IT'S CIVIL WAR WEEK 2010

It's monday of Civil War Week 2010. Let's take a look at some civil war stuff from years past.

• The Civil War! The Annual Game Between Oregon State and Oregon is Everything the Name Suggests


• The Belotti Potti > More


• Are you a Beaver or a Duck? > More


• Various Civil War Jokes > More


• Know Your Platypus > More


• 2009 Pregame Post


• 2008 Pregame Post


• 2007 Pregame Post


• 2006 Pregame Post


• Notes from the 2002 and 2003 Civil War > More

Get ready Beaver Fans... It's Civil War Week!

FINAL SCORE FROM PALO ALTO

STANFORD 38 - OREGON STATE 0

Don't think there is anything I can add to that. Let's move on to Civil War Week. GO BEAVERS! > Post Game Stats

GO BEAVERS!

BEAVERS AT #6 STANFORD, CAN THEY KEEP IT GOING? WE BELIEVE!

The Beavers run through a gauntlet of top ranked teams continues today in the bay area against the #6 ranked Cardinal of Stanford. The Cardinal will be the Beavers 5th top 20 team this season and the 4th on the road.

This season has been a never ending challenge for the Beavers who played well early in the season in losing close games at Boise State and TCU. Then winning big games against Louisville Arizona St. and Arizona. After losing James Rodgers for the season in Tucson against Arizona the Beavers entered the Twilight Zone by losing 3 of their next 4 against 4 of the bottom 5 teams in the PAC-10.

But just when you think the season is over the Beavers pull off the upset at home against #20 USC in a route 36-7.

So what can we expect this week? The team that took #4 TCU to the end in Texas only to lose by 11 at the last minute? The team that went to Tucson and stole a game from then #9 Arizona? The team that dismantled #20 USC at Reser?

Or do we see the team that lost in overtime to a below average Husky team in Seattle? The team that slept their way threw a last second loss to a bad UCLA team. Or, Heaven Forbid, the team that never came to play when the woefully bad Cougars of WSU came to Corvallis and got shellacked at home 31-14.

I am sure these are the questions that Coach Riley and his staff have been asking themselves all season.

This team has so much talent and so much potential that at the start of the season it seemed impossible to think that the Beavers would not make it to a bowl game. But here we sit at 5-5 with two games left on the schedule. Both against top ten teams. Personally I have given up trying to figure this group out and I am just going to go with the flow today and pray that they have learned their lessons and will come to play hard and keep that fire in their belly's that we saw last week against USC. They will need all of that and more to win either or both of these last two games.

BY THE NUMBERS - Click here for pregame stats

The Beavers this year are 5-5 for the season. The teams they have lost two have a combined record of 33-22. That does seem so bad, but when you take out BSU at 11-1 and TCU 12-0 you are left with three losses to teams with a combined record of 8-21.

The Beavers wins this season come against teams with a combined record of 29-25 with Arizona and USC being the top two teams the Beavers have defeated this year. We are 1-4 on the road this year. The only road win coming in Tucson against #9 Arizona.

The statistics are a nightmare for the Beavers. Stanford won 26 of 32 categories. The biggest thing the Beavers are going to have to overcome is Stanford's ability to run the ball and avoid the sack. Andrew Luck has only been sacked 4 times this season. Where Ryan Katz has been sacked 28 times. This game is going to be won or lost in the trenches. Whichever team controls the line of scrimmage will win this game.

THE BOTTOM LINE

This is a Mount Everest type of challenge for the Beavers today. Stanford has probably the best team in their history playing this year. Coach Harbaugh has them playing with confidence. They have threats all over the field and Luck is their best offensive weapon with his ability to run the ball. The Beavers have not played well against teams that run the ball so this is a major challenge.

I feel the Beavers will be able to move the ball against the Cardinal. Their defense is good but not great. So if the Beavers offense can score some points it will be up to the Beavers defense to win this game. I do not think we can win a shootout with Stanford. If we can control Luck and play the type of inspired defense we played last week against USC, then the Beavers can pull off the upset.

I believe we can do this. Good Luck Beavers!

