Home Football Civil War Week

Civil War Week

By
angry
-
133

It’s hard to believe this is the end. This season was a blur. I guess time flies even when you aren’t having fun?

The positives from this season:

  • Getting the road albatross off our necks.
  • Smith and his staff seem competent — it seems the biggest issue is just landing game changing talent, especially on defense.
  • Despite the poor record, our recruiting class should be decent thanks to transfers.
  • We landed a 4-star QB who actually looks the part on film.
  • Play calling was good all year…very few complaints in the comment section. This is pretty amazing given the issues with play calling over the past decade.

With all that said, it was obviously mostly a negative season yet again. The Beavs have a shot at redemption with some fans this weekend. The base who thinks, “Record doesn’t matter so long as we beat the Ducks” will have their college equivalent of the Super Bowl on Friday. For those of us who don’t think that way, it’s still a big game, but mostly for recruiting and to end on a high note.

The Beavs path to winning is ball control. Ducks offense is too fast for our defense — that’s the biggest problem. Have to have long, sustained drives using the run game. Oregon is not very good, so it’s winnable if we can do that. The home crowd should help a bit. I’m excepting a fairly close game that can break either way if we go the ball control route, and and a double digit loss if we try to win by passing. Smith is too smart not to know this, so I’m going with the former scenario, which should keep our atrocious defense off the field.

30-27 one of the teams from Oregon.

133 COMMENTS

  1. First comment WOOT WOOT…

    With the departure of Colorado’s coach are there any players that had committed to that program that may be in our cross hairs to try and poach?

    Reply

  2. Going to be a cold wet day. Hopefully that favors the beavs. But the defense just isn’t good enough to win this week. Too many miracles need to happen to pull out a win. Used those all up at Colorado.

    I thought uw eased up in the second half. Game in hand, keep it vanilla. And Peterson didn’t want to embarrass smith.

    Might want to think about putting in colleto when only a few yards need to be gained. Not just goal line. Might open up some holes if Oregon over commits.

    Reply

  3. I’ve been in Corvallis for 5 civil wars 2000, 2002, 2004, 2006, 2016. The Beavs won all 5. I got tickets for Friday so its a done deal Beavs win.

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    • Tat game was nuts.

      It was like Oprah was there handing out TDs.

      I haven’t seen a Monday Night game that crazy since the late 80s between Washington and Green Bay.

      Reply

  7. From the GT:

    The Beavers could be down a couple starters as Smith declared both linebacker Hamilcar Rashed Jr. and cornerback Dwayne Williams doubtful on Monday.
    Linebacker Matthew Tago, who missed Saturday’s game at Washington, is also doubtful.

    Defensive lineman Jeromy Reichner should be available and David Morris, who was in on special teams and recovered an onside kick, could see some action at safety in addition to special teams.

    Oh, and another for the “positives from this season” list:
    Filed under coaching staff–this team doesn’t quit!

    Reply

  8. Hope we play 4 down run heavy football and don’t settle for field goals.
    Also can’t kill our own drives with penalties. 10 yard fight style. Just keep driving down the field. Colleto and Blount will hopefully give us some offensive options we haven’t seen yet this year.

    Wouldn’t be surprised to see Smith/Lindgren throw out some pretty creative plays. Nothing to lose…..except the game, I guess.

    but realistically, ducks will likely win by about 2 TDs

    GoBeavs

    Reply

  9. Saw Nebraska beat MSU 9-6 Saturday for their 2nd win of the year.
    I didn’t realize football games could end with 2 teams scoring single digits. I bet that only happened a handful of times across college football all year.

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    • Eggers is speaking my language in the 2 paragraphs below. I sure hope the game plan involves the use of both Blount and Luton with a little Colletto sprinkled in.

      “Jake Luton is unequivocably Oregon State’s best quarterback, and the 6-7, 230-pound senior — blessed with one of the Pac-12’s best arms — can make all the throws. But he can’t run much, anyway, and with his sore ankle still less than 100 percent, run-pass option plays are out of the question.

