New AD Report and a key Measure on the ballot for OSU

Bob has posted a new AD report with some great news about the Phase 2 Reser expansion.

A.D. Report Update -- Sept. 27. - OSUBeavers.com

"The Reser upgrade will extend the south end zone by wrapping it from the east side—which was completed in phase one—to the west side of the stadium. A significantly improved display system, which will dramatically enhance our fan experience at Reser, is another key element of this upgrade. The new ProStar Digital VideoPlus Display will boast the largest display area in the Pac-10, measuring an estimated 80 feet wide by nearly 30 feet high. The new video area will be five times larger than the current display.

[...]

When all the plans played out, it became clear that moving the weight room and delaying the locker room project was best, and this new approach nets us 2,800 additional seats in Reser as opposed to the 800 additional seats in our original plan. After this second phase of Reser is completed, its new capacity will be 46,200 seats.

Wow. So maybe we're not getting the Zillatron like Texas, but a bigger screen would be sweet!

Of course much of this depends of the outcome of Measure 48. Here's a Barometer article that details what Measure 48 is all about:

Proposed measure puts a hold on OSU construction - News

"Under [Measure 48], when you choose to spend money on one thing that means you are also choosing not to spend money on something else, even if you have the money available," said Jock Mills, the university's director of government relations. "So if we choose to invest state funds to pay off the debt on a building, the spending limit forces us to choose to educate fewer students."

Colorado passed a similar measure in 1992 hoping to solve increasing state budget deficits. Instead, citizens recently voted to suspend the law for five years, ending what many call effects that have crippled the state's higher education system.

[...]

The second phase of Reser Stadium was not scheduled to begin until after the current 2006 season and it is possible that the expansion will not be affected if Measure 48 fails. If passed however, the stadium will also be on hold. The athletic department, through spokesman Steve Fenk, declined comment.

So that means a NO vote on 48 by me.

Read up, get informed and no matter what your opinion get out and vote.

Go Beavs!

Game Thoughts

Here's a few thoughts from the game on Saturday.

* People booed Idaho when they came out. I expected a fair amount of cheering because of Dennis. There were quite a few people that clapped a bit and maybe just didn't do anything.

* Kyle Loomis looked like the punter we thought we were getting. He was good.

* The defense was better. More pressure, better coverage, and better gap coverage. There were only about 3 plays that were over about 12 yards by Idaho and a shut out is a shut out. They clearly played better. Idaho only shot themselves in the foot a few times and generally didn't get anything going all game.

* The offense seems like it should be better. The running game and passing game is so good at times and then so bad. Very streaky. With the passing game everybody likes to put that at Matt Moore's feet and I'm not sure I can disagree (although there was some bad dropped passes). However, what's the deal with the running game? How can it be really good for two series, then bad for 3? I don't get it.

* What happened to getting Polk in the game for 10 - 12 carries? I'm not sure he or Canfield have gotten in when the game matters yet this season. Maybe vs. EWU. I think Polk would be a great change of pace and might help keep the running game going when they have a bad series.

* The Oregonian was a little harsh. And boy the really like to beat a story dead don't they. How does the Oklahoma game get almost 2 pages of coverage a week later. I'm surprised they didn't recap the Boise St. game 2 weeks later.


On to Cal. They were very good in their win over ASU. It's gonna be a huge win if the Beavs can pull it off. I think most fans would settle for a close game and some major improvement over the BSU game.

Oregon State vs. Idaho Preview

If you're like me then you know two things about the Idaho Vandals: they are coached by Dennis Erickson and they gave Michigan St. a scare in the first game of the season. After that nothing. The press sure hasn't given us much but re-hashing the Boise St. and the implications of Dennis coming back to Corvallis.

If you want to think about Dennis then think about the good times (see Brooks Hatch blog) and the come back to the present. Because we need a winning season this season.

On to Idaho.

If they take on the character of other Erickson teams, then there will be a lot of deep passes to take a shot at the OSU secondary. And the defense will probably blitz quite a bit to make up for any athletic shortcomings.

Offense

The offense isn't stellar, but decent. They rush for about 119 ypg and pass for 213 ypg.

Their running back, Soph Jayson Bird, looks fairly average but does have a ton of experience as he's played every game since his freshman season (got a redshirt last year after getting hurt). Looks like they have a few decent backups that provide a good change of pace.

The passing game is led by Senior Steve Wichman who is in his second year of starting at QB. He passed for 2700 yards last season with 15 passing TDs. However, it looks like he is prone to interceptions with 18 last season and 3 this year already (only one passing TD).

Doesn't look too threatening. The only thing they have done better than average is avoid sacks. Only 3 allowed all season. Overall, we had better keep them under wraps. Considering they haven't scored more than 17 points against anyone good yet means we should hold them to less than 17 offensive points. We should pull an E. Washington type performance against this team.

Defense

From what I hear their defensive line is a strength on this defense, but they only have 1 sack so far. They have a fair bit of TFL (tackles for loss). Beyond that, there are not a lot of clues as to what they do well. They give up almost 500 ypg and 36 ppg. Granted they got blown out by WSU, but still that's a lot of yards.

They could cause problems at times, but I fully expect the Beavers to get after it and start showing off the type of offense they did against E. Washington. I'm particularly interested in the passing game. We need to get that rolling again in preparation for Cal.

Overall

Beavs win 41 - 10. But that's not the real story. Everyone will really be watching two things: how do the Beavers respond after the BSU game and how does the team look heading into the Pac-10 schedule. It's really almost like EWU all over again.

Sammy Stroughter is the best punt returner in the nation

...Through 2 games :). He has a 31.4 average which leads the nation. Plus, if he returns another for a touchdown this game then he will tie the NCAA Division I record for consecutive games with a punt-return touchdown.

Pretty cool.

Go Sammy! (BTW, I love the fact that our KO and punt return games are finally coming around and being a legitmate threat)

Games over the weekend

Sometimes it's nice just to get a weekend to size up the competition. That Duck game was crazy. They were lucky and good at the same time. Just a crazy game.

The uproar over the refs is here:
Lucky Ducks: Sooners get hosed by officials - FanBlogs.com

FWIW, the Sooners got screwed.

The other shocker was UW beating Fresno St. at home. That surprised me a bit. I don't think it proves much except that the Huskies are dangerous. However, they can still implode just like they have been in the last few years. One win does not a season make.

Nonetheless, the Husky fans are getting excited. And one writer thinks they have a good shot at a bowl game. That's probably true. I tought it was interesting how he couched the Beavs. After one loss, somehow the Beavers are in the class of Stanford and Arizona.

Bowl game within reach - The Daily Herald

Washington State has been inconsistent everywhere and Arizona, Oregon State and especially Stanford have just not been good.

[...]

In fact, it's possible the Huskies could be favored against the Beavers and Cardinal.

Wow. I guess the blowout win vs. E. Washington means nothing and the blowout loss to Boise St. means we're terrible. OK. I'm still on a wait and see approach to this season. But I don't see how you can make an assumption like that after OSU has played a grand total of 2 games.

Anyways, I hope the Huskies don't make a bowl game because that is one thing we don't need around here: powerful Husky and Duck teams.

Tribune interview with Dennis Erickson

This interview with Dennis Erickson has an interesting quote defending Mike Riley.

Erickson, Vandals face uphill battle

Erickson bristles at criticism of his successor.

“That’s ridiculous,” Erickson says. “The Internet has screwed everything up. Mike is doing a great job with that program, for criminy sakes. Give me a break. He’s a good coach and has a good staff, and they’re recruiting well. Those things happen. As a coach, you’d like to be able to control that, but it happens.

“They are going to win a lot of games. It’s a good thing sometimes that fans don’t make (coaching) decisions.”

[...]

Erickson admits he has sneaked a thought or two about his impending visit to Corvallis, where he remains a popular figure for his stellar work as the Beavers’ coach from 1999 to 2002.

“I was back last year for the Portland State game,” he says. “The renovated stadium is so cool – it makes me proud of my time there. But to be on the other sideline, that will be very emotional for me.”

Idaho lost big to Wazzu and I think we all breathed a little sigh of relief.

The internet is a very different animal. I think the coaches and athletic departments need to address it almost as much as recruiting. I think they need to have more openness in the athletic department. Maybe get a player and coach blogging. Maybe allow for some comments and then respond to the comments. Why let things hash out on the Boards? Control it a bit by responding to some of these questions. Have a weekly chat with Head Coach Mike Riley. Make him available.

The thing I like about Mike Riley is that he doesn't get defensive when people ask tough questions and I really like when he gets into the football strategy and explains some of the game nuances to us laymans. I think he could really win over some fans and show off his knowledge by just connecting a bit with the fans and let them ask tough questions and answer them with his knowledge. Lets get into what coaching is really like and why they make some of the decisions that they do.

