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Just got around to watching the Smith interview (located here).

He definitely looks frustrated…a lot like GA did by game 5. He now seems like a mixture of GA (frustration, impatience) and Riley (neat deal/folksy talk). Like him better than both so not really knocking him, just observing the reality that Oregon State mentally breaks coaches down. We saw GA break down week by week. Smith has looked more frustrated each week. What happens by season’s end when we likely don’t win another game?

That he says it’s not a talent issue is a lie. It’s both a talent and depth issue. Do think he’s correct that tackling is a confidence issue, but it’s also an attitude thing. We let opponents drag our guys into the end zone, even if we have several guys swarming the ball. That’s just like of attitude or “swagger”.

Anyone find the worst defense in D1 history? I’m curious if we’re going to set a new futility mark.

Washington State 49, Oregon State 24

204 COMMENTS

  1. I will address Angry’s thesis in a roundabout way.

    This was the first weekend of the season where I wasn’t actually at the game, which gave me a chance to watch and listen to TV commentary, Parker and Wilson, and one other source that I believe is probative: Big Red Overreaction after the Nebraska loss.

    GA was a disaster on the offensive side of the equation; ran off half a dozen quarter backs that were better than the two he recruited: Collins and Blount. I agree with the consensus from the previous thread that Blount would be a decent 2nd or 3rd stringer. It’s clear that Smith has the offensive playing respectably (not good exactly, and certainly not great) because he, like GA before him, have correctly maintained that you need to be scoring in the mid-30’s to even have a chance to win a game in the PAC. But, seemingly the impossible has happened–the defense has gotten worse.

    All of this correlates to the BRO on the Zone in Omaha Saturday night. There was a key moment in Scott’s press conference that dominated all the calls and analysis that came after. When asked why Nebraska played continued to play undisciplined football Frost said: “I’ve got a sense of why, but I’m not saying why–these guys are mine now.” It doesn’t take a PhD in post modern literary studies to deconstruct that statement, and everyone later picked up on it. One caller said Riley left the cupboard bare and the announcers agreed that Riley messed up big time during his tenure, but what hurt more was not the slackening in talent but his effect on the mentality of the program. Later the announcer said, in response to Frost’s post game presser, that he like seeing the frustration and anger because, and this is a direct quote “Riley always seemed outcome indifferent” after losses.

    So, I would encourage Angry, Jack, and other astute observers, to watch Smith’s and Frost’s pressers back to back and then re-appraise where you think Smith’s at emotionally. Having done so myself, I’d say both are the opposite of “outcome indifferent”; both having to deal with the legacies of fatigued, diminished coaching.

    • I watched all of 5 minutes of the game Saturday night due to my give a fuck meter being at an all time low. Here was my lone observation……

      Idk who number 7 is but on back to back plays in the 3rd quarter I watched this guy run with/mirror the ASU ball carrier about an arms length away. Both times he made no effort to even attempt to a tackle on the ball carrier. What. The. Fuck?!?!?

      As for the references to Frost and GA, I still contend part of the reason GA walked away was he realized he wasn’t going to change the culture here. His coaching deficiencies/hires are on him. But the inability to change the culture is not.

      • I saw Whetzel shadowing the running back as well. I don’t know what he was doing. The D-line can’t get off blocks and the running lanes were huge. Some new guys coming in next year and more experience better improve things. First two plays of open field tackles for loss were impressive but we can’t give up 7-10 yards per play on the ground.

      • Speaking of not being able to change the culture, this type of stuff just drives me nuts. This is our sports marketing department, and these are salaried employees, not students. No excuse for putting half-assed garbage like this out via any official university account.

        Might as well cut to the chase and say:
        “Do you want a half-assed stadium experience? Come check out a game at Oregon State!”

        https://twitter.com/SaraElcano/status/1046819879918026752?s=19

        • Meh.

          You’re getting worked up about the wrong thing. Every program puts out the hokey stuff. Every school has hokey. You have to cover all bases.

          What’s wrong is that there isn’t enough polished material to overwhelm the hokey, making it more apparent as to what it is.

    • Regarding Frost, he was very cocky right before the season started, telling the press he expected to be in the B1G title game THIS year! I’m glad to see him knocked down a peg. He has been tossing players under the bus. Riley actually recruited fairly well, especially compared to Pelini. I expect them to get crushed in Madison this weekend and extend their losing streak to nine. Still can’t believe their AD was stupid enough to hire Riley. Talent is not the issue with that team.

    • Frost sounds like a bitch.

      If he didn’t chase 2nd and 3rd highest-ranked Neb recruits to Corvallis then he’d have more talent to work with.

  2. “just observing the reality that Oregon State mentally breaks coaches down.” Good quote. It’s a eerie feeling watching JS losing his shit on the inside and starting to see the cracks starting to show up on the outside. Losing does that to a person.

  3. GA seemed crazy defeated. Riley was “”ho-hum, we lost ” despite Lindsey Schnell telling us how competitive he is. I think Jonathan Smith is pissed and determined.

