Hoops Civil War

The Beavs started off really well and really played good nearly all game except for one 7 minute stretch in the first half. A 3-point loss after being down by as much as 9 in the second half is a good showing.

Here's a couple pics I snapped with my phone...



Marcel Jones for the dunk! It was an exciting finish, but not the result we wanted.


Here's the final shot from Josh Tarver. An off balance 3, but we had to get a shot up quick. He needs to practice getting his shot off the dribble. He'll need that in the future.

UCLA next. That's gonna be a tough one.

Go Beavs!

10 wins

What an amazing game. Perfect end to the season. 10 wins. That evokes memories of the Fiesta Bowl year. Sure, the 2000 team was better but they were steamrolling people at the end. This year's team had a bunch of close games that they had to nut up and make some plays to win. When you're in the final four of the Pontiac play of the year voting, you made some plays.

This season felt almost more euphoric than the Fiesta Bowl year. In fact, 2006 was about as good of a year as you could have if you are a Beaver fan. We won the baseball NCAA national championship. We went to the world series in softball. The gymnastics team hosted the national championships and actually made it to nationals. The women's hoops team made the WNIT. Pretty good year. Oh, and the Ducks fell back to the earth and crash landed on football this year :).

10 wins baby!

Game Day: It's time for the Sun Bowl!

Game day!

I'm going to watch the Beavs in HD for the first time ever. Are you ready for the game?

Everybody seems pretty confident that the Beavs will win today. ESPN, the local papers, and almost everyone outside of Missouri. As long as the Beavs don't listen to those people, we should be alright.

On paper, the Tigers look tough. They only allow 172 ypg through the air and have 12 ints. Their offense is really good too. 415 ypg is nothing to slouch at. They are definitely explosive on offense.

Luckily there are a few things going the Beavers way. The allow almost 140 yards rushing. They don't have a ton of sacks. They have lost 3 of their last 4 games and 4 of 6 in the last half of the season. Plus, they have two key players ineligible and have had the flu running through bowl practice.

The Beavs have been very business-like during the last half of the season and have a great attitude going into this game. Plus, they have a major goal to still accomplish - win 10 games.

This bodes well for the Beavs. My prediction is the Beavs win 34-21.

Go Beavs!

Whoa. What happened to the Ducks

Come on Ducks, that was pathetic. I hope the Beavs watched that game and learned that they DON'T want to do that.

How did the Ducks lose 38-8 to BYU? Yikes.

Should be an extra great Christmas for those of us Beaver fans who have Duck fans in the family :)


Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!

Riley not taking ASU job

Well, I would have been VERY surprised is Coach Riley took the ASU job. I don't think he was really ever a serious candidate for that job, but it was something to keep the beat writers busy.

Turns out Dennis Erickson will be coaching the Sun Devils for the next few years. That could be a big get for ASU, but I don't think it means ASU can dial in a trip to the National Championship in the next few years.

The job I was always concerned about was the Alabama job. Since Coach Riley went to 'Bama, I figured he'd take a serious look at that position. But since he turned them down a few years ago, maybe he burned his bridges at that school. My guess is Mike will be at OSU a long time.

Go Beavs!

YouTube and the Beavs

There's a lot of YouTubin' in Beaver Nation. Search "OSU Beavers" or "Oregon State Beavers" on YouTube and there's a bunch of great stuff.

Here's a great one from a Beaver fan:



Link

A little groggy, but happy

That was a late one last night, but it was worth every minute. Great win and another game that the Beavers hang on when I thought they were just possibly going to let the game slip out of their hands. Great win and great for recruiting too.

Some thoughts:

* Glad to see Joe Newton get involved in the offense in a big way. I'm hoping for another big bowl performance from him.

* Jeremy Perry was playing the game with his hair on fire. This was his Civil War game. I hope his knee is OK or at least he can get it ready for spring practice.

* If you listened to the ESPN announcers, then you probably didn't hear much about the Beavs. Their love affair with Hawaii was grating. If I have to hear about how the Hawaii recievers are taught to catch with their hands one more time I'm gonna hurl. Or was about that Colt guy and his accuracy.

* All in all that offense is very scary. Especially when you have a 295 lbs fullback and a 250 lbs running back ready to take shovel passes and run over every safety and cornerback in front of them. Those big guys were almost unfair.

* Game balls to Matt Moore, Gerrard Lawson, Jeremy Perry, Dorian Smith, and Sabby Piscitelli. Those guys made a big difference last night.


Good win Beavs!

Hawaii is Talking the Talk

Looks like June Jones and the U of H are mixing up OSUs over on the islands. Say it with me OREGON STATE not OHIO STATE.