      But backup Conor Blount can run, and third-stringer Jake Colletto has five touchdowns out of the Wildcat formation in short-yardage or goal-line situations. Offensive coordinator Brian Lindgren should incorporate Blount and even Colletto into the Beavers’ game plan. Give Blount a series in the second and/or third quarters. Insert Colletto in a less-obvious run situation. It would add variety to the OSU offense and give Oregon’s defense more to absorb

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  12. This is the time of year failing Oregon State is crossed off recruiting top 5 lists all over the country. Ratings and revenue at all time lows. Many of the top scholars agree. Sad!

    Reply

    • I love Frisell.

      It’s odd that you bring him up, because he’s the last concert I attended… a couple weeks ago. That was a good day. Spent time in Portland eating some good food with friends. Watched OSU football win a game. Went to a concert where I got to hear Bill Frisell play Django.

      I’ve seen him at the Aladdin a lot in the last decade, as well. In whatever iteration he performs, he’s always so nice and clean. He’s quite a bit different than he was in the 80s. I would say his 80s stuff was a little more bouncy than he is now. You can tell Wes Montgomery (another of my favorites) is an influence with him. There are times when it sounds like he’s playing a slide on a solid note. It’s just amazing what sounds he can create from a simple guitar.

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      • I saw he was playing in Portland on that last tour. I think Utah was the closest to me, and I just wasn’t willing to do that, but hopefully he comes around again. Have you seen Julian Lage? He’s like a Frisell protege with some 60s rock influence. It’s good stuff on album, but an even better live show.

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        • I know of him because of Norah Jones. And his latest album gets played on a couple of my Pandora stations as well as on the radio station I listen to in the truck (KRVM). But I’ve not really sat down and put on headphones with him.

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          • You should check out some of his full live shows on YouTube. And if he’s ever in PDX you’d love the in-person experience, I think. Nice to see someone young get passed the Frisell torch.

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          • I’ll try him out.

            I went back recently and re-listened to Husker Du, keeping in mind what you said about the rhythm section screwing with the momentum here and there (as opposed to the lead). I can see what you’re saying, and that makes the guitar more understandable.

            But I just can’t get past some of his scribble solos. I can’t remember which ones, but two always stood out to me.

            Reply

          • I don’t mind scribble solos if the spirit (or some other element like tone, etc) is there. That’s what punk rock is about so it fits genre.

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    • My top five Frisell albums in rotation:
      1. East/West
      2. Gone, Just Like a Train
      3. w/Dave Holland and Elvin Jones
      4. Intercontinentals
      5. Mexicanas

      I think it’s fair to say that, aside from the ones I picked for personal tastes above, his latter albums really lack any of the live feel he gives or employed in his earlier work.

      Reply

      • My critique of his later studio work would be that he tries too hard now to make every note mean something, whereas when he lets it fly, they all mean something naturally.

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      • I almost forgot. Kenny Wheeler’s Angel Song is in rotation from time to time, as is the trio with Carter and Motian.

        If you had to guess, you’d probably say my favorite of his catalog was between about 1995 and 2005.

        You’d probably be right.

        But I also have a lot of his John Zorn work. That’s when I first got into him.

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    • He’s also one of the reasons I love the movie, Finding Forrester… that and hoops. I thought the movie might be good or better just because of the cast. When I heard the soundtrack start up, I raised my expectations immediately.

      Reply

  15. From the Vondersmith piece linked above:

    Now, it’s the Beavers, “the Civil War, at their place, we all fully understand the importance of this football game, the intensity behind it,” …”We all know we have to play on the road more like we play at home,” Cristobal says.

    Does Cristobal really “fully understand”? Does it matter?

    Will the fact that Niner has a personal history with the CW, which Mario does not, make any difference this Friday? Which coach has the most to gain/lose?

    Seems to me there is more pressure on Cristobal, not sure what that is worth. Thoughts?

