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Oregon State @ Cal / General Thread

451

That last thread was getting long. Let’s move on to game week.

With the Thursday night game last week, Hall gets extra prep time to get in practice/prep time and formulate a game plan for Cal. Does it help?

I view this as a natural progression in confidence:

  1. Tough loss vs a bad team (check, Colorado).
  2. Tough loss vs a good team (check, Stanford)
  3. Win vs a bad team (check? Cal)

It’s the next logical progression for this team. There is an even greater craving to taste the sweetness of victory after two bitter losses.

While I haven’t gotten the scores right, I have gotten ever W/L correct this year except for the MN game, and I’m going…

27-24 OSU

451 COMMENTS

  1. My biggest concern is still our secondary. If Beau knows what he’s doing and sticks with the passing game, we could give up a lot of points.

    That said, Cal’s defense is about as bad as ours, so I could see this being a shootout.

    This could ultimately come down to turnovers and penalties like the Stanford game, and Cal has the edge on us there with a positive turnover margin and slightly fewer penalties per game.

    I say 38-35 Cal, but I hope Hall’s Young Men prove me wrong.

    • Beau has little choice but to stay with the passing game, doesn’t have much of a run game and will hope to overwhelm the Beavs DB’s. I like that Halls (and Rushings) position group could be key Saturday.

      One site shows these guys as “Questionable”: Ah-Hoy, Hudson, Morris, Moore, Irvine. That’s a lot of potential upside for a Beavs D which did a solid job last week vs a much better team than the Bears.

      I see Hall staying with the run game and trying to control clock, maybe being a little less conservative with a lead. Angry’s 27-24 seems about right but I wouldn’t be too surprised to see the Beavs win by two scores.

      Wonder which of the questionables above you all think could be most helpful? For me it is either Morris or Irvine but I’d be glad to see any of them be available.

      https://www.teamrankings.com/college-football/matchup/beavers-golden-bears-week-10-2017/injuries

      • Orange-colored glasses on the secondary performance last week. Chryst’s performance was the worst from a QB we’ve seen all season.

        We need Morris and at least one experienced CB.

  2. Also, another Christian Wallace sighting in Eggers’ latest:

    “When he came here, he couldn’t move backward,” says Hall, referring to a necessity for cover guys. “The adjustment has been slower than some, but he’s picking things up.”

    Recruiting DB’s that can’t move backward is like MR recruiting QB’s who can’t throw spirals.

        • I don’t think he ever played DB before coming to OSU. Most scouts projected him at that position though, because they know what’s best for guys.(see Ryan nall)

          • I read somewhere that Wallace wanted to learn to be a defensive back because he thinks it improve his chance of playing in the NFL. He has had to be patient; getting his grades in order, redshirting, continuing to learn this year, and now – only a few games left in the season, he’s getting what sounds like a little bit of playing time. I hope that bodes well for his future, not just as a football player but in life.

  3. Just my opinion after the Stanford game: Garretson is not a Div 1 QB.

    Any word on Luton coming back? I’m not sold on him, but he’s way better than DG.

  4. Another commit today. Keishon Dawkins out of West Linn.
    Expecting 1 or 2 more today.
    The local guys who were offered yesterday look like they could be coming in to replace Andy Koch, who was projected at DE. Dawkins is TE but similar body.

    Wouldn’t be surprised to see Jake Levengood commit too.

    None of the new guys have very good offer sheets, so it’s starting to look a little like Hall is just trying to bring in the low hanging fruit to drum up excitement before trying to convince the main prospects to sign.

      • Offensive coach. Can recruit a top 5 class to Oregon. Roots in Florida. Several assistant coaches have Florida ties already(Cristobal, Leavitt, Pimpleton, etc..)
        He can poach his Oregon class to supplement what Florida already has built and get the one of the top recruiting classes in the nation.

        Online I’ve read media reports saying they had their eye on him while at South Florida, but McElwain was still in his first 2 seasons and winning his division.

    • Willie T would seem to be down the list for potential candidates.
      Mississippi State should hope Mullen likes Starkville. Last time they had a good offense was when he was coaching it for Urban.

      • If he stayed at USF, it would make more sense. Ducks are looking at 6-6 or 7-5 season. Good luck selling that to UF when Chip, Frost, and Mullens are out there.

    • Now be nice. I believe that “body language” that you’re referring to is actually a result of him having jock itch and nothing more.

  5. Why do all the talking heads keep talking about McElwain to Oregon State? I don’t want that guy, why would anybody want that guy? What the hell has he done? Other than lose his ass at Florida?

  6. I disagree. McElwain is probably the only coach thus far that I would really want over Hall. Granted I would want him to make sure Hall is d coordinator and assistant head coach.

    The guy has won a lot of games as a head coach. And he had Florida in back to back? Sec championships his first two years. This was following Mischamp, I believe who didn’t do him favors leading into his first year.

    I would definitely like to hear what went on this season to make the wheels fall off, but I do believe he should be in very strong consideration at this point

  7. Yeah I just watched Halls interview for the cal game this weekend, and I seriously think he should be the head coach.

    Definitly think we need to see how things play out and not rush into hiring him tomorrow, but I really do think he is going to be a very very good head coach. Just hope we do t miss out on the opportunity and shoot our selves in the foot.

  8. The road factor is huge here, Beavs haven’t played a close road game since Minnesota last year. Cal plays better at home and the beavs doing have a comeback in them so they’d have to lead from wire to wire. I don’t believe the offense can produce that many points. Likely will need 35 points to win the game.

  9. 2 things to look for in the next head coach to ensure this thing flips:

    1. He doesn’t respect the process
    2. He wears little boy pants

  10. Iowa St is a College town …
    Nearest airport 40 minutes away…
    New Coach has them in year 2 at #14 in the Country…

    It can happen with the right hire !

  11. This isn’t going to be popular but some of you are extremely delusional and need to remove the orange colored glasses. Cal wins this weekend in a blowout. Oregon St could possibly beat ASSU at home but that’s it. 2-10 but 1-11 is more likely.

    • Yeah, sorta agree with Whiskey here. Cory Hall has done more with the team than most (certainly myself) would have thought possible, but he can’t turn lead into gold. He’s still stuck with a team with marginal talent overall, questionable talent at coordinator, possibly the worst QB room in D1, and an injury-ravaged wasteland for a defensive backfield. On top of which, his inexperience at game management is still a bit of a liability at this point.

      I think any W this year will be tough to come by and well earned. For those of you saying Hall needs 2-3 wins out of 4 to be considered as HC..I think you’re delusional. That may be an impossible standard. I’m not sure Nick Saban could get that many wins with this team, with Chip Kelly at OC and Chris Petersen at DC.

      Hall at HC should be evaluated based on more than W/L record, which involves a lot of luck. He doesn’t have an offseason to hire a staff and implement schematics. He’s stuck with the flawed infrastructure that he inherited, and so far he’s made it look much better. If the effort and the improvement continue and we play competitive, that should matter much more. Note that GA coached exactly one competitive game this year – PSU!

      • I’m leaning toward Hall as HC on a short, incentive-laden contract. I’d change my mind if the right name came along but almost everyone I’ve heard has been underwhelming. If you’re gambling anyway, might as well gamble with the guy best equipped to work with what you have rather than start the rebuild over.

        Also, lay off the jabs at the recent commits. I’m not exactly sure how you pitch a struggling program as an interim HC….can’t imagine ANY player jumping on board with HC not nailed down. Just no way we land solid players until a new coach is announced.

    • Well, every week is different, the team has improved, players want Hall as HC so should at least give max effort, and Cal is mediocre, so there’s that.

      Agree, until we see those results it’s a bad prediction. Wouldn’t put money on the Beavs, but I’m putting my instincts on them.

        • 8 points in two home games. This team/program hasn’t won a road game in how long? Cal has two home losses. a 10 point loss to USC and a 1 pt loss in OT to Arizona when they went for two and the win.

          No, I don’t think the Beavs are within 17 in this game when the clock hits zero. I saw a prediction above that said the Beavs realistically need 35 points to win this game. I’ve seen our QB play. 35 points on the road at Cal isn’t remotely realistic. I’ll be shocked if the Beavs score half of that.

  12. On the last thread, beavergopher had a list of likely openings as the season winds down, which included about half of the SEC. Would Barnes take a shot at one of those guys after dealing with the SEC and Saban?
    No to Beilema, McElwain, anybody from MIss St, but check with Butch Davis, Kevin Sumlin and any of their coordinators?

    What I do like about Coach Hall is his commitment to run the ball, insist on physical play and dishing out pain to the opponent. I like his style and he has a great presence. Not sure about him as the HC though.

    • “…his commitment to run the ball, insist on physical play and dishing out pain to the opponent.”

      An example, and I’m certain Jacks ears perked up on hearing it, came around 21:25 in the interview above. When Hall, in speaking of the importance and reason for establishing the run said, “teams aren’t going to tackle in the 4th qtr the same as in the first. If they do, they deserve to win”

      • “But I wanna see it”.

        Important follow up. I love his commitment to the run and playing physical. Yeah you may stop it in the first half. Let’s see how you look in the 4th quarter motherfucker.