FINAL SCORE

BEAVERS 27
STANFORD 24

GO BEAVERS!

BEAVERS CRUSH #20 USC TROJANS AT RESER STADIUM 36-7

WHO WOULD HAVE THUNK IT? Honestly even though I picked the Beavers to beat USC 38-28 last saturday night in Corvallis I really did not think it was going to happen. Here was a team with loads of talent that was under performing, lacking confidence and truly in search of something positive to grab a hold of.

The Beavers had just lost three of four games during the easiest part of a difficult season schedule. Those three losses came at the hands of the three teams that currently are placed 6th, 9th and 10th in the PAC-10 standings. Washington State had not won a PAC-10 game in a year and a half. The team appeared in disarray and without leadership.

Then the USC Trojans came to town. Frankly the Trojans looked like the team in disarray and without leadership. On their first drive of the game USC drove down the field and was stopped after 10 plays and 72 yards when the Beavers stopped the Trojans on 4th and 2 on the OSU 26.

After trading punts the Beavers got the ball in good field position on their own 46 and drove 37 yards in 7 plays and then Justin Kahut made a 34 yard field goal. It was just 36 seconds later that the Beavers took this game over for good when Jordan Poyer intercepted a Matt Barkley pass and returned it 65 yards for a Beavers touchdown.

The other big moment in the game came with no time left in the first half on what was really a meaningless play for the Trojans. In that play Matt Barkley was sacked by Kevin Frahm. Barkley's foot got caught under Frame and resulted in a badly sprained ankle that took Barley out of the game for good.

From that point on USC never had a chance of coming back on the Beavers. The Beavers defense was playing inspired ball holding USC 255 total yards and 120 yards rushing.

The Beavers offense was efficient but not inspiring. Katz was 17 of 24 for 154 yards and 2 TD's with no interceptions. Quizz carried the ball 26 times for 136 yards and 1 TD while averaging 4.9 yards per carry. However the Beavers punted 6 times in the game and were 4 for 14 on third down. They had no 3 on outs and seamed in control the whole game. But from my perspective the offense looked like the alcoholic coming back from the first week of rehab. They looked a little unsteady.

But a win is a win and this win was huge for the Beavers over a good but not great USC team. Yes they were ranked #20 but they had not resemblance to the great SC teams of the past.

Good Job Beavers. Why to come back and get a big win. Next weeks game is a different story. Don't get caught looking ahead to the Civil War or you could lose by 50 to Stanford. Good Luck Beavers. Go Beat the Cardinal.

BY THE NUMBERS - Complete Post Game Stats Click Here

USC COMES TO RESER TODAY TO FACE DEFLATED BEAVERS

Not sure how I want to look at this game today. It has been a tough week dealing with my emotions. On one hand I am a Beaver for life and always want to think my Beavers can win any game if they do the right things. On the other hand I have to be honest with my feelings and those feelings are " This team is done".

Four weeks ago the Beavers had just returned from Tucson with an impressive win over #9 Arizona on the road to bring their record to 3-2. The next four games looked to be the easiest part of a schedule that is a nightmare of a schedule with six ranked teams. Four of those on the road. Now the Beavers faced Washington, CAL, UCLA and WSU. All 4 teams at the bottom of the PAC-10 conference. The Beavers appeared to have come through the early season schedule and improved as a team and individuals. Katz had just come off his best game of his career at #9 Arizona and the team appeared ready to roll. The one problem was the loss of James Rodgers after a questionable hit in the Arizona endzone.

I thought the Beavers could win all 4 of these games and go into the final three monster games with a 7-2 record and another PAC-10 title fight in front of them. Already secure in their postseason bowl options and looking to make a run at USC, STANFORD and then #1 Oregon in Reser.

But something happened that myself and coaching staff and most Beaver fans never thought would happen. The Beavers lost 3 of the next 4 games including last weeks horrendous lost to lowly WSU. What has happened to this team is a question that every Beaver fan is asking themselves. It is always easy to blame the coaching staff. They are the ones responsible for making these players successful. However, we know that this coaching staff is good and has proven that fact over the last 8 years with the best run of success this school has ever seen. So if it is not the coaching staff, what is the problem?