    • concur. A 1-11 season seems destined. Thus, the key point going forward is the degree to which Smith makes assistant coaching decisions. He probably won’t give Tibersar the heave-ho but the position coaches would seem to be vulnerable–Bray especially.

      • So Michael Pitre is running backs coach, and Brian Wozniak is tight ends coach? I hear/see occasional blurbs to the effect that JJ is getting good blocking “on the end.” Who are/is “on the end?”

        Clearly, Jefferson is talented but is his game improving with Pitre’s coaching? Does “on the end” have talent and maybe something to do with Brian Wozniak or a different coach? After the years of questionable (at best) assistant coaches, I would just as soon not dally with any who are doubtful.

  4. Unsurprisingly, the RB from ASU, Eno wins the Pac12 offensive player of thr week award, also known as “guy with most yards vs OSU of the week award”

    Wonder who from WSU will earn that honor next week?

  5. Those who knew Smith back when he was at OSU know the guy is crazy competitive and doesn’t back down from a challenge. I do think he will find a way to make this thing work. But this season it will be a given OSU will be overmatched from a talent standpoint from here on out. If they are able to grind out a win, it will take some players getting healthy while also getting an opponent dealing with their own injury issues. Pierce and Jefferson together should really give the offense enough firepower to win a grind it out ball control game. 1 or 2 turnovers by our defense would help too.

    It’s too bad we don’t play UCLA this year

  6. Smith is covering for his players when he says it isn’t a talent issue. It really is. GA didn’t leave much to work with. I would say there’s some lingering loser attitude from the last few years resulting in execution lapses. That’s just going to happen when your coach quits on you.

    There’s nothing that’s really surprising this year. Defense is bad due to talent. Offense is much better. Very little garbage time scores.

    I see smith as fustrated because it’s the same issue week after week and there’s not much he can do. He can’t coach talent into the defense. They seem to be in the right spots to make plays but aren’t executing.

    • Most of the offense’s playmakers being rotated out at higher rate by end of game too. Coaches realizing the game is lost. Would probably have an extra TD at end of games if playmakers left in.
      The defense was bad to begin with, the injuries, and new personnel doesn’t help either. Bad D was expected….but this bad?? I guess under the circumstances…..

  7. Just saw on the sidebar that Addison Gumbs (4* LB Transfer from OKLA) says he’s an Oregon State linebacker. Sounds like it’s official? Would be nice if he could play this year. Hopefully he can make an immediate impact on the defense next season.

  8. I really hope the coaching staff can find a way to keep Jefferson’s touches down. No need to get him all banged up or potentially injured this year. Granted no one else can do anything on offense but Jefferson is young and has at least 2 more years left after this in Corvallis.

  9. If the team wants some really big, Big Boy pants, they should raid Wazzus’ locker room next weekend. The new DC is none other than former Golden Gopher DC and one year HC Tracy Claeys.
    His pants are bigger than virtually any pair in CFB. He is actually is an excellent defensive technician and I am interested in how he fares in the PAC. Typically would make great halftime adjustments.

  10. “observing the reality that Oregon State mentally breaks coaches down”

    Erickson and (gasp) Riley handled it just fine and proved you can win here. Just because Anderpants was a train wreck, and Smith is trying to dig out from underneath the rubble doesn’t mean it’s some coach-sucking vampire.

    • Bikey is indifferent to anything culture. He could win as long as he was getting pep talks from Al. Then he couldn’t win unless he had two NFL receivers and a back-up NFL QB… all at the same time.

      Riley won, but people (the culture) were constantly making excuses for him not winning all he should have won. I’d rather have a decade of GA than go back to that whiny bullshit. At least people weren’t afraid (or so deluded) to call a spade a spade.

    • Eggers may, very well, follow Angry; his take on Luton, however, is 180 degrees different:

      “I’m guessing Jake Luton, who has missed the past two games with a sprained ankle, will be healthy enough to return to duty, and that would help Oregon State’s offense. Luton’s arm would help give OSU a balanced attack that would keep Washington State’s defense from keying on the Beavers’ sensational true freshman running back, Jermar Jefferson…”

      • Eggers and I have spoken on email a bit. He was down on McM, too…
        He has no clue how to analyze QBs. Just a head’s up.

        His assessment of McM when I said I liked him.
        “Average thrower, average runner, inexperienced in a big-time setting, for starters.

        Kerry Eggers”

  11. Last year in Pullman we were competitive in the first half until Porebski dropped a punt snap and gave them a quick TD before the half.

    Year before that in Corvallis we led 24-6 at half before going dormant in the 2nd half.

    Luton, Pierce, and Hodgins might all play this week. But no new help on D.

    Wazzu won’t run it. If we can just somehow hold them to less than 5 TD passes we can make a game of it.

    But they’ve had at least 5 the last four times we’ve played them.

