BFS Current Story

It's The Bye Week, Let's Review What We've Seen So Far

10-25-2008 - Well if you have been following OSU football at all the last few years you should know by now to expect the unexpected and to never give up on on coach Riley and your Beavers. You can also look forward to the PAC-10 being a conference that provides great competition and balance among its teams. Year after year the PAC-10 has been a top conference in the nation where any of it's 10 member schools can win on any given weekend. Already this season we have the unexpected surprises with the Beavers upsetting #1 ranked USC and also Arizona becoming a contender within the conference after so many years of being in the bottom half. You have teams that have their typical starts. Oregon and Cal both started fast and entered the rankings only to start losing a few games and drop from the rankings. Then there is the Beavers who have become known for slow starts then to gain momentum and finish strong. The Beavers started 0-2 with loses at Stanford and Penn St. and have since found their stride going 4-1 in their last 5 games.

So with the season half over, what can we expect the rest of this PAC-10 season from the Beavers as well as what other teams might being doing down the stretch. It is sure to be another exciting finish to the PAC-10 season and it really starts today with USC at Arizona. We will find out today just how good Arizona is. The Beavers are already in the drivers seat in the conference with the win over USC and only need to win out to claim a conference title. If Arizona somehow beats USC today that would go a long ways to helping the cause.

So who are the teams to watch the rest of this season?

• USC - Still the team to beat in the PAC-10 but they seem to have come back to the rest of the pack a little bit. Losing a game every year to someone in the conference the last 4 years. But you have to give them the nod with the shear number of stand out players they have on the bench.
• Oregon State - Mike Riley has proven over the years that he is a teacher of students and a builder of men. His teams have always started slow in month of September but have a 80+ winning percentage in Oct and Nov. With the win over USC the Beavers need only to win out to capture a PAC-10 Championship.
• Arizona - The Wildcats are the surprise team so far this season and have shown that they are here to compete. Today's came with USC will go along way to proving that opinion. Even if they lose to the Trojans, if they keep the game close and give themselves a chance to win at the end it will give the rest of the conference cause for concern when playing the Wildcats.
• Stanford - The Cardinal are much improved over previous years. They are 4-4 overall and 3-2 in conference play. Last year they were 4-8 overall and 3-6 in the PAC-10. They have a tough road down the stretch with only Washington State as a clear win as they have to travel to Oregon and Cal with USC at home.
• Oregon - I put the Ducks in this position as they have proven over the last 5 years or so to start fast and finish slow. They have a losing record in Nov. the last few years and have struggled down the stretch with injuries and consistent play on defense.

BY THE NUMBERS

 

Key	STATISTIC	OSU	Conf. Rank	Advantage
.	Records	4-3(3-1)	tied 1st	OSU
.	Scoring Offense	34.6	5th	OSU
.	Scoring Defense	23.5	5th	OSU
	Total Offense	433.4	3rd	OSU
	Total Defense	303.6	3rd	OSU
.	Rushing Offense	173.7	4th	OSU
.	Rushing Defense	126.0	5th	OSU
	Passing Offense	259.7	2nd	OSU
	Passing Defense	177.6	4th	OSU
	Pass Efficiency	139.5	3rd	OSU
	Pass Defense Efficiency	113.7	5th	OSU
.	Kickoff Returns	23.1	4th	OSU
	Punt Return Average	8.8	7th	OSU
	Interceptions	8	4th	OSU
.	Punting	32.5	10th	OSU
	Kickoff Coverage	39.3	8TH	OSU
X	Field Goals	7/12=.583	9TH	OSU
X	PAT Kicking	27/29=.931	8TH	OSU
X	Sacks by	15	4TH	OSU
.	Sacks Against	8	2ND	OSU
.	First Downs	163	2ND	OSU
.	Opponent First Downs	113	4TH	OSU
.	3rd Down Conversions	42.1	4TH	OSU
x	3rd Down Defense	31.9	4TH	OSU
x	4th Down Conversions	60.0	2ND	OSU
.	4th Down Defense	55.6	5TH	OSU
.	Penalties	58.4	6TH	OSU
	Time of Possession	32.39	1ST	OSU
	Turnover Margin	+4	4TH	OSU
X	Red Zone Offense	85.3	5TH	OSU
X	Red Zone Defense	80.0	3RD	OSU
.	Home Field Advantage	-	-	OSU
32	Totals	-	-	OSU

Despite giving up big numbers to Penn St. early in the season the Beavers still rank high in most offensive and defensive categories in the PAC-10. The key down the stretch for the Beavers will be the continued play of the Rodgers brothers and receivers Stroughter and Morales. Also for Moevao to continue to make smart decisions in the passing game. The offense keeping the ball and not turning it over is allowing the defense to come in fresh and put pressure on the opponents offense. Continued defensive pressure by the Beavers defense is showing results in turnovers by our defense and short field offensive possessions on offense.

Right now the Beavers are playing like a team with a mission. They are running the ball well with the O-line opening big holes for the running game and providing time for Moevao to look down field and hit the open receivers.

The hardest part of the schedule is behind the Beavers but that does not mean we have easy games coming up. A real good test will be next weekend when Dennis Erickson comes back to Corvallis with his Sun Devil team. Then I feel comes the first of two big tests for this young team when they travel to UCLA and 2 weeks later have to travel to Arizona. In between those two you have a tough Cal team coming into Reser.

With only 5 games remaining on the schedule the Beavers are very close to a season to remember if they can finish strong like in past seasons. It should be a very exciting end to the 2008 football season.

GO BEAVERS!

BFS