There is plenty of blame to go around. Katz, Quizz, the O-line, the secondary, the run defense. You can pick any of the above or all of the above. Over the course of the season fans have picked on many different players. Of course there are fans that still have the blinders on and think that everything is ok in Corvallis and that this team can recover. Yes that is true. This team can recover. We are taught that anything is possible if you believe and work hard enough to get it. The problem is I do not think this team believes anymore. I think they are lost and do not know how to fix it.

At the WSU game if you were watching the sidelines this is what you saw most of the game. A coaching staff with their hands on their hips shaking their heads, looking confused and frustrated. I don't know how many times over the course of the first half I saw players and coaching hanging their heads, shaking them in disbelief as they watched what was happening on the field. The players on the bench stood their staring out at the field as if they could not believe what they were seeing. There was not emotion. There was no fire. Just blank stares.

So this week the AP #20 USC Trojans come to Corvallis to face the Beavers. The Trojans and first year head coach Lan Kiffin bring sophomore QB Matt Barkley, Junior TB Marc Tyler and senior WR Ronald Johnson and the powerful USC offense to Reser is what has become the last stand for the Beavers. This is their best opportunity for a win in their last three games. If the Beavers want to make a bowl game this game is a must win.

BY THE NUMBERS - Click Here for Pregame Stats

USC is 7-3 and has done what the Beavers have failed to do this season. Win the games they needed to win. The Trojans crushed WSU 50-16. They only real flaw in their record was a loss at Washington. But that happened last year as well.

Statistically USC leads in 21 of 32 categories. Some big areas are the offense. USC is averaging 130 yards more per game then the Beavers and USC has a solid running game that is getting almost 200 yards per game. Defensively USC is giving up points on defense and the Beavers are actually leading that category by 1 point per game.

A major area of concern for the Beavers is 3rd down. The Beavers are only converting 1 of 3 third down situations and have shown to be pretty giving to opponents on third down allowing 50% conversion rates to others. The lack of ability to convert of 3rd down has affected the time of possession. The Beavers time of possession is at a 10 year low. Last week the Cougars had the ball for over 40 minutes. FORTY MINUTES! The Beavers only converted 20% of third down situations vs the Cougars.

The kicking game still continues to be an issue. This is so confusing to me I just do not know what to think of it. Kahut and Hekker are veterans on this team and have had success for the Beavers in past years. Kahut has 39 career field goals and hit 22 last season. One short of the school record. His career field goal percentage before this year was .750 (39/52). This year Kahut is 3 for 7. REALLY? 3 FOR 7? How is that possible? Hekker's year is just as disappointing. Johnny has a career average of nearly 40 yards per punt. This season he is averaging 35.5 yards per punt.

The problems this season are not just limited to these players. Players on both sides of the ball are not performing up to the expectations of the staff and their fans. Quizz is below his pace of last season. In 2009 Quizz ran for 1440 yards in 13 games (110 ypg). This season Quizz is currently at 893 yards in 9 games 99.2 ypg.

So the problem with this team of very talented players is something that appears to be affecting everyone on the team. Can the Beavers turn a negative into a positive with only three games left in the season? Three games against ranked opponents. Only time will tell.

THE BOTTOM LINE

Lets throw out the whole making a bowl thing. Right now, for this team. This is a must win game the for Beavers for their confidence and for what might be next year. With Stanford and Oregon still on the schedule this is our best chance for a win.

How will the Beavers come out and play today? Who knows. How should the Beavers come out and play today? They should come out and play relaxed and because they want to be there. Have fun. Enjoy the experience of being a Division 1 football player. All is not lost yet. They can still rescue the season. If the Beavers somehow manage to win 2 or 3 games down the stretch against these 3 teams. This will be a season that will not soon be forgotten. To come back from the adversity of the last two weeks and make a statement today would be huge for the confidence of this team going forward.

Can the Beavers beat USC today? They have in the past. But those were different teams on both sides of the ball. Two years ago the Beavers beat #1 USC just when the Beavers were coming off a tough stretch of football. They could do it again.