    • Leach is an idiot but he isn’t dumb. They will run the ball this weekend… and air raid. Unless our defense suddenly stops getting blown out at the line and suddenly learns how to tackle this will be one ugly game.

    • “Wazzu won’t run it” ???
      As Bill said,” Leach …isn’t dumb. They will run the ball this weekend… and air raid.”.

      Niner agrees, he has been quoted thusly about Leach, “He is going to move the ball, and he’s not shy at running it,”

      • In his career Luton has been sacked once per every 18 pass attempts. Blount has been sacked once per every 7 pass attempts. I think we’ll be looking at fewer sacks with Luton, not more.

        • Well, first off I’m not sure if that’s true, but if it is, it’s probably because Blount runs around, and that results in sacks sometimes. Luton is a statue. Again a situation where stats don’t tell the story. Both suck (as Pac caliber starters), so it’s pick your poison.

          • I’ll cut out the Idaho stats and go with attempts in OSU uniform:

            Luton: 180 pass attempts, sacked 9 times. 1 sack per 20.0 pass attempts.
            Blount: 143 pass attempts, sacked 21 times. 1 sack per 6.8 pass attempts.

          • ESPN’s stat machine – Expected Points Added (lost) on sacks for Pac 12 QBs. Blount is actually the very worst in the conference when it comes to taking sacks and the damage done to his team from them. Admittedly this is probably skewed by Blounts backwards flailing bounce pass to the Nevada D-lineman for the walk-in touchdown, but unfortunately that play is included in the stats. Luton actually comes out ahead of everybody but 2 Cal QBs.

            1 Ross Bowers, CAL -1.0
            2 Brandon McIlwain, CAL -1.3
            3 Jake Luton, ORST -1.9
            4 Chase Garbers, CAL -2.7
            5 Justin Herbert, ORE -3.2
            6 Khalil Tate, ARIZ -3.4
            7 Gardner Minshew, WSU -4.2
            8 Manny Wilkins, ASU -4.3
            9 K.J. Costello, STAN -5.3
            10 Jake Browning, WASH -6.8
            11 Steven Montez, COLO -7.1
            12 Tyler Huntley, UTAH -7.4
            13 JT Daniels, USC -8.5
            14 Dorian Thompson-Robinson, UCLA -9.6
            15 Conor Blount, ORST -10.5

          • Yards per sack……
            Luton steps up in the pocket and gets 2-7 yard loss.
            Cheese Wiz runs backward and takes 10-13 yard losses.

          • Correct me if I’m wrong but hasn’t Blount played twice as much as Luton this season. If they were to have equal playing time you’d see a higher number for Luton although Blount would still have more as he runs backwards instead of stepping up in the pocket.

          • He calculated it per attempt.

            Doesn’t matter. I don’t want to waste time supporting either bozo. Both stink as Pac-12 starters. One is possibly a backup. The other (hint: Luton) belongs in D2 football.

  12. First accusations against oregon in the current FBI/NCAA trial, and it’s a nice, juicy and believable scenario, since Bowen was paid by Louisville shortly after his “unofficial” 11th hour visit to oregon. Yes, I’m sure Bowen paid for his own trip to visit oregon but never considered taking any money……yeah…that’s the ticket.

    During opening statement this morning, Jim Gattto’s atty promised evidence would show Oregon offered “an atronomical amount of money” to recruit Brian Bowen to play for the Ducks. The $100,000 deal to attend Louisville was to “level the playing field.”

    • I hope this basketball thing takes the whole NCAA down. I don’t favor schools paying players directly because I do believe a free education has real value and it would destroy non-revenue sports but players should absolutely be allowed to sell their likeness and earn money cuts from merchandise sales such as their jerseys.

      And of course the NBA and NFL need real minor league systems.

  13. The one thing the beavs need most of defense is a pass rush. Tibesar is going to have to get creative to get pressure on the QB.

    Next year they’ll probably have to bring in a couple jc dline guys to try to help. I hated that ga was so heavy on jc transfers. Kills the depth of the team.

  14. My guess on baseball lineup for next year. We’re still gonna be pretty f’n good.

    1. Preston Jones LF
    2. Joe Casey CF
    3. Tyler Malone RF
    4. Adley Rutschman 1B/C
    5. Zak Taylor 1B/C
    6. Beau Philip SS
    7. Jake Dukart 3B
    8. Troy Claunch DH
    9. Andy Armstrong 2B

  15. Despite being a recent verbal pledge to Cal, 2019 ATH Makai Polk may still visit OSU for the Cal game on 10/20. Will update once confirmed

    • The worst I could find going back to 1989 was 571 ypg allowed by Kansas in 2017 (Kansas allowed 570 ypg in 2015).

      We’re currently sitting at 544, but UCONN is way worse this year at 663.

      We’re on pace to finish in the bottom 20 all-time (going back to 1989 when stats are available as photocopied dot matrix printouts).

      • In total for the class, or just at RB?

        I think they take 2 RBs, if the right #2 guy(cough…cough..Grayson) wants to come here.