June Jones: Bring on the best - starbulletin.com

At his weekly news conference yesterday, Jones addressed a comment he made after Saturday's victory over Purdue about being able to beat top-ranked and undefeated Ohio State.

[...]

Hawaii (10-2) leads the nation in scoring, total offense and passing offense. UH quarterbacks coach Dan Morrison -- not known for hyperbole -- said the Warriors offense "might be the best ever in college football."

Confidence is not lacking over there. But are they serious? Best offense ever? Beat Ohio State? Come on now. You've clearly lost 2 games this season and Ohio State hasn't lost yet. First they better be thinking about the other OSU. That would be Oregon State. I have a feeling that many Hawaii-based players on Oregon State's roster may think this is as big as the Civil War.




BTW, is this their RB? Wow, Nate Ilaoa is a big dude. He's gonna run over someone in our secondary at least once.



Clearly we're the underdog in this game for good reason. But I don't think we can count out the Beavs yet. If we can slow them down at all, then we have a chance. Plus, I think we will be in the right mindset in this game. There's too many Hawaii guys on the team to let people have a let down. At least that's what I hope will happen.


On a side note, did anyone else feel like the media was focusing on the Ducks a little too much after the Civil War. It's almost like they were surprised the Beavers won. Or maybe the Beavers didn't win, the Ducks lost. B.S. OSU dominated the first half and probably outplayed them in the 3rd quarter. Plus, the Ducks were a poorly blown whistle away from a fumble recovery for a TD which would have eliminated any chance of a comeback by the Ducks. Plus, Matt Moore engineered a great drive to get the game winning FG. Yet, all the talk is about Bullotti and the Ducks. Whatever. Give the Beavs their props. They are the best team in the state this season.

Reser Stadium Phase 2 Construction Starting Soon

Phase 2 of the Raising Reser project is underway. Soon the South end zone will be torn down and then rebuilt into a nice end cap to Reser.

Apparently the Reser web cam will be moved to show the contruction over the winter. Check it out here:

Reser Stadium, OSU Webcams, Oregon State University

A Game for the Ages!

Turkey on Thursday, Duck on Friday.

Great game. Lots of drama. Maybe too much...

The Beaver defense held, but it was close. Just a great, classic Civil War.

Go Beavs!

Oregon Uniforms aren't that bad...

What's so wrong about this?

OK, that's pretty ugly.

More here:

2006 hole photo review

Reser Construction, Phase 2 images

We have our first look at Reser: Phase 2. Thanks to Chris who sent me a link with these images of an artists rendering of what Phase 2 will look like.

I hope that this really keeps the noise in the stadium and makes for a louder gameday experience. And I can't wait for the huge jumbotron. Biggest in the Pac-10!

Click on the images for a larger view.

More Info on Reser II:

New AD Report and a key Measure on the ballot for OSU - September 27, 2006

Phase II Stadium Changes - August 9th, 2006

Best Civil War Ever: 1998

Need something to get excited about?! How about reliving the exctasy of the 1998 Civil War! That was the best in my memory. Excitement, drama, and the good guys won.

Watch it here:



Who will be the Civil War hero this year? I'm calling a Sammy Stroughter punt return for a TD. Sam-my! Sam-my!

I can't wait for Friday!

Two great OSU Civil War games being replayed this week

I love the fact that the Beavers have a good relationship with FSN.  The Ducks get very little regional play from Fox Sports (no review show, no previews, and no classic games) and that's fine by me.  Because that means during Civil War week we get only the best classic Beaver victories in recent memory. 

Set your TiVos or VCRs for these two classic replays.  Heck play them throughout Thanksgiving to get ready for the game.

 

TUESDAY, November 21st
7:30 pm
FSN Classics: "1998: Oregon at Oregon State" From Nov. 21, 1998

This was the game that put Mike Riley in San Diego and led to the first winning season in 28 years.

 

THURSDAY, November 23rd
12:00 pm
FSN Classics: "2000: Oregon at Oregon State" From Nov. 18, 2000

The penultimate game for a season that lead many Beaver fans to believe they could die happy.  The Fiesta Bowl was amazing and it was like a Beaver love fest.  Only the Rose Bowl could top it.

Beat the Ducks! Beat the Ducks!

That was the chant that the fans had for the Beavers football players after the comfortable win in Palo Alto yesterday. The Beavs are bowl eligible, but all that matters is beating the Ducks next week!

