BFS Current Story

Beavers Banged Up as They Ready of Stanford

Oct. 26, 2007

The Beavers enter week 8 of the 2007 season with high hopes of getting back to a bowl game after upsetting then #2 ranked Cal Bears at Berkley two weeks ago 31-28. The win put the Beavers into a situation where they now have a realistic hope of making a bowl game if they can hold serve at home and win one on the road. The way the schedule plays out from this point on offers the Beavers a favorable chance at achieving just that. This is the first step on that road as the Beavers host the Stanford Cardinal this Saturday at 3:30 pm.

The Beavers are coming off a bye week and the thought going into the bye week was it was coming at a good time in the schedule as it allowed several Beaver players who have been hurt an extra week to heal up and get back on the field.

Now that we near the game we see that has happened. Jeremy Perry may be back this weekend after breaking his ankle in the first game of the season , Corner Keenan Lewis will be available to play and Daniel Drayton will be back as well. But over the past 10 days some unexpected things have happened. Offensive lineman Tavita Thompson has been ruled ineligible for the rest of the season. Roy Schuening has been sick all week but is expected to play Saturday. Andy Levitre was injured in practice on tuesday but is expected to play Saturday as well.

The Beavers are pretty banged up coming off a bye week when you would expect them to be in better health. These issues have thrown a big question mark over the team this week for a game that the Beavers are expected to win fairly easily.

Can the reworked offensive line hold back a Stanford defense that has 21 sacks on the season. Can they give Sean Canfield the same kind of time he had at Cal and allow him to make good decisions and accurate throws? Can the Oline open up holes for Bernard to run threw? These and many other questions await the Beavers this week at home.

On the defensive side of the ball the Beavers are banged up as well with several defensive standouts questionable for the game. Can the Beaver defense hold off a Stanford team that is suddenly playing much better after defeating USC in LA two weeks ago. Can the Beavers continue to shut down the run while helping a depleted secondary cover the passing game of Stanford.

These and many other questions have me and many others nervous about this weekend.

BY THE NUMBERS

 

Key
STATISTIC
OSU
Stanford
Advantage
.
 Records
4-3 (2-2)
3-4(2-3)
OSU
.
 Scoring Offense
28.0
24.1
OSU
.
 Scoring Defense
25.6
31.7
OSU
.
 Passing Offense
236.4
228.4
OSU
.
 Passing Defense
253.4
286.3
OSU
.
 Kickoff Returns
20.3
20.2
TIE
X
 Punting
29.4
37.9
STANFORD
X
 Turnover Margin
-7
+3
STANFORD
X
 Rushing Offense
154.9
116.9
OSU
X
 Rushing Defense
63.4
162.0
OSU
.
 Total Offense

391.3
345.3
OSU
.
 Total Defense
316.9
448.3
OSU
.
 Punt Return Average
6.1
8.2
STANFORD
.
 Pass Efficiency
104.4
114.2
STANFORD
.
 Pass Defense Efficiency
127.8
149.3
OSU
.
 First Downs
143
143
TIE
.
 Opponent First Downs
118
145
OSU
X
 Sacks
28
21
OSU
.
 Penalties
56.9
53.6
STANFORD
X
 Red Zone Offense
80.00
85.0
STANFORD
X
 Red Zone Defense
81.0
84.6
OSU
X
 3rd Down Conversions
38.0
29.9
OSU
X
 3rd Down Defense
33.6
35.2
OSU
X
 Sacks Allowed
11
27
OSU
.
 Field Goals
8/11
9/12
TIE
.
 Time of Possession
31.12
31.00
TIE
.
 Home Field Advantage
HOME
VISITOR
OSU
.
 Totals
17 wins
6 wins
OSU

The Beavers dominate the statistics of this matchup, winning 17 of the 27 categories examined. However, there are many categories that the Beavers are tied with Stanford. Kick-off returns, First Downs, Field Goals and Time of Possession. Many other categories are very close as well with the advantage bearly going to the Beavers. That said, the keys to this game will be in the trenches. The Beavers offensive line must come together and open holes for Bernard and provide time for Canfield to make smart decisions. The Oline must hold off a strong rush by Stanford that has given 21 sacks.

The Defensive line must shut down the running game of Stanford with ranks 8th in the PAC-10 and 8th in the passing game as well. If the defensive line can shut down the run and pressure the QB then the Beavers secondary could make some key interceptions which is the third key area of the game. Ball Control. The Beavers have to win the turnover game by forcing Stanford into errors and capitalizing on those errors with points.

THE BOTTOM LINE

This is a must win game for the Beavers. For this team to have a chance to make it to a bowl game they have to win this game. When you look at the schedule, there are three games remaining that the Beavers should be favored in, Stanford, Washington and Washington State. If they win all three of those games they are in a bowl game. Lose one of those game and it puts more pressure on the team to win against Oregon or USC on the road.

FINAL SCORE

BEAVERS 37
STANFORD 24

GO BEAVERS!

BFS
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