I think the athletic dept. or coach that recognizes the power of the internet will go a long way towards keeping the fans happy through the tough times and end up helping with ticket sales, fundraising, and possibly recruiting.

What do you think?

OSU Hoops gets a big man

In a couple of years the Beavs will have another international big man to roam the court. Ilija Milutinovic, 6-foot-10, 240-pounds, has announced he will play basketball for Oregon State. I don't know too much about him except he sounds a lot like Cuic, except will be younger when he comes in.

Plus, he has the best quote from an incoming recruit I've seen in a while:

Milutinovic reaffirms decision to play for OSU

'I know they play in a good conference, they have good coaches, and I think it's the best place for me academically. And they wear orange. I like that.'

Nice. Hopefullly our international front line will turn out to be pretty solid in a couple years.

The Aftermath

Two things that caught my eye in the aftermath.

First, I agree with Brian Meehan in his column today. The Beavers rolled over and gave up. I think they get too emotional and don't have enough confidence in themselves to respond when the going gets tough. That's what happens when you consistently get blown out on the road. I really wish our guy would stop trash talking before the game and hell during the game until they've done something. Don't give them anything to get fired up about! What's next, telling USC that they suck without Bush, White, and Leinhart BEFORE kickoff? Because a team that's won 95% of their games over the last 4 years is really going to be rattled by that (BSU). Come on! Be professional and do your talking with your play. Don't get in their face after one good play, get up and do it again and again and again. That shows them how good you are. Not your mouth.

The Beavs need to find some resilience for once or else it's going to be a long season.

Ouch.

I'm tired of getting blown out on the road. Especially on national TV. And to Boise.

Two weeks to think about that.

Photos from Eastern Washington game

I finally got around to uploading the photos from last Thursday's win over EWU.

OSU vs. EWU Photo Set

Did anyone else notice that the music was much louder this game. Sounds like they addressed the speakers in the new side in the off season. Also, didn't notice too many disco songs so I think they may have got it right. The fireworks were good even if we can't have a cannon boom.

Oregon State at Boise State

OSU takes on Boise State Thursday night and hopes to erase the memory of an ambush in 2004. The Beavers had a rough time of it back then having playing LSU in a highly emotional OT loss and getting back late from Louisiana. That left them little time to recover and prepare for BSU and it showed. They lost 53-35.

This year the Beavers feel like the Broncos are one of the tougher teams on their schedule. The game prepares them for the intensity required for Pac-10 play.

The Broncos have a new head coach, Chris Peterson, who has been the offensive coordinator the last few years. Not too much will change on the football field as he knows all the players and the offense very well. The defensive coordinator is new so there may be a few new wrinkles on D.

Offense

The key returning starter is the QB, Jared Zabransky. He will be a senior QB and has started for two years already. Jared is dangerous because he can run and really keep a defense off balance. His passing ability is good enough and the Broncos offense does a lot of pass plays that are tough to defend such as inside passes where the other receivers almost screen for the underneath receiver. We saw some of that versus EWU so we need to be much better defending that. Also, we need to stay at home and really contain BSU or else Zabransky will run wild on any pass play that we defend well.

The running game looked very good against Sacramento State last week. Starting RB Ian Johnson had 90 yards on only 13 carries. So that dimension is there and needs to be held in check. While it seems like BSU passes alot, really they get much of their yardage on the ground averaging over 200 ypg last season

The receivers look good with senior Drisan James leading the way. Dristan is on some award watch lists for 2006.

This game will give Beaver fans an idea if the defense is better or worse than last year.

Defense

Senior LBs Korey Hall and Colt Brooks are the linchpins for this defense. They lead the defense and keep everything in check. Colt Brooks had an interception against Sac State and they combined for 14 tackles and 2 TFL. Hall lead the team in tackles last season with 106. Brooks is the sack man with a team leading 6 sacks last season. The Beavs will have to watch out for LB blitzes.

The defense was pretty good against the run last year allowing just over 100 ypg. They did allow about 260 ypg in the air.

The Beavers will be tested running against this defense. They will try to force the Beavers to pass and hope the Matt Moore from last year against Arizona shows up. If the Beavers can run against the Broncos then they should be able to control the clock and keep the ball out of the hands of their offense. Otherwise Matt Moore will need to prove that he has improved and can lead the team to victory like last years game against BSU.

My thoughts

I think the Beavers will run the ball and throw well enough to score a lot of points. I'm not sure about the defense, but I like our chances against any team that is run heavy and only average passing. I think we will go into Boise with rest, preparation, and a chip on our shoulder from the last game. Oh, and the fact that most Boise St. fans, bloggers, and beat writers continually try to belittle the Beavers and pretty much write them off.

I'm actually tired of the Boise St. attitude. They think they are USC already. Or maybe Texas. The brash, cocky attitude definitely makes me want the Beavs to kick their ass for once. It started with the beat writer calling the Beavers a AAA team. Then moves to score predictions of BSU 44 - OSU 21. The last straw was this:
Beavers will be embarrassed. We definitely get NO respect in Idaho. Oh right, they did beat us that one time. After losing to LSU 5 days earlier in OT. And having flight delays that got us in late the next day.

Good lord I want the Beavs to kick some Bronco butt tomorrow night. So bad that I think the players feel it too. I think they still want redemption. Sabby and Ev know how it felt. AWB was there. They will tell the story of a cocky team that needs to be smacked.

Beavs win 50 - 30. Payback time.

Could Boise State be overconfident?

I've been paying some attention to articles and bloggers out of Idaho and elsewhere and I've noticed that they seem to mainly think that they will win quite easily.  One score prediction was 44-21.  That seems to be the general thought in Bronco-land.  While I think that is certainly a possibility after 2004, but I feel like it should be much closer than that.  The Beavers are simply better prepared this time around.

Here's my question:

Could the Broncos suffer from overconfidence?  If the fans all feel like they will win and win big, what are the players thinking?  Does they think they will take down Oregon State with no problem?

If this is the case, then Boise State may find themselves on the losing end of the game come Thursday night.

Links about the Oregon State game at Boise State

OSU
Dont expect many changes at Boise State under Petersen - Gazette-Times

Punting game big concern

Beavers face tougher task this week - StatesmanJournal.com

Riley Meets The Press - OSUBeavers.com

Coach's Corner - 'It's a tough place to play' - BeaverFootball.com


BSU
Chadd's Blog - The Idaho Statesman

Zag's Frags.. Week 2
This guy predicts Broncos 44, Beavers 21.


National

Quick Outs: Week 1

After missing all of 2005 with a freak injury, Oregon State's Joe Newton wasted no time showing why he's one of the nation's most dangerous pass-catching tight ends. The hulking senior picked up where he left off in 2004, pulling down five balls for 56 yards and two touchdowns. His presence will do wonders for sporadic QB Matt Moore, which will propel the Beavers back to the post-season.

Hass cut from Saints, catches on with Chicago on practice squad

In a surprise move, the Saints cut Oregon State WR Mike Hass over the weekend. He performed well in preseason camp and looked like a lock to make the team. However, he hasn't played in the last few exhibition games leading most Beaver fans to wonder whats going on. Seems like he didn't quite get a fair shake in the whole thing. But maybe this will contribute to the Mike Hass saga.

Hass Cut From Saints - Building The Dam

Lions make a surprising catch - The Oregonian

Meanwhile, Hass, a star receiver at Oregon State and winner of the 2005 Biletnikoff award honoring the nation's best receiver, was cut by the New Orleans Saints, but his agent said he signed with Chicago to join the practice squad.

[...]

The 6-1, 209-pound Hass had four receptions for 33 yards in four preseason games. He had three catches for 33 yards in the Saints' first exhibition against Tennessee, but didn't see much action in the next two games before catching one pass for five yards against Kansas City in the preseason finale.

"Things didn't go very well for Mike in New Orleans," said Scott Smith, Hass' agent. "They didn't give him much of a chance to show what he could do."

Smith said Hass signed a deal with the Bears on Sunday and was expected to arrive in Chicago later that night.

"The Saints wanted to sign him to the practice squad, but we identfied Chicago as the best opportunity for Mike," Smith said. "They need a guy like Mike. A guy who runs great routes and has great hands."

Good luck Mike. Hopefully this is a better situation and you can work your way in to some playing time.

The Idaho Statesman gives Beavers some bulliten board material?

Looking ahead to Boise St. it looks like they aren't taking OSU very seriously. They expect a win. Should be a really good game. Both teams have a chip on their shoulder. BSU for last year and OSU for the debacle two years ago.

Here's an article out of Idaho looking ahead to the Beavers.

BSU Football - The Idaho Statesman - Always Idaho: "If the Hornets provided rookie-ball competition, Oregon State is more like Class AAA."

Really. Interesting. I hope the Beavs take that to heart and show the Broncos what Pac-10 football is all about.

