Home Football Alamo Bowl (Pre-game)

Alamo Bowl (Pre-game)

102

Texas is pretty beat up on both sides of the ball. Expect them to learn on the run game. Beavs have been poor against the run the second half of the season. Texas has speed (Goodwin/Davis) at WR, so I don't expect eight in the box. Shipley could be a major pain on 3rd downs.

Beavs have an advantage at WR if Vaz can get the ball to them. I worry about batted passes, as each presents a potential INT opportunity. Otherwise I don't have any issue with Riley choosing Vaz. I think he's the better player right now, even if he doesn't have pro upside/tools. I like his moxie, and the players seem to prefer him, too, which is all I need to know. A good bowl performance by Vaz will lead to an interesting off season debate.

I'm thinking these teams are even. In equal match ups, I'll take the team with more to prove, better QB play, and better special teams. I'm thinking something like 24-21, Beavs.

Also, great job by Riley & crew addressing the DT and CB concerns. This class is rounding out nicely.

102 COMMENTS

  1. I’m hoping to see Riley set this team up to come out and score early. Thinking a performance similar to BYU could be in store, with the Beavs pulling away late. The 3 suspended players will hurt in defending the run game. Dumb-asses.

  2. The coaching dynamics are interesting too; Mack Brown needs this way more than Riley. Texas’s O Coordinator has moved on, but the system Texas runs is “Boise State but with bigger faster athletes” according to Banker. The more I learned about Texas these past few days the more difficult I consider the Beavers task; especially in a “home game” environment. Conversely, Riley does well with lots of prep time – the lone exception being the LV Bowl, when the Beavs clearly didn’t want to be there (rose bowl heartbreak(.

    After re-watching BYU highlights, I too am worried about Vaz’s passes getting batted down. In about 5 1/2 minutes of highlights, there were two batted down, two other bat-downs referenced, then the fifth one that was caught by Prince in the end zone for a TD.

    I call it even and would like to think that Ward is going to be that extra difference maker.

  3. Yeah, this will be a tough game. It kinda needs attitude. Like our early season attitude.

    And it needs Riley calling the plays. And it needs Vaz on his game. I expect all of those, as the whole bunch needs to show the late season decline wasnt permanent.

    We should be up for it, as going into this season, just getting into a bowl again was probably the goal for most players. Now we are in a good one, the best ever for Riley.

    If Riley pulls this off (I think it will be the coaching that wins or loses) he has redeemed himself, imo. If not then I wouldnt be surprised to see more sleepwalking on the job next year.

  4. It’s interesting that “batted passes” has come up a couple of times already. Is there a stat on that? I’ve always hated to see them and feel like they are something inbetween an incompletion and an interception. Kind of a lost opportunity, but that is probably an emotional response.

    • Katz had 8 -9 in a CW, that’s not emotional, that’s lost opportunities as you say. Particularly if they become a pattern, if you don’t adjust.

      Also, Texas D trended up their last 5 games, Beavs down obviously.

    • Cant you defeat the attempt to bat passes, by doing a lot of pump faking, and acting like you are ready to throw? The oncoming D players have to be looking to see when the QB is going to throw, to be going for the block. Do a lot of arm action??

        • Unless he has made some strides, the pump fake seems to be a weakness of Vaz. Give him enough time to move the pocket a little or a lot and balance things with plenty of rushes by Woods/Ward.

          • Hey, just bring the arm back like he MIGHT be thinkiing of throwing … if he cant do that, then he shouldnt be in the game. Because its the same motion as actually throwing….

            If he is gonna fumble as he actually throws, then there is no hope for the game if he is in..

            So no reason not to pump fake…

          • I am not a fan of pump faking inside of the pocket, unless it is a designed one (which oregon st. does quite a bit of). They can waste valuable time in the pocket, because you have to get reset in order to throw an accurate ball with velocity. What I think are the best ways to avoid batted down passes at the line are 1) stay out of obvious passing downs, don’t let the d-linemen sit and anticipate. 2) do a great job blocking up front to create nice passing lanes for Vaz. Easier said than done of course. 3) move the pocket, whether to be roll outs or bootlegs, it’s also out of the pocket where pump fakes are more effective (I know Vas’s attempt would contradict this, but I don’t see it as a problem that is going to repeat itself).