  13. Look, I don’t want Taggart leaving, he goes and Chip Kelly comes back to beat our brains out for another ten years. Please Willie stay where you are!

    • Why would you think that? He had the chance to come back last year and didn’t. CK is never coming back to Eugene. Only delusional duck fans think it’s a possibility. Newsflash it’s not even a remote possibility. I know that money talks but it’s no secret that he hated recruiting and schmoozing/dealing with boosters. IF he comes back to the college game it’s going to be a place that recruits itself and he can win a national championship. Honestly I don’t see his ego letting that happen. I could potentially see Florida as a good fit though. A hotbed of talent in the SEC, a school that recruits itself and he doesn’t have to go far to recruit.

    • All we heard is how Chip hates recruiting/boosters. Why would he come back to college, period?
      He was the right guy at the right time and Oregon caught lightening in a bottle. I’d take him of course (zero chance), but I’m not sure he isn’t washed up at this point since everyone runs that offense and Ds are more ready.

  14. After Hall, you think the “boys” want fat, white, old Chip Kelly or any of the retread names being tossed around? One would think a designer for a luxury spaceship to the next galaxy was being debated, not a football coach. How bloody hard can it be? Two 11-person teams, preferably good players, one ball, some fast runners, some large, push-people-around players, some that can catch the ball, some that can throw it, some that can intercept the throw, some that can kick the ball. One team tries to score in the end zone, the other team tries to keep them from doing that. Then, sometimes they trade.

    Hall seems to know all that. See if he’ll go for 1-2 year initial contract, which, at its worst, wouldn’t add much to the last 5-6 years of inadequacies.

    • For player development/continuity I like Hall, especially with a short term/prove yourself/incentive laden contract.

      We’ve recently had the ‘proven’ old lazy guy, tried the delusional yet well intended middling track record guy, why not the enthusiastic, young, relatable guy? Up and coming coaches come from someplace. Is it any wonder people say there is barrier to entry as a black head coach?

      • I also like the edginess of it. It’s either a fool’s game, or it’s brilliant.

        To cover the fool part, we give $1.5m with standard escalators of ~$500k for excellence in the administrative duties a true head coach should be able to do well. Give him the standard bonus for season ticket sales over a certain amount. And make the bonuses really pay off for winning the division and conference.

        But I think most coaches should be paid this way anyway.

        To cover the brilliant part, we invest in some of the tools which will help him to make himself better. Pay for assistants that will steepen his learning curve. Hype future facilities as something any coach would need. Continue the sale with talk of building for the future with someone who finally has the energy to do that building. Constantly talk about the progression of the program as a whole.

        If it falls flat, at least OSU gets to be that school who took a chance on providence. If worked correctly, the AD can still hype all the progress except for the W/L column.

        But let’s be real. With the expectations OSU reportedly has, would it really be taking a chance to hire someone who gets his players to go out and beat on the other team for 45 minutes… then tells the opponent it’s gut-check time? That team will be a viable bowl team most years. And I’m hesitant to let go of the one guy in 15 years who can make the coaches and players buy into what he’s selling.

  15. It’s just occurred to me that in addition to Hall’s lack of experience as a head coach I’m wondering how thick is his telephone book? In other words of his approximately 11 years of coaching almost half of that was in the high school ranks and I would suspect that he didn’t spend much if any time rubbing shoulders with other coaches that were coaching at the college level.

    IF, and I hope it doesn’t happen, Hall is offered the HC job how many of the upper tier assistant coaches would be willing to work for him? I suspect that he’s pretty much an unknown to the other coaches across the U.S. so who would be willing to risk their career working for an unknown?

    • I would guess most of his connections would be in the NFL. Former players, lower level assistants. But how many of them would come to college would be a mystery and the question would be can they recruit?

      Nowadays prospective head coaches have assistants lined up should they get the call. Who knows, hall may already be making calls.

      The coaching dominoes have started to fall with mcelwain fired.

      Venables! Or sumlin when he gets fired.

      • With all of the other potential openings around the country and a meh list of potential coaches, how do you propose we get either Venables or Sumlin to come out west?

        Surely there are higher profile programs that will be knocking at both of their doors.

        Throw 4 Mil a year out there? I imagine that’s the number we’d have to come up with.

        • If sumlin is fired, I’m sure there’s some offsetting language so osu wouldn’t have to break the bank there. He can coach here without boosters and trustees breathing down his back.

          Venables would be tougher but if he’s a guy wanting to make his own mark, not having to live up to any predecessor, then osu is a job for him. Fans here aren’t trying to relive glory days.

          Sure both are long shots but Barnes has to pick up the phone with everyone. Can’t just settle for Baldwin who I think will be in the top 3 at the end.

      • Good coordinators aren’t that hard to find. Hall’s rolo-dex got a lot bigger after Thursday night. It’s not hard to come up with a list of good football minds on both sides of the ball who can put some fun in the game.

        Besides, when your telephone book is supposedly full, you can still end up with the wrong Garrett running your O. Let’s just say that phone books aren’t all they’re cracked up to be.

        • You can grab a good coordinator from outside P5 football. There are a lot of them, but the trick will be picking the right one. Hall has zero experience with that, nor are there a lot of guys he knows from working with them.

        • I agree. Everyone seems to try to make football into something way more difficult then it is. It’s a fucking game. Not building a structure that has to withstand a 10 magnitude earthquake.

          Build a staff out of former NFL players who will excite kids for all I care. This isn’t rocket science. Recruit them, excite/motivate them, hammer home fundamentals, focus on playing as a team instead of a bunch of individuals, track them to make sure they understand how important succeeding in the classroom is, and do what you can to keep them out of legal trouble.

          If you’ve made it to the top of your profession (NFL) you’ve seen about everything any college team is going to march out at you. Scheming to combat an opposing team strengths is fairly obvious after your a couple games into the season.

          Not sure how many people here have had kids or known kids who have gone through the recruiting process but most of High school ball is a good old boys network. Coaches then work up the ranks and the join the good old boy college football network. Doesn’t matter how much experience you have if you’re an idiot who just keeps getting jobs because you know the right people.

  16. Along the lines of the “Valley Football Center – Coming in Fall of 2016” sign, OSU’s twitter page calls attention to a “beautiful fall morning in Corvallis” by panning back and forth across an an empty, half-finished stadium Reser stadium.

    https://twitter.com/BeaverFootball

    Why not show (drone footage?) of the beautiful campus? Or some footage of tailgating on a good weather day? I could just imagine the comments to the footage they posted – “Look, its Reser at kick off time!” “Fourth quarter starting at Reser!” etc….

    May be a small thing I know, but just another example of OSU Athletics’ way of doing things. I can’t believe the VFC center sign was still up and visible on TV for the Stanford game….

  17. The Hall situation is very tricky. He’s riding a wave of emotion, similar to Orgeron and Helton. The results for such a promotion are definitely a mixed bag. I hope for Hall to earn the job and succeed. Just seeing some excitement in the program after Riley and Andersen is refreshing. And, it is almost a given he will recruit better than them. But, he will probably wind up 0-6 to 2-4 as HC. OSU is not USC, but geez that looks bad on paper. From my impression of him, he seems great for the PR role (with fans, boosters, media, recruits, …) But, does he have that acute focus to demand attention to detail from staff and players, along with his ability to motivate them. Petersen, Saban, Kelly, and Meyer are not big hype men, but for the most part they can get their teams running like a machine.

    The other tricky part is offering him a consolation prize of DC. Given his background, jumping into business and such, does he really have the chops or discipline to formulate a defensive scheme and identity? He reminds me of Frost, a better HC than coordinator.

    • The thing is if you listen to him in his interviews HE himself doesn’t seem to be riding “the wave of emotion” here. He is all football and all about competing and inflicting pain on the opponent. This is what I really like about the guy… he could be building his brand using all the hype, but no, it is all about football for him.

  18. About the only way I’d be O.K. with Hall being hired as HC is if his starting salary was no more than what San Jose State is paying Brennan which is about $550K/yr thus leaving more money to pay off the debts, make improvements, afford top tier assistants ,etc.

    Paying any more than that is foolishness IMO. Repeat this is just my opinion.

    • Hopefully the AD is worth his salt, and all parties involved would realize this a pretty risky proposition. Thus, the mandatory contract term should be short, a relatively low starting salary would be prudent, and compensation increases could be juicy, but predicated on demonstrated success. If he did turn out to be a success, you would want him to know he will be rewarded at OSU, and thus be less likely to jump to another program. GA was pretty noble in walking away from 8 figures, and afforded the athletic department this flexibility.

    • That’s way too low for P5 football. You’ve instantly become Kansas at that level.

      Coordinator and assistant pay is tiered based on HC pay, so your whole staff would be payed like low-level G5 assistants. Haven’t we learned that hiring the right assistants makes a huge difference?

    • M&S – unless you are a major donor, high profile alumnus, or the person responsible for AD budgeting, I suspect not too many are concerned about “the only way” you would ok hiring Hall.

  19. Alfred Hollins off to a great start at osu. Arrested last night and released for giving false information to a police officer. No charges pending but I’d guess a one or two game suspension coming.