Joe Rudulph leaves football program

It too bad that Joe couldn't have stayed with the team this season. I think he could have been a force to be reckoned with. Good luck to Joe in the future.

Rudulph leaves football program - Corvallis Gazette-Times

Coach Mike Riley would not comment further, but Rudulph said the parting was mutual and there are no hard feelings from either side.

[...]

“I still love coach Riley and my team,” Rudulph said. “I know he would be there for me if I need him outside of football. He’s doesn’t want to comment on this because it’s a distraction this close to the season. They have a good chance to go to the Rose Bowl. He has a job to do now, and so do I.”

Well done Joe. Way to leave with some class. I know I'll be rooting for you wherever you end up.

Eastern Washington Preview

Oregon State's first opponent is Eastern Washington University, or as Herd likes to call it, the "Harvard on the Palouse".

EWU had a great season in 2005 winning the Big Sky title and going to the Div. 1-AA playoffs. They lost their first round game to Northern Iowa, but they return a ton of players with a least some starting experience. Only 5 players that are expected to start on Thursday are making their starting debut. They are a always a good 1-AA team and are predicted to finish second this season in the Big Sky preseason poll.

Coach Paul Wulff has lost some key players from last year's championship team. The QB, best reciever, and best defensive player are all gone. The 2005 QB, Erik Meyer, won the Walter Payton award for the best player in Division 1-AA! The reciever finished second to Jerry Rice in career TD receptions in 1-AA with 46. So their record setting offense of 2005 has a few holes to fill.

Let's take a look at both sides of the ball for 2006.

Offense
The Eastern Washington offense is self described as this:

Eastern’s offense under Wulff has now led the Big Sky Conference in total offense in four of the last five years. The attack enables the Eagles to
throw the ball a little more, utilize more short and intermediate passing routes, simplify formations and gives quarterbacks more freedom to change plays at the line of scrimmage.

But the Eagles haven’t lost sight of their bread and butter for the past two decades – the running game. Eastern will always feature outstanding offensive linemen, with a stable of talented running backs. In nine of the past 11 seasons, Eastern has had a 1,000-yard rusher. In Eastern’s first 86 years of football, only three 1,000-yard performances were recorded.

So we know they will have somewhat of a ball control offense. Since they are breaking in one or possibly two new QBs they will definitely keep the passing game simple. The running game looks like it has the most potential with Ryan Cole and an experienced line returning.

Apparently EWU will be trying both QBs in the first few games to see how each QB does. They are focused on the Big Sky season and these games don't really matter much to them. They have a junior, Chris Peerboom, who went to Jesuit HS in the Portland area and a redshirt freshman, Matt Nichols. Everything coming out of the EWU athletic dept. points to both playing significant minutes in the first couple of games.

What it all means for the Beavs
Looks like a lot of short passes and running. They will look to control the clock and keep the Beavers offense off the field. If the Beavers defense is as good against the run as it was last year, then the Eagles offense is going to have a lot of short drives. Also, the Eagles gave up a ton of sacks last season (53) with virtually the same offensive line that they will have against OSU. If the Beavs can't get a sack or two against this team or at least a lot of pressure, then it could be a long season for the secondary.

Defense
The Eagles had an OK defense last season giving up 23 ppg but they gave up points in bunches to some of the better 1-AA teams. Apparently, they had a hard time tackling people and that would lead to big plays. Their strength is their safeties as they return both all-conference players. The CBs are new and the defensive line is a question mark. Our offense has to be licking its chops.

What it all means for the Beavs
Their defense allowed 160 ypg in rushing last year so combine that with poor tackling and an undersized d-line and Yvenson Bernard better have a heck of a day. I want to see some serious running numbers from our o-line and RBs. The safeties and their secondary could cause us some problems. They only allowed 203 ypg passing last season. Luckily they only had 9 INTs all season so that shouldn't be a problem (knock on wood).

Prediction
I think that the Beavs offense will come up big. Anything less than 30 points should be a disappointment. The defense needs to show that it can create some havoc against this team. Ultimately the score doesn't matter, but how does the team look does. They need to establish early that their d-line and secondary is better. Still it should be about 34-14.

Quick Facts
* EWU is a Division 1-AA school that plays in the Big Sky which is the same conference as Portland St. who we opened with last year.

* In 2005, EWU set 27 team records and 4 Big Sky records for player and team achievements.

* EWU has never had a losing season under current head coach Paul Wulff (6 seasons) and has a 7 season streak of winning seasons.

* Coach Wulff played under former OSU head coach Dennis Erickson at WSU in the late 80's.

* Since 1982, Eastern is 7-12 against Division I-A teams.

EWU Articles

Eastern faces rugged start - Seattle P-I

Eastern Braces for Tough Tests - Kitsap Sun

StubHub gets seating map wrong

I was searching around for tickets for a friend on StubHub and noticed something a little strange. The seating map is like a blast from the past! Sure it's only been a year, but considering that they have some sort of new partnership with OSU you would think they could get a seat map with the expanded stadium up there.

Maybe this will bring us good luck. We're playing EWU again for the first time since 2000. Maybe we can channel the energy of 2000!

Oregon State Beavers vs. Eastern Washington Tickets [8/31/2006] at StubHub!

2005 Beaver Football Highlight Video

ThomasG86 has put together a great Oregon State 2005 highlight video. He finally posted it on YouTube so all can enjoy.

Time to get hyped about the season!

YouTube - 2005 Beaver Football Highlight Video

Great Job Thomas!

Joe Beaver show take major leap into the internet age

With the help of the OSU athletic website, the Joe Beaver show (1240 AM in the mid-valley) is streaming over the internet! It's not a podcast so you still have to listen to it from Noon - 2pm weekdays, but it's a start. The only downside is that you need to have a Beaver Nation Online subscription. But hey, maybe now is the time to get one, eh?

Mike Parker and John Warren are nearly all Beavers all the time this time of year and they have some great interviews with players, coaches, and other media types.

Check it out!

EDIT: Official annoucement

Statesman Journal previews Oregon State's season

Look like the Salem Statesman Journal put out their college football preview today. They have a nice collection of articles including spotlights on Sabby Piscitelli and Yvenson Bernard, a look at the preseason predictions and the team reaction, and a short overview of the Beavers. If you're a die hard Beaver, stick to the player spotlights.

Safety on the lookout for enemy passes

Whether OSU improves enough to get back in the bowl picture remains to be seen, but Piscitelli will have no regrets regarding his own preparation for the season.

That's why he is so diligent about working out and watching game film.

For Piscitelli, there is nothing more important than football and the season that is approaching.

"I want to go into the season with a full head of steam knowing I did everything possible in the off-season to become the best safety I can become this year," he said.

Undersized and underrated

"He's one of the most fun guys that I've coached because Ev is a guy you can talk to and he can hear something and take it right to the field," coach Mike Riley said.

[...]

The statistics are nice, and if Bernard achieves all-Pac-10 or all-American status it would be something to be proud of. But the numbers that mean most to Bernard are OSU's win-loss record.

Another losing season would be unacceptable to Bernard. He has loftier goals in mind.

"A big bowl game, not just a little bowl game," Bernard said. "Not a 6-5, 7-5 record. We're better than that. If we don't win games, it (individual accomplishments) doesn't matter. It's about winning and playing good football for me."

I really hope those Florida kids do well this season. Yvenson might be might favorite player on the team this year. He seems like such a great guy, and I think that the way he has looked in practice that he will take a leap forward to be the best RB in the Pac-10. Sabby is fun to listen to and exciting to watch. He really is taking it on himself to improve our secondary. That can only mean good things.

Beavers look to rebound

Beavers at a glance

This last one has something in it that kind of bugs me. Here it is:

Coach: Mike Riley: sixth season, 28-30 overall, 14-26 Pac-10.

I really think the media should split Mike's record into years before and after or just omit the before numbers. It's really a separate thing and doesn't reflect the success we've had in the second Riley era. Just a pet peev.

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.

The baseball scoreboard, part II

Looks like it's all finished! Well, except for the huge "NATIONAL CHAMPIONS 2006" sign that going to put up. Right? It will be put up, right? And while we're at it, lets replace all the old pennants with some that have the right color of orange and haven't been faded over 20 years.

Thanks to ronin_beav on Flickr for this great pic of the scoreboard.

New OSU Baseball scoreboard coming along

I was riding to work yesterday moring and saw so much progress on the scoreboard I had to go back at lunch and take some photos.

In 2 days it went from the frame of a scoreboard to looking very close to completion.

They we're putting up the big "OREGON" on the left side while I was taking pictures. I'll go back this weekend and get another couple pics with the "STATE" on the other side for the full effect.

I have a set of these photos on Flickr here:

OSU Baseball Scoreboard Construction

Here is my favorite of the bunch:



Preparing to put the "OREGON" sign up:



Side view:




Go Beavs!