        For total class, those predictions are always lower than what they actualy take. We do have a couple of prior year commits who are still slated to arrive on campus in a future period(like Bowcut, Gray, not sure if Francois is totally gone?)
        We have 15 seniors leaving, plus guys like Dukart leaving opens up more room. I think we currently have about 4-5 open spots, but that total will only grow. So, that’s about 20 scholarahips to work with right now. We have 12 current commits. So maybe 5 more guys in this class as we currently stand? I havent updated my scholarahip spreadsheet in awhile, so those numbers are pretty squishy.
        Plus, I would expect them to keep a few spots available for any potential transfers like they did this year.
        So right now, my best guess is we take 5-8 more 2019 recruits in this class, but that number can grow as guys quit the team or transfer out.

        • Also, yes, we are pursuing Tyjon Lindsey. We’ve been looking to bring in another JC WR for next year, so with having Lindsey become available yesterday, it would only make sense that we at least try to have him fill that role.

          • The current 2019 OSU class has some pretty solid pieces, eapecially on defense. Add in Gebbia/Roberts/Gumbs/Lindsey? That’s a pretty good group coming in by OSU standards, so I guess I’m not to worried about who fills our final few spots, as long as they’re players with other Pac12 caliber offers.(that’s not the case with most of our current most likely future verbal commits)

          • The kid who was on the mission is Riley Sharp. Also figure in the injuries for some key guys who aren’t contributing this year as of yet. Any word on the USC transfer?

          • Sharp is actually back from mission and listed on the roster as a Linebacker. Likely to redshirt this year however.
            Bowcut is a mission guy. He was teammates with David Morris at Sherwood. Not sure if his mission will be over by the start of next season, but I wouldn’t expect him to be available immediately and will probably redshirt too

          • Regarding your transfer question, there have been a number of potential transfera over the past few weeks. I know we’ve at least contacted some, but I don’t know what the liklihood would be of any landing at OSU. I would consider all of the below to at least be possibile, but not likely at this point.
            USC CB Ykili Ross
            UCLA QB Devon Modster
            Nebraska WR Tyjon Lindsey
            OkSt WR Jalen McClewsky

            Clemson QB Kelly Bryant appears headed to Arkansas, although he seemed like the biggest longshot of the bunch

  16. Wow have all you guys given up on the season already? Lol damn… I remember those days! Thankful we got a good coach finally to turn things around. It was tough in Pullman for a few years but we have a lot more things going for us than you do in Corvallis. It’s always amazed me that such a tiny remote town no where near an airport in the boonies of Oregon can sustain a Pac-12 program. I can remember that year or two you guys had like 20 years ago where you went to a few bowl games!

    Go Cougs on Saturday!

  17. WBB: Parker spends over 25 minutes with Scott Rueck, some good stuff. He mentions how visitors recognize that Corvallis is a “Special Place” and recounts a practice last year when he didn’t say a single word to the team (and explains why).

    Overall, a good look at Rueck’s philosophy.

    Downloadable podcast:
    https://art19.com/shows/beaver-sports

    • Should be at least a sweet 16 run this year. Team has a lot of depth. Rotation could be 10 deep. Won’t be much drop off from starters to bench. Will run a lot of teams out of the gym.

      If the new bigs are athletic and not just plodders, a title run isn’t out of the question.

  18. Official visitors this week so far are:
    Jarod Lucas-Men’s Hoops commit
    Jojo Forest-CB
    Keonte Glinton-ATH(likely Safety or CB)
    Kyle Patterson-TE

    I also am trying to confirm another official visitor, a JUCO DT, so this list could still grow.

    • There seems to be lots of interest in adding TEs. Wonder if Smith plans to integrate some double and triple TE sets in the future. Would make sense with the talent at RB.

      Maybe some Joe Gibbs style offensive looks in 2019? I’d be on board with that.

      Excited about the possibility of a JUCO DT.

    • Since you seem to be in the know, any word on if/when Chad Johnson Jr. will take a visit? I’m a bit confused with his interest why we haven’t heard much about coaches reaching out to him or getting him on an unofficial. He is a 2020 but still seems like the coaches could be building a relationship with the guy. Maybe I am wrong on this.

      • There’s actually a chance he and his dad come up for the Cal game on 10/20, along with TJ Houshmandzadeh with some of his team’s players(Alex Austin and the Markham twins)
        Coaches can’t really set up unofficial visits other than making themselves available to talk to the visitors. The cost of travel and lodging is all on the player and family to cover.
        Most of that is up in the air though. Austin is most likely 100% to visit. Will know more after this week is over.

        • That would be awesome. I appreciate the quick response and I wish I had your connections.

          I love the former players coming back. I read the Markham twins are being recruited by newest commit Madison. Maybe he knows some D-line to recruit as well.

  19. Pierce ready to go Saturday. Two headed monster gives us a shot at a ball control type game. Big deal because Rodgers and Baylor have been pretty awful.

