BFS Current Story

IT'S A HALLOWEEN HOMECOMING FOR THE BEAVERS!

10-30-2009 - This Saturday night is Halloween. A favorite night for any true Beaver fan. After all, Halloween is all about Orange and Black. I cannot wait to see what the Beaver fans will be wearing tomorrow at the game. I am sure there will be more then a few that will look something like the fans on the right. I will have to make a trip to the Beaver store on my way down to see if there is anything strange I can pick up to wear.

It is also homecoming for our Beaver alumni (myself included) and a time to remember the great times we had in school and the friends we made there. I had a great time in my 5 years at OSU. Had the opportunity to play golf for the Beavers and made many great friends who I stay in contact with still today.

Back then, our football team was the worst in the nation and our basketball team was one of the best in the nation. My how things have changed. Over the last ten years the Beavers football team has consistently been ranked in the top 25 while the basketball team has hit rock bottom. But last season gave us Beaver fans a sign of hope that the Basketball team will raise again to the national stage where they belong. Can you image what it would be like to be on campus when the Beavers were ranked in both basketball and football. It would be amazingly fun, that is for sure.

But this week the Beavers celebrate Halloween and also Homecoming and the football team is looking to rebound from a very disappointing loss at USC with a win over UCLA. On paper it would appear that the Beavers have the upper hand on a UCLA team that is still looking for its first PAC-10 win of the season. But the Beavers have not beaten UCLA in Corvallis since 1999 which is the best record any team has in Corvallis during that time period. So the Beavers need to put the USC game behind then and focus on getting the win over UCLA. We are not out of the title race yet but now we need help from the likes of USC and others to get back into it. All we can do is win out from here. If we can do that who knows how it might end up.

BY THE NUMBERS

KEYS	STATISTIC	OSU	UCLA	Advantage
.	Records	4-3(2-2)	3-4(0-4)	OSU
.	Scoring Offense	29.9	20.0	OSU
.	Scoring Defense	25.7	22.6	UCLA
.	Total Offense	400.9	296.1	OSU
.	Total Defense	381.0	339.7	UCLA
.	Rushing Offense	135.4	109.3	OSU
.	Rushing Defense	116.1	159.4	OSU
.	Passing Offense	265.4	186.9	OSU
.	Passing Defense	264.9	180.3	UCLA
.	Pass Efficiency	140.1	101.7	OSU
.	Pass Defense Efficiency	128.5	109.2	UCLA
.	Kickoff Returns	24.0	25.8	UCLA
.	Punt Return Average	9.7	10.9	UCLA
.	Interceptions	5	12	UCLA
.	Punting	37	42.3	UCLA
.	Kickoff Coverage	42.8	43.1	UCLA
.	Field Goals	11014=.786	19/21=.905	UCLA
.	PAT Kicking	22/23=.957	11/12=.905	OSU
.	Sacks by	4	13	UCLA
.	Sacks Against	22	18	UCLA
.	First Downs	147	108	OSU
.	Opponent First Downs	149	125	UCLA
.	3rd Down Conversions	46.5	28.9	OSU
.	3rd Down Defense	37.9	36.5	UCLA
.	4th Down Conversions	71.4	25.0	OSU
.	4th Down Defense	57.1	44.4	UCLA
.	Penalties	53.7	52.9	UCLA
.	Time of Possession	31.11	28.44	OSU
.	Turnover Margin	+3	+3	TIE
.	Red Zone Offense	93.3	85.0	OSU
.	Red Zone Defense	88.0	75.0	UCLA
.	Home Field Advantage	OSU	-	OSU
32	Totals	14	17	UCLA

Again this week as with every other week this season the Beavers are behind statistcally to their opponent. The Beavers are behind in 17 of 32 categories and face some real challenges from a team that is 0-4 in the PAC-10. UCLA is a strong defensive team that does not give up a lot of points each game. They have a strong pass defense that can get a lot of picks so Canfield will have to make very smart decisions before letting go of a pass and should look to throw the ball away and not force it into coverages. That and special teams are the strong aspects of the UCLA team and the Beavers special teams need to be aware of that specally after giving up a punt return for a touchdown at USC.

However, OCLA does not score a lot of points and relies on their defense to keep them in the game. They give up more points on the ground each week because they have a strong pass defense. So the Beavers will need to use the running game to get the UCLA secondary to losen up. Look for Canfield to run the ball more and then strike deep with Rodgers or Adeniji.

THE BOTTOM LINE

The Beavers have improved in many areas this season but the defense is still behind the rest of the team. The Beavers defense needs to step up and play a strong game for the Beavers to have a chance to win. Also, Canfield needs to be smart with the ball and not throw the interception. If the Beavers can accomplish both of those tasks this should be a comfortable win for the Beavers.

FINAL SCORE

BEAVERS 31
UCLA 17

GO BEAVERS!

BFS