FSN Live Airs Beaver Reports

Fox Sports is going to be airing a lot of Beaver previews as we lead up to the season. If you miss one I'm sure there will be replays. I'll try to note them as I find them.

FSN Live Airs Beaver Reports - Official Site of Oregon State Athletics

Thurs., Aug. 24 – 10 p.m. – the cornerbacks.

Sat., Aug. 26 – 10 p.m. (Approx.) Piscitelli and Yvenson Bernard (following Mariners baseball)

Mon., Aug. 28 – 10 p.m. (Approx.) Campus Cam with quarterback Matt Moore

Tues., Aug. 29 – 10 p.m. (Approx.) Assistant head coach Jay Locey is featured

Thurs., Aug. 31 – 6:30 p.m. FSN’s pregame coverage of Eastern Washington at OSU, followed by kickoff

Alumni Center policy changing

For those who rely on the Alumni Center for a little extra pregame beverage and TV, you may have to finally pony up for that Alumni Association membership. We bit the bullet and got the membership so we can go to Dixon, but we live in town. For those who don't have a membership, hmmm, extra $5 to buy another beer or two? I guess you can still attend the bbqs and stuff outside, but no TV for you! I wonder if the beer will still be sold outside? If they do I guess that won't be so bad. I don't blame the Alumni Association for trying to raise a little revenue. Plus, it is pretty crowded in the ballroom on gameday.

I wonder what the general reaction by Beaver Nation will be on gameday? Considering most fans probably won't hear about this until they go to their first game.

Corvallis Gazette-Times :. Alumni Center makes tailgating changes for OSU football games

Members of the Oregon State Alumni Association will not be charged to enter the CH2M-Hill Alumni Center ballroom for tailgating during football games this year when they show their membership card. However, others will pay a $5 admission charge on a space-available basis.

Pick Six...now this sounds fun.

OK, you have to check this out. If you think you can pick teams better than the Pollsters do, then step up!

The Blue-Gray Sky: Pick Six '06

Here's how it works.

1. We divide the top 25 into 5 groups of 5 based on the AP Poll: 1-5, 6-10, 11-15, etc. For this year's poll, the groups are thus:

A - Ohio State, Notre Dame, Texas, Auburn, West Virginia
B - Southern Cal, Florida, LSU, California, Oklahoma
C - Florida State, Miami, Louisville, Michigan, Georgia
D - Iowa, Virginia Tech, Clemson, Penn State, Nebraska
E - Oregon, TCU, Tennessee, Arizona State, Texas Tech

2. You pick one team from each group, plus one unranked team. You're trying to pick the teams you think will finish highest in the final AP poll.

3. Each week we'll update the standings. You get 25 points for having the #1 team, 24 points for the #2 team, on down to 1 point for the #25 team. Unranked teams get zero points.

Sweet. I'm in. Come on over and join me.

Add Beavers sports events to your calendar!

New feature here at the blog: upcoming events.  On the right just below the photo of Reser Stadium will be a list of Beaver sports events that are coming up. 

The cool part is that your can save the events in .csv (Outlook) or .ics (Apple iCal) and import them to either of those programs.  Plus, many other calendars accept those formations.  Also, if you are an iCal user you can subscribe to the event feed using the "+iCal" link. 

To add events to Outlook...

• Click on the "+Outlook" link and save the file somewhere on your local hard drive ("My Documents" is good). 
• Then go to the File menu in Outlook, choose "Import and Export...". 
• A wizard will come up.  Choose "Import from another program or file" and press next.
• Choose "Comma Separated Values (Windows)" and press next.
• Browse for the file you saved that ends with .csv and follow the remaining steps.

Try it out and comment on this topic if you have any problems.

NOTE: Newer versions of Outlook also support the .ICS extensions. Also, I'm still working on flushing out the "Other Sports" besides football, so you may want to hold off on getting that until I post that I'm done.

NOTE 2: I'm done with all the fall sports. So the "other sports" are ready for import.

Fall camp lull

Boy, the amount of profiles and stories leading up to the season have slowed down a bit. I think we've hit the mid-camp wall. The excitement has worn off a bit and everyone just wants the games to start. Am I right? Sure seems that way from the beat writers point of view.

I watched the Oregon State preview on FSN and it was a bit weird this season. It seemed thrown together. Coach Riley's interview was a bit strange and he seemed to be dodging the questions a bit. That can't be good. It's replayed tonight and probably the rest of the week on FSN.


Finally, I think the Beavers should find a way to roll this product into Phase 2 of Raising Reser. The players would love this and if it actually works then it would be a way better investment than some flashy locker rooms.

This is a football simulator that's like the PS2 video games, but customized to the school and their players exactly.

Pro Simulator: The Six Figure College Football Video Game

"This is the next best thing to practicing or playing," Hollenbach says. "Watching film is a passive experience. This is as close (as you get) to the real thing without getting hit." Besides, what college kid isn't going to want to play a souped-up video game?
Maryland coach Ralph Friedgen knows this. That's why he's smiling as he gazes out his office window at Byrd Stadium. A phone behind his desk rings. He ignores it. He wants to talk about this new gizmo.

"Decision making and vision are the two most important qualities a quarterback can have," Friedgen says. His voice rises. "It's all about accelerating learning and augmenting the learning curve. They need to learn to make decisions off what they see."

What makes the simulator better than the video game you bought at Best Buy is the fact a school can customize it with its playbook. Any play, any formation, any personnel grouping. The possibilities are limitless.

But the simulator will cost you -- as much as $250,000, according to developer GridIron Technologies. Arizona State was the first on board. Oklahoma State, Wake Forest and Virginia, among a dozen other schools, soon followed. The NFL might be next. Coaches around the country are pleading with their A.D.s for blank checks.

"A guy from the company told me he needed 20 minutes to pitch his product," Friedgen says. "I said I'd give him 10. Almost two hours later, I had bought the system."

Scrimmage

Who knew that a scrimmage with "young players" was code for "boring"? Not too much to take out of the scrimmage. I figure you can find the scrimmage reports in the Oregonian and GT. Here's some other stuff you may have missed...


Here's a Pac-10 preview from CBS Sportline. They pick OSU 6th.

CBS SportsLine.com - Pac-10 preview: Thinking one for the thumb at USC

6. Oregon State: How does a 5-6 team produce the nation's best receiver and kicker? We're wondering too. Receiver Mike Haas (Biletnikoff Award winner) is gone but kicker Alexis Serna (Lou Groza Award) returns. A better defense would help. The Beavers were outscored by at least 18 points in four of their six losses. Their 22 sacks tied for last in the conference.

Here's a profile of a local Beavs football recruit:

.: Albany Democrat-Herald :. Prince happy to stay home

Prince’s size and athleticism made him a prime target for recruiters, but he had narrowed his decision to three schools by the spring. The Beavers, Oregon and California were all in the running. It kept him thinking for some time.

“I’d sit at work and try and weigh the advantages. I went to all the junior camps and the preview days. Ultimately I felt I had the best chance at Oregon State. They offered and I agreed,” explained the two-way performer, who also is a key contributor on the Bulldog basketball and track and field teams.

Ted Miller weighs in on the Beavs

Ted Miller of the Seattle P-I gave the Beavs a good review after predicting them last going into last season. OSU continually is a tough team to call for many pundits. Predictions this year range from the surprise team in the Pac-10 to 9th.

ESPN.com - NCF/PREVIEW06 - Miller: Oregon State expects to contend in '06

Consider: five returning starters on an offensive line that averages 305 pounds per man; a tailback who rushed for 1,321 yards last season; experience at quarterback; a secondary that returns intact; and the best kicker in the nation (who, by the way, has connected on 61 consecutive extra points since jumping and spinning at LSU).

[...]

(About Yvenson Bernard)

The 5-foot-9, 204-pound junior is neither fast nor big. But he's slippery and quick, and his toughness has inspired awe around the team. He recorded the bulk of his impressive numbers while nursing shoulder and knee injuries that sidelined him during spring drills.

"He is a warrior," Riley said. "He's one of my favorite all-time players."

[...]

While it's nice to have the entire secondary back, it's less encouraging that it surrendered a mind-boggling 31 touchdown passes, most in the nation.

Here's how Riley described it after a reporter suggested a number of possible excuses, including three freshmen starters: "No, we were just bad."

But Riley means "bad" in terms of mental breakdowns, not ability.

[...]

Pac-10 media tapped the Beavers to finish seventh in the conference in this year's preseason poll, exactly where they finished last year after losing four of their last five games.

So the Beavers' potential resurgence has yet to register.

"That's Oregon State for you -- vastly overlooked," Piscitelli said.

I think that he nailed it. That's how most Beaver fans are right now. Cautiously optimistic. People are worried about the WRs or Matt Moore. But the offense will be fine. Watch how the defense does in the first couple of games and that will tell you how good this team will be. The pass defense must be adequate if not good.

