Nice football recruiting spotlight from the Trib

The Portland Tribune had a good article spotlighting three of the new Beavers football recruits: James Dockery, Gabe Miller, and Gerard Lee.

3 recruits nurture OSU’s hopes | PortlandTribune.com

“I liked the campus atmosphere in Corvallis and the coaches,” he says. “Every coach is going to be nice to you during the recruiting process, but there was something about (the OSU coaches) that was different. No matter what coach I work with up there, I feel I can get along with. I like coach (Mike) Riley’s style — quiet and reserved. He’s an uptempo coach and a cool guy, somebody I can trust.”
Dockery says he feels more natural at receiver, “because that’s where my heart is, but I have a knack for making interceptions. I really don’t care where I play. Wherever I can be of the most help.”

{...}

“The opportunity to play (at Oregon State) was a little better,” he says. “The offense fits me well. And I’ve gotten close to the coaches down there. They offered me during the spring game last year, so we’ve developed a relationship.”
It didn’t hurt that for the first time in his five years as a head coach, Riley pulled his entire staff off the road and brought them to Miller for a home visit two weeks before signing day.
“I knew coach (Nigel) Burton was coming, but then they all showed up at my door — very unexpected, and pretty cool,” Miller says.

{...}

Lee, 21, signed with Oklahoma out of high school in New Orleans but didn’t qualify academically. After a short stay at Grambling — he didn’t play — he returned to New Orleans and spent most of two years working out and working with his father, a carpenter. After two years away from football, he played last fall at Scottsdale Community College, where he registered 73 tackles and 8.5 sacks in nine games and was named all-conference.

Jason Fontenet MIA

I'm hoping that Jason and Jay work out whatever is going on. I like Fontenet and I was fairly surprised that he didn't play against Stanford on Saturday. I like Brett Casey and Wes Washington has showed promise, but Jason is a Senior and has a whole lot more experience than those guys. He seems like a leader and has confidence as well. I think he would help the team more than Brett Casey would at this point.

Of course, if coach John is already taking a look at the future then maybe playing Wes and Brett is OK. But we needed that win against Stanford. I'm not sure he put the best players on the floor. I'm not privy to all that goes on, so there may be a reason that the fans don't know about.

Here's the story:

Corvallis Gazette-Times - Fontenet not with Beavers

Bummer. Men's hoops drops two more home games.

Well, I'm not sure anyone would have guessed that our road record would be better than our home record this season. I suppose that's not difficult when you've only won 1 home game. In a guard oriented league, we don't have a player who can take the game into their hands and not let the Beavs lose.

Cuic is looking good. I hope he stays here through his entire career. I think he has a shot at the NBA if he improves each season as much as he has from last season to this season. Also, Wesley Washington could be a special player for the Beavs before his time is done. He is so active all the time and is a huge lift on defense.

Now is the time to start seeing signs for next season. What underclassmen will contribute and enable the team to have a winning record next season? We'll find out over these next few weeks. And if things gel late, who knows, maybe the Beavs will make a run in the Pac-10 tournament. They certainly have the talent to do it.

Big weekend for the Beavers basketball team

Well, it starts tonight. Either the Beavers will give Beaver nation hope or they will force them to start looking towards the baseball season. The men's basketball team MUST win one game this weekend. Two would be a huge shot in the arm. A record of 5-6 is a whole lot better than 3-6. And 3-8 is probably the beginning of the end of all hope for a winning record. It's going to be tough, but they must find a way to win.

Go Beavs!

Behind the Beavers Beat - Worth a read the day after LOI day

Yea, we've read the stories in the newspaper today and maybe that didn't leave you completely satisfied. Well, check out the "Behind the Beavers Beat" blog by the Oregonian beat writers Jim Beseda and Paul Buker. They've got some more info that didn't get printed and it's a good read.

OregonLive.com: Behind The Beavers Beat

Whew! It's over. Or...has it just started?

The 2006 college football season has offically started! The Beavers have recieved 30 commitments from high school and junior college players and now generally know what team they will have going into 2006.

First, we pretty much kept everyone who committed early. We did lose Alex Fa'agai and Alfred Rowe, but from what I understand they were still thinking. We did get one surprise in Danzel Issac and a few of the soft verbals we were concerned about came through and stuck with their commitments. The only guy I wish we would have nabbed is Straiten, the burner WR out of SFCC. We'll be OK at WR though. We got a few in this class and have some good ones already in the program.

