BFS Current Story

WE BELIEVE! - The OSU Beavers Face a Real Test at UCLA Today

11-8-2008 - The Oregon State Football Team will face another tough test this Saturday as they travel to UCLA to face the 3-5 Bruins. Don't let their record fool you. The Bruins are tough especially at home. I look at our remaining schedule and see this game and the Arizona game as the 2 toughest left on our schdule. Sure Cal and Oregon will be tough as well, but both of those games are at home. I feel more confident that the Beavers can compete against anyone at home. As we have seen over time, it is the road games that have most often tripped up this program.

Mike Riley is 0-9 vs UCLA in his career. He is 0-5 as the Beavers head coach and 0-4 as an assistent at USC. Then there is the head game that is being played out in the minds of all the Beavers players. Can they keep their minds focused on the task at hand when they travel to play in the "Rose Bowl". You know when they walk into that stadium the thought of what could be has got to creap into the backs of their minds. Can they keep it out? Can they focus on beating UCLA and not look forward in time to what might be?

Even as the Beavers are playing at UCLA, there is another game going that will help their cause. USC plays CAL today, two teams that the Beavers are tied with. So one of those teams will drop out of the tie. With a Beaver win today at UCLA, they will automatically be in a 2 way tie for first. If OSU and CAL both win. Then next weeks game at Oregon State will be for the conference title as the Beavers will be tied for first with Cal.

The last time the Beavers won in the Rose Bowl was 2000 when the Beavers beat the nationally ranked Bruins 44-37 in come from behind fashion. The year 2000 was also the last time the Beavers started 4-1 in the PAC-10 and they also upset #8 USC in 2000. Sound familar? This game is huge. It can be a major step toward getting back the Rose Bowl Game for the first time since the 1964-1965 season. You have got think that the Rose Bowl Committee has got to be rooting for the Beavers. If the Beavers earn a berth to the Rose Bowl in January you have got to think that they got sell all 100,000 tickets to Beaver Fans.

So, you see how difficult it is to focus on the UCLA game. In 4 paragraphs I have not mentioned it in only the first paragraph. That is the task at hand for the Beavers today. Staying focused on beating UCLA. Last word I heard was that Canfield is starting today and Moevao would be available if needed. Canfield, who is from Carlsbad Ca. will get his first start of the 2008 season in the Rose Bowl. Last year Canfield was 22-35 for 146 yards and no TD's in a loss to UCLA in which the Beavers gave up 21 straight points in just under 3 minutes after leading 14-12 in the forth quarter. Canfield and the Beavers will rely heavily on the Rodgers brothers and wide outs Sammy Stroughter and Shane Morales to move the ball down the field as the UCLA defense in third in the conference in pass defense and 8th in the conference in rush defense.

BY THE NUMBERS

Key	STATISTIC	OSU	UCLA	Advantage
.	Records	5-3(4-1)	3-5(2-3)	OSU
.	Scoring Offense	33.6	20.4	OSU
.	Scoring Defense	23.9	30.6	OSU
	Total Offense	425.5	300.9	OSU
	Total Defense	302.5	361.4	OSU
.	Rushing Offense	165.6	81.5	OSU
.	Rushing Defense	120.0	188.8	OSU
	Passing Offense	259.9	219.4	OSU
	Passing Defense	182.5	172.6	UCLA
	Pass Efficiency	141.4	107.7	OSU
	Pass Defense Efficiency	115.9	122.7	OSU
.	Kickoff Returns	21.5	24.7	UCLA
	Punt Return Average	8.5	11.6	UCLA
	Interceptions	8	5	OSU
.	Punting	30.1	35.6	UCLA
	Kickoff Coverage	39.7	37.2	OSU
X	Field Goals	9/15=.600	12/15=.800	UCLA
X	PAT Kicking	30/32=.938	17/18=.944	UCLA
X	Sacks by	20	15	OSU
.	Sacks Against	9	24	OSU
.	First Downs	185	134	OSU
.	Opponent First Downs	127	154	OSU
.	3rd Down Conversions	42.2	39.1	OSU
x	3rd Down Defense	31.4	37.7	OSU
x	4th Down Conversions	63.6	28.6	OSU
.	4th Down Defense	60.0	50.0	UCLA
.	Penalties	53.0	47.8	UCLA
	Time of Possession	32.38	30.03	OSU
	Turnover Margin	+3	-8	OSU
X	Red Zone Offense	86.5	80.6	OSU
X	Red Zone Defense	84.0	83.3	UCLA
.	Home Field Advantage	VISITOR	HOME	UCLA
32	Totals	22	10	OSU

So the Beavers will have to move the ball on the ground and UCLA knows that, which means the Beavers O-line will have to come to play and open holes for Rodgers and McCants while protecting Canfield and giving him time to throw down field.

The big problem for the Beavers continues to be special teams where they rank at or near the bottom of the conference in punting, field goals, punt returns, kickoff returns.

THE BOTTOM LINE

Beavers need to run the ball and protect the quarterback. Canfield has to be smart and make good decisions when throwing the ball. I think this will be a wide open shoot out with the Beavers once again putting it away in the second half with strong defense.

FINAL SCORE

BEAVERS 38
BRUINS 28

GO BEAVERS!

BFS