For the Beavers to win they just have to play to their ability and forget everything that has happened in the last 4 weeks. They just need to stay positive, make good decisions and don't let adversity get into their heads. This game is not as lopsided as it looks.

I truly believe the Beavers can win this game. After the embarrassment of losing to the Cougars last week they will come out today with purpose and focus that we have not seen for some time this year. I look for season high games from several players today and for the Beavers to play perhaps their best game of the season. If last weeks loss cannot bring that out of this team then I am afraid that we only have next year to look forward to.

FINAL SCORE

BEAVERS 38
USC 28

GO BEAVERS!

DISASTER ON DAD'S WEEKEND!

Dad's weekend 2010 was shaping up to be a lot of fun. I came to Corvallis with the expectation of seeing a Beavers win and having a fun weekend with my daughter. We went to an old, although changed, hangout of mine from my college days for dinner. The pizza at Woodstock's was everything I remembered it to be and I am still impressed with the guy standing behind the counter tossing pizza dough into the air. Granted it is not the same small pizza place it was in the 1970's. Gone is the long narrow pizza parlor with the cramped seating. The new woodstock's is large and spacious but the pizza is just as good as I remember.

My daughter and I proceeded to the women's Civil War Volleyball game vs the Ducks. As a parent of a current all-conference volleyball player, I am impressed with the power of the D1 college game. Those ladies crush the ball at the net and hit serves that dive straight down. It was fun to watch even though the Beavers lost to the Ducks, it was a fun night. I was even able to find my twitter buddy Nicole at the game.

Saturday morning started well. I won an item at the AGD auction and had a good time talking with other dads. My new Dad's weekend sweatshirt is pretty cool. I enjoyed the breakfast that AGD's served. It was a good Dad's breakfast with pastries, fruit and bagels. A good start to a game day that is for sure. I was ready to watch my Beavers dismantle the hapless Cougars. My wife, a Cougar alum, even conceded that her Cougars could not win the game on Saturday.

My daughter and I walked across campus to the MU and had a light snack before the game and watched the Northwestern - Iowa game on TV. In hindsight I might have taken something from that game in that the underdog Wildcats of Northwestern unset Iowa.

As we settled into out seats at Reser Stadium there was something that I could not explain at that time. It was a feeling that at the time I could not describe. I now know that the feeling was one of worry. Reser did not have the usual feeling of joy and excitement prior to the game. The weather was cool and damp and even fans in my row were grumpy. Complaining about the seating being so crowded. Perhaps if they did not have more people then tickets they would not be so crowded. Geez!

From the opening kickoff the Beavers were not in this game. The Courgars first drive was 14 plays. The second was a touchdown and the 4th drive was a touchdown. Meanwhile the Beavers only managed 2 punts and a missed field goal in their first four drives. At halftime the Beavers trailed the 1-8 Cougars 21-0. The outcome of this game was written before the opening kickoff. The Beavers were not there to play and the Cougars got their first pac-10 win in two years.

For a team that returned 20 starters from last season and two top offensive players in the Rodgers Brothers, this team has NO leadership. Ryan Katz is immature as a QB and is trying to win games like a high school player would. With his arm. At this level, games are won by making smart decisions and using the tools you have at hand and not by trying to force the ball into situations. A true team leader weather in sports or in business knows his abilities and those of his team. A leader is a person who uses the tools available to him to accomplish the job at hand. At is not about him, it is about getting the job done no matter who gets the job done. Ryan Katz is not being a leader, he is being a child. Making emotional decisions, trying to do it all by himself and wondering why it does not work when it fails.

Likewise Quizz Rodgers are not being the type of leader this team needs for similar reasons. It is clear that the leader on the field for this team has been James Rodgers. With James on the sideline for the last few games this team has tanked by losing to the bottom three teams in the conference.

Coach Riley and his staff have to teach these young men how to be leaders on the field and in the community. That maturity will help them on the field.

Until Ryan Katz, the Rodgers Brothers or another player becomes a mature responsible leader for this team, they will continue to fail.