Quick Review of the Stanford game:

The Beavs started off playing uninspired and flat. The Trees scored like they were Boise St. and that woke everyone up. The Beavers proceeded to run the ball down Stanford's throat and pressured their QB the rest of the day. Game over, Beavs win 30-7. Nice win.

Now on to the Ducks.

They proceeded to get blown out by Arizona without their best QB in for most of the game. Turns out they didn't need a QB as the UA RB Henry did his best Julian Peterson impression and ran over the Ducks all day. He was so good they didn't need to pass.

IT'S CIVIL WAR WEEK!

The only thing that sucks about having the game on the Friday after Thanksgiving is that I can't stick it to Ducks fans in my family after we win. But after that loss to Arizona, I should have plenty of ammo. I actually found myself watching the end of their game more than our game (with a BIG smile on my face the whole time).

If you need some more ammo, I've dug up the old links to some Duck jokes:

The Duck Hate Page
Duck Jokes: Dan Norz

We're winning!! Civil War Blood Drive





After another wild day in the Pac-10, here's the latest standings:

Team           Conf. W-L    Overall W-L
Southern Cal.     7-1           9-1
California        6-2           8-3
Oregon St.        5-3           7-4
Oregon            4-4           7-4
Arizona           4-4           6-5
UCLA              4-4           6-5
Washington St.    4-5           6-6
Arizona St.       3-5           6-5
Washington        3-6           5-7
Stanford          1-7           1-10

Beat the Ducks and we are in sole possesion of 3rd in the Pac-10! Come on Beavs! BEAT THE DUCKS!

Huge weekend of games

This weekend is probably the best college football watching weekend this year. Which OSU will you watch at 12:30?

The OSU vs. U of M game is huge. If it's anything like last season, it will be a great game. Then you've got the extra story of the Bo Schembechler story. I don't think it's possible to overhype this game. I think Ohio St. will win because of two factors: Troy Smith and being at home. Troy Smith will win the Heisman this weekend with a good performance. However...(not so fast my friends!) I have this nagging feeling in the back of my head that Michigan may play even better now that they have lost Bo. Will they win it for Bo? I have a feeling that they may come out really strong because of that. I wouldn't have given U of M a chance, but now I think they have a chance.

Cal and USC. It's the game we've been waiting for all season in the Pac-10. I'm pulling for USC because I want to be the only team with a win over the Trojans. Other than that, this game is a hard one to call. But I know it will be a good game.

Oregon State vs. Stanford. This should be a win for OSU. After a loss last week there should be no lack of motivation for the Beavs. I can't believe they are televising this game. It must have been scheduled before the season. I just hope the Beavs take care of it early so we can watch the big game (OSU/U of M).

Go Beavs!

Beavers Lose in the Rose Bowl

What a lame game. Total dud. The Beavs played OK defense and OK offense, but they didn't do a couple of the keys to victory. Too many TOs. Not enough pressure on the QB.

What could have been a great season now becomes a fight for a good season.

Is this the bizaro week in the Pac-10 or what?

UCLA game and a season snapshot

I was checking out the Beavers statistics comparing last season to this season and was a bit surprised to find that we're averaging 50 ypg less than we were a year ago. Yet our scoring is up by a point a game. The reasons are probably fairly obvious why that is. First, we are turning the ball over less. Second, we have more pressure on the QB. Third, our defense is better. Fourth, our punt returns are way better.

Here's the comparison (2005: 11 games, 2006: 9 games)

                     2005    2006
Interceptions         23       8  
Fumbles Lost          13      10

Sacks                 22      32
Tackles for Loss      81      78
Pass Defense        298.7   205.2
Run Defense         108.0    95.9
Total Defense       406.7   301.1

Punt Returns TDs       0       3

Well, those numbers are shocking. 100 less ypg allowed? 10 more sacks in two less games? 15 less interceptions? That's a great turnaround.

That's what the Beavers need to continue to do to beat the Bruins. No turnovers, strong defense, and pressure on the QB.

The Bruins will be fighting from the beginning. I think it will be a tough game. But winnable.

Go Beavs!

Beavers Men's Hoops Win First Game

I went to the Oregon State Men's basketball game last night against Portland and I figured I'd respond to Matt's request for some thoughts on the game.

I was a bit surprised by Seth Tarver starting at shooting guard. I thought Wes was the starter, but I glad he got so much playing time. I think Seth is just a bigger guard and gives them more flexibility defensively.

Early on the team relied heavily on Sasa Cuic to score inside. Other than his fitness, he's in good form already. They did a good job getting offensive rebounds and converting on those. Josh Tarver was confident and looked good. He looked to score more than Hurd ever did and is big so he can guard and rebound like Hurd. He did have a few unforced turnovers, but they were mostly when he was trying to make plays.