    Uber and Lyft are now in Corvallis, the ad needs to setup all athletes with an account.

  20. Joel Klatt, who I personally think is the best analyst in cfb, lists his top 5 available coaches. No. 1 to No. 5, are Scott Frost (Central Florida), Matt Campbell (Iowa State), Joe Moorhead (Penn State OC), Greg Schiano (Ohio State DC) and Ken Niumatalolo (Navy). He excluded Chip Kelly because he thinks he only goes to the perfect scenario if it exists. I could see Oregon State having a shot with the last 3.

  21. Saw this on football scoop about Taggart’s buyout at Oregon. Sounds like it’s on par with Frosts buyout at approximately $3M.(more if a team doesn’t want to pay the lump sum up front and would rather spread it across several years)

    http://footballscoop.com/news/willie-taggarts-buyout-makes-shockingly-available/

    In other words, even if Florida doesn’t take him, some other team that wants to capitalize on his recruiting will try. Willie would be smart to talk to other teams, if for no other reason than to get Oregon to up the ante. Maybe that big grin he had yesterday was just him seeing dollar signs, cause he’s going to get paid one way or another.

      • I don’t like the guy either, but tough to argue with his recruiting success, if you measure a class by class ranking. Oregon should never be in tge conversation for top class in the nation, yet here they are. If it weren’t for Herbert’s injury, Oregon would be around an 8-10 win team this year coming off a 4 win season. And that’s while losing their best WR to transfer and another to injury.
        Plus he has somehow convinced John Canzano to give him weekly Bus on his radio show. That has to count for something

  22. Nase in Trouble. Damn it.

    Oregon State linebacker Manase Hungalu was cited for violent conduct early Saturday morning.

    A Corvallis Police Department officer was driving past Qdoba on Monroe Avenue and spotted a group of 10 to 12 males engaged in an argument on the sidewalk.

    The officer stopped and told the group to break up, but the situation escalated between Hungalu and Abdinasir Ali Shido.

    The officer decided to cite both individuals based on their violent, tumultuous and threatening behavior.

    Hungalu’s status for Saturday’s game at California is uncertain at this point.

  23. So what are the opinions of Les Miles?

    I don’t think it’s realistic, so I’m not asking that. Just what do you think of him as a coach and recruiter.

    • Basically maintained Sagan’s level of success at LSU for several years while also competing against Saban. Got a little stale toward the end of his tenure, but that happens to most coaches that have been somewhere for a while. He seems to have had problems hiring the right OC’s and I’m not sure what else he has to prove. He has a solid track record, but those kinda of comebacks usually don’t work out (e.g. Spurrier at S Carolina).

      Are there any examples of guys besides Urban Meyer that have successfully transitioned back into coaching after being in the commentary business?

      • He was pretty mediocre at Oklahoma State, though. Does that color your opinion of him? Ok State is more similar to OSU. LSU is hard to compare…so easy to recruit and win there.

        • I think “a little stale” is pretty generous. He had some insanely talented teams that were insanely mediocre.

          2013: Half their offense would be NFL starters as rookies the following year (including Odell Beckham and Jarvis Landry on THE SAME COLLEGE TEAM), yet they ended around 0.500.

    • He’d bring a legitimate staff with him who would be the main recruiters and play callers. Miles will be more of a figurehead here. Running the program as a CEO type vs a day to day manager.

      He’d elevate the program by bringing in better talent.

      And 11 years at LSU is not riding anyone’s coattails.

    • Pro’s
      Recruited highly ranked classes
      A top defenses year in and year out
      Was a top 3 SEC program when both Bama and Florida were at their best
      Quirky enough to be unique and stand out

      Con’s
      Offense played below the talent level he had and this is a big con for me
      Bad manager of clock and time outs
      Too much money in the bank to know if he still has the edge
      Too loyal to his O coordinators

    • I’m still curious how this offense would look if we were actually willing to use QB runs more than once or twice per game. DG’s arm strength and our lack of QB depth rips quite a few pages out of the playbook.

      Moran looks like he can run the read option really well and the kid has wheels. They should have moved him to WR so we could keep doing that awesome 2 QB stuff we had last year.

  24. Fighting outside of a Qdoba is pretty fucking stupid. I think Manase plays hard, but I was getting a little tired of his “speeches”. This to me shows a lack of common sense. He’s a senior, he’s gone in four games, so it really doesn’t matter in the end.

    • Hall would earn more respect in my eyes by suspending him vs playing him. It would show the program is bigger than any one individual and that Hall puts the program above his ongoing job interview. One thing about GA’s tenure that stood out was the lack of off the field issues. Definitely less than Riley.

  25. Lindsay can’t get enough of bringing up Coach Hall’s race at every single opportunity. First in the press conference, now on Talkin’ Beavers. Let the man be a coach and an individual, and stop trying to reduce him to a race! Good grief.

  26. Came across this earlier today around 4:00 but was out with the kids so I didn’t post it. Not sure how legitamite it is, but this Florida fan posted that some Florida writer spotted McElwain boarding a flight headed towards OSU today.(I would assume to interview with our hiring committee)
    The writer I think is Suzette Cook from Gators only, and she posted it in a Facebook group, so I can’t read the link.

    https://twitter.com/LindaCripe/status/925496542701768704

    • Would the guy be a legitimate offensive coordinator candidate? Not suggesting that’s the reason for the alleged interview, just wondering. Or would it be better to just re-promote Baldwin as the means of replacing McLovin?

      • I get the reservations about this guy, however he is still highly regarded as a coach by a lot of SEC types. Fit/ culture is an important element in success in these jobs. See Strong at Texas.
        Two biggest faults in regards to the Gator fan base:
        He is not Steve Spurrier
        He is not Urban Meyer
        He did win two division titles in two years. Got his butt kicked by Saban. So has virtually everybody else.
        One other thing, Saban picked him to be his OC. He was very successful in that role. Saban is a. pretty good judge of talent. Better than whomever will be picking our new HC. They would be stupid to at least not kick the tires with him.

        • A coworker of mine who went to Fla St had this to say about him as he follows UF football fairly close:

          Huge Ego
          Hard for admin to get along with him due to personality
          Players like playing for him
          Decent recruiter
          If facilities aren’t up to snuff, he’ll want those upgraded to his high standards

          • I will say this, if he is the guy they end up hiring I’d rather it happen sooner rather than later. I don’t hate his background he just seems like a very likely burn out candidate.

        • Saban also hired Fink and Cutty Sark.

          And he told all of them, “Run this offense my way.”

          And all was well.

          The recruiting “abilities” of McElwain don’t excite me. He’s pretty well known as a negative recruiter.

          • That’s not to say any of them are bad coaches or ineffective recruiters. That’s what value Saban sees in them. But I wouldn’t base character evaluations on Saban’s choosing them for anything.

            If anything, Saban probably likes having a different coordinator every year just to vary his O enough so that regular opponents can’t quite get a read on his teams.

  27. Looks like we’ll get Morris back, but still very thin at CB/nickel.

    Eggers picked us to win, but I see this playing out like Colorado: lots offense, but our D just can’t do enough to help us win.

  28. Eggers with exactly the same score prediction as angry, Tumwater Dave calling JoeBeav about the banner. Are angry and his loyal band of degenerats living rent free in any other sports minded brains??

  29. Interesting timing on this game if Cal’s Beau Baldwin is actually a candidate for OSU head coach that has been or will be contacted by OSU – two potential candidates facing off, an early interview….We’ll see how people’s perspectives here on Baldwin and Hall change after Saturday’s outcome.

    • The think with Baldwin is that I don’t think that would be an either/or scenario. I really think that if Baldwin got the job Hall would be on his staff as AHC. So that hire could be win/win at least until Hall becomes a hot commodity and then we might regret it if Hall does turn out to be a stellar head coach.

      I’d love to know who Hall would bring in on his staff.

      No matter what OSU needs multiple strong recruiters throughout the next staff.

      • Yeah if Balswin wins the game ans gets some momentum and is ultimately named HC, I would thibk chances are pretty good Hall gets retained as DC. Other schools would want to see at least two years of good DC performance for him to have a reasonable chance to be plucked as a HC at any P5 program. At least 1 or 2 years of solid DC performance to get shot as HC at a lower tier program outside of P5. So good chance with a Baldwin/Hall staff that it could remain that way for a few years.

        Personally I think in that scenario he should just stay and be backup in case Beau struggles in first 4 years or so to reach a couple bowl games. Whether in Year 4, 5 or 6 if expectations aren’t being reached he has easy path to become the guy.

        Don’t think Hall deserves to pass Go to HC without multiple wins while interim and without time spent as a DC. He can get a nice pay pump to maybe 650K though as DC, prove himself for a few years and then have options. If Hall stays at OSU then Beau if hired has to take a step up to 6 wins and some bowls over his first 4 years or Hall could get the bump up. Seems like a good risk/reward path for OSU if Baldwin beats Hall this weekend.

      • Why would Baldwin as a HC be a win?

        If you’re firm on, at best, pass happy, fufu football that will perennially be mediocre, occasionally topping out at second in the North, maybe, then I can see your angle.