    Reply

    • I assume we all want OSU to win but I think even a close loss would give many OSU fans optimism for the future. Anything other than a blowout by the ducks probably puts Cristobal on the hot seat next year. The pressure is definitely on Cristobal in this one. I expect Smith to be as aggressive as ever and coach with nothing to lose.

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    • Of course Cristobal understands the importance of this game. Like most Pac-12 coaches, he understands losing to us is the best way to get fired!

      Reply

  16. Beavs start slow again and get pounded early….21-7 after first quarter, then have a little bit of life only to come up way short….again.

    47 – 27 Phighting Phils

    Reply

  19. Maybe if Morris gets snaps at Safety will have a rare INT sighting in the secondary?!?

    Morris’s speed and instincts would be welcome. Maybe combined with Reichner at DE we see more synergy from the D line and the secondary.

    Hoping for patient, heavy doses of Jefferson and Pierce.

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  21. Horowitz at Statesman Journal:

    “Add school record-breaking freshman running back Jermar Jefferson to the equation, along with a trio of productive receivers in Isaiah Hodgins, Trevon Bradford and Timmy Hernandez, and OSU has the offensive firepower to hang with Oregon.

    If the Beavers find a way to avoid their customary slow start – OSU’s conference opponents have scored first in every game – then an upset is in the cards.

    Prediction: OSU 34, Oregon 31”

    https://www.statesmanjournal.com/story/sports/college/oregon-state/2018/11/21/horowitz-civil-war-prediction-upset-cards-beavers/2016940002/

    Reply

  22. Something like 15 seniors play their last game Friday. Most are from Riley’s last class. Safe to say none surpassed their star rating. Doubt any will make it to the regular season of the NFL. But teams need bodies so some guys will get a shot in training camp.

    Reply

  24. Beavs finally put a complete game together and save their best game for the 2018 finale, get off to a fast start and the defense stops a Ducks sometimes mediocre and sometimes good offense enough to pull out a 35-28 stunner. JJ runs for 150 yards, Luton throws for 330 yards and 3 TDs and 1 pick. Ducks have been average this season outside of their very charmin soft non-conference schedule. Since that 3-0, the Ducks are only 4-4 and have sputtered on offense for much of the Pac 12 Conference Schedule. OSU’s offensive line does just enough to protect Luton, opens some nice holes for JJ and AP to run through and the Beavs control the LOS for much of the game.

    I just watched the replay of the 2000 C-War game and I got a certain vibe from it much like I did before the Beavs shocked Arkansas in the CWS. The Ducks are soft and will be exposed as such on Friday.

    35-28 Beavers….mark it down. The Swammi has spoken!

    Reply

    • The Ducks have been pretty generous to opposing running backs, and Jefferson is obviously a good one. And if Pierce is healthy, the speed he showed against Ohio State could be on display for a long gainer or three this Saturday.

      I suggest Smith personally address the OLine in private and emphasize the importance of their play and run blocking. They ought to take the field thinking they’re going to eat duck, fart feathers, and shit webbed feet…

      Reply

      • Ding, ding, ding, ding, ding….we have a winner. “they ought to take the field thinking they’re going to eat duck, fart feathers, and sh*t webbed feet”….perfect bulletin board material to motivate the Beavers! Go Beavers!

        Reply

    • Fast start, that’s the key. Beavs D feeds off of offensive success and uses time on the sideline to make adjustments. Add to that the pressure Mario is under; he’ll make noticeable mistakes if his team falls behind.

      Per the JB show today, Mario is calling in players with CW experience to pump up his team. Maybe he does realize the importance of this game after all.

      Does Elu have his best game? Does Morris contribute (maybe even a pick) on D? Gonna take efficiency we’ve not seen for an entire game. GO BEAVS! Go Swammi!

      Oh, and I don’t care what AP does on Saturday, it’s his production on FRIDAY I’m looking for. LOL

      Reply

  25. I don’t share your optimism, angry. Beavs get blown out by 20+. This isn’t Marky Helf and Brady Joke’s defense we’re facing. Ours has yet to show up for an entire game.