I do not expect this team to suddenly find leadership in the midst of turmoil. With only three games remaining and all against ranked teams, the Beavers are not in a situation to suddenly jump back into the spotlight. From what I hear from my sources on campus, this team is in disarray and does not have a the feeling that they can win any of these final three games. The kicking game is terrible, the QB situation is in deep trouble and Quizz is having his worst season at Oregon State. The rest of the team is taking its lead from these players who appear lost. So how can we expect to come back and beat three ranked teams. Coach Riley has a week to figure it out.

BY THE NUMBERS - Click Here for postgame stats

ON THE ROAD AGAIN! BEAVERS AT UCLA

The Beavers travel to UCLA this week to face a UCLA team that is hungry for a win. This is a game that most of us, including me, expect the Beavers to win. But this season is shaping up to be the season of expect the unexpected. Just go back a few weeks to Husky Stadium when the Beavers went into Seattle expecting to win a game and ended up playing their worst game of the season and losing in double overtime to the Huskies.

We must remember the Ryan Katz, although talented is still only a sophomore. A team that can come up with schemas that can confuse him has a real good chance to stop the Beavers passing game and force them to beat us on the ground. Or worse yet. Completely shut down the running game and force Katz to beat them through the air.

Then there is the Rose Bowl syndrome. A lot of Oregon States young roster of players are from southern California. To them the Rose Bowl is a dream to play in and they can easily get over hyped before the game and play out of control early. Katz is a So. Cal. native. Will his nerves get the better of him today in the Rose Bowl? We will see.

No matter how good or bad UCLA is I always fear going into the Rose Bowl and playing them. UCLA has given the Beavers tough games the last ten years in So. Cal. and also in Corvallis. If the Beavers heads are in the clouds today it will be another bad road trip for the Beavers. Another loss to a PAC-10 team with a losing record will pretty much seal the Beavers fate this year. It will be difficult to come back in the last 4 games with Stanford and Oregon still on the schedule. This is a must win for the Beavers.

BY THE NUMBERS - CLICK HERE FOR PREGAME STATS

For what I think is the first time this season the Beavers lead most of the statistical categories. UCLA leads all the kicking categories but our kicking game has sucked most of the year so that is expected. The keys to this game are UCLA's ability to run the ball and UCLA's ability to stop the pass. Both teams come into this game tied for total defense on the season. The combination of UCLA's running offense and passing defense could make a major impact on this game.

THE BOTTOM LINE

This is a must win game the for Beavers once again. With Stanford and Oregon still on the schedule we cannot afford to lose this game. For the Beavers to win today the rushing defense has got to come to play like the teams have done over the past 10 years. UCLA cannot pass the ball very well so the Beavers need to shut down the run first and foremost and then the Beavers pass defense just needs to stop the big play.

Ryan Katz has got to continue to learn from his mistakes and stay with what he has done against teams like Cal and Arizona. 2Make smart decisions and throw accurate passes. I don't think the game plan changes much. The passing game will open up the running game for the Beavers. Once the Beavers establish the passing game the running game will open up for Quizz to make some big plays.

I expect the Beavers to come out a little shaky in the first half. The first half will be close or tied but the Beavers will put this game away in the second half.

FINAL SCORE

BEAVERS 31
UCLA 21


GO BEAVERS!

Athletes Survey

I would like to ask a question of female athletes ages 15 to 24 years of age. You should have played High School or College Varsity or JV Sports. This is a serious question and I would like truthful honest answers. Don't just tell me what you think I want to hear, Be honest with yourself. The more honest an answer you give the more helpful this will be in the long run. Hopefully the answers I get will help build better sports programs at our schools.

Question "What is most important to you in determining a successful experience for you in a sports season?"

"Does that answer have an impact on you continuing to play that sport in the future?"

Try to explain if you can your answer. If you have more then one answer rank then in order of importance. If you don't want others to see you answer send it to me in a message. This is open not only to North Marion girls but anyone on my friends list and friends or friends to answer. I will not share names with anyone, I am only concerned with the answers. Thanks for your time, I appreciate your responses.