        I don’t buy that as a win.

        I also don’t think we ever see “at best”.

  30. The sport news cycle is so desperate for site traffic. They take Neuheisal saying he’d entertain the team with a conversation if they pursued him, but he won’t actively pursue the job himself, and they turn it into the headline saying he’s interested in the job.
    In other words, he’s not that into us.

  31. I’d take Neuheisel. We need to live on the edge if we are going to go return to winning football. He’s a proven coach, can recruit the important state of California and is great with boosters and fans. Sure he had his lumps but OSU is not getting anyone proven coach to come in. An up and comer will just jump ship in 2 years whereas Neuheisel might stick around with his checkered past.

    • The silver lining of the Neuweasels and the Les Miles is that even if they don’t set the world on fire they won’t leave the cupboard bare for the next guy.

      Still not happening.

    • Proven coach? He had one conference championship in 10 years at programs where he had the ability to recruit the talent to do way more.

      Trajectory at Colorado was down. Washington was slightly up. UCLA was flat, possibly down.

      Hard pass.

  32. Pardon my nosy interest – I recall that GA and wife had a new house built in Corvallis. Anyone have an inside track on whether or not it sold – like right away. Did the Andersens, sons included, leave in the dead of night?

    • I’m pretty sure I saw GA heading east on 84 in a huge RV around Mosier the morning after he quit. His wife was driving but he was sitting in passenger seat with a orange shirt on.

      • Not a bad kind of 2 star to take, though. 6’6 QB/DE. He has good size to play a number of positions, moves well, and has enough of a football IQ to play high school QB. Heck, he throws a better deep ball than DG.

        The problem with this class is going to be the lack of solid high-end talent outside of QB/TE/WR (assuming everyone remains committed and we land the guys Smalls is pushing for). We need more depth at OL and CB.

        • How many 3*+ play both offense and defense and get recruited for one or the other? Not many I would think unless they are an ATH. So the 2* kids generally play both ways in HS and don’t get much of a rest if they are the best athlete on the team. it’s unfortunate, but it’s true. I was definitely not the best OL, but I was too slow to play DL, but smart enough for football IQ to play Center from Jr. High to HS. So it’s possible some kids are better at one side of the ball vs. the other, but do end up playing on both sides of the ball anyways.

      • I was all for Hall making a few offers and mending a few fences to show OSU wasn’t dead on recruiting until a new coach was hired. But at this point I have to wonder when Barnes is going to step in and out on the brakes….we can’t fill the whole class with talent that doesn’t fit the program or we hamstring the new coach….. unless Hall is the next coach I think he needs to slow it down…. I hope these guys are diamonds in the rough but to kick start a new chapter at OSU the new coach needs to recruit and at this point steal some headline recruits to build momentum….. at this rate there won’t be room to do so soon.

      • Considering Hall is an Interim Head Coach, I would say that he is killing it. I guess since we can only take 16 or so in this years class, you were expecting 16 4 star recruits? My guess is the 2 star Bickler ends up with a lot more career sacks than 4* Simi Kuli did, or 4* Craig Evan too

        • All classes and all teams need role players anyone should know that…..and stars beside names don’t really mean crap but look at the offer sheet of each of these guys and then look at the history of this staff at evaluating talent….I would like a few other teams to show interest in the guys we recruit…. But who knows maybe like it was said before Hall may be taking the low hanging fruit at this point and then hope to steal a few if he can continue to move towards wins as the year comes to a close…..

        • Stars aren’t the end all, but film and offer sheet usually are. I’ll emphasize usually because you’re so dense you’ll skip over that word and list a bunch of walk-ons who’ve had success.

          Anyway, we’re fighting with Wyoming for a player. There is no way to spin that as a positive today.
          The TE we took at least we’re turning into an OL.

          With Bickler at 6″7 maybe we do the same, and in that case he’s alright as a project. Won’t play for years, though, and we need help pronto.

          • It appears Bickler is being recruiting as a DE. I think Bickler could be a solid player. Nothing wrong with bringing in some motivated in-state guys as depth/projects. If we don’t fill in the final 4-6 spots with more coveted guys, then I’ll be concerned.

            Are we seeing some of the downside to keeping Hall on? How many top recruits are we still in the hunt for? I don’t think it’s too many. It’s not likely many new guys will enter the picture if CH is confirmed as head coach.

            On the other hand, an external hire is almost certain to bring in some of his own recruits, which represents more upside.

          • They need offensive line depth. The 2 most recent commits represent 2 athletes that have bodies that can easily be turned into offensive linemen. Watching their film anyone can see that they both already move well for a projected OL. I do not mind projects such as these. We have a history of moderate success with them including Stanton, Moore, Linnenkohl(sp?), and Houston.

          • Wasn’t Nall a 2* in state guy until after he gave his verbal to OSU?
            Also, the recruiting sites projected him at OLB. Not too shabby for the top RB in the Pac 12(Per Mike Leach)
            I don’t even think Scout gave him a star ranking.

          • True, but Nall looked like a 4 star, and I believe I ranked him the highest recruit on my personal rankings.
            This guy doesn’t look like Nall at all.
            Sure, I hope he develops into something. I just don’t see it in this case.

            Poyer was similar to Nall…Poyer was a clear 3 to 4 star stud who everyone was missing on. This guy doesn’t look that part.

      • Disagree, 2 star kids along the lines are smart pick ups. The biggest issue OSU has had is lack of depth in the trenches, of course everyone would like 4 and 5 star lineman but that isn’t realistic for OSU. Developing 2 star kids into players as Juniors and Seniors is a key to success at OSU.

        • This staff has actually done a good job getting the right 2 star players and developing them. It’s partially a function of how many ended up as 3 stars, but I think our success rate is actually higher with 2-stars than 3-stars.

          Off the top of my head, our 10 best players:
          Nall- 3 star
          Pierce- 3
          Lavaka- 2 (really a 0, but we’ll go with his HS rating)
          Hernandez- 2
          Hodgins- 4
          Crawford- 2
          Vakameilalo- 3
          Hungalu- 2
          Willis- 3
          Morris- 3

          The vast majority of incoming players the last five years have been 3-stars, but the 2-stars are well-represented amongst our best players. None of those 2-stars listed above had impressive offer sheets, either.

  33. Worried about the CB depth – hope Wilson & Irvine play.
    My dream scenario for coaching: keep Hall on bottom of PAC 12 4 year deal, double Beau Baldwins salary for Associate HC/OC, bring KHJ over from Ducks to be D.C. Hall/KHJ would be great recruiting and are up & coming coaches. Baldwin gets paid, back to PNW, lower cost of living.

  34. Question regarding the QB recruits, both Petras and Dukart listed as “pro-style” QBs.

    How does the offense change with pro-style QBs coming into the program? I suppose will have a better picture after knowing who the HC and OC are going to be?

    I read where Nebraska is recruiting Dukart and he is visiting. Does Riley’s apparent interest in Dukart make people here feel better about Dukart (i.e. “Riley is a good offensive coach”), or is Riley going after “low hanging fruit” as he did with QBs near the end of his time at OSU? We know he’s at the end of the line at Nebraska, so maybe he’s just going through the motions? What are people’s assessment of Dukart thus far?

    • I am starting to wonder if smiling Mike is trying to dig a knife into the back of our program…. he also had Petras visit a few weeks ago and has been to one of his games…..either Nebraska and OSU share the same recruit circles or Riley is a lazy old man who hangs out and checks who he can steal from his old team

    • I haven’t seen any of Dukart’s games this year, but apparently He’s been having a great season. He also plays for Lake O, which helps because they’re always loaded with talent.
      I watched film yesterday of Antonio Harvey’s son at Lake O, catching red zone passes. Dukart was doing a really good job of placing the ball where only Harvey could catch it(up higher than the defense, because Harvey is something like 6’8″)
      He showed nice touch on those handful of passes.

      I’ve noticed both Dukart and Petras have been particularly quiet in recent weeks. I wouldn’t be surprised if either leaves for a more stable situation. I wouldn’t think Nebraska should be considered stable by any means though.

    • DG isn’t running at all right now, so the offense won’t lose anything that it’s doing right now. Both Petras and Dukart are mobile enough for 1-2 designed runs per game, which is what we’re currently averaging.

      On the plus side, the passing game opens up when you have a guy that can confidently make throws that require good arm strength.

      It just depends on whether our ideal offense looks more like:
      Late 2016 (more dependence on read option with some downfield throws)
      Early 2017 (no read option with a lot of downfield throws)
      Present day (no read option or downfield throws).

      …which all just goes back to the question of “is it GA’s fault the offense was so screwed up this year?”

  35. Looking at the class so far:

    It’s still looking better then a typical Riley class, and that without having a head coach.

    The “low hanging fruit” is they are long, lean and athletic.

    Riley’s low hanging fruit were typically 0 star linemen with history of lots if injuries that would eventually medically retire, or guys with limited stature or athletic ability that would probably never see the field.

    These commits look like after 2 years in a college strength and nutrition program, they could be solid contributors. Not game changers, but we don’t have a head coach.

    • Wow!

      You listened to the whole thing? You have a better tolerance for the banal than I do.