    • Agreed. Neither would run through people or cut around people like Pierce and Jefferson. Never thought I’d ever say this but kind of wish Luton was back as well… if for no other reason he is a least a better option at back-up.

    • Hopefully the coaches take advantage. Running in the early downs to get to short third downs and keeping Blount from having to throw down field. Will always have a fresh back ready to go.

      Doubt they go real old school and grind the clock.

        • Wing t isn’t a bad idea. No defense would be ready for that. Two backs that are always home run threats.

          Almost every spread offense now has elements of the wing t. Maybe they’ll incorporate some new concepts with both backs on the field. Arkansas from years ago was able to do it.

          • Added benefit: Sumner might be more reliable with QB under center most of the time in a Wing T.

            Anyway, 9er is pretty sharp offensively, he should be able to utilize some form of two-back O to the Beavs advantage.

    • Agreed about the those guys. They should try Wallace more in goaline situations. Guy needs to remember he was a fucking stud in Texas before GA wrecked his confidence..

        • That’s not how he ran against Nevada. He pushed a dive for three yards. Its one run, so we don’t really have a valid sample. His swing dump-off was him seeing the same open field I saw and counting his chickens. Oops.

          Rogers and Baylor look like they’re averse to contact. And after watching their ball security skills, I’m afraid for them as well.

      • When he dropped the swing pass I think it was the Nevada game, he immediately looked over to the coaches like, “Oh man that was my one opportunity to prove I can catch the ball and do something on offense.”

  20. Interesting article about all of these mid-season transfers trying to take advantage of the 4 game redshirt rule.
    Apparantly the rule isn’t very obvious in how these situations should be handled, and players are operating under the belief they can sit the remaining 8 games and be immediately eligible next year. Others believe the way the rule is currently writting, they would redshirt the rest of the season and then be forced to sit an additional year, before becoming eligible. This wouldn’t affect grad transfers. Also wouldn’t affect guys like Gebbia/Roberts/Gumbs who transferred prior to the season beginning.
    But a guy like Tyjon Lindsey could get screwed, if he misinterpreted the rules and isn’t given a special waiver by the NCAA. Pretty f’d up if nobody alerted him of this possibility. Hopefully it works out for him.

    https://www.google.com/amp/s/247sports.com/college/nebraska/Article/Nebraska-Huskers-coach-Scott-Frost-discusses-in-season-transfers-like-Tyjon-Lindsey-and-whether-he-can-play-right-away-122878432/Amp/

    • If that’s the rule, why wouldn’t SAs just play the rest of the season and then transfer? How is this 4 game deal better than that?

      • That’s the point of the story. The rules are unclear and some SA’s seem to be misinterpreting them before making the decision yo transfer. Hopefully they got good advice and it works out ok for them. You can probably expect those rules to be clarified more going into next season

        • I understand they don’t want chaos but honestly they need to get rid of the sit out a year rule. Every kid should get at least 1 free transfer.

    • Transfer rules are pretty clear. They can’t play elsewhere for a calendar year once the rosters are set, and they’re on one. That timing is a couple weeks before the season, so they could still leave and be eligible at the next school for the season. But that ship can’t be given to anyone until the season ends, so the school is out that position for a season.

      So anyone who leaves their team on 1Oct will be eligible to play on 1Oct next year, barring any special waivers.

  21. Awesome to get Pierce back and I bet we break a few runs tomorrow (Nall had two TDs vs WSU last yr including a 45 yarder, and he had an 89 yarder the year before), and I think our D will play much better than they have been, but I don’t have the confidence in our QB to string together consecutive TD drives that we’ll need to win the game. Wazzu’s D is better than both AZ and ASU. 34-24 cougs.

    • Why would our D play better?

      If we get two RBs going the D might look better just because they’re not out there as much. But there is no reason to think they will play better. This is probably the most difficult O we have faced yet, so I think they’ll play worse.

      • 1) WSU isn’t designed to pound the run up against our weakness the D-Line. 2) WSU isn’t as good an offense as they were last year. 3) We’ve been underachieving…I know we’re bad but I don’t think we’re really a 500 YPG defense

        • They might not be designed to run against our D line, but since our D line is awful, they can probably do it at will even if not designed for it. Our secondary is bad, too (some of this due to lack of pressure up front). I just don’t see it. We’re so thin as well. D will be worn out by half time yet again.

          The only shot we have moving forward is using the two headed RB to ball control games. If we do that, it could keep us in some games, and then anything goes.

          • If we punt the first 5 times we get the ball, like we did last year, then yeah we’ll be toast early, we’re gonna need a lot of scores. BigBoyPants punted twice from the 35 in the first half last year. I think he was happier to get the 2 points after that safety than he would have been to get 7.

    • I have heard a few predictions of holding the Cougs to 30 something points. If we gave but 52 points I think it was to ASU, how in the world will we hold the Cougs under 45-50 points. I think the only way is if our offense is so bad they stop trying to score and just run every down in the fourth quarter. I’m thinking 48-24 and the last 10 points comes in garbage time. I hope I’m wrong.