Here's the list:

Offical Commit List

Keo Camat        LB   Portland, OR
Brady Camp       TE   Gresham, OR
Howard Croom     TE   Long Beach, CA
James Dockery    DB   Palm Desert, CA
Coye Francies    DB   Sacramento, CA
Geoff Garner     OL   Mesa, AZ
Joe Halahuni     TE   Orting, WA
Tom Hansen       LB   Sacramento, CA
Mitchel Hunt     DT   Tempe, AZ
Danzel Issac     LB   Thatcher, AZ
Casey Kjos       ATH  Middletown, OH
Kaulin Krebs     QB   Kahuku, HI
Keaton Kristick  LB   Phoenix, AZ
Joey La Rocque   LB   Valencia, CA
Gerard Lee       DT   Scottsdale, AZ
Alex Linnenkohl  OL   Olympia, WA
Mana Lolotai     LB   Honolulu, HI
Kyle Loomis      K    Roseburg, OR
Gabe Miller      LB   Lake Oswego, OR
Mau Nomani       OL   Tigard, OR
Timi Oshinowo    OL   Naperville, IL
Ryan Pohl        OL   Honolulu, HI
Clinton Polk     RB   Scottsdale, AZ
John Reese       TE   Upland, CA
Dwight Roberson  LB   Ventura, CA
Keith Robertson  DE   Los Altos Hills, CA
Dorian Smith     DE   Palm Desert, CA
Suaesi Tuimaunei DB   Kahuku, HI
Devin Unga       ATH  Kahuku, HI
Kevin Unga       LB   Kahuku, HI



The Register-Guard already has an article about the OSU Beavers class up online:
Decision day for UO, OSU: Beavers: Oregon State makes a strong push for defensive players

Where to look for signing day info!

Here we go! Here's where to look for all of the signing day good stuff:


Offical List:
OSUBeavers.com

Fan Boards:
Pure Orange - Recruiting Message Board

Recruiting Sites:
Rivals.com - Beavers 2006 Commitment List

Scout.com - Beaver Football Prospects

And if you have ESPN Insider you can get a nice Pac-10 list here:
ESPN - RecruitTracker 2006 - Pac-10

Only one day left until signing day!

It's coming...

Pac-10 Baseball Preview

The Baseball Analysts have compiled a good Pac-10 baseball preview for this coming season. Basically it's a reminder of who the players to watch are and how the teams may fare.

The Baseball Analysts: Pac-10 Baseball Preview: Leave It To Beavers

1. Oregon State

2005: 46-12 | College World Series | 7th in final poll | 9th RPI
Coach: Pat Casey (341-234-4, 11 years)
Preseason Rankings: (8th by Baseball America, 3rd Collegiate Baseball and NCBWA)

A "feel good" story last year, Oregon State now has to live up to the huge expectations placed upon the program. Picked by the coaches to finish eighth in the league before the year began, the Beavers surprised everyone by winning the conference with a school-record 46 wins and advancing to the College World Series for the first time since 1952.

Led by one of the best pitching staffs in the country, OSU was selected by seven of the nine coaches to capture the Pac-10 title this year. The team's three starting pitchers--Dallas Buck (12-1, 2.09 ERA with a .194 BAA), Jonah Nickerson (9-2, 2.13 with a nearly 4:1 K/BB ratio), and Anton Maxwell (11-1, 4.33)--return for their junior years. Ace reliever Kevin Gunderson (6-4, 14 saves, 2.76)--all 5-foot-8, 155 pounds of him--is back as well.

Buck wasn't as sharp in the Cape Cod League as he was the summer before but is still expected to be no worse than a mid-first round selection in the June draft. Nickerson and Gunderson, meanwhile, pitched for Team USA last summer.

Whether Buck, Nickerson, and Maxwell can combine to go 32-4 again will be largely determined by how well the offense performs this year. Senior Tyler Graham (.307 with 0 HR and 21 SB), a speedster who was drafted in the 15th round by the Chicago Cubs, takes over for first-round draft pick Jacoby Ellsbury in CF and at the top of the lineup. Sophomore shortstop and Pac-10 Freshman of the Year Darwin Barney (.301, 2 HR, 44 RBI), sophomore catcher Mitch Canham (.325 with a team-leading 8 HR), and senior third baseman Shea McFeely (.319, 5 HR) will be asked to generate power in the middle of the order.

Put it all together and the Beavers are not only the favorite to win the Pac-10 title but are a legitimate contender for the national championship.

Whoa, that's putting the pressure on.

Here's a USC preview from the Daily Trojan:

Clearing the fence

Taking the mound will be Ian Kennedy, undisputed ace and preseason first-team All-American. In two years, the right-hander is 19-5 with a 2.70 ERA. He has amassed 278 strikeouts in 209.2 innings, while walking just 69.