      How do they confirm MM’s dissing the team destroyed the team?

    • Weird. They didn’t mention Luton once from 37:00 on. How do you jump from Angie saying Nall was pissed about MM being run off to that being a confirmation that Nall hates Luton? Luton did not run off MM. If you think Nall holds a grudge against Luton for something that GA did, then you’re saying Nall is unreasonable.

      • Yeah, the parts I listened to didn’t mention Luton. And Angie’s comment on MM seemed to be straight opinion with no basis in fact.

  36. What about Dave Aranda for HC? Hes got ties to Utah State and Wiscy so hes likely aready knows some of our current staff. Might not need/want to clean house minimizing the changeover. Hes a defensive mind which Im still really hoping becomes our identity (long term). Cory Hall as DC under Aranda and hire a new OC that fits with their style?

  37. Isaiah Snail’s basically just confirmed on the radio that Hall will be part of the staff in some capacity next year. If not as HC, he will still be part of the staff(unless i suppose another team poaches him)

    • Wouldn’t be surprised if the new coach is already ‘hired’ through back channels but won’t be officially announced until the end of the season because they are a coordinator on another staff. I think either Baldwin or Smith would have been allowed to talk to OSU by Cal and UW as long as they weren’t gonna try to leave early. My money remains on a Baldwin hire.

    • Considering Hall recently purchased a home in Corvallis, I think it’s safe to say he’s staying in some capacity. That was like a week ago, but I wasn’t sure if the source was cool with me saying anything at that time.

      Go Beavs.

      I personally think it will be as the DC under Baldwin as HC with some discussion that if Baldwin doesn’t work out Hall will be the next in line. The only way a new coach would accept Hall as their DC is if they truly thought he was the best, or it’s a 1st time HC like a Baldwin who can be told what to do.

      Whether this is a good strategy I have no idea. I do like Hall and Baldwin both, but whether a Baldwin would want his own DC, etc and that leads to problems…

      I’d put the odds of Baldwin/Hall at like 70%. The only thing that doesn’t make sense is why hire a search firm to do that? So it leaves other possibilities open.

      I do think Hall has been promised some type of increased roll given he’s confident enough to buy a house, though.

        • I agree, that would be a very odd marriage schematically. I think I’ve heard a few times in a couple different interviews that Hall would intend to move the team back to a Pro-Style Offense if given the nod.

          • Yup.

            And BB’s O at EWU was essentially a McGiven O which relied on having the best players in FCS football in order to get it done. If you look at his EWU teams in tiers, You’ll see he did best with personnel left by Wulff. He couldn’t help but run the ball with an AA back and a pretty rugged D. That team, with an adequate QB, won the NC. That got some good recruits on campus. Adams and Kupp working with something like three NFL-quality linemen, they should be piling on the championships. They won games. But they were never really contenders. BB’s O played around the edges, which made his D soft. Without Adams, they sucked. Lucking into Gubrud was just coincidence.

            And now he’s taking personnel geared to his O and making the unit that was 10th in the nation 11th in the Pac.

            And nobody seems to care about the numbers. They just think BB is some great coach who is able to win on opening day… yay. He’s not much besides hype right now.

          • From Canzano on oregonlive:

            Bellotti on whether Oregon State should abandon the spread and go pro style:

            “You’d better stick with the spread. If you look at what Arizona is doing right now, they’ve turned their program around and saved Rich Rod’s job. If you can have speed in the shotgun with the zone read and the spread concepts, it’s the great equalizer. And I think there’s enough athletes across the nation that want to play and may not be the biggest or the fastest or the strongest but they can fit into a role in the spread offense where you’ve got a fly sweep guy, and a big receiver, and a nifty guy over the middle and a quarterback… that’s the fastest way to become viable.”

          • If you want to talk about Hall meshing with a scheme from FCS that has proven to win over time, all this love should be for Bohl, not Beau.

          • Bellotti thinks we should do what everyone else does. Surprise surprise.

            We had some success with a pro-style offense under MR. We’re all well aware of the issues that were present, but I think that proves you don’t have to run the spread at OSU to be successful. You just need guys who can recruit (which we have in Hall), a good defensive coordinator, and attention to detail.

          • Bellotti’s wrong. It’s not an equalizer. It’s a parity-izer. Unless you have a generational coach, you can win a lot of games, but you won’t seriously win at the highest levels because then you’re talking about personnel again. And personnel who are trained to run power are the most successful, whether it’s in a pro-set or a spread set.

            Now that we have an influx of spread Os, we have a coinciding softness on the D side. Part of that is the taking of real estate in the passing scheme. Don Coryell piled on the yards back in the day, but he could never take it over the top. And when he lost all of Prothro’s talent to contract disputes, his numbers were hollow.

            It’s not like you can’t run the fly sweep out of the pro-set. And I’ve seen offenses with varying WR talents be very successful. But best of all, the pro-set teams who catch lightning in a bottle don’t always stop when they run into power or better personnel groups… unless they’re a pass happy pro-set whose D is also coincidentally soft.

          • This was Clune’s excuse for our first few games. The defense was designed to stop pass-heavy spread offenses, so it struggled against the run.

            One of the most convincing arguments in favor of the triple option is that D’s have so little practice time against it. The same is true of pro style offenses now.

            When you’re starting at the bottom, you need to take any advantage you can get.

          • The triple option is past its time because of the size and speed of the game now. Unless you have a tank at the QB and are four deep at every position, you’ll only beat the soft teams. But it does make for some tough O-linemen.

          • My point wasn’t about the triple option specifically, rather the need to do something that the opposing D’s aren’t practicing against week in and week out.

        • I feel the need to reiterate the fact that the guys at Cal right now were recruited to run Baldwin’s offense of choice. BB also had a Walter Payton Award winner at QB in 2011 and couldn’t even make the playoffs.

          He may be an example of someone who has benefited greatly from being in the right place at the right time.

          I will say that as much talent as they’ve had at EWU over the last 6-7 years, it can’t all just be coincidence. Someone is doing a good job of recruiting the right guys.

  38. And this came through email this morning, from a person I’ve talked with extensively via email in the past.

    I can tell you with 100% certainty that Les is interested and would take the job at OSU.
    He and I share a mutual friend, and I spoke w Les last night. He said he knows he can win here.

    • If we end up in a scenario where Hall is an assistant waiting in the wings, I do like the idea of a grizzled vet at HC as opposed to another young up and comer. I think the problem with having Baldwin and Hall together, you run into the issue of having 2 guys who will at some point clash because they both think the HC job should be theirs. With the vet, not only do you have experience, but you are more likely going to have a short timer who can show Hall the ropes before exiting the program.
      I would be more comfortable with a Miles/Hall scenario over a Baldwin/Hall scenario.

      I’m also not opposed to Hall at HC if he can bring solid coordinators to his staff.

      • Yeah, I’m not opposed to that, but Miles did less with more his entire career. That’s what concerns me about him. Also doesn’t seem like a cultural fit.

        I hate the idea of giving that guy 4+ mil. Also, the guy didn’t say OSU had mutual interest. Les is interested, but is Barnes?

        If Les does his usual and it’s less with more, then we’re stuck blowing so much money.

        He does have name appeal and might attract a higher level of recruit by playing the SEC champ card…

        • Seems like a pretty good cultural fit to me. Les is a straight shooting Midwestern vegetarian.

          I disagree with the less with more narrative, too. He turned around an OK St. program that had 1 winning season in 12 before he got there and went to 3 bowl games in 4 years. People think of OK St. as a strong program now, but that’s because of the foundation he built there. They were terrible before Miles and the oil money influx.

          Apparently he interviewed for some jobs last year, but didn’t interview well. A guy with a strong track record who’s getting overlooked because he doesn’t interview well sounds like a smart hire to me.

          • I’m open to anything, really (except the FL nut job).
            I’m not strongly against him just a bit concerned because LSU recruits itself and Ok State was a lot like us, and he was only mediocre there.

          • Miles was considered for the job here at Minnesota, and was on a flight to the Twin Cities when they announced Fleck as coach.
            Pro’s: Big name splash hire. Perhaps donors pony up to finish the stadium.
            Some recruiting cache
            Knows how to run a program
            Extensive contacts to hire a staff.
            He is an entertaining character.
            Con’s: Just OK offenses with NFL talent all over
            No QB development
            Could be burnt out from his previous meat grinder
            Has become to used to having the Taj Mahal of facilities, can he go back to a double wide?
            Terrible in game clock manager
            All ties are in the SEC, Big 12, and B1G. No ties to our traditional recruiting areas.
            Does he have the drive/ energy needed to build up David after being Goliath for a decade plus?

    • Les should tell Barnes then.

      This is good news. Coaches don’t think of this job as hopeless.

      I would bet money if miles were hired, he’d bring helfrich as the OC.

    • As weird as it sounds, I think he might be a decent fit here. You asked the other day, and I assumed it was because you heard a rumor because you posed the question that way. I went and looked at him and recalled all I could, but the failure to beat Saban or Bielema in recent years is about all I can see.

      He’s a good figurehead in all areas. He’s a good admin. He won a lot of games. His career track at LSU was a lot like MR’s was here… if we just add four wins per year.