Midway through the first half they had a nice stretch of steals and layups while applying a half press. Overall the first half wasn't that impressive, but OK.

The second half was much better as the D started to clamp down and they Beavers were stealing and fastbreaking a lot. I think they can do that a bit this year if they really concentrate on dominating on defense. They should matchup well with most teams defensively. Of course UP couldn't throw the ball in the ocean in the second half and the Beavs were rebounding pretty well. So they pulled away and probably could have won by an even bigger margin if they played better in the first half.

Cuic will be the go to guy. He is the #1 option clearly on offense. I think Jeffers could help inside a bit more but Cuic will get 75% of the looks inside. Marcel was almost non-existent in the first half, then got going in the second with fast breaks, offensive rebounds, and a long shot or two. He may be our solid #2 option.

Josh Tarver will be a good supporting scorer IMO. He looks confident and looks for his shot. And he can shoot the three. He won't hit seven 3's in a game anytime soon, but he's got a good shot. He hit a 3 off the dribble that was sweet. Seth looked a little tentative on offense. A non-threat. But he had flashes. He moves and looks like a player so I think as he gets experience, he will become a threat. Looked good defensively and pretty good passing too. He has a high basketball IQ from what I could tell.

The good thing is that the bench looks as good as its been in a long time. Jack McGillis, Wesley Washington, and Angelo Tsakarakis can all provide instant offense. The new freshman, Shaaftenar, was big and moved well. Not a threat offensively, but he played well offensively and seems to know the game well. Oh, I was impressed with the new backup point guard Silvar. He was quick and looks injects energy into the game when he gets in. I think he could will be good. Calvin Hampton didn't get as much PT, but had a great move inside at the end of the game. I think he should play more. I was disappointed Liam didn't get in, but he'll probably play as the weekend goes on. Unfortunately, I won't see any of those games.

Well, that's it. No season predictions yet, but we should be competitve. The burden will be on our young guards to get the ball to the bigs and play off them when they are guarded well. If they improve quickly, it could be a surprisingly good season. I'm hoping for better than last year.

Go Beavs

New rules make cut plays out of games

I don't know if anyone noticed, but games have been considerably shorter this season. I actually don't think that it's such a bad thing. TV games last year dragged on to nearly 4.5 hours last season. This season I don't think we've hit the 3.5 hour mark. The new rules definitely shorten games. The question is, how do they affect games. And more importantly, how do they affect the Beavers?

One site has done a study of games from this year in comparison to last season. Here are the results:

The Losses Continue to Pile Up : The Wizard of Odds

Overall...G........Plays......Plays/G....Min.......Min/G......Time/G 2005......488.....82324.....168.70.....97698*....200.61.....3:20:37 2006......531.....80996.....152.53.....99069.....186.57.....3:06.34 * missing game duration of Toledo-Ball State 10/15/2005
Year......G........Points.....Pts/G
2005......488.....25494.....52.24
2006......531.....25069.....47.21

Year.......G.....1H Pts....1H Pts/G...2H Pts....2H Pts/G...OT
2005......488...12842.....26.32......12315.....25.23.......337
2006......531...12985.....24.45......11755.....22.14.......329

Here are the shortest games from Week 9:
Buffalo-Boston College: 2:25
Arkansas State-Florida Atlantic: 2:26
Wyoming-Texas Christian: 2:39
Minnesota-Ohio State: 2:50
Auburn-Mississippi: 2:50

Here are the longest games from Week 9:
Ohio-Kent State: 3:41
Texas-Texas Tech: 3:35
Washington State-UCLA: 3:34
Florida-Georgia: 3:33
Michigan State-Indiana: 3:32

So we're losing an average of 16 plays per game and about 5 points per game. That may not seem like a lot, but it could be huge. The Beavers season could have been affected in two ways.

First, if USC had 16 more plays to score again the Beavers may not have held on for the upset. Who knows how many plays would have been added, but we clearly were helped a little by the new rules.

Second, would the WSU game have gone any different? We may have kicked a FG on 4th down in the game ending drive because we knew that if we held on defense we probably would have got the ball back.

Other than that, it probably hasn't affected OSU much. Clearly the rules change the game. But the real question is: are the changes for the better? I submit yes. I think the games we getting too long and I like the 3.5 hour games. Plus, I like the fact that there will probably be more upsets in a season because the big teams won't have as much time to mount a comeback. Plus, I think the truly good teams will be the best teams because they can't rely on crazy comebacks like UCLA did last season.

What do you think?