            I can’t wait for this afternoon. Going to he a great game! It’s nice to be bowling again. GO BEAVS!!

  5. i worry about the fact that this will essentially be a road game, which is frustrating because the beavers had the better season, but that’s how it goes sometimes. the running game is key for me, because vaz is bound to get some passes knocked down and we’re less likely to throw deep passes with him as opposed to mannion. if woods/ward/agnew can total over 100 yards and get more than 4 yards per i would think they’d have texas beat.

  6. See Angry does give credit where credit is due, “Also, great job by Riley & crew addressing the DT and CB concerns. This class is rounding out nicely.”

    • yup. Hope this isn’t the trend between the Pac-12 and Big-12 in the bowl games. Except for Kansas State. I hope K-State gives the ducks a dry fisting they’ll never forget in chip kelly’s last game

    • So far, PAC 12 looking over-rated. An unranked Baylor killing 17th ranked ucla doesn’t help our cause. Only one PAC 12 team I am routing against….

      • Our? It’s fUCLA. Oh…you give a shit about the Pac-12 “rep”. Hee.

        Yeah, Joe knows, in a roundabout, inconsequential way good play in bowl games by other Pac-12 teams “reflects” onto the Beavers but fuck that shit. UCLA is a bunch of underachieving pussies before after and forever.

        Very few Pac-12 teams other than the Beavers does Joe Avezzano ever give a shit about, and even then if their coach is a melodramatic asshole then screw ’em.

        Joe only has sentiment a cunt hair north of who cares for Cal whose string of patheticness is now just tragic.

  7. “Texas is pretty beat up on both sides of the ball. Expect them to lean on the run game.”

    Well it worked for Baylor tonight. Hope our D doesn’t look like swiss cheese on Sat. Yikes!

    • Yeah, Briles and staff clearly saw some weakness in the Bruins run defense and patiently exploited it throughout the game. Baylor was a fairly prolific passing team this season and only threw the ball 13 times against the Bruins. Let’s hope Texas hasn’t done the same. I’m thinking Brown is not the same level of coach as Briles though.

    • You mean plus 2 for every pump fake, as that will eliminate the batted down passes…

      ….unless you are a moron who thinks a qg shouldnt know how to do a pump fake.

      • No he means minus 2 for every pump fake as the last pump fake everyone (except you, obviously) remembers Vaz doing ended up with the ball rolling on the ground into the waiting arms of a Stanford defender. It’s a joke. One that’s not too hard to understand…

        …unless you are a moron, of course…

        • If you think a qb is going to fumble the ball, doing normal qb moves, then you should think he shouldnt be in the game. What good is a qb who fumbles. And a pump fake is just a throwing move, without actually throwing…..so no need to fumble. I dont care if he did fumble one, he wouldnt be starting if the coach thought he didnt have that under control.

          But batted passes are a problem for him, so do pump fakes and avoid the batted passes. This aint rocket science. If he cant do a pump fake without fumbling, he should become a corner back or whatever. Since he is starting, one assumes that fumble was an abberation. What coach would put a guy in, he knew couldnt make the moves? Only a moron would think this issue is a joke.

  8. I think the Beavs really want the game and Texas is embarrassed to be there. The only other time Texas has played in the game is when it was the equivalent of the galleryfurniture.com Bowl. Beavs should have big edge in motivation.

    • Seems to me that the Texas coaches would be harping on “we have something to prove” and “we’re underdogs to the Beavers?!?!?!?, can you believe that? No way Jose!” and thus the team will come out ready to play.

      Just a thought.

  9. Kind of off topic…but MR has good taste in “roots” country music…..John Prine, Kelly Willis, some of the local Austin scene musicians. I’m impressed.

  10. I’m less worried about passes being batted as I am about how often Vaz puts the ball on the turf. He fumbles A LOT. Texas knows this and know if they get pressure on him, they can strip the ball pretty easily. He’s also gotten away with some terrible throws. He’s has had a lot of luck, the luck will eventually run out. He can be wildly inaccurate and starts off games really poorly. We’ll see how this goes, not confident though.