ESPN's Pat Forde calls Oregon State, not Arizona, the surprise team in the Pac-10

After that horribly wrong prediction by SI for the Beavs to finish 9th in the conference, here's a little band-aid to our pride.

ESPN.com - NCF/PREVIEW06 - Forde: 5 predictions for the Pac-10 season

"3. The state of Oregon will flex its muscles. The Oregon Ducks and Oregon State Beavers both return their entire starting offensive lines, which tends to be a strong harbinger of success. If Oregon has a quarterback emerge as its undisputed leader (Dennis Dixon is the runner, Brady Leaf the thrower) and gets a big year out of touted sophomore running back Jonathan Stewart, it will compete for the league title. Oregon State, not trendy pick Arizona, looks like the potential surprise team in the Pac-10 and opens with four of its first five at home. "

I think people underestimate two things about the Beavs.

The first, like Pat says, is the offensive line. They were good last year and everyone is back. Plus, they have depth with soild backups for the first time in a while.

Second, they have a senior QB. Generally, the teams in the conference with senior QBs tend to perform better than expected. Carson Palmer, Andrew Walter, Drew Olsen, Rodgers at Cal. They all gave their teams monumental leaps forward in their senior years.

I'm not saying that this guarantees sucess. But it does give reason for hope, and quite frankly, high expectations. I fully expect to go to a decent bowl game this year and get back on track. If we don't, I will be seriously disappointed.


Here are a few side notes...


This guy thinks the Beavs still have Mike Hass. I think Mike is a player to watch this season...in the NFL.

The Standard - (Macclenny, Florida) Talking football

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The scrimmage is at 3pm-ish today. It looks like mostly the younger players will be playing so it could be a good look into the future.

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If you are a student and want to attend games this season read this: Student Football Tickets Available Monday

Stuff from around the internet

I love this time of year. The boards are busy, optimism abounds, and radio stations make rap songs about your players. That's right, 1080 the Fan came back after the Mike Hass song and made a song for Yvenson Bernard. The way he is getting hyped up around the country (and the way he's looked in practice), he deserves it. Ev should have a huge season. Check out what the Blue Ribbon College Football Yearbook had to say about him:

Team preview: Oregon State
(Only available to ESPN Insiders. But it's a great preview. Possibly the best non-local one I've seen.)

Depth is an issue in the backfield, but Oregon State returns one of the more dynamic talents in the conference in junior Yvenson Bernard (5-9, 202). And if he stays healthy, Bernard has a chance to be the Pac-10 Offensive Player of the Year.

Yes, he's that good.

In 2005 Bernard finished ninth in the nation with 120.1 rushing yards per game, but he's got other skills. With Reggie Bush having left for the NFL, Bernard is arguably the best receiving tailback in the conference. He caught 37 passes last season and this year, that number could easily hit 50. Overall, he finished last season with 1,637 yards from scrimmage, including the sixth-highest ground total in program history with 1,321.

Comparisons to Reggie Bush. If he can be that guy every game this season, we'll be pretty good. If he becomes the Pac-10 offensive player of the year, the Beavs will be heading to San Diego or LA.


And here's his song:

1080 THE FAN PODCASTS

You have to click on "1080 THE FAN SONGS" and login first. Then you can download and listen as many times as you want.

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The new Duck billboards are out on the internet. They look actually kinda lame. They tried to do something like they had last year, which was cool. But these just look like they're all sleepy or something. And what about the guys smiling while throwing or catching? Are they trying to sell jerseys or football tickets?

Ducks 2006

---

Finally, I'll end with a couple more season predictions from SI and the Blue Ribbon Preview.

SI ranks the Beavers 79th. Below Stanford and Arizona. WSU is 51st. Hmmm...

Here's Blue Ribbon's team analysis:

We think the two most-improved teams in the Pac-10 this season will be Oregon State and Arizona. That said, the Beavers weren't as bad as their record indicated last season and could have easily earned the program's sixth bowl invitation in seven seasons with a break against either Arizona or Stanford.

All the makings are there for the second-best season in program history. The Beavers won 11 games in 2000 and nine in 1962. Including a bowl game, there's no reason Oregon State can't go 10-4, maybe even 11-3.

Obviously, the key to this predicted success is Moore, but unless there's a mental block that the coaching staff is unaware of, he appears headed for a breakout season and with future NFL players like Bernard and Newton around him, this offense should be fun to watch. The defense has holes, especially the front seven, but barring an outbreak of injuries in August, Banker and Riley should be able to put together one of the top three or four units in the conference.

And while the Beavers just don't have the depth of USC or UCLA, we think Oregon State can challenge for third place in the Pac-10 and at the least, place fifth at 8-5. Either way, anything less than a bowl bid would be wildly disappointing and to us, a big surprise.

Grading the Beavers
Offense A-
Special teams B
Defense B
Intangibles A-

These guys sound almost too optimistic, but if someone nationally can think it...maybe it could happen.

What to watch for in Beaver football land

First, some events worth knowing about and considering checking out.

* On Friday the Joe Beaver show will be in Portland at the Bridgeport Brewery. The go from 12-2 and usually have prizes (tickets) and things to give away. Go down and say "Hi" to Mike Parker.

* This weekend Fox Sports will be previewing the 4 northwest football teams for the upcoming 2006 season. Look for it on Saturday and Sunday. Saturday - 2pm UW, 2:30 WSU. Sunday 4pm - OSU, 4:30 - UO. They are replayed Monday starting at 7pm.

* ABC is previewing the college football season on Saturday at 3:30pm. Doubt we'll have any significant Beaver news though.

* The weekend practice schedule looks like this: Saturday 2-5 and no Sunday practice.


Yvenson Bernard go himself on a preseason top 20 RB list at ESPN. He's #15.

ESPN.com - NCF - McShay: Preseason running back rankings


Looks like the Beavers QBs will be wearing knee braces all the time regardless of whether they have had an injury or not. It's a precautionary measur similar to the linemen. Probably a good thing, but it may make our QBs a little less mobile.

Corvallis G-T - Bracing for Safety

Weekly roundup of player profiles

Player profiles come fast a furious this time of year. So I'm going to try to just list them here for those who don't get a chance to read about the Beavs every day. This is some of the more interesting or obscure profiles for about the last week.


Lyle Moevao

Corvallis Gazette-Times :. Big goals in a little body

Yes, he’s short. Yes, he’s nimble. And yes, he possesses a pretty good arm.

Now, compare him to Jonathan Smith and that’s someone he strives to emulate.

The junior college transfer quarterback knows his Oregon State football team history. And he hopes it repeats.

Lyle looked a bit lost in the practices I saw. But he throws well and has some talent. He looks like he could lose a little wieght, but...


Matt Moore

Santa Clarita Valley Signal - One Moore Last Chance

He had to spend the biggest game of his team's season, the "Civil War" rivalry game versus the University of Oregon, brooding on the sidelines.

This was not even close to the way he thought he would be wrapping up the third season of his college football career.

"Arizona and Stanford, those games just sucked and made me so mad," he says. "I don't want to ever have to go through that again."

[...]

"I think the sky is the limit for this team," Moore says. "Nobody is expecting us to do anything, but we'll be shooting for the moon and trying to surprise some people this year. Mike Hass was a hall of famer for us, but I think other people will step up and fill the shoes and we'll have a good team."

I like that attitude. That's an attitude Beaver fans can get behind. I mean, the Arizona and Stanford games did suck, didn't they?

Kyle Loomis

The Roseburg News-Review - Leg up on a starting job


The Secondary

The Oregonian - A weak link no longer

The Recievers

Portland Tribune - Good hands sought to fill big shoes


Clinton Polk
Patrick Fuller

The Oregonian - Polk, Fuller battle for backup tailback

Anthony Wheat-Brown
Sammy Stroughter

Corvallis Gazette-Times :. Catching on

Offensive Line

Corvallis Gazette-Times :. Owning the trenches

OSU Men's Soccer starts season tonight

The Oregon State men's soccer team (the other football) will take the field tonight at 8pm under their newly installed lights at Lorenz Field. The team looks promising with some good scoring threats up front and decent defenders.

Here's a full preview from a local Corvallis soccer nut:

Corvallis Soccer Blog: Oregon State Beavers: Men's Team Preview

Cole Gillespie tearing it up in Montana

Looks like Cole is making a big impression in the Brewers organization. Nice job Cole.

Great Falls Tribune - www.greatfallstribune.com - Great Falls, MT

Gillespie was one of the top players on the best college team in the nation, helping the Oregon State Beavers win their first NCAA championship in June.

A few weeks later in his fourth game as a pro, Gillespie went 6-for-6 — a feat most hitters never achieve.