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    • Yeah we could get blown out because they are fast and we suck on D. I’m basing on Smith knowing we need to control the clock, Mario being a terrible coach, home crowd, and the Ducks sucking pretty bad this year, too. Jefferson is the key. He can keep our awful D off the field. Ducks know this, but will that terrible staff be able to stop it? Maybe. But I feel they’re so bad it could be close.

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    • On paper we are graded similar to the Bowling Green team that Uo beat 58-24 so that’s probably the worst case scenario, but since it’s in Corvallis and since JS knows the CW I think JS will light a fire under the guys for this one.

      Reply

    • Most teams don’t recruit HS centers. They just recruit OLinemen and make them into centers, because there are usually better athletes to choose from.
      A 4* OLineman is more valuable than a 4* true center, generally speaking.

      Reply

  27. Happy Thanksgiving angrybeavs. Hoping for a couple rivalry wins, but expecting the worst.
    One thing we have seen, JS will pull out all the stops to win this game. I love his aggressive attitude.
    I am hoping he has some new sets with both RBs in at the same time with some fly sweep action.
    Go Beavs.

    Reply

  28. Hey, the San Diego Torreros of the FCS gave up 789 yards rushing in a game this year and still won! Maybe there is hope for the Beavs tomorrow?

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  29. Happy Thanksgiving. Don’t expect much in the recruiting feed between now and Thanksgiving. Out on vacation.
    Robin VanderLaan is a JC OLineman on official visit this week. Omar Speights is visiting too. Some of our other current more local commits will visit. I’d expect a ton of local 2019/2020 players to unofficially visit as well.
    Not a real big week for official visits though. Those will pick up after the season in early December.

    Reply

  35. Listened to a lot of Julian Lage over the past couple days. This is what I can report.

    He picks like Trey Anastasio, which means to me he’s a prodigy who gets lost in the process. His pre-2018 work is a constant dissonant 7#9 with no blue note.

    Dude is decidedly grey… without resolution… a lot. But he sure can pick. He started using the pedal like a Tom Petty in about 2016+. His support doesn’t do him any favors. I’m not sure what they’re there for. The drums are a bunch of metal and snares. I don’t care if you only brush them. You’re a fucking drummer.

    His bass is a victim of him, wandering when he does. He just needs to find that somebody who completes him.

    His most recent album (which I heard previously) was a surprise given everything I heard up to there. I go from a dissonant f+ with no downbeat to a b- with a little attitude? But he slipped back into the constant dissonance. It’s like his whole career is set up so he can break out into Another Night in Tunisia licks at any time… or, for the more modern ear, Michelle or Blackbird are easy marks.

    Sometimes I think these guys are thinking harder than a listener wants to think.

    Reply

    • He sure can pick. His tone is a lot like Petty on American Girl most of the time.

      He does great on songs like Revelry and Earth Science. If they were more strategically placed on the album, I would love them more.

      Here’s one to explain the why.
      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MCRjd9rYl78

      I don’t get the drums. And the bass is scale. But he’s picking birds off a wire.

      Reply

      • Just looked up his tools. Says he mostly played an archtop… duh. It follows that clean picking would sound like a young Petty.

        The newer work on the fender needs some direction. That’s where most of my critique of his music would be. He’s in a constant cycle with no resolution.

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    • I actually got through about half of that before I had to turn it off.

      Dude’s Tele sounds huge.

      He hit a surprising amount of pinch harmonics. It’s a cool touch when used properly.

      He needs to stop taking ludes before a show.

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      • The story is he traded his purple Les Paul for Nancy (53), and the bridge p/u was broken. To correct it, the previous owner (or Roy himself?) did this:
        http://www.buckcannon.com/schematicswiring.html

        It was a wrong fix for the right sound.

        Substance abuse to self-medicate manic depression was what did him in. Everyone who ever met him in public loved the man. But he had demons he never shared with the public. I think he just couldn’t handle that he might hurt the ones he loved, in the end.