"He's a star," said USC coach Mike Gillespie. "Only an injury keeps him out of the first round (of this year's MLB Draft), only an injury keeps him from being a long-time major leaguer."

Kennedy headlines an able, yet inexperienced staff. Junior college transfer Shawn Olsen should be the team's second starter. Freshmen Tommy Milone and Ryan Cook will also get looks as starters.

"Our starting pitching is the best since I've been here," Kennedy said despite being the only returning starter.

Should be a good race in the Pac-10.

Beavers Men's Basketball Have a Tough Road Ahead

Getting swept at home was not exactly what Beaver fans, players, and coaches had in mind. After dominating at home last season we had come to expect a whole lot more out of our team. OSU is now 10-10 overall and 3-6 in the Pac-10. Certainly the Beavers season isn’t over, but it’s getting dangerously close and the margin for error is ever so thin.

So can the Beavers do it? Can they complete the ultimate comeback and pull out a winning season?

Here are their remaining games before the Pac-10 tournament:

Cal
Stanford
@ ASU
@ Arizona
WSU
UW
@ UCLA
@ USC
Oregon


So what can they win?

The best candidates are the teams at the bottom of the conference. ASU at 1-8 and WSU at 2-7 are must wins. ASU is a road game, but is winnable with revenge on the brain. Next, they have to beat the Ducks in their rivalry game at home the last game of the year.

That puts the Beavers at 13 wins. They need at least 2 more to finish the regular season above .500. Their best shot is Cal or Stanford this coming weekend. Win both and we are in good shape (not an easy task). After that it has to be USC. They are beatable, but we play them on the road. The longshot is a win against UW. They have been more vulnerable this year than in the past and might be a W for the Beavs if they get confidence by beating WSU.

The task is not impossible, but the Beavs absolutely must win at least one game this weekend against the Bay Area schools.

Of course, if the Beavers go 15-14 in the regular season then they need to win at least one game in the Pac-10 tournament to guarantee a winning season and get a shot at an NIT berth. With the RPI of the Pac-10 this year a team 1 game above .500 probably won’t make it into the NIT, but at least you give them something to think about and a winning record is a big deal around here given the recent history of losing.


Go Beavs!

A new article from Andy Darkins, OSU football LB

In case you're not paying attention to Andy Darkins blog, he has a new article up about the NFL draft and these senior all-star games.

The Rear End

However, let’s consider some recent facts surrounding the Senior Bowl selection process.

Last year, this alleged “all-star” game included only 10 of the first 30 players selected in the first round of the 2005 NFL Draft. Over the last six years, the game has included only 61 of the 180 first-round NFL picks.

Baseball America article on Oregon State

The Oregon State baseball team gets some national pub on ESPN and Baseball America. Also, recently they were ranked 6th in the first USA Today Coaches Poll.

ESPN.com - NCAA - Baseball America: Encore in store for Oregon State?

If Tyler Graham, who shifts from left field to center, can replace some of Ellsbury's production at the top of the order, and Barney and senior third baseman Shea McFeely can have the breakout years Oregon State thinks they can, then the Beavers will have enough offense to make them legitimate contenders again.

But after this season is when it will get interesting, because the pitching nucleus will be gone. The Beavers are doing their best to capitalize on their success while they can, installing a new scoreboard this season and raising funds to expand Goss Stadium at Coleman Field in the future. Making another trip to Omaha this year would likely secure their ability to lock up the Pacific Northwest's top recruits, helping sustain the program for the long haul.

Article out of Arizona about the Beavers improvement on the road this season

Arizona papers like to keep tabs on the Beavers. I'm sure it's because of Jay John. Here's the latest:

Arizona Daily Star - Beavers more comfortable on road this season

After 18 games last year, OSU was 11-7 and 3-4.

Half of this season's victories have come away from Gill Coliseum, including wins at California and Washington State — after going 0-9 on the road in the Pac-10 in 2004-05.

[...]

"That goes without saying," John said, when asked if the two-week homestand was a make-or-break part of OSU's schedule. "It looks good (to be at home for so long), but if you don't perform and get it done, it won't look as good."

Amen to that. If the Beavs can pull out a 3-1 record over this four game stretch, that would go a long way towards an NIT bid. 4-0 and they may still have an outside shot at the NCAAs.