  11. Banker has had problems defending against QBs who can run (and that’s putting it nicely). The starting QB for Texas, sophomore David Ash, has 4.6 speed, has good size and strength (6’3″ and 220 lbs) and has had decent success on scrambles and designed runs.

    However, today’s suspension of Case McCoy leaves Texas without an experienced backup QB. As a result, Ash is likely to do less running during tomorrow’s game.

    Advantage OSU. Go Beavs!

    • Trent Bray is a second year graduate assistant. Grad assistants have a maximum of 2 years that they can be a grad assistant at a given school, so unless somebody leaves, there’s nothing that can be done.

      • As discussed here a few times, the real question is whether MR/BDC will take a proactive step to create a place for Trent. Or, will they set back and watch events unfold.
        All this begs the question of who on the current staff should be given their walkin’ papers to create an opening.

        And, just for grins, here is a somewhat muddled take on his GA status, courtesy of Cliff:
        /www.gazettetimes.com/sports/beavers-sports/football/osu-football-notebook-bray-looking-for-a-full-time-coaching/article_20f677f2-487a-11e2-b177-001a4bcf887a.html

        “Bray is finishing up his second year as a graduate assistant, and must move on by NCAA rule. He could have stayed another year if he had made enough progress toward a master’s degree.”

  12. Shawn Heilbron ?@ShawnHeilbron

    These helmets are hanging in the Beavers’ locker room for the final time. Trust me when I say our new look is strong! pic.twitter.com/K8kZioW0

    • Wide receiver Hunter Jarmon (Waco, Texas/Midway) has Oregon State, Washington State and Texas Tech as his three favorites. He visited Oregon State in November, and next month the 6-foot-1, 190-pound receiver will take in Washington State and Texas Tech.

      The four-star prospect has an official visit set up for Washington State on Jan. 11 and another visit set for Texas Tech on Jan. 18. The Texas Tech visit will be his fifth and final, as he already has visited Oregon State (Nov. 3), Kansas (Sept. 15) and Minnesota (Sept. 22).

      While Oregon State is very much in the running, Jarmon is looking forward to his upcoming visits. Both have ties to two coaches he really admires: Washington State coach Mike Leach, and assistant coach Eric Morris, who recently left Washington State to join Kliff Kingsbury’s staff at Texas Tech.

      “For Washington State, I’ve always been in love with Coach Leach since he was at Tech,” Jarmon said. “I’ve looked up to his offense, and Michael Crabtree is one of my favorite receivers of all time. I want to see what the campus is like. I’ve been hearing about how the facilities are getting upgraded. Pullman, (Wash.), is a long way from home, but I want to see what it’s like.”

      Jarmon continued: “I’ve always like Tech, again because of Coach Leach and the history there. A lot of my friends go there, and it’s relatively close to my parents. Half of the games will be played in Texas. I like how Coach Kingsbury’s at Tech now, and I’ve always had a strong bond with Coach Morris.”

      Jarmon said Texas Tech has been a major player for months, and Morris’ arrival to Lubbock, Texas, strengthens the Red Raiders’ case. However, Oregon State and Washington State remain just as strong. Whichever school wins over Jarmon will get a player who is ranked No. 48 among receivers nationally and No. 43 among players in Texas for the Class of 2013. Jarmon was the leading receiver in his district and an all-state honorable mention selection.

      • Jarmon is a standout baseball player too. OSU might have the edge if he really wants to play both sports. None of the others schools are top tier baseball programs.

  13. Brandon Sprague ?@BrandonSprague

    RT @JeffCaves Had @GeorgeSchroeder of USA Today on, he said Mark Helfrich will get UO job if Kelly leaves for NFL. He expects Kelly to leave

  14. Dashon Hunt will announce during the Offense-Defense All-American game on Jan 1st.
    more in the Recruiting forum. I would be surprised if we don’t get his commitment, but I have been disappointed before by this staff…

    • That was a “luck o’ the rodents” kind of loss. Only thing you don’t want to do on that series is turn the ball over and of course that’s exactly what happened. I thought Minnesota played hard, it was too bad.