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  38. PHIL STEELE REPORT:

    This is the 122nd Civil War. Oregon is 9-1 straight up the last 10 in the series and the visitor is 9-3 ATS. LTH the Ducks led 24-14 mid 3Q, but the Beavers came back for a 34-24 upset win (-3). Last year QB Herbert was back and Oregon got its revenge at home with a 69-10 win (-25)with a 580-211 yard edge. Oregon is off a narrow 2-pt win at home LW vs Arizona St and are just 1-3 SU on the road in P-12 play TY. Oregon St comes in on a 3 game slide (losing by 22 ppg). While the Ducks run game has been up & down, they do avg 173 ypg (4.4 ypc) but are facing an Oregon St D that is #130 and gives up 272 ypg on the ground (6.8 ypc!) Oregon St also has allowed 46 sacks TY & has not gone over 170 rush yds the last 5 games after hitting that mark 4 times in the first 6. Oregon QB Herbert has hit just 59%, but has a 27-8 ratio & 2,883 yds and faces an Oregon St pass D ranked #114. Overall, Oregon St’s defense allows 539 ypg and gives up 126 more ypg than their foes average (#127). Oregon will remember their loss here in 2016.

    OREGON 45 OREGON STATE 24

    POSITION BY POSITION EDGES:

    WHEN OREGON HAS THE BALL:
    Oregon QB/WR vs Oregon State DB’s: ORE +2.73
    Oregon RB’s vs Oregon State LB’s: ORE +2.38
    Oregon OL vs Oregon State DL: ORE +2.57

    WHEN OREGON STATE HAS THE BALL:
    Oregon State QB/WR vs Oregon DB’s: ORE +1.20
    Oregon State RB’s vs Oregon LB’s: ORE +0.79
    Oregon State OL vs Oregon DL: ORE +1.06

    MISCELLANEOUS:
    Special Teams: ORE +1.22
    Kicking: ORST +0.62
    Coaching Staff: ORE +1.00

    Total Point Difference: ORE +12.96

    Projected Box Score: (ORE-ORST)
    Rushing Yards: 269-159
    Passing Yards: 254-237
    Yardage Total: 523-396
    Final Score: 44-24
    Experience Rankings: 54-73
    Team Schedule Strength: 62-22

    Las Vegas Line: Oregon by 17.5
    Las Vegas Total: 69 Points
    +/- Ratings: Oregon by 14.0
    Game Grade: Oregon by 13.2
    Computer Yards: Oregon 523-396
    Computer Points: Oregon 44-24

    Computer Projected Line: Oregon by 17

    Reply

  39. I don’t care what the records are. You can throw out the records. Which team shows up to play today?

    If Herbert gets dumped a couple of times, he’ll start thinking about his millions on the table for the draft. Beavs D needs to come after Herbert early, even late. Ducks run game hasn’t been reliable like the past, and they lean on Herbert to make big plays. Give help towards Mitchell and attack the QB ought to be the early strategy.

    Blount should start, just to force the beavs into reliable running and zone read play calling. Bring Luton in later if you behind, or Blount is getting concussed again. Luton throwing has taken away from the obvious strength of JJ and Pierce. I don’t like it if the idea is to let the gunslinger go out throwing all over the place. This game isn’t about Luton anymore. It is a tone setting game for the future of the program. JJ is the future. He should be the key to a Beav win and a JS coached Civil War win. JJ goes over 200yds, Colletto gets 2-3 rushing tds, Beavs D with 2 ints, and absolutely no field goal attempts!
    Ducks cannot stop the run either, so run the ball right at them again.

    Beavs win 49-42
    Go Beavs!

    Reply

    • Your top two points, IMHO:

      1) Beavs D needs to come after Herbert early, even late…Give help towards Mitchell
      2) Luton throwing has taken away from the obvious strength of JJ and Pierce…JJ is the future. He should be the key to a Beav win

      Add in a fast start, which helps lessen the likelyhood of reliance on Luton’s arm, along with some AP (still looking for two back sets).

      Reply

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