      I’d have a hard time saying it’s a bad hire. He would at least get us back to normalcy, if not beyond. And if we’re looking for a bridge to eventually having someone like Hall as a HC, he might be a good choice.

      • I don’t buy the coach in waiting angle. If Hall is gonna be your coach in waiting, just make the guy your coach.

        As for Miles, I wouldn’t hate it but also don’t see it being a great hire either. If they are insisting on a re-tread hire they could do a lot worse than Miles though.

        • Tedford would be a better retread, IMO. Great with QBs and understands the Pac/OSU’s limitations, and is a beast in this recruiting area. I’m not saying I want him, but if we’re going retread/old dude he’s a better fit than Miles.

          • Tedford is Riley if Riley wins all his non-cons.

            He’s not going to be winning the conference any time soon, not his current one and certainly not the Pac.

          • I don’t like Tedford, but he is good with QBs and knows the West coast recruiting (Cal had great classes). He never did much with that talent, and he’s boring/Riley type for sure. Last round I was so anti-Tedford. At this point, the stability and a guy with West recruiting ties who is good with QBs sounds good. Some of that is due to Andersen being so bad with QBs. It’s like the Ex-girlfriend phenomenon.

        • I didn’t say coach in waiting. I said a bridge to someone like while returning to normalcy, if not better.

          If Hall is still around at that time, so be it. If not, there are many others who will be ready in the future.

    • Same source told me he’s genuinely excited about the OSU gig and there’s been contact (not sure if mutual interest at this point)…could be an agent doing their job.

      I asked why Miles wants this job. To me it seems really weird a 60 something year old National Champ would want to try to rebuild OSU. Reminds me of the Jon Gruden rumors last round.

      If I get an answer I’ll update this comment.

      • He’s already made plenty of money in his coaching career.

        Why not get paid 3+ Million a year to go live in Corvallis and coach some football.

        Don’t have to contend with any type of media riding your ass. Fans happy if you just make a bowl game. Gets to coach against a bunch of soft spread teams. Don’t have to worry about all your players leaving early: you get to coach most of them for 4 – 5 years.

        Sounds kinda nice a 60. Much better then going to a pressure cooker program.

        Also one thing you can say about GA: He left a program full of good kids, getting good grades who aren’t getting into legal trouble. So the incoming coach at least doesn’t have to walk in and clean up a program full of prima-dona as ass hats.

        A nice little gig at 3+ mil a year

        • Whoa there!

          One of our D leaders got a ticket for yelling at someone over the weekend. It was so violent that the CDP officer had to call for back-up so he could write the ticket.

          • I’ve heard those rumors. He has a kid going to school there and a house in the area (I think for the kid or for them to visit the kid or for whatever). I’ve also heard rumors about the Ryan brothers maybe taking a shot at Tennessee together.

            Never heard anything about Gruden to here. That sounds like Duck trolling to me.

        • He was floated in 2014 as a legit candidate. Surprised you don’t remember that. It was laughable. Google angrybeavs and Jon Gruden and they might come up.

          Sprague and Machado were laughing about it on their podcast yesterday. Sprague pointed out how out of their mind those people were. Gruden in Corvallis hahahah

          • I found this about two-thirds of the way down the page, just above a YT embed of Ray announcing the VFC build.
            http://angrybeavs.com/athletics/10772

            I heard that John Gruden’s agent contacted OSU, but that they could not come up with the 10 million that he wanted for a 2 year contract. Did anyone else hear anything about this?

            No response from anyone.

  39. Men’s team with a exhibition tonight. Should mop up the floor against whoever they are playing.

    Over/under on how many times the announcer calls a bucket for Stevie or Ethan and its the other one. I’d say 5.

      • Yes, but he was Miles’ most successful OC and part of the Utah crew, so there are definite connections there.

        His recent track record is not good. I think he’s past it at this point other than being an old hand that can consult for younger guys.

  40. https://www.iheart.com/podcast/523-Rip-City-Mornings-28251808/

    Fast forward to around the 39 minute mark. Burton talks about 2 names he’s had floated to him when asking around about the OSU coaching job.(Both Defensive guys)
    Ken Norton Jr-(Current Raiders DC, former Seahawk LB coach)
    Justin Wilcox- He thinks OSU is under the impression they can entice Wilcox to leave Cal for OSU

    He also did say this was “agent talk”, so take that for what it is. Could just be agents trying to get their client’s an artificially boosted salary, by saying there is demand when there isn’t.

    • Norton has a good resume as a position coach, but no coordinator or HC experience. His Raiders defense has been one of the worst in the NFL (though I don’t have any context for that because I don’t follow the NFL).

      • “but no coordinator or HC experience”

        He’s been the raiders defensive coordinator for 2 years now. I’m not saying I think he’s the right guy, but he does have plenty of experience coaching in the PAC(USC) and on the West Coast, plus has several Super Bowls rings (3 as a player, 1 as Seahawks assistant coach)
        That Seahawks defense he helped coach was pretty impressive.

    • I’d take Norton in a heartbeat.

      It’s nice to finally hear Wicox’ name mentioned. I don’t know if I really like him as a head man. But at least we’re starting to hear more normal names in the rumor mill.

      • What’s the rationale with Norton? His Raiders defenses have been bad. Outside of that, he’s just a position coach who’s been attached to Pete Carroll forever.

        • Norton’s weakness on D in Oakland is the secondary. He builds front sevens like no tomorrow, but he’s only been able to put together some decent players there this year. And he’s been running zone Ds with a bunch of man cover personnel at DB.

          And this year is a year of turmoil for the Raiders. I remember what it was like for the Oilers in their last year in Houston. The fuckstick of an owner insulted the fans, and the fans told him to go away. So he did just that, and he pointed at the pile of crap he created as evidence that he was justified to leave… and retain the rights to the name Oilers, so the city could never again use it.

          It’s not that bad in Oakland because those fans have been through this before. I think there’s more a sense of finality about it. But it seemed that way with the Rams as well.

          We have always been able to find and develop good or great DBs here. And we have some DB coaches who seem to have found their way forward recently.

          • And one thing I’ve seen Norton do well is to lead a team to championships while on the field.

            Add to that his natural ability to recruit, and all we’re missing is a competent OC who wants to plow over NCAA football… or lose trying.

  41. A few Les Miles quotes.

    About why Alabama is successful:
    ““It’s pretty simple,” Miles said. “Great job recruiting. They are a recruiting organization. Everything they do is based on serving the player and is a recruiting tool.”

    About recruiting:
    “Perhaps most of all, this is what Miles misses.”

    “He doesn’t do it just because he has to,” Kathy says of her husband’s passion for recruiting. “He loves the interaction with the kids and their families. He genuinely enjoys it.”

    About wanting to coach again:
    “I’m too young not to chase another championship,” he says.”

    http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2726817-les-miles-is-enjoying-life-post-lsu-and-preparing-for-the-next-run

    Oh, he also has a son that plays for Riley at Nebraska.

      • I think he’d be a good fit here. The way I think it would work with miles is that he’d build the program back up over 4 to 5 years. This is likely his last job at his age so there wouldn’t be much worry about him leaving for a new job. His lsu contract has offsetting language so you wouldn’t have to pay him 4 mil.

        He’d leave the program with much more talent than what is currently here for a new up and coming coach (aka Hall).

        And if he’s successful beyond the 4-5 years, then keep him as hc.

  42. Sorry I didn’t post this last week, I literally got it 5 minutes before walking out the door to drive to Reser:

    PHIL STEELE REPORT:

    Oregon State is actually 13-5 in the series, but snapped a 2 game losing streak last year
    with a 47-44 upset win at home in 2OT as a 2 TD dog. Oregon State is 0-11 straight
    up on the road in Pac-12 play. Oregon State did have a bye and a Thursday game so are
    well rested while California is playing a 10th straight week. Oregon State opened up 0-5 vs
    FBS teams and losing by 31 ppg, but since interim head coach Cory Hall took over
    they were double-digit dogs to Colorado and Stanford and almost pulled two upsets
    allowing a game winning TD in the last 2:00 of each. California has given up 30 sacks on
    the year, but the Beavers have just 10 by their defense. This is California’s final home
    game and my computer calls for them to win by 16, but I will call for an inspired
    effort from Cory Hall’s bunch once again.

