What a win!
After that "jumping and landing" call, I thought we were doomed. But when the kick was short, holy cow, that was some serious ecstasy! I can't believe we survived to go to overtime.
There's a lot of angles on this game. From Bellotti deflecting blame and crying about no measurement (has he ever "lost" a game?) to Matt Sieverson and Jonathan Stewart's huge rushing days to Rodgers' fly sweep for the TD and win. But I'm going to keep it positive here today and give props where they are due.
It's hard to pick an MVP (MOP?) for this game. There's Matt Sieverson running hard in the best game of his life. He was 27-143 for a 5.3 ypc average and 1 TD. How HUGE was that. He made us forget about Yvenson Bernard for a game. Fitting for a guy from Bend, Oregon who went through so much to get to this point. Mad props to Matt!
But what about Lyle Moevao? He was solid all game. 20-37 for 245 yards passing and a rushing TD. Sure he made a few mistakes when he was trying to make things happen, but he was a leader and played with moxie and love for the game. Great game Lyle!
You could give the award to the entire offensive line including the tight ends. Zero sacks and 214 yards rushing. Wow. Huge game from them. And the tight ends were catching the ball great. I'm going to miss this O Line next year. Great game guys!
How about James Rodgers? I have a man-crush on this guy. Our offense is now about 50% James Rodgers. Even when he doesn't get the ball the play-action with him running the fake fly sweep is big. The huge KO return when we needed it. And the game winning TD (shades of Kenny Simonton - more later). Great game Rodgers!
And I do have to give some props to the Ducks who played way better than anyone thought they would. Johnathan Stewart was huge against a D that just doesn't allow people to run like that. He was clearly hobbled but still got it done. I hope we don't have to see him again next year. That QB Roper had a fine game. He threw the ball well and put a huge scare into us. Good game to the Ducks. You made this a classic Civil War and a very tough game.
Some last thoughts. I just want to thank Mike Riley for putting together a team and group of student athletes that all Beaver fans can be proud of. Say what you will, but this guy can not only coach, but he does it the right way. Gracious in defeat and victory, never give up, and professional. Its just more fun that way.
I happened to see the UCLA vs OSU game from 2000 on Fox Classics this week. And that was a great team, but they really didn't know how to act on the field. They were celebrating for being the 3rd guy in to help with a tackle. OK, I know we needed to change our attitude from losers to winners, but it was almost embarrassing seeing all that over the top stuff. And the personal fouls! Yikes!
These teams are just great kids. They celebrate with the best of them, but not for plays that they are supposed to make. They act like they've been there and that even keel attitude is the difference when you're down by a TD and need a big drive to win. I'm just so proud of the team the last few years. And I'm excited for next season!
Lastly, I have to give props to John Canzano. He got it right this time. He was the only one to mention the dichotomy between the coaches and the teams. A must read for Beaver fans.
It's the Beavers' moment, and they love living in it - The Oregonian, John Canzano
After the game, while the Ducks were using words such as "miscommunication" and "measurement" in their locker room, the Beavers were talking about "character" and "resolve" in the winning locker room. And maybe it always ends that way, but when you look at what Riley has done at Oregon State -- winning down the stretch three of the past four years -- it's probably worth Oregon noticing.
Go Beavs!