Another early look at 2006 college football

I don't know how these people can rank the teams so early without knowing the impact freshman that might come, but here's another really early look at 2006:

College Football News Rankings

40. Oregon State 2005 Record: 5-6

Why to get excited: The schedule works out well with the only road games against bowl teams coming against Boise State and UCLA. 2005 might have been a bizarre bust, but almost everyone returns for 2006. RB Yvenson Bernard quietly had a tremendous season, QB Matt Moore threw for a ton of yards, the entire offensive line returns, and the run defense finished 17th in America allowing a mere 108 yards per game.
However ...
Why to be grouchy: …the pass defense was just this close to being the worst in college football allowing close to 300 yards per game. For good or bad, everyone in the secondary returns, but the front seven loses linebackers Trent Bray and Keith Ellison.
The number one thing to work on is: Besides pass defense, turnovers, turnovers, turnovers and penalties. No one gave it away more than the Beavers last year with 13 lost fumbles and 23 interceptions, and the mistakes kept them from going to a bowl game. The Beavers also struggled with penalties committing close to nine per game.
Biggest offensive loss: WR Mike Hass
Biggest defensive loss: LB Trent Bray

They do have the Beavers down as a team that should be better than last season.

Welcome Gabe Miller!

Great decision Gabe. The line of great tight ends shall not be broken. I
think this quote from Gabe himself says it best:

The Oregonian - Sought-after football duo stays
in Oregon

Oregon State was particularly appealing, Miller said, because of
its recent trend in featuring and producing quality tight ends.

"Guys like Marty Maurer, Tim Euhus and Joe Newton are all NFL guys," Miller
said. "Oregon State has the tradition and that definitely made a difference.
The coaches were telling me I could be the next guy on that
list."

Ah yes. Beaver Nation is happy.

The WSU win takes some pressure off

Big win by the Beavs on Saturday. I have a feeling that the Beavers are going to need a few more of those road wins to have the kind of year they want. How about Wes Washington? Did he step up, or what? He is possibly the best on ball defender on the team. Or at least the best stealer on the team. He had some clutch shots and handled the ball pretty well.

So far the Beavs have done better than last season overall. Or at least been more consistent. They haven't lost by much and have been in every game in conference. However, they also have yet to blow anyone out. Maybe they are more mature.

They must get the USC game on Thursday. That will be the key to the weekend. Then they can take their best shot at an injury riddled UCLA team and hope for another upset.

Oregon State Baseball broadcast schedule

Thought I'd throw in some baseball news as things are getting closer.

OSU has released the baseball broadcast schedule. There will be a broadcast in Portland on KUIK-AM (1360)!

It looks like most of the games will be broadcast on the radio.

Official Site of Oregon State Athletics - Home

KUIK also airs Major League Baseball with the San Francisco Giants and NASCAR auto racing, and will tape delay any OSU games that conflict. KUIK will also carry weekly features with both OSU head coach Pat Casey and the voice of the Beavers, Mike Parker.

Here's the baseball ticket information:

Baseball ticket info.

Single game reserved tickets will go on sale starting February 20th if available.

Beavs land LB Dwight Roberson, other recruiting news

The Beavers football team landed another linebacker from California: Dwight Roberson. He's been named to all kinds of all-star teams and looks like he's a monster on the field.

Scout.com: Dwight Roberson Profile

Ventura County Star - Roberson named to All-State team

It's fitting that the No. 1 player from the state's top-ranked football program found a place on the All-State team.

Dwight Roberson, the leading tackler on St. Bonaventure High's back-to-back CIF-Southern Section Division IV championship teams, was named to the All-State football first-team defense by CalHiSports.com.

[...]

Roberson was a three-year letterman for St. Bonaventure, playing a different position each season.

As a sophomore, Roberson was a defensive tackle. He moved to middle linebacker and outside linebacker for his junior and senior years, respectively.

The 6-foot, 215-pound Roberson had 174 tackles and two interceptions in 2004 and earned recognition to the All-State junior class team. Last fall, he had 120 tackles, three interceptions, four sacks and one blocked punt.

"He dominated our opponents," said St. Bonaventure coach Jon Mack. "He had the ability to change the outcome of games.

"Dwight was one of the premier players on the field whatever position that he played."

In four playoff games last fall, Roberson had 54 tackles, including 20 against Oxnard and 14 in the Division IV championship game against Moorpark.

Ventura County Star - St. Bonaventure's Roberson named to All-American team

Dwight Roberson of St. Bonaventure High was named to the 2005 PrepNation 101 All-American football team, it was announced Monday by PrepNation.com.