    CALIFORNIA 34 OREGON STATE 27

    POSITION BY POSITION EDGES:

    WHEN OREGON STATE HAS THE BALL:
    Oregon State QB/WR vs California DB’s: CAL +0.03
    Oregon State RB’s vs California LB’s: CAL +0.14
    Oregon State OL vs California DL: ORST +0.25

    WHEN CALIFORNIA HAS THE BALL:
    Oregon State DL vs California OL: ORST +0.35
    Oregon State LB’s vs California RB’s: ORST +1.62
    Oregon State DB’s vs California QB/WR: CAL +1.89

    MISCELLANEOUS:
    Special Teams: ORST +0.34
    Kicking: CAL +0.98
    Coaching Staff: CAL +0.25

    Oregon State Points: 2.57
    California State Points: 3.29

    POSITIONAL EDGE AWARDED TO: California by 0.73 Points

    Las Vegas Line: California by 7.5
    Las Vegas Total: 54.5 Points
    +/- Ratings: California by 8.5
    Game Grade: California by 14.2
    Computer Yards: California 398-333
    Computer Points: California 35-19

    COMPUTER PROJECTED BOX SCORE (ORST-CAL)
    Rushing Yards: 146 – 97
    Passing Yards: 187 – 301
    Total Yardage: 333 – 398
    FInal Score: 19 – 35
    Experience Ranking: 31 – 110
    Schedule Strength: 27 – 12

  43. My big fear with Miles or the FL guy et al is we give these bozos 4 mil+ based on name value, and then if they flounder we have to hear “you write the check, because we can’t buy them out”, and the next thing you know our program is set back 5 to 10 years and we have to schedule blood bath games to pay these guys off. It’s why I think you have to go young, and why I prefer something like Baldwin/Hall. If not Baldwin, someone like that. Or even Hall himself. We can’t be prisoner to a coaching contract at this school because we can’t afford any buyouts. We can’t even afford to buyout these GA coordinators.

    It’s an awful feeling knowing you need change and not being able to do it. Happened with the last two coaches and we got lucky in both cases, so to sign up for that again is very very reckless and stupid. I don’t want it.

    I don’t want to be prisoner of a contract. Period.

    • It’s up to the AD to structure the contract appropriately. Make it a manageable length with appropriate incentives and if the candidate wants a free ride for 5 years instead, move on to the next guy.

      It sounds like Miles is being turned down for jobs right now, and he has the money he needs. He’s playing for pride at this point. A guy like him should have the confidence to believe he can hit certain milestones. If not, we shouldn’t waste our time.

      • Agreed.

        Just pay him a base. If he wins the NCG, we’ll make sure he’s the highest paid coach in college football for a year. If he wins a Rose Bowl, pay the man… and we’ll all throw our big boy panties at him during a parade.

      • Spot on!
        With either an old “name” coach or a newer “up and comer” the AD’s job is the same; appropriate incentives and no free rides.……any successful candidate ” should have the confidence to believe he can hit certain milestones. If not, we shouldn’t waste our time.”

    • Miles has offsetting language from LSU so he might be willing to take less money since whatever he gets paid, is subtracted from the lsu buyout.

  44. He may not have been happy but this doesn’t sound like a guy who would throw in the towel if his roommate wasn’t named the starting QB…

    “”It would be awesome if Coach Hall was our permanent head coach,” Ryan Nall said. “But at the end of the day, we got to understand it’s a business. Whatever the AD wants, they’re going to get. …

    “Hopefully we can have some sort of influence on what we think.”

    — Danny MoranIt would be awesome if Coach Hall was our permanent head coach,” Ryan Nall said. “But at the end of the day, we got to understand it’s a business. Whatever the AD wants, they’re going to get. …

    “Hopefully we can have some sort of influence on what we think.”

    — Danny Moran

  45. I was reading the stuff about Jon Gruden further up the thread, I remember before GA was hired that someone in here was saying a coach with a ton of NFL experience was very interested in the job, so was that actually Gruden? I remember hoping at the time that it was Jack Del Rio, but that was wishful thinking.

    I’m sort of ambivalent about Miles, has his time passed? Hall feels like a a modern HC to me, but I still need to see him finish strong in this remaining four game test. Road blow outs and then I’m not interested.

    • Yes, that was Gruden. I think it was dropped on Rivals at the time and made it’s way over here. So funny…Gruden leaving the booth where he’s making easy millions to coach OSU…haha.

  46. I’m becoming more interested in this Norvel cat. Has Memphis at 7-1 and leading in tonights game. 8-1 at Memphis is pretty good, even if that league is awful. What’s his reputation as a recruiter?

    What do you guys make of Hall buying a house in Corvallis? Does that mean he’s been promised something? To me, yes..about the biggest purchase one can make, and one you don’t do without stability. I’m just wondering what that implies about the next HC, if it’s not Hall. It has to be someone that will accept Hall on the staff, likely in a DC position. Would Norvel, Miles, et al do this? It seems only an unestablished coach who can be pushed around a bit would take on the last staff’s guy.

    • He was ASU’s best recruiter.

      I’d be okay with Norvell, but he’s taking over a really good program and this is his first HC gig, so we really don’t know how he is as a HC. He was a pretty good OC.

    • Not sure what the house purchase means, remember, Hall has made a lot more money than most over the last 15 or so years. Buying a house after having a couple businesses and with far above average income isn’t the same as the decision for the average guy. Wonder if he already owned in Corvallis and is just trading (up?).

      The house purchase could be, partially, meant to show he is comfortable and committed to Corvallis. As recent statements make clear, Hall is pushing hard for the permanent job.

      OTOH, he and his wife are expecting a baby right around Civil War weekend, don’t know if that factors in to the house decision. Lotta kids at home already, may simply need room for the new one.

      Right now, I wouldn’t be disappointed if he gets the job but am interested, first, in seeing how the next four weeks play out.

      • Yeah, good points if he’s having a kid, and maybe buying a house for him isn’t a big decision, but for most people it’s a sign of permanence. It’s hard to imagine buying a house, then selling it in a month when a new coach is named…seemed like you’d just wait a month and move if you don’t get the gig and/or aren’t promised a prominent position on the staff. That’s just me.

        • I understand and share your questions on possible reasons for buying the house. Another angle could be that Hall may not have been given any assurances about the future but, because he believes in himself, is making the decision. Just a concrete way of saying, “I’m All In”.

          Or, maybe his wife felt crowded where they had been living and with the pregnancy said she couldn’t go on without a change in housing.

          • But wouldn’t you wait a month, and if you don’t get the gig move?

            I guess if you make his salary maybe you do it as a gesture to show you want the gig and then just take the risk/loss if you don’t. To me it makes no sense to buy a home when you’ll know where you stand in a month.

      • Is it 100% verified that he purchased a home and he doesn’t have a lease/rent to buy type of arrangement? Typically, one doesn’t just buy a house in a couple of weeks, so he would seem like he was house hunting before GA left, right? As suggested, It would be a bold move of confidence to be house hunting, have you’re boss go crazy in the interim, then continue looking and complete a purchase. I’m either skeptical the the report his accurate, Hall doesn’t care is he losses a few bucks in closing costs or something was promised and he’s keep a job (which is kind of odd in of itself).

        • Why do we care?

          It’s not like it’s a poor market in which to buy real estate in terms of investment. The Kragthorpes still own property in Corvallis.

          This means not much in the scheme of things if you look outside the very narrow world of college football.

          • Kragthorpe…

            That’s another link to Les Miles. Now that I think about it, didn’t Miles have to go out and get Cameron at OC because Kragthorpe (the OSU alum) was diagnosed with Parkinson’s?

  47. I’ve been half-expecting a Baldwin/Hall combo was a fait accompli. However, a Les Miles/Hall seems more attractive and splashy as well as better suited to actually winning long term. I agree that Baldwin’s O doesn’t mesh well with Hall’s stated ideas of how to play football, inflicting pain. Tossing a lot of go routes isn’t inflicting much pain.
    Les Miles is a big name that I hadn’t considered would be interested and seemed too far beyond a possible look. But if he is indeed interested, it could be DE 2.0.

    LSU had huge turnover on a yearly basis precisely because he was a good recruiter and was in a place that recruited itself. If he has national cache, SEC resume, can close on the same recruits that GA began striking out on, then we are in business. If he believes he can win at OSU, and wants to bring a tough midwest mindset, and gets an SEC caliber D-line as well as a stacked staff, I think it would be a home-run hire.

    Keep Hall, Dave Baldwin, Rushing. Let Miles bring in a staff of hungry guys that have recruiting chops and will mesh with a smash-mouth style. Just don’t allow a “Getting the Band Back Together Staff” rollinto town for the 3rd time.

    Insist on a cross section of Miles guys, Hall + a few holdovers. All with a commitment to coach kids to play football in order to inflict pain, and recruit to that style.

  48. Is OSU any better off than the average American? Until proven otherwise I’d have to say no and IMO this means that OSU should be living within its means. No if’s, and’s or buts.

    Until they get their financial situation squared away the high testosterone folks in the Athletic department (and possibly President Ray) should put it back in their pants because currently there ain’t no way they can compete financially with most of the rest of the Pac-12.

    Find a HC who’s willing to work for $550K (no experience) to $750K (experience).

    Here’s how much money Americans have in their savings accounts
    https://www.cnbc.com/2017/09/13/how-much-americans-at-have-in-their-savings-accounts.html

    According to a 2017 GOBankingRates survey, more than half of Americans (57 percent) have less than $1,000 in their savings accounts.

    While that’s an improvement from last year, when 69 percent of Americans reported having less than $1,000 in savings, a higher percentage have no savings at all: 39 percent, up from 34 percent in 2016.

