Saturday, December 29, 2007

Bernard passes torch to Rodgers, Beavs beat Terps

OSU beat Maryland last night in a game that wasn't especially exciting for the neutral viewer. But for Beavers fans it was just fine. Sure, we were all cringing every time a QB dropped back to pass. But every time James Rodgers or Yvenson Bernard touched the ball something good happened.

It was like the past and future meeting up for a game. Yvenson Bernard handing the torch to James Rodgers. Both guys had over 100 yards rushing and combined for all of the Beavers TDs. And we needed all those yards because the QBs we a little shaky.

How about that Beaver D? Back to their late season form allowing only 19 yards rushing. And only 11 first downs. Wow.

The penalties and turnovers made for a sloppy and frustrating game, but a win is a win. The Beaver fans represented (9000 offical tickets sold, how many more in the stadium?). That will be great for future bowl games.

Some post-game thoughts:

* Maryland had some serious cheap shots all game. What was that about? We're they trying to channel the USC trojans? That was something I didn't expect.

* That last drive was money. Up by a TD. On your own 1 yard line. Oh, just drive the length of the field and kill the game. Nice.

* The Oregonian's coverage was a bit strange, eh? Between Canzano putting doubt in to Beaver Nation about Jaquizz and Ken Goe complaining about our bowl game (talk to the Pac-10, not us) it was a strange postgame day. Does Goe think we pick which bowl we want to go to?

* I'm gonna miss this defense. I'm gonna miss Yvenson Bernard. Thanks seniors!!!

Friday, December 21, 2007

Free Emerald Bowl Tickets from Qdoba and KXL

If you're reading this at work and want an excuse for a road trip to San Francisco, then tune into AM 750 and listen for a chance to win Emerald Bowl Tickets:

Hey Beaver Nation! Qdoba Mexican Grill is a proud sponsor of the OSU Beavers and we are giving you the opportunity to see the Beavs take on the Terrapins in this huge PAC-10/ACC showdown.

Tune in all this week to NewsRadio 750 KXL's Morning Sports Broadcasts with Jay Allen. Jay will be giving you the opportunity to win Qdoba Prize Packs, filled with Beaver gear and a Qdoba $25 gift certificate.

On Friday, December 21st, one lucky winner will receive a pair of tickets and a pair of hospitality passes to the Emerald Bowl. Not to mention, a $50 gift certificate and Beaver Gear courtesy of Qdoba Mexican Grill.

Monday, December 17, 2007

OSU's Mike Riley builds NFL QBs

While watching Matt Moore lead the Carolina Panthers to a win over the Seahawks yesterday, I had a thought. Coach Riley knows how to prepare QBs for the rigors of the NFL. In fact, he may prepare QBs better than most coaches in the Pac-10. This is fairly hard to prove, but I think we should play this up and see if we can get more elite QBs to come to play for Coach Riley and prepare for the NFL.

One of the knocks on Riley is that his system seems to be harder so new QBs tend to have a hard time adjusting to it. My contention is that this learning curve actually prepares QBs better for performing in the NFL. Its a small sample size, but Matt Moore and Derek Anderson have done very well in their first NFL action. Riley runs a Pro-style offense that demands a lot of its QBs. If I was a young QB with a strong arm, I would seriously consider OSU. Mike has coached in the NFL and he knows what it takes. And he gets players prepared for life in the NFL. Plus, the Pac-10 gets you prepared for the speed of the game as good and any conference.

Great job Beavers alumni!

Moore's first start sweet - Seattle P-I

ESPN Gives Derek Anderson some love - OSU Beavers Blog on OregonLive.com

Sunday, December 02, 2007

Rodgers and Simonton: Deja Vu?

Wow, the similarities between the 1998 Simonton run in the Civil War and the 2007 James Rodgers run are uncanny.

Think about the situations. Both true freshman stepping up huge all season. Both in multiple OTs. Both to break some major Civil War streaks. I've got a good feeling about this guy!

Thanks to ThomasG86 for pointing this out! (Scout.com Board)

The photos:





Then the video:







Bring on the Terrapins!

Beavers Win Civil War in Double Overtime!

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!

Saturday, December 01, 2007

Civil War - What's that huge sucking sound?

It's coming in the direction of Eugene.

I can't wait to see what the stadium look like inside Autzen because if there are empty seats or an inordinate amount of Orange, then I will never let the Ducks live it down. KATU did a story about the tailgating in Eugene last night which was much lighter than normal. They attributed it to the weather. No. Its because many Ducks have jumped ship.

If the ducks fans are as subdued as this guy, then the noise won't be at its normal level. If the noise isn't a factor, the Beavs will win going away.


Go Beavers!

 
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