      • cougs scored 35 last time they were in Corvallis

        as bad as the last few years have been, nobody has blown our doors off in October in Corvallis. The last real bad October loss in Corvallis was in 2004 to Cal with Aaron Rodgers

        • I hope you are right. I don’t have the confidence right now in the D. The only way we slowed down ASU was when the O started moving the ball and kept the D off the field. I’d love to see a win this weekend and see the team look like their hard work is paying off.

        • I also think if we can get a couple of momentum opportunities to go our way that obviously goes a long way. I look at the last game with missed opportunities for turnovers and the false start on the 1 yard line when we had 4th and goal. This team has gotta capitalize on those opportunities to outweigh other inefficiencies.

        • Huh, I remember attending the OSU CAL game with Aaron Rodgers and we won… I came away wondering why everyone thought Rodgers was so great. Looked like the worst QB I had ever seen… maybe that was before or after 2004

      • 48-24 is about right. Agree this defense won’t stop anything, will need 5-6 minute long drives from offense to keep Cougs under 40. Really hoping we get an Int or two being that the ball will be thrown 60 times. If the averages play out the Beavs lose by 21+. If breaks go Beavs way, still lose but by 10.

      • It’ll be luck o the beavs if the offense caves to what is statistically a great defense, that’s only been tested by some of the bottom third fbs offenses. Wazzu has 2 sacks/g the last three games. I’m guessing if the beavs are sacked 2 times or less they keep pace and have a 50/50 shot at winning.

  22. There are few paths to a win tomorrow and the cougs have to help too.

    Turnovers – cougs need to mess up. Then beavs need to score on every turnover.

    Ball control – wsu moves fast. Need to keep weakest part of the team off the field.

    Score on every drive. Can’t afford to punt.

    Make a few stops on defense.

    Basically everything has to go right plus some.

    I can see them still in the game after halftime but the defense will be gassed and that’ll be it.

  23. The football gods keep offering up transfers

    This time, another Nebraska guy, 4* JUCO RB Greg Bell is leaving the Husker program. Coach Frost must be a fun guy to play for.
    Bell is considered a Junior this year, so i’m not sure how close he would be to graduating and possibly using the grad transfer process for next season.
    Interesting because Bell signed with Frost as part of the 2018 class, not Riley.

    https://n.rivals.com/content/prospects/2018/greg-bell-195483

    • That is interesting. I was starting to think Frost was like GA: my guys or the highway. Not the case here. So yeah, maybe Frost is just a dick.

      • I was just reading about another JUCO player, CB Will Jackson, who joined Nebraska in June 2018 under Frost and then transferred out in August 2018, before the season started.

        In pretty much every transfer case, I’ve seen stories with quotes from Nebraska coaches where they seem to publicly criticize their players to the media, and the players leave shortly after. Just little dickish comments like “He’s a slow blinker” in a comment about Jackson, or regarding Bell I saw his position coach say something like “getting knocked down the depth chart got in his feels” after he lost his starting spot.

        Maybe not the worst things you could say, but why bother making those types of remarks to the media? The Frost coaching staff seems to be a collection of dicks like GA’s staff.
        We’ll see how their strategy works out

        • Yep, as I was reading that I was thinking “GA”…

          I wonder how the growing chant to remove Frost, once Wisconsin lays 50 on them, will affect his “feels”.

        • I don’t recall GA or his staff talking about these things or in that way. And I agree that they are unnecessary statements. All that’s required is standard coach speak like, “We just have some issues to work out,” or better, “I just like what I’m seeing out of so-and-so a little more right now.”

          But if you get mopey about these decisions, then you’re not a team player. And any coach hates mopey players. They’re a complete drag on the team and stand out for their lack of effort. Often, lack of effort is what precipitates moves like that.

    • He’s not going to be a graduate since he was Juco last year. And being Juco means it’s more likely he’s in the doghouse because of academics than it is getting along with the coach. Although, the former would lead to a poor relationship.

  24. The options programs have had at their disposal over the past 7 or so years have changed, giving less flexibility to move players around via blueshirts/greyshirts etc. Teams are still limited to 25 total signees in a class, and transfers do count towards that number.
    I found this article which kindof helps explain it, although there is still a big of a grey area.