      • Jason, we are in section 114 row 32. Can’t get into forums. I will try the # on the flatailgate card. Staying at Hotel Contessa. Beer!

    • Didn’t much care for the music choices. Sports videos production always takes a predictable approach, it’d be nice to see them pull off something different than all of the cliches “nothing to lose…”

      I enjoyed the reference to Fred Thompson at the beginning, and much of the footage, particularly of the LBs at work. Nice to think of another year of Doctor/Alexander together and getting better, hopefully with an improved D line.

  15. If Riley doesn’t try to establish a run game today I just might crap myself. Who wants to bet that the very first down is a bomb to nowhere. In the end though I think the Beavs want it more and will pull this one through to a win.

    GO BEAVS! Beat the foghorns!

    • Put on your Depends just in case…he might spend a lot of the game throwing the ball to set up the run. Eventually.

      Actually, I see a running play to start, and a balanced game called. Riley might even be aggressive if he has the lead. This is one of those games I could see him being looser than normal, and maybe just “going for it.”

  16. I’m not a big fan of the long pass off of play action to start the game. I think it’s kind of Riley’s “MO” by now and smart teams should be ready for it, granted when it works it’s exciting.

    Problem is that it’s low percentage and you end of being 2nd and 10 before you know it and then 3 and out. I don’t think there’s anything wrong with running the ball three straight times to get a first down and establish the run from the get go against a statistically bad run defense team like Texas.

  17. Keys to the game –

    Offense –
    1. Establish either the run or the pass first. Need to get one going to set up the other. Doesn’t really matter which.
    2. No turnovers. It’s a texas home game so any turnovers will get the crowd into a frenzy.
    3. Get the ball to your playmakers, Wheaton, Cooks, Woods, Ward, and Hamlett. I think Hamlett could have a big game.

    Defense –
    1. Win first and second down. Stuff the run.
    2. Pressure and hit the QB. With no backup having recorded any stats, if Ash goes down, it’ll be a long day for Texas. Ash hasn’t played in over a month as well. Timing may be an issue.
    3. Solid tackling. Wrap up and swarm to the ball on defense. No yac yards.

    I expect to see some razzle dazzle from Texas early. If it works, it’ll get their crowd into the game early. With everything that’s been going on with their team,(suspended players, stumble to the finish line), they may look to try something.

    I think draw plays will be huge in the run game today. Texas will be trying to get to vaz due to his fumbling issues. Draw plays will be there.

    Also, for Texas to score, they need to get inside the 25. Their kickers have attempted ZERO field goals 50+ and are 1/6 outside 40.

    I’m confident the beavs will pull this one out. Just need to get up on Texas and keep them down. With the crowd behind them, momentum could easily switch to them at any point in the game.

    Something like a 31 – 21 type game.

    • Is this Towson team half way decent? I noticed they gave Georgetown a battle. I’m thinking they could make it an “ugly” game for the Beavs.

      • They’re an average mid-major type team, however, they play at a much higher level when facing BCS teams. They’re gonna be ready to play today, OSU should still win by 18-20. That Georgetown game was ugly because Georgetown made it ugly. They’re severely offensively challenged.

  18. Was told by a guy by the pool this morning that I was given credit in the Oregonian for helping OSU football “turn the corner.” I like to feel that I did my part…so close. If only the administration had been a bit more patient..Oh well. It’s a burden being famous…just yesterday another driver called me “f…ing bonehead.”

    Getting ready to settle in for the game. The outdoor bar here is going to have the game on so we’ll start there and see how it goes. Have met two Duck couples here….both are supporting the Beavs and will be there. JB

    • So true JB, I don’t think a lot of the “young uns” realize how close the ’93 and especially ’94 teams were. Even the ’95 team had another “hair on fire” defense, but unfortunately for you the flexbone regressed badly and 1-10 doesn’t cut it after consecutive 4-7 seasons. You did well under tough circumstances and were starting to recruit some competitive athletes. I think MR did give you some credit.

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