Gillespie had another highlight-reel game Sunday night at Centene Stadium as he belted two tape-measure homers to spark the Helena Brewers to a 7-4 victory over the Great Falls White Sox.

Beavers in the NFL

The Beat writers over at the Oregonian have a great roundup of the NFL Beavers on their blog. Looks like Buker did the research for this one:

OregonLive.com: Behind The Beavers Beat#171682

Hass' first NFL catch came in the second quarter on a second-and-7 call from the N.O. 35. Martin hit him on the left sideline for a 4-yard gain.

On a first and 10 from the N.O. 38, Martin went deep down the right sideline to Hass (out of the shotgun) but the pass went incomplete.

Next, third quarter, second and 10 from the Titans' 29.

Martin drops back and hits Hass - who was in heavy traffic - for 13 yards and a first down. Hass gets hammered, but pops up with the ball (gee, have we seen that before?) ... that one made ESPN.

Finally, third quarter, Martin hits Hass for 11 yards and a first down on a second-and-8 call.

Average first scrimmage

Wasn't able to go, but I'm trying to read a bit between the lines. Some things that stand out from what I've read / seen so far:

* Shane Morales is going to play this season. I was impressed when I saw him last weekend and after the 4 catches for 65 yards in the scrimmage the QBs seem to like him and he gets open. This is hug news considering the loss of Love and possibly Crosby for some or all of the season.

* Sammie Stroughter and Anthony Wheat-Brown look like they're ready to make an impact this season. However, I'd like to see Wheat-Brown catch a few more balls.

* 7-10, 105 yards. That's a great line for Matt Moore. The key stat? 0 ints.

* Patrick Fuller is making a strong bid for playing time with a pretty consistent 10 rushes, 38 yards. If he can hold on to the ball and catch more consistently he may be looking at some backup PT.

* The defense wasn't mentioned that much in any of the articles I read. Hope that's not a bad sign.

* No personal fould, fights, or mention of bad penalties. That could be good.

* I really hope the Joe Rudolph story ends well. On the field problems are better than off the field problems.

Offense Scores 24 Points in First Scrimmage - Official Site of Oregon State Athletics

Corvallis GT - Rudulph suspension dominates OSU scrimmage day

The Oregonian - Volatile Rudulph lands in hot water

Interesting how the two main stories on the scrimmage are about Rudolph. Must have been a pretty boring scrimmage.

No practice today (bummer) I may have to try to catch one next week so I can see how people have progessed from the first weekend.

Saturday Scrimmage

Today is the first official scrimmage of the Fall camp (with referees and everything). I can't go because of a friend's wedding...

I really want to see how the recievers and DBs have improved since last weekend so I'll try to hit the Sunday practice if there is one.

Practice is from 2-5 and the scrimmages usually get going around 4pm.

Men's Basketball Previews

Yea, I know it's the middle of fall camp but there's enough basketball info out there that I thought I'd do a quick hoops post to let people know what's been happening since last season. There's some hoops fanatics out there, right? Coach John has a tough season ahead with a very young yet promising team.

The early predictions aren't looking great for the Beavs:

Arizona Daily Star - Some early Pac-10 thoughts

9. Oregon State. The Beavers have solid, experienced talent inside with Kyle Jeffers and Sasa Cuic but there are major questions about who will shoot the ball from the perimeter. If either Wesley Washington or Angelo Tsagarakis can make an impact from the perimeter, the Beavers will beat some teams.

Sasa will have to be the team leader and scorer again this season. He must be a true #1 to let some of the young guys develop. Most of the young guys won't be consistent, so he has to be. A big year for him.


Some player news:

Calvin Hampton is taking this season seriously. He should at least get significant time this season as a sub for Kyle Jeffers and Sasa Cuic. Cuic probably won't rest much, but he could move over to the 3 if Hampton and Jeffers or Hughes are in at the same time.

Corvallis Gazette-Times - Big Man Camp should be big help to Hampton

“This has given me a chance to play against some of the best big men in country,” Hampton said. “It’s really helping me improve my game. I’ve learned how important your footwork is. And I really like this kind of environment.”

[...]

The Beavers hope he can play a significant role this season, so he wanted an edge over just working out and shooting with his teammates.

“I’ve being making big improvements after my shoulder surgery,” Hampton said. “I was a little passive when I started playing again, but I’m getting that aggressiveness back. This is a big year for me to get out there and do well.”

That's some good news. I only wish Liam could have gone down there. But with one of the OSU coaches actually coaching at the camp, he should be able to help the big men a lot this season.


Looks like Lamar Hurd is healed up and found a place to continue his basketball career:
Corvallis Gazette-Times - Hurd to play in Holland

“It’s beyond exciting for me,” Hurd said. “I haven’t played a game in more than six months. Just to be able to play again is enough excitement for me, and then the chance to do it in another country, plus to get paid for it, it’ll be fun.”

Phase II Stadium Changes

It looks like the plan for Reser phase 2 has changed a bit. I'm not sure how offical this is, but the Gill Annex is going to be rolled into phase 2 to help get it done.

Brooks Hatch: Raising Reser II update, football notes

The multiple changes in the plans are due to the skyrocketing price of steel and other materials. The Beavers expected to pay about $19 million on actual construction costs, but when estimates came back at approximately $31 million something had to give.

So as of Saturday:
* The lower east side grandstand will be wrapped around the south end zone to the Ironman statue, effectively bowling that half of the stadium.

* The new JumboTron and ticket booths will be erected behind the new grandstand. The fate of the current replay screen is undetermined.

* The north end zone will remain as is; no seating will be removed. The larger south grandstand will increase capacity from 43,300 to approximately 46,200.

* A new two-story weight room/wrestling room will be built directly across Ralph Miller Drive from the stadium as part of the Gill Coliseum annex. The basketball/volleyball arena portion will be added when funds are raised.

* It hasn't been decided what will become of the current Valley Center/Gill Coliseum weight rooms. Possibilities include an athletes lounge, a larger academic center, or suites, in the VFC, and expanded equipment/training/locker rooms in Gill Coliseum.

* Visiting teams will continue to dress in the old OSU football locker room in Gill Coliseum for the foreseeable future. The Beavers figured it made more sense to spend several million dollars on a new weight room/wrestling room for their athletes instead of converting a storage area under the west grandstand into a visiting locker room, or including one in the new south grandstand.

* If all goes as hoped, construction at Reser Stadium will start in December. Since the new weight room/wrestling room was a late addition, construction there won't begin until about March, 2007.

Oregon State may play in Georgia next season

A story from the Atlanta Journal-Constitution over the weekend coroborates an internet rumor that OSU was scheduling Georgia in some sort of home at home series. It appears it will be a 2 for 1 with the date pretty spread out.

Dogs may face Oregon State in football | ajc.com

No deal has been signed, but as it stands on paper the Beavers would come to Sanford Stadium for the 2007 opener, then return in 2017. Georgia would make the trip to Corvallis, Ore., in 2011. The Bulldogs have never played a regular-season game that far from home.

"For us, the chance to get a two-for-one [two home games, one away] is huge," Johnson said. "And for them, obviously the chance to have Georgia play in Corvallis is big."

Sounds good to me. I'd rather spread it out a bit so that the 2 for 1 doesn't hurt so much in the W/L category. No need to be playing a #1 team each year when the Pac-10 is strong.

Oregon State Football book

There's a new book out today about the history of OSU football. It's written by Kip Carlson and sounds interesting. I haven't read it, but for those wanting to start getting hyped about football season starting, this could be a good start.

Oregon State Football: Arcadia Publishing

Powells: Oregon State Football (Images of Sports)

Synopsis:
Oregon State University began its football program in 1893 and has been a study in contrasts ever since. The Beavers went to the Rose Bowl after the 1941, 1956, and 1964 seasons and to the Liberty Bowl in 1962. There was also a streak of losing seasons that lasted from 1971 until 1998. Two years later, the Beavers competed in the Fiesta Bowl and ranked among the top five teams in the country. From the "Iron Men" of 1933 to the "Civil War" rivalry between OSU and the University of Oregon, and from Terry Baker — the first Heisman Trophy winner on the West Coast — to a pair of bowl victories over Notre Dame, this entertaining and informative volume presents many seldom-seen images and the stories behind them over a century of Oregon State football.

OSU fall camp

Fall camp is underway and I was able to check out practice on both Saturday and Sunday.

I mostly watched the offense until the scrimmage portions of the practice. Here are some quick impressions. Since it's early in camp I'll focus on the encouraging parts I've seen.

* Joe Newton looks good. I can't wait to see how he does this year.

* Wheat-Brown and Straughter both look good and maybe with Newton will be enough to replace Mike Hass' production.

* Yvenson looks really quick and shifty this year. I think that whatever he got done in the offseason (knee?) was the right move. He just looks really healthy, confident, and good.

