I was on Christmas vacation when this happened so it wasn’t discussed. Needless to say, I am thrilled, for if the Kreb brothers are starting on your team, you are not going to the Rose Bowl. There’s this notion in Beaver-land that if Riley turns a stone he finds a hidden gem. Not true. Most of the time he finds what you’d expect.

The following excerpt is from Cliff Kirkpatrick:

LAS VEGAS – Two Oregon State football players decided to leave the program right before the team left for the Las Vegas Bowl, coach Mike Riley said Saturday.

Another didn’t make the trip.

The Krebs brothers, receiver Kaulin and linebacker Kameron, plan to transfer to another school. Both are redshirt freshmen who haven’t played in a game.

“It was a surprise, but they are doing it for an opportunity (to play),” Riley said.

The only thing I’ll disagree about is the comment that they didn’t play in a game. I’m sure I saw the flowing-locks-o’-red LB missing tackles in a game early in the season, and I know I saw him on special teams at least once, too. Oh well, here’s a toast to these two leaving the team and freeing up scholarships.

Speaking of which, Ashton Jefferson, the RB out of Texas, is rumored to have been kicked off the team for violations in Las Vegas. Word is that he smoked weed. Many Beav fans liked Jefferson and compared him to ex-Viking Robert Smith. Those comparisons are unfounded. Smith was a gliding, graceful runner with sprinter speed. Jefferson is similar in that he had long strides, but that’s where the comparisons should have ended. Again, this will free up another scholarship, and hopefully we can replace Jefferson (who was a reach) with more refined talent.

No, nobody will fire Mark Banker because Mike Riley is too nice of a guy, so we have to cross our fingers and hope that another school takes him off our hands. Christmas just passed, but it’s not too early to think about an early 2010 gift, right?

Most fans complain of Banker’s inability to scheme against the spread (gap cancellation? more like gap creation) . It’s true, he’s horrible in his career against spread offenses, but another equally consistent problem is the secondary. It’s nothing new to note and write about the DBs refusal to turn their heads and make a play on the ball. I asked Cliff Kirkpatrick why nobody grills Banker on this point, and he told me he did ask Banker, and Mark said that a DB is faster when running without looking. Flat out, that kind of logic boarders on mental retardation.

1. What good