BFS Story Archive

Game 7 - Washington Huskies

Hello Beaver Fans,

Well, it's October and the weather has finally become what fall is suppose to feel like. The wind is blowing, the sky is gray, the rain is falling and falling and falling, and the temperature is dropping. In other words "Football Weather"!Right now the forecast for Saturday is, High of 70, Low of 50 and partly cloudy with a 20% chance of showers. So bring your warm clothes and perhaps that poncho as well just in case. Fall football has arrived and you never know for sure what the weather will be from minute to minute in Oregon in the fall. It is also Dad's weekend this weekend. To all the Dad's out there in Beaver Nation I say "Good Job Dad". You have accomplished two great things. You have successfully raised your children to the point that they can attend a major university and you (or perhaps they) chose Oregon State as that university. I myself, have a few years to go yet (5 1/2) before my oldest child will be of the age to attend college. I only hope that she continues to do as well as she has so far in school and in sports. She is doing a great job. After that I have two more to try to get through the gauntlet that is growing up today. With all the worries that parents have today it is a wonder that we don't end up in an asylum trying to guide our children through the minefield of life. So once again OSU DAD, GOOD JOB on getting your kids into college.

THE GAME

The Beavers are taking on those hated Huskies of the University of Washington. Yes, those pompous, arrogant, *#!?*# people who cheer, root and play for the dirty dawgs of Huskydom. If there is one common factor that Beaver and Duck fans may have is has to be the hatred of the Huskies. And here they will come down I-5 with there purple and gold colors flying. It's like a flock of geese heading south for the winter. This year, the dawgs have to come into Corvallis and the Beavers still remember what happened to them last year in Seattle. And they will be looking to unload a lot of revenge onto those same Huskies. If I were them, I would just be hoping to get out of Corvallis without any injuries and forget about winning. The Beavers appear to be focused, rested and ready to unload a world of hurt on the Huskies.The Huskies are hurting and looking to turn things around as they come off back to back losses to UCLA and Nevada. Last year the Huskies were also slumping before they dismantled the Beavers in Seattle. But this year is different. The Beavers are rested and coming off a big road win at Cal. Anderson is not a sophomore quarterback with only 9 games of experience. The Beavers have come together as a team and are playing well.

BY THE NUMBERS

Statistically, the Beavers and the Huskies are pretty even. Of the 21 categories looked at the Beavers have the advantage in 11 and the Huskies in 10. But of all those stats there are 4 that tell a tale. Turnover ratio, Sacks against, red zone offense and red zone defense. The Huskies are -7 in turnover ratio, have given up 19 sacks, only 68% in the red zone and allowing 94.4% by opponents in the red zone. These four areas are a major advantage for the Beavers who are league leaders in red zone offense and defense as well as sacks allowed. The Beavers have moved up from -8 at one point to -1 in turnover ratio.

THE SERIES

Washington leads the overall series 56-27-4. The Huskies are on a one-game winning streak as a result of winning 41-29 at Seattle last year. OSU won 49-24 at Corvallis in 2001. The Beavers are 7-17-0 in games played at Corvallis, 5-7-1 in Portland and 0-0-1 in Albany. Washington is 32-15-2 over OSU at Seattle. Mike Riley is 0-2 vs. the Huskies, including losing a heart-breaking 35-34 game at Seattle in 1998 when OSU elected to go for the 2-point conversion and win on the last play of the game. Current OSU assistant coach, Nigel Burton, then a cornerback for UW, batted the ball away from Beaver receiver Roddy Tompkins for the win.

WHO TO WATCH FOR THE HUSKIES

  • Cody Pickett - Quarterback - Currently second in PAC-10 in yards per game and third in total offense behind Derek Anderson of the Beavers.Rich Alexis - Running Back - Currently third in PAC-10 in yards per game rushing with 90.0 ypg.Reggie Williams - Wide Receiver - Leads the PAC-10 in receptions per game and is third in receiving yards per gameDerrick Johnson - Defensive Back - three interceptions this season
  • Charles Fredrick - Punt Returner

FOR THE BEAVERS

  • Derek Anderson - Can Derek shake off the memories of the 5 interception game last year at WashingtonSteven Jackson - 123 yards puts him over 1000 yards for the seasonMike Hass - Needs a break out gameJames Newson - He is ahead of his pace of last year in setting a school record for receiving yardsBrandon Browner - Will need to have a big game against Reggie Williams of Washington
  • Aric Williams - Same as Browner

THE BOTTOM LINE

I believe the Beavers are focused and ready to play this weekend. One of the big keys to this game is that the Beavers do not look ahead to the Cougars next week. They need to be focused on the Huskies and I believe they will be. Another big key is the ability of Derek Anderson to look of his routes and not lock onto a receiver. This was a major reason for the 5 picks he threw last year. Another key is the ability of the line to put pressure of Cody Pickett and for Browner and Williams to cover Reggie Williams of the Huskies. The Beavers cannot allow Pickett time to throw the ball with a receiver of the caliber of Williams. Finally, Steven Jackson. If he continues his performance from the CAL game, it will put a lot of pressure on the Husky defense to try and stop him which would open up the passing game.I believe the Beavers will win and win big. This series has become a home and home series and the Beavers will continue that trend. Look for a real blow out of the Huskies.

FINAL SCORE

Beavers 45
Huskies 17

 

2003 Schedule

BY THE NUMBERS
*indicates advantage

SEASON STATS OSU UW
SCORING OFF.(PPG) 31.3* 35.5
SCORING DEF.(PPG) 16.8* 24.3
PASSING OFF(YPG) 282.8* 278.3
PASSING DEF. (YPG) 209.2 200.7*
RUSHING OFF.(YPG) 190.3* 130.8
RUSHING DEF.(YPG) 98.8* 118.0
TOTAL OFF 473.2* 409.2
TOTAL DEF. 308.0 318.7
TURNOVER RATIO -1* -7
SACKS TAKEN 12 16*
SACKS ALLOWED 8* 19
PENALTIES(YPG) 111.8 64.8*
THIRD DOWN CONV. 43.6* 41.4
FORTH DOWN CONV. 50.0% 50.0%
PUNTING 37.7 39.4*
PUNT RETURNS 5.7 10.5*
KICK OFF RETURNS 15.9 19.4*
RED ZONE OFF. 79.3%* 68.0
RED ZONE DEF. 52.9* 94.4
FIELD GOALS 0.778%* .636%
TIME OF POSS. 32:25* 31:08

2003 Season Standings

PAC - 10 STANDINGS
AFTER WEEK 7
Team
Pac 10
Overall
Oregon State
2-0
5-1
Washington State
2-0
5-1
UCLA
2-0
4-2
USC
2-1
5-1
California
1-1
3-4
Washington
1-1
3-3
Oregon
1-2
4-3
Arizona State
1-2
3-3
Stanford
0-2
2-2
Arizona
0-3
1-6

 

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