* Joe Rudolph and Doggett look bigger.

* Matt Moore is moving very well. He wasn't wearing a brace at all so he must be pretty much 100%.


In the scrimmage Saturday the defense looked decent. They were swarming on the ball and covering pretty well. On Sunday the offense completed a lot more passes and did much better overall. The D had a few interceptions and still did OK from what I could tell.

Got a look at some of the new guys. The freshman TEs are looking pretty good at catching the ball. I think a couple of them will be able to contribute this year. The new recievers are looking decent. Not sure if they will break the starting lineup, but they might contribute. The D line has a lot of big guys. Siegert, Coker, Naymon Frank, Pernell Booth, Lee, and Dorian Smith are all looking big and strong. Hopefully they play as good as they look. Not sure about the secondary yet, but the coverage seemed better than last year at least. I'm not worried about the LBs based on what I've seen.




Photos here:

Beaver Football Fall Camp 2006

Steriods at USC?

USC players quit over steroids, connection to Bonds? : Fanblogs College Football Blog

The Daily News is reporting that USC safety Brandon Ting had tested positive for steroid use prior to leaving the Trojans. Ting, who quit the team last week along with his brother Ryan despite being the subject of some USC bloggers' crush, will focus his time on pursuing a medical degree.

[...]

The interesting angle to this steroid saga is that the father of the Ting twins, Dr. Arthur Ting, was subpoenaed and testified before a U.S. grand jury investigating steroid accusations surrounding baseball slugger Barry Bonds. Dr. Ting is Bonds' personal surgeon, specializing in orthopedics.

In 2003, Ting visited Bonds and trainer Greg Anderson, who spent time in prison for dealing steroids, at the BALCO offices to draw blood.

Dr. Ting was disciplined twice in the last ten years by the California Medical Board for writing prescriptions with inadequate records and allowing others in his office to write prescriptions.

Wow.

This makes me wonder if any steriod testing goes on at OSU? Are steriods prevalent at mid-level BCS conference schools like OSU? Should the beavers be testing all atheletes for performance enhancing drugs?

With the recent drug scandals in every sport, I find it hard to believe that no one has done steriods on the OSU football team. I hope I'm wrong. How many times has someone bulked up over the summer and put on 25 pounds? Are those all legit?

Anyone else have thoughts on this? Should we be concerned? Do you care?

Cleaning up saved articles...

I liked this article out of Hawaii last week. I saved it and forgot to post it. It's a good interview of some of the Hawaiian football players on OSU and the recent OSU pipeline.

Candidates field quick questions - The Honolulu Advertiser

Beaver News

Mike Hass signs for the Saints. Here's a great blog post from the Oregonian OSU football beat writers:

No Escalade for Hass ...


Keith Ellison signs with the Bills

Ellison Becomes Second Bills Draft Pick to Sign

The Bills are anxious to see Ellison's talents in pads in the live football setting of training camp. The athletic linebacker plays faster than he times and Bills scout Brad Forsyth who saw a lot of him at Oregon State likes his football smarts.

"He's a very intelligent football player," said Forsyth. "He's been extremely productive. He made a ton of plays for them at Oregon State."

Ellison feels comfortable with what he's been able to retain with respect to the Bills defensive system considering his circumstances this past spring.

And unfortunately Brandon Browner was released by the Broncos.

Broncos Release 5 Players From Roster

Hope he can catch on somewhere. But seriously, why did he leave? Maybe he was already academically ineligible, but if Browner would have stayed the secondary wouldn't have gone through as much pain and we could have had a decent season. That decision to go pro just makes me angry.

News from around Beaver Nation

From the "where are the now" category:

This is a great article from the Oregonian about the what the National Champion OSU Beavers baseball team is doing now. Both former players and current players.

The Oregonian - Beavers now boys of summer

James Newson is playing football...

Stockton Record - Newson activated for season finale

Former Edison High receiver James Newson will be on the active roster for the Stockton Lightning's final game this weekend.

The 6-foot-1, 210-pound former Oregon State standout was on the Lightning's original roster and played in 10 games before he was placed on recallable reassignment June 2.

The Lightning (5-10) ends its inaugural season against Central Valley (11-4) at 7:30 p.m. Saturday at Stockton Arena.

And we'll kick it old school:

West Linn Tidings - Hoss has no plans to slow down

Hoss was a standout football player at West Linn as a tight end and his play earned him a scholarship to Oregon State University where he was a three-year letterman.

As a standout player for the Beavers, Hoss was eventually drafted into the NFL when New England selected him in the 1972 draft.

It was a difficult first season for Hoss as a professional athlete. Shortly after being drafted, he was traded to Cleveland and then, eventually he was moved to Philadelphia.

“It was a little difficult. The plays are essentially the same but the terminology is different. You had to be ready to play on short notice,” Hoss said.

Always cool to get some Beaver history.

College Football Previews

College football is slowly getting back on the radar. The Trib had a story about were the Beavers and Ducks are predicted to finish by the major magazines out there.

Portland Tribune - OSU and UO are hard to pin down

Here's the summary of predicted finishes. Read more in the article. It's a good read.

The Sporting News - 8th
Street & Smith’s - 5th
CBS Sportsline - 6th
The Gold Sheet - 8th
ATS Consultants - 2nd
Insiders - 7th

Looks like the Beavs are anywhere from 2nd to 8th. That probably pins down the range of possibilities that Beaver Nation believes as well.

I personally believe that the Beavs will be better that last year. How that transates into W/L, I don't know. The schedule is tougher but there's more games to work things out. I'm optimistic that Moore will be better and our secondary will be better. Assuming our recieving core isn't too much worse without Hass and the punting keeps up well with Loomis, the Beavers should be better. They return the entire O-line, RBs, and have great LBs waiting to play. But I'll reserve judgement for when fall camp starts.

Here's a couple of other previews that I found online that we'ren't mentioned in the Tribune article:

FOX Sports - COLLEGE FOOTBALL - 2006 Preview: Oregon State Beavers

realfootball365.com - In the Pac 10, this is the Year of the Quarterback

realfootball365.com - PAC 10 upsets? Leave it to Beavers

Vote for the best upset ever

The OSU beavers upset against UW in 1985 is one of the choices. Vote away!

ESPN.com: SPORTSNATION - SportsNation Trivia

Article from New England on Catch Mitch Canham

Nice little article with Cape Cod league player Mitch Canham. Looks like he's tearing up the Cape Cod league.

CapeNews.net - Comms’ Catcher Canham Is A Keeper

The reaction to the title has been outstanding, the catcher relayed. Life in Corvalis has changed since the national title. “From the day we beat Stanford until, well it’s still going on right now, it’s been a crazy ride. Sitting down to eat for lunch and dinner and having everyone in the restaurant come up and congratulate you, having little kids ask for your autograph, it’s been unreal,” he said.
Of course the final game of the national championship series was decided in thrilling fashion, with the Beavers scoring the winning run in the eighth inning, thanks to a throwing error by North Carolina’s Bryan Steed. Canham said he felt no remorse for the Tar Heel, but also said that no one player or play wins or loses a game.

“In the first game (against Carolina) I had a passed ball that let in the lead run, so I don’t feel any pity. There’s a lot of opportunities in the first game, where we could have scored more runs. I never attribute a game to one play. A passed ball is not the game. A ground ball that is thrown away is not the game. There’s a lot of other stuff that can happen throughout the game that can totally turn things around. I’ll never look back on any one game and think if I had just made one play, it would have been different.”

Baseball Articles

Looks like the new scoreboard is going up!

.: Corvallis Gazette-Times :. Sports

Life has yet to slow down for the Oregon State baseball program in the three weeks since the Beavers captured the 2006 NCAA championship by defeating North Carolina at Rosenblatt Stadium in Omaha.

To wit:

• The new state-of-the-art scoreboard is being erected in right-center field.

• The new synthetic infield surface will be installed in October, immediately after fall practice.

• The Gill Coliseum coaches offices are getting a facelift.

The interesting thing for the future will be if the Beavers can significantly upgrade or at least maintain the talent level over the next couple of years. Should be a fun few years ahead of us!


Here's another article from last week that is good about how the baseball story is bring people to the OSU program that wouldn't normally be contributing:

Knight and Casey show true character

This whole saga taught us something about two people. One of them, of course, is Casey. We’ll get to him in a minute.

But the second is Phil Knight. A source inside the OSU athletic department has confirmed the rumor that’s been raging since last week – Knight, Super Duck, as he’s called around Eugene – played a big role in keeping Casey in Corvallis.

Casey’s base pay at OSU has nearly doubled, and Knight, it is now known, is going to pay a sizable chunk of that raise, every single year Casey is coaching at Oregon State. And Knight stepped up to do it without being asked. He volunteered.