The team features the 101 top prep football players in the country from the 2005 season, as selected by PrepNation Editor and Publisher Jamie DeMoney. Game tape, all-state lists, sportswriters and other prep football analysts around the nation were used.

The LA Times - The Times' All-Star Football Team

Dwight Roberson, St. Bonaventure, 6-0, 218, Sr.
Outside linebacker led the defense that delivered consecutive Division III titles for the top-ranked Seraphs, who were selected No. 1 in the state by Cal-Hi Sports. He had 120 tackles, four sacks, three interceptions, one fumble recovery and he blocked one punt.

Also, it looks like 3 of the 4 Kahuku players to commit to OSU may be more of a "soft" verbal as they are going to take trips to at least another school. Looks like the Beavers coaches will have to keep working.

Honolulu Star-Bulletin - Warriors hosting defensive backs

Three other Kahuku seniors visited Oregon State with quarterback Kaulin Krebs, Kahuku coach Siuaki Livai said.

Krebs committed to the Beavers last weekend, and linebacker prospects Devin Unga (6-1, 201) and Kevin Unga (6-1, 222) and safety Suaesi Tuimaunei (6-2, 185) intend to continue with visits to other schools.

"I'd say they were impressed with Oregon State, but I'm not sure if they've decided to go there yet," Krebs said.

This weekend, the Unga twins will visit Utah, their home state. Tuimaunei will visit San Jose State. All three are All-State first-team selections.

Beavers men's basketball loses tough game to Huskies

In my last post, I said the Beavers won't win without shooting and rebounding well. Unless the Huskies collapse. Well, if the Beavs would have rebounded a little better and taken care of the ball then they would have won.

It's hard to comment on the game without being able to watch it. But all those 3rd chances the Huskies got were really frustrating. And I wish I could have seen that last shot by Stephens. Because the way Parker was calling it, the shot sounded forced and bad. Couldn't we have got a little better shot than that? Oh, and Wesley Washington was huge coming down the stretch. I hope he becomes our defensive stopper this year and grows into something really special over the next two years.

Huskies pressure OSU - Corvallis Gazette-Times

“Obviously, we missed our point guard,” OSU coach Jay John said. “With Lamar not being in there, it changed how UW was going to defend us. They came out and strangled and chased and trapped. With 28 turnovers it was success. They took a game plan and attacked us at a point where we are weak.”

[...]

“I thought Wes did a nice job,” John said. “The turnovers are still an issue. I felt he provided a spark and gave the rest of our guys some confidence. He was able to calm them down. And from the defensive standpoint, he battled. I’m pleased with the fight he brought to the game.”

[...]

“It could have been a different outcome if we had 10 less turnovers,” John said. “We played defense and battled on the boards. This script isn’t any different. We turned the ball over.”

The Oregonian - No. 10 Washington 69, Oregon State 65 Beavers have 28 turnovers in loss

"It was physical, but we were ready for it," said forward Marcel Jones, who led the Beavers with 14 points. "They got a lot of easy buckets. We had 28 turnovers, and I'm sure they scored about 20 easy baskets. It wasn't like they were killing us in the halfcourt. We just had way too many turnovers."

So, was the Huskies' defense that good, or were the Beavers that bad?

"No, the Huskies' defense was good," said Beavers guard Jason Fontenet, who started in place of Hurd. "And we weren't that bad. At times, we got a little careless, but I think we played well. We gave it our all out there."

Well, the Beavers need to take that kind of effort into Pullman and salvage a win. That would set them up to have a chance at post-season.

UW seeks payback

According to the Seattle P-I the Huskies will be ready for the game against the Beavers tonight. Apparently, they still remember the 17 point loss at Gill last year. Of course, they beat the Beavers by 40 last season at Hec, so maybe the Beavs will still be pissed about that.

UW seeks payback for rare blowout

"Oregon State really has our number," senior forward Mike Jensen said.

The UW never used to lose at Edmundson Pavilion and couldn't win against the Bruins at Pauley Pavilion, and now that's been reversed.

The Beavers hope to keep everyone guessing tonight, with their past inroads not lost on the home team.

[...]

"They do have a chance of beating us here," UW senior guard Brandon Roy said. "There's no 32-game home win streak anymore; we have a two-game losing streak (at home).

"We've got to take them seriously. They beat Arizona. We're not good enough to overlook them."

That rare blowout to the Beavers is reminder enough.

I guess we'll see how the Beavs do without Lamar Hurd and against a Husky team with a lot of confidence. The Beavs need to shoot very well and rebound to win. If the shooting % drops below 50%, the Beavs will lose (barring a total collapse by the Huskies).