    Essentially (and don’t quote me on this because I could be missing a loophole) I think all of the recent transfers we’ve landed (Gebbia/Roberts/Gumbs) would count against the 25 for 2019.
    Add to that the 12 current verbals we have, and we’re looking at already having 17 of our 25 spots filled for 2019. We also have to keep in mind that we are limited to 85 total scholarships. I’m not 100% sure how many guys we have on scholarship currently, but we have to factor that total plus how many seniors are graduating in our totals available spots for the 2019 class. And add to that the likelihood of Smith keeping a couple of spots open for future transfers. That’s why I think we will only take about 5 or 6 more guys in this class, max.

    https://www.theadvocate.com/baton_rouge/sports/lsu/article_f03e6112-0a8c-11e8-9dd4-2b23fb9d9fbe.html

    “We signed 22 last year and had three (available scholarships) that could have went to early enrollees,” Orgeron said. “We would have signed 28. Those are three good players we had to let go (and not sign).”
    The three major-college transfers the program brought in last spring — defensive lineman Breiden Fehoko, tight end Thaddeus Moss and receiver Jonathan Giles — filled up LSU’s class last year, leaving them without any empty spots. Transfers have always counted toward a program’s 25 new enrollees, said Blair Napolitano, LSU’s assistant athletics director for compliance.
    In previous years, with a more lenient 25-man rule, coaches found ways to manipulate numbers with transfers. That’s no longer possible, and it was not possible when the Tigers signed Division II transfer kicker Cole Tracy during the early period. He counts toward the 25, Napolitano confirmed.

  25. For the love of everything holy can we get some 4* or 5* OL’s or DL’s transfers please! Nicebeaver you should write a Schollies and Transfers for dummies book and make some bank. Although the rules will probably change again next year.

    • Ha, i just googled it really. It’s pretty tough to keep up with all of the changes from year to year. It’s like the US Tax code, where the constant rule changes and interpretations seem to be designed to make cheating justifiable, when it’s convenient.

  26. Imagine how many yards Jermar Jefferson would have this season if he had Oregon State on the schedule?
    9 of the Pac12 teams’ running backs have a huge handicap.

  27. The mushroom is down at home 14-0 to Utah State after getting smoked 35-7 last week by the Huskies. So much for that Wiscy upset!

    • Yeah, Sitake was key to the poly pipeline that never materialized. Once SItake left, many high profile recruits bailed out.
      Clune was apparently in over his head.

      Short list of GA disasters:
      Messing up the OC coaching hire
      Anointing STG before fall camp
      No QB evaluations that were worth anything
      SItake as DC, Clune as DC
      Ryan Nall as a LB
      Del RIo, McM, Kempt
      Fundamentals, tackling, offensive scheme, special teams
      Trusting Bolden, Villamin to be playmakers during games
      Lost the entire team in less than 3 seasons
      Big Boy Pants=Quit when you fail at what you are doing

      GA decent contributions:
      How Bout them Beavers, Cal win was fun
      He sharpened my Spidey-senses to spot crappy coach-speak with no substance
      Left the buyout

      I contend that the culture still had plenty to do with the program blowing up. The old guard inertia of mediocrity runs deep and Riley is the elixir for those who still remain from the long years of losing. They longed for Riley and didn’t accept the outside guy from WI. Proof is how quickly JS was chosen as the return of the homegrown guy and the whole marketing schtick that accompanies it. JS may eventually win, but I think he may win in spite of the small minded viewpoint of many in the Athletic department.

      • Can’t believe you left off “Reset the the Civil War losing streak”. Although that’s mostly the players’ credit, it does go on his resume.

        • Civil War reset is a -duh forgot that one. I don’t really think of it as a GA win as much as a weather/player victory. GA does get the credit on his resume though.

          Adley Rutschman had more to do with that one CIvil War win than many players still on the roster. His bloop kick-off just as the rains began awoke the crowd, even though there was a phantom call to negate the play.
          The heavy rains forced a run oriented game-plan that gave the beavers there only advantage and ultimately the win.

      • Nall at LB was all Bikey. GA moved him to RB.

        Del Rio sucked. I’m not sure what you’re talking about there. None of the QBs that left would have succeeded here anyway, but stop pretending LDR played at Florida for any reason other than politics or really bad coaching… or both.

          • I can’t remember who that was. The bad weight was all Bikey when he wanted him at LB. Was he moved to O before Bikey quit? If not, it was GA wanting him there, because there just was nobody with any skills on that side of the ball. I think that’s the way it worked, with him trying to be H in the new system but being injury prone because of bad weight… so they trimmed the fat and worked him into the RB position over the early part of the season, finally getting him the ball about mid-way through.

      • Don’t forget starting Nick Mitchell and Luton. Sitake also seemed like he knew he wasn’t going to stay at OSU and never seemed into it. Clune was definitely in over his head

        • Mitchell was great for like 2 games, especially compared to who he followed. But he just fell apart for some reason.

          I know special teams doesn’t get a lot of mention anywhere, but we have had a string of bad kickers. Serna won Kicker of the Year, and Hecker is the best punter in the NFL, and since then it’s been one disaster after another.

          • Speaking of Serna, a few here may have missed the recent announcement of his return to OSU as Director of Beyond Football.

            Serna oversees the strategic vision and implementation of the Beyond Football program, an initiative that aims to transition student-athletes into their professional careers after their playing days are over. Thanks to a generous gift from an OSU alumnus, the Beyond Football program connects student-athletes with internship opportunities and employers as well as preparing them for various graduate programs.