And while that may irk a few stray Ducks (even a few misguided Beavers, who can’t come to grips with it), I find it incredibly refreshing. Knight loves this state, and he loves winners. He recognized how important Casey is and what a remarkable job he’s done.

I'm OK with that as a Beaver fan. Let's make him a Super Beaver!

Assorted stories about beaver baseball players in the pros

Here's a few more baseball stories to keep the feel good season going.

The Clackamas Review - Honoring a local hero

East Valley Tribune - D-Backs notebook: Surgery likely for third-round pick Buck

Statesman Journal - Out of college, into the pros

The Oregonian - Philosopher at the plate

Pat Casey stays and they baseball story just keeps getting better

Man, every time I go somewhere something crazy happens. I'm in Boston for a conference, and Pat Casey nearly gets lured away to Notre Dame (Anywhere but Notre Dame!).

Then when I come back to read the transcripts from the press conference...all I can say is, I love you Pat Casey!

Casey, De Carolis Talk About Contract Agreement - Official Site of Oregon State Athletics

Bobby D:

[...]
Personal phone calls from Governor (Ted) Kulongoski, OSU President Edward Ray and (former OSU football) coach Dennis Erickson trying to coax Pat to stay.
[...]

That struck me as interesting. That DE is still tied to OSU enough that he would make a call like that. So cool.


Pat Casey:

"One thing that happened to me that’s almost unbelievable is that Susan and I were standing in line to get on the plane in Chicago, and there was this kid standing there – flip-flops, T-shirt, pair of shorts and two bags, and the bags hang down to his ankle. His back was to me, and he was probably from me to (the back of the room), and I thought, ‘Man, where is the kid’s parents? The kid can’t carry those bags.’ He turned around, and it was (2004-06 OSU pitcher) Kevin Gunderson. And Gundy looks at me, and I look at him, and he goes, ‘Coach, where are you going?’ Chicago. He goes, ‘Susan’s with you; I know you don’t vacation there, what are you going to Chicago for?’ I said, can you keep a secret? I’m going to interview at Notre Dame. I said, where are you going? ‘Chicago.’ We road together on the plane, and it was just like it was when we flew to all our away games – he had the headphones on, the head back, turned around and had the big old grin looking at me. When I wasn’t sleeping the last couple nights, that picture kept coming into my head – him jumping into (OSU catcher Mitch) Canham’s arms – and all of a sudden, none of the other things mattered to me. What mattered to me, when it comes right down to it, was our players, our coaching staff – Spence (OSU associate head coach Dan Spencer) has been with me forever; without him, we wouldn’t be doing what we’re doing. Marty (Lees) is down in Los Angeles recruiting, coach (David) Wong is over at the field taking care of a tournament. But it’s the players, the staff and the people at Oregon State."

"The people of the Northwest and the support we got just blew me away. It made my decision – which was a difficult decision – an easy decision, which was to surround myself with the people I care about and my family.The most popular guy in my family is (eldest son) Jon, and the night I got back I went to bed at 2:04, and at 2:24 my door opened and this 6-foot-5 guy is standing there looking at me, and I said, ‘What, Jon?’ and he said, ‘Dad, I don’t want to go, I don’t want to go.’ You know, all those things come into play, but ultimately it just comes down to people. We have the best people you could find right here in the Northwest, and we are going to continue to really try to bring the players back here who got you excited this year. There’s another Kevin Gunderson out there, there’s another Tyler Graham, and the way they come here and the way they stay here is by who they meet when they come here and what they see when they get here.""

That nearly brought a tear to my eye. Pat is so good for OSU. I really hope this turns into something special here at OSU. A flagship program. A university defining program. And I don't think I could pick a better person to lead the charge than Pat Casey.

Another great quote:

"We haven’t even really had a chance as a club to sit down and think about the national championship. (2004-06 OSU pitcher) Jonah Nickerson was in my office yesterday, and Spence can relate to this, and it almost made me cry – he said, ‘Coach, if you go, I understand, and if you stay, we’ll be better.’ But he said, ‘You know, when I was in high school, I would have signed for $5,000 if I’d gotten drafted. But right now, knowing what I know and going through that experience, I wouldn’t have signed for $500,000 out of high school. And those things, for me ... there’s nothing I can compare to the way those guys feel. Obviously, part of that is because we had such a successful year, but those guys become a part of you."

I hope all the recruits getting draft out of HS over the next few years read that quote.


Thank you Pat for staying and making OSU beaver fans feel special. Now it's time for Beaver fans to step up and show the support that the program needs to grow and continue to stay on top. I know we that we can and will do it.


Some other related articles:

The Oregonian - Oregon State's Casey will stay as baseball coach

Corvallis Gazette-Times - An easy decision

Portland Tribune - Casey takes new deal at OSU

Great post on Pure Orange:

classic email message from friend on the great news!!!

Statesmen Journal Blog - Beaver baseball fans breathe sigh of relief

A must watch photo/audio slide show

The Albany Democrat-Herald put together an awesome photo slide show with audio from fans and the celebration at Parker stadium. A must watch:

Photo Galleries

Photos and more of the Beavers Baseball National Championship

I haven't found much on the video front. I did just finish watching all of the games I tivod from the Championship against UNC. Awesome. Except the 3rd game went too long and I didn't get to see the celebration.

Here's a good photo gallery for those who also may have missed the games live:

NCAABB - Photos - Yahoo! Sports


Thanks to BendBeaver on PureOrange for this great find. The final call by Mike Parker...

AUDIO: Voice of the Beavers, Mike Parker (MP3)


And relive the fan euphoria on the message boards:

BSC II Forums - Baseball

National Champs!

OMG. I can't belive it. I'm over in Europe and the Beavs win the CWS back home. Thank god for TiVo and being able to schedule recordings online. NATIONAL CHAMPS! I almost can't believe it. (Did I say that already...)

I can't wait to watch those games when I get back! Great job Beavs!!!

NUMBER ONE!

NATIONAL CHAMPS! GO BEAVS!!!!!

Corvallis Super Regional Blog

Check this out. It's pretty good. Someone from Corvallis (Lindsay Schnell) is blogging the regional for CSTV. They post updates during the game and have feature articles.

CSTV.com: #1 in College Sports

Beavers cluster on Flickr

More Flickr! Here's a cool new (or new to me) feature of Flickr. You can get a "cluster" of pictures tagged with beavers. Lots of OSU Beavers in there...

Flickr: Photos tagged with beavers



One more win against the Trees! Go Beavs!

It's Super Regional time!

This first game is a big one. The Beavs need to establish the tone early and get this first win. The depth of their pitching staff is the key, I think they win a 3 game series with Stanford 9 times out of 10. But I want to see the Beavs win two and get ready for the CWS. Get ready to win some games in Omaha.

Here is what ESPN has to say about the matchup:

Oregon State hosts Stanford


And some interesting news is that Matt Moore might be interested in playing baseball for the Beavs nex season. He was drafted in the 22nd round out of high school and could be an interesting option for the Beavs.

If NFL doesn’t call, there’s always MLB | PortlandTribune.com


Local McMinnville story about Joe Patterson:

Paterson having time of life at Oregon State


And finally, the coolest thing about this post is that I'm doing it on I-5 while riding up to Portland. I'm testing out this Sprint Air Card thing for my laptop and it's pretty cool. Through any decent sized city you get like cable modem speeds! Amazing! It works through the cell phone network so that's pretty much anywhere. So far no gliches other than a few cell phone dead spots where things get slow. If you're on the road a lot or in someplace without broadband, this thing may be for you.


Go Beavs!

Beavers and soccer

With the World Cup starting today, I thought I'd link to a blog of one of my buddies. He lists the best soccer players to come out of Corvallis. Of course many played at OSU.

Corvallis Soccer Blog - Hey, I Know That Guy!


I'll be travelling over there to see what the World Cup fever is like and catch at least one game. So if there's a lot of dead time around the CWS, it's because I'm not in the states...

Articles about the Beavers from around the country

With the baseball draft wrapped up, it's always cool to see how the local papers feature each player from both their hometown and new MLB team perspective.


Dallas Buck

D-Backs take Missouri ace with top pick

Oregon State right-hander Dallas Buck, their third-round pick, was 11-2 but drew concern from some corners about a loss of velocity and a tender forearm. Opponents hit only .203 against him this season, and in 2005 he was 12-1 with a 2.09 ERA, leading the Pac-10 in innings and ERA as the Beavers made the College World Series.

“He had a terrific year pitching with some pain,’’ Rizzo said. “Scouting is not all about radar runs. He wins games. He gets people out. He’s a warrior. He’s the kind of a guy we like in our system.’’

Tyler Graham

Great Falls Tribune - www.greatfallstribune.com - Great Falls, MT

Giants draft Graham

Graham is nearly 100 percent now, though, and enters the weekend hitting .287 with 14 RBIs. He is 8-for-8 on steal attempts this year.