    Here’s the percentage of the 8,000 survey respondents who have:

    $0 saved: 39 percent
    Less than $1,000 saved: 18 percent
    $1,000 to $4,999 saved: 12 percent
    $5,000 to $9,999 saved: 6 percent
    $10,000 or more saved: 25 percent

      • Not so much the price of the rice but the chop sticks, now that’s where the problem lies. Speaking of chop sticks, IMO OSU DOES NOT have the chops to be playing the big boy coach game.

        Baby steps aren’t just for babies, it also applies to people, government agencies, etc. who are trying to dig themselves out of debt.

        • College sports are what they are. If you don’t do them well, you just don’t do them. There’s no point to it.

          Government agencies can work on margin when they invest that money in infrastructure and education. Building for the future pays off three fold in terms of per investment dollar. We happen to be in debt because we spend a lot on purchasing then using things that go boom and destroy stuff… then replacing it and doing it all over again… at a cost of at least 150% production and with more than 25% overall waste and/or corruption.

          If you truly wanted to make a dent in governmental debt, you can start talking about the conservatism of butter versus the liberal use of guns.

        • I think we can do 2.5 mil for 3 years. Anything more, and we’re digging too big a hole.

          The GA extension, for example, was a bad idea. The original salary and years were okay, but the extension wasn’t. Riley did work for cheap. I’ll give him that.

          We can’t go over 3 mil. If we do and miss, we’re looking at a 10 year drought with Ohio State type blood bath games on the schedule.

          I personally feel there are a lot of “value” coaches you can get for 1.5 mil who will do just as good a job as the bigger names at 4 mil. Warrent Buffet model of hiring coaches.

          • Hall has experience now, so 750K!

            I think he should be paid like 1.25 mil to 1.5 mil if he is given the job.

            I don’t think pay should be determined by the average salary or any of these metrics, but rather by the experience/credentials/other options of the candidate. Same with B. Baldwin. If you have to go over 1.5 for him no thanks.

      • @them beavers: I wouldn’t be surprised if most HCs who are currently earning less than $750K would be interested. Using Brennan as an example: he’s currently earning ~$550K, – – $750K would mean a pay raise of ~36%.

        Imo Brennan is worthy of consideration and I’m sure there are others out there who would be worthy of consideration.

  49. Watching Utah and Ucla. Utah and their fans are so annoying. Utah reminds me of that embarrassing, slow whited uncle everyone has in their family. You are embarrassed he is related to you and wish he would just go away forever. I have that same feeling about Utah now that they are in the PAC-12.

      • Not that Bubba doesn’t deserve that to be his byline, but why do those two live rent free in your head?

        How about the joke POTUS thinks is the UCMJ? That’s a funny ha ha. POTUS doesn’t even realize he’s the punchline.
        https://www.nytimes.com/2017/10/30/us/bowe-bergdahl-search-attack.html

        He also thinks the US Code is a joke. He probably took the death penalty off the table for the latest NYC terrorist because of his mouth… and tweets… and more mouth.

        Funny.

        Ha.

        Ha.

        Oh… this is on topic with your joke because we’re talking about serial sexual predators, and Old Bone Spur is another Hollywood variety of one, not that you care. He’s like if you take the worst traits of all POTUSs past and discharge the good and the drinking. This is what you have left.

        Stupid does, as stupid is.

  50. So if there stuff out there that Miles is actually interested or are we just speculating? I think he’s a little crazy, but many have made good points in here about his recruiting prowess. It seems like he would wait and see how all of the SEC coaching openings play out, but maybe he’s not a viable product any longer for that league? Positives seem to outweigh the negatives if he’s truly interested.

  51. Updated scouting report for the OSU men’s bball:
    Thompson bros are pretty good, Tinkle still can get to the basket, Eubanks has no court awareness/instincts, everybody else looks pretty soft and not at all strong on holding onto rebounds/layups/passes. They may win 18 games, but I doubt they can win 7-9 conference games. Maybe a year away still, too much expectation on the freshmen.

    Best freshmen in order to me: Ethan- very smooth, X Smith-smooth and will improve dramatically, Reichhle- still needs to find his role within the group, Hollins – struggling to be sure of himself and a distant 4th,

    Berger may be serviceable for a while but may struggle against bigger athletes,
    Eubanks was trying too hard to get dunks instead of the baby hook, brings the ball down habitually,
    Big G is finally comfortable in his body and accepts his limitations wothout overdoing it, he will be more efficient than Eubanks

    • NIce to see the guys who will feature heavily make their free throws.

      Next week is the early signing period, looks like only one will sign. Jack Wilson.

  52. Kiffin is doing very well at FAU. A program without a history of success. He’s a strong recruiter and still pretty young. Lots of west coast ties to California especially and now also has Florida on speed dial. Could do a lot worse as far as sparking momentum into Corvallis and changing the image of Oregon State.

    • An example of a coach who’s willing to work for less $$$$

      http://www.businessinsider.com/lane-kiffin-salary-at-florida-atlantic-2016-12

      Kiffin’s salary as the offensive coordinator under Nick Saban at Alabama was $1.4 million in 2016. At FAU, Kiffin will have an average annual salary of approximately $1.0 million, according to Brett McMurphy of ESPN, and his initial salary will likely be less than that. Most head coaches in college football have incremental pay raises built into their contracts.

      Kiffin replaces Charlie Partridge who went 9-27 in three seasons at FAU. Patridge had a salary of $590,000 this past season.

      Kiffin’s move comes just three days after Houston surprised many by picking Major Applewhite over Kiffin to replace Tom Herman as their head coach. Earlier reports indicated that Houston was close to hiring Kiffin.

      Kiffin taking the Florida Atlantic job has many wondering: is head coach of FAU really a better job than being a top assistant under Saban at Alabama?

      Not only is Kiffin taking less money, but head coach at FAU in Conference USA is arguably a lateral move, at best, and possibly even a step down. At Alabama, Kiffin could have continued to learn under one of the greatest coaches of all time, while coaching far superior talent, using far superior resources, all while waiting for a better opportunity at a school in a Power-5 conference.

      On the other hand, let’s just say that working under Saban is probably stressful at times. We saw that earlier this season when Saban berated Kiffin on national television with less than a minute to go in a blowout win.

      • Kiffin carries 5-year contract and high hopes into FAU coach job
        http://www.sun-sentinel.com/sports/fau-owls/fl-fau-football-kiffin-1214-20161213-story.html

        The Owls signed Kiffin to a five-year, $4.75 million contract Tuesday that will pay the coach $950,000 annually. Among other bonuses, he can earn additional money for coaching awards ($7,500 for winning conference coach of the year), academic benchmarks ($25,000 for a team GPA of 3.0 or higher) or on-field performance ($300,000 for winning the national championship).

        This season at Alabama, Kiffin made $1.4 million. He will remain with the Crimson Tide through their playoff run, and said he will focus on calling recruits and hiring a staff at FAU during that period.

        • Still more money than you’ve been advocating paying our HC.

          And Kiffin brings arguably more baggage than any candidate in the country.

          • Yes, he’s being paid more than I’d like to see OSU pay to the next HC, because I don’t think it’s a good thing for an athletic department to be in debt up to their ears.

            Kiffin’s character and him being appropriate for the OSU job weren’t part of my consideration. I was looking strictly at his salary situation.

            I’m still advocating someone like Brennan or an equivalent. With a salary of $750K he’d be getting an approx 36% raise in pay and when you take it back to his last year at OSU a salary of $750K would be over 4 times what he was making as an assistant just a year ago.

        • If Kiffin with vast experience is making only 950K a year at FAU then in any scenario where Hall got the job, he needs to make this amount or less. Has a tiny fraction of Kiffin’s experience. Unless OSU gets Les Miles and need to pay 2.5+ million a year for a 4 year deal to start, then Beavs should be looking at candidates topping out around 1.5 or 1.6 million. B. Baldwin should be 1.5 max, J. Smith 1.45 max, Norvell 1.6 max and Hall 950K max. Kiffin also around 1.6 max.

          Incentives for wins against Pac-12 opponents only so a coach must bring OSU into upper half and third of conference for anything more.

  53. Per a cryptic Yray tweet, it sounds like another new verbal pledge for OSU.
    He says It’s a NorCal trench monster, which fits Jake Levengood

  54. I’m waiting for a FindTheJoyInLane handle for this madness. Anybody considering Kiffin should be immediately expelled from the search committee. Kiffin has been fired from Raiders, quit Tennessee, fired from USC, fired or pushed out at Alabama. If GA isn’t bad enough, sign up for worse with Kiffin. He would bolt as soon as he could in addition to chaos within the program.

    I’d take a flyer on seeing how J Smith, or Hall can run a program rather than knowing how Kiffin will add fuel to an already smoldering fire.

    I understand the comparison is simply salary as it relates to the individual coaches mindset/situation. But if that is the case, why wouldn’t Les Miles take the job at $1.5 as a bargain? He is already going to be paid $3 m/yr either way from LSU. In that case LSU pays half his salary until 2020.

    • LSU would sue for the difference. The expectation on their pay-out is that he would be paid what the market says he’s worth. There’s a wide window to allow for what schools here and there can afford. If we go anything below 90% of what GA was getting, we’re immediately open to an instant headache.

      That, and trying to game the system is a shit thing to do which deserves to be slapped down with malice.

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