV scored 28 points late but were only up10-3 at halftime. So take that as you want.

BY THE NUMBERS - Click Here to few both teams stats for 2009

THE BOTTOM LINE

The Beavers will have to come out prepared and ready to go. They cannot be looking past UNLV to Cinncinati or they will lose this game. UNLV has a lot of weapons on offense and a solid defense that will test the passing games ability to make the plays. The Beavers offensive line will have to give Canfield time to find the open receiver in order to get the passing attack in gear. The O-line will also have to open holes for Quizz to run threw. However I believe that the Beavers ground game will thrive against UNLV and force them to commit a greater number of players into the box to try and stop the run. That should open up the passing game and give the Beavers what they need to win. But the Beavers defense is going to have to shut down the UNLV passing game while not allowing the Rebels to establish the rushing game. That means the new Beavers secondary will have to step up their game in order to handle the one on one matchups that coach Banker will have them in much of the game. Look for the Rodgers Brothers to once again dominate the offensive end of the game but l look for Damola Adeniji to have a breakout game for the Beavers.

FINAL SCORE

BEAVERS 38
UNLV REBELS 27

GO BEAVERS!
BFS

UNLV Pregame Warmup

The Beavers travel to UNLV this week to play in the heat of Las Vegas. Can the Beavers stop the 0-7 non-conference road game slump this year by winning in Vegas. They are 8 point favorites and are coming off a good home win over Portland State. Will that be enough?

My pregame breakdown is coming out tomorrow so stayed tuned.

BEAVERS WIN SEASON OPENER IN EASY FASHION

OK, now that I am back from camping up in the mountains it's time to breakdown the Beavers game vs Portland State. Sorry I forgot to post my pregame breakdown in the blog but it's on the website. But before that I just want you to know how cool those GPS maps are. We took a route down to the game that my first thought was, "you have got to be kidding me". But you know what, it was a nice drive with absolutly no traffic and made the trip to Reser and back much more enjoyable then battling traffic on I-5. The problem is that it won't work from home so I will have to try to find faster ways to the game.

As for the game on Saturday, it was basically over after Oregon States first play from scrimmage. Portland State received the opening kickoff and move 37 yards in 7 plays and then punted putting the Beavers on their own 13 yard line to start the game. 12 seconds and one play later the Beavers were up 7-0 and the game was over. Sean Canfield hit James Rodgers on a fly route with a perfectly thrown ball for an 87 yard touchdown pass.

The Beavers scored 4 times in the first half and the defense bent but never broke against the run and shoot of Portland State. PSU put up 190 yards of total offense in the first half to Oregon State's 250 yards of total offense.

The Beavers received the opening kickoff of the third quarter and returned it all the way to the Portland State 43 yard line. Nine seconds and one play later the score was 31-0 and the it was the last we saw of the Beavers Offensive starters as Ryan Katz came in to run the offense the rest of the game.

Katz looked like a young quarterback in his first game. The offense struggled with all the starters on the bench managing only a field goal the rest of the way.. Would like to see the offense run with Katz at QB and the Rodgers brothers in the game along with the other starters to see how he does with all the weapons. Next year its up to him and Lalitch. Would also be nice to know what we have it Canfield goes down before Lyle is ready to come back.

The defense continued to play well and only gave up a touchdown late with most everyone on the bench. Got to think that it was a concession to Kavanaugh's brother since he scored the touchdown for PSU.

I took about 150 photos at the game with my new lens. Will be going throught them today and pick out the best 20 or so and have them up on the website later today.

All in all it was a good way to start the 09 season. No one got hurt and we learned something about the team. Next week the Beavers travel to UNLV. That will be a real test of this team and wear they stand. The week after that Cincinnatti comes to Reser. They demolished Rutgers on Sunday and looked real good. So the season starts for real this weekend in Las Vegas. Let's hope our Beavers come home with the win, I know Riley will have them ready to play.

PSU GAME PHOTOS - Click Here

PORTLAND STATE BY THE NUMBERS - Click Here

So Now That The Dust Has Settled

What should Blount's punishment be? Indefinate suspension (IMO). No player no matter what should be allowed to get away with that type of behavior. In football or in business you need to keep your emotions under control. We always tell our kids and players we coach to let your play speak for itself. Do your talking with actions on the field not with your mouth. Well I guess he was still on the field but that is not what we mean.

Granted the Boise State player is at fault as well but a few words should not have led to a cheap shot punch in the face of a person who had turned away. It only takes one single action to waste millions of dollars in advertising. Many parents will be looking hard at how Oregon handles this situation before they let their kid consider playing there. At least the parents of players with character will.

We should know later today what will happen.

Oregon's Blount Should be Kicked Off Team

If you saw it would probably could not believe what you saw. Oregons's LeGarrette Blount Blount punches Boise player in the face after loss. Here is the video.

2009 SEASON OPENER THIS SATUDAY AT 11:30AM, Portland St. vs Oregon St.

This Saturday the Oregon State Football Program starts its 113th season of fooball and the 2009 season at home vs Portland State University and their famous head coach Jerry Glanville. Rumor has it that Jerry has reserved two tickets for Elvis at Reser Stadium for this Saturday. It is only the third time these two teams have met with the Beavers winning easily in the 2 prior games.

The Beavers come into this game a 28 point favorite but the game has many aspects to it that I feel will make it closer then that. First, this is not the first time Jerry Glanville has prepared to face an Oregon State team. Remember that Jerry coached at Hawaii back when the Beavers went their a few years ago. Second, the Beavers have a young defense to face the run and shoot offense of Glanville. Third, the Beavers key players are coming off many months of dealing with injuries, Canfield (shoulder), Moevao (shoulder), Quizz (shoulder), Catchings (wrist), as well as several defensive players that have been banged up in camp.

That last little fact along with the fact that 90% of PSU's offense comes in the air is what has me worried a little bit. The Beaver young secondary will have to stay focused and sharp to prevent PSU from striking early and often in this game. What could turn the game in our favor is defensive pressure up front that may force bad throws from PSU quarterback Drew Hubel of Corvallis.

Look for the Beavers to continue their strong play in stopping the run and force the Vikings into the air. I look for PSU to try and counter that thought by running the ball more then expected. But if the Beavers score early to take the lead, PSU will have to go to the air to come back. The PSU defense is accustom to seeing big time passing offenses so expect the Beavers to pound the ball on the ground and use their size advantage to wear down PSU. Then when they are getting tired to open up the passing game. But Riley has some gunslinger in him as well so I would not put it past him to go deep the first play of the game.

I am so looking forward to the start of the football season. I mean I am so excited I am even going to watch the Duck game tonight. I never watch the Ducks, they make me sick. In addition to that is that this year I have a daughter at Oregon State and that will make this season even more memorable for me.

BY THE NUMBERS (2008 Season Stats for both teams)

THE BOTTOM LINE

The think the Beavers size and speed will wear down whatever game plan Glanville puts into place. It will be interesting to see if Riley plays a little showtime with his offense and goes for some big plays early. Quizz will see some action and expect him to get 150+ yards but Riley will not risk letting him get hurt in a preseason game so if the Beavers are in control look for the other runners to see a lot of action. Also looking forward to seeing how our passing game looks in a live game. They have not looked all that good in scrimmages to this point.

FINAL SCORE

BEAVERS 38
PSU VIKINGS 14

GO BEAVERS!