  28. PHIL STEELE REPORT (#30 Washington State @ #100 Oregon State, 10/6/2018)

    The Beavers dropped their 4th straight matchup against the Cougars a year ago with Wash St finishing with a 491-354 yd edge in the 52-23 victory (-21). LTH the Beavers surprisingy led 24-6 at halftime. WSU went up for good after an 80/7 TD drive w/10:19 left. OSU’s last 3 drives ended at the WSU 35 & 34 and their own 40 (end of game) and Wash St escaped 35-31 (-14). Leach is 4-6 ATS as an AF with Wash St. The Cougars rebounded from their first loss of the season against USC by earning a 4-point win at home against Utah with QB Minshew surpassing the 400 yd passing mark for the 3rd time this season (31-56-445 & 3-1 ratio). They did need an 86-yd TD pass with 4:14 left to pull out the win. The Beavers meanwhile were dominated in their trip to the desert with the Sun Devils putting up a season-best 558 yds (396 on the ground). WSU is 20-9 ATS in Pac-12 contests over the past 4 years. The best way to attack the Beaver defense is on the ground where they are allowing 303 ypg rush and 6.9 ypc. Wash St rushed for 0 yards last week and just 66 ypg (3.2) on the season. This could be the week coach Leach works on his ground game and that might keep the score a little lower for the Cougars.

    WASHINGTON STATE 41 OREGON STATE 20

    Position by Position Edges:

    WHEN WASHINGTON STATE HAS THE BALL:
    Washington State QB/WR’s vs Oregon State DB’s: WAST +1.73
    Washington State RB’s vs Oregon State LB’s: WAST +0.26
    Washington State OL vs Oregon State DL: WAST +0.91

    WHEN OREGON STATE HAS THE BALL:
    Washington State DB’s vs Oregon State QB/WR’s: WAST +2.27
    Washington State LB’s vs Oregon State RB’s: WAST +0.87
    Washington State DL vs Oregon State OL: ORST +0.13

    MISCELLANEOUS:
    Special Teams: WAST +3.07
    Kicking Game: WAST +0.05
    Coaching Staff: WAST +2.50

    POSITIONAL EDGE: WAST +11.53

    Projected Final Statistics (WAST – ORST)
    Rushing Yards: 154 – 166
    Passing Yards: 349 – 149
    Yardage Total: 503 – 315
    Total Points: 44 – 23
    Experience Rankings: 125 – 73
    Team Schedule Strength: 60 – 14

    COMPUTER TOTALS:
    Las Vegas Line: Washington State by 17
    Las Vegas Total: 65 Points
    +/- Ratings: Washington State by 17.0
    Game Grade: Washington State by 21.1
    Computer Yards: Washington State 503-315
    Computer Points: Washington State 44-23

    Calculated Margin of Victory: Washington State by 16

  29. OT: FALL BASEBALL
    Per Eggers: Beavs will play Saturday Oct. 13 vs. University of British Columbia at Goss Stadium and Sunday Oct. 21 vs. Sacramento State at Ron Tonkin Field in Hillsboro.

    BTW: I cannot find anything about these games on the OSU site. Had to go to the SacState site to confirm the date for that game.

    Ideation Team? An AD who is paid more than most in the PAC? The Riley influence? WTF

      • We really need to get our young OLine guys as many reps as possible to get them ready for next season. Not many oppostunities to get better on the OL quickly other than through development, and the collection of skill players we’ll have deserve a solid line to play behind

          • That’s just not how the rule works. It ends up “sitting for 2” because he chose to leave the team mid-season instead of before the season/academic quarter like Gebbia.

            There seems to be a lot of confusion about the new redshirt rule. It’s designed to give coaches the opportunity to develop players and have the ability to play otherwise redshirted players in the event of injury and roster limitations throughout the season, it does not have any impact on transfers.

            So, in Lindsey’s case, he’s a true Sophomore that played in four games. If he chooses to not play any more this season, he can use this season as a redshirt year as he only played in 4 games. But, even redshirts that transfer to another FBS team at the end of the year have to sit the following year as a transfer, this new rule doesn’t change that. He’s on the books as a NEB redshirt for the 18-19 season, can’t change that now. If he has chosen to transfer to OSU, he’ll have to sit out next season as a RS-Soph transfer like all other RS-Freshman that choose to transfer after this season.

      • Add Madison to the Rb depth saw him a few weeks ago and kid is a beast. He can come in and play right away similar to JJ from a size and speed perspective . he’s playing qb now and can throw a little bit.. would be cool to see him in certain sets and used with some gadget plays where he has the option to throw

  30. TO: Student Managers Football 2018

    RE: New Policy

    FROM: Coach Riley… I mean Smith

    If and when we fall behind by more that 28 points at any point in the game; use of the “Turnover Chainsaw” is hereby suspended. One of you is directed to lock the storage container until and if the deficit is reduced to less than 14 points.

    That sad exhibition at the end of the Arizona game made us look like a bunch of dumb asses.

    Carry on. Mike err Jonathon

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