The Oregon State defense, will it be better? Here are a few potential clues in some recent articles

This is a nice preview out of Seattle of Oregon State's upcoming football season.

There's one particular part of the article that caught my eye:

The Seattle Times: College Sports: Will that OSU baseball swagger roll on to football field?

Asked to name his top three areas of concern, Riley points to (1) uncertainty over whether the receiving corps is up to replacing Hass; (2) youth in a secondary that was victimized for frequent big plays last year; and (3) the challenge of replacing Bray and Ellison.

As for the defensive line, he says, 'I feel pretty good about that.'

Well, that's this last thing I would have expected him to say. It seems like the defensive line is the most up in the air to me. But that actually makes me a little more optimistic about things. If the D-Line can make a huge step forward, then everything gets a whole lot easier for the defense.

I tell ya, I do really like what I've seen out of Pernell Booth. He was good last season before getting hurt. I think he will be a regular in the DT rotation and may be starting a few games into the season. And if Dorian Smith can learn fast, I hope he becomes our scary pass rusher on the outside. Cause we need it bad.

Ultimately, if the D-Line can be great against the run this year and be just somewhat better at providing pressure on the QB then we'll be better on D.

Here's something positive from a recent practice report:

BeaverBlitz.com - Riley pleased with the play of the defense

Riley also complemented the defense as a whole, stating "the defense is really flying around, and it is really hard to select just one guy (as the star)."

He is also happy with what he is seeing in the secondary, "I've been pleased with the corners, Keenan Lewis, Brandon Hughes, and Coye Francies. There is depth at safety with Sabby and of course Al Afalava. Brian Payton has made a ton of plays in camp, Daniel Drayton is a solid player and we have two really good looking freshmen with James Dockery and Suaesi Tuimaunei."

Riley also mentioned that he is happy with the play and depth at linebacker and with the way the defensive front is progressing.

I hope all this optimism bodes well for the season. I want the tough, mean, and "#1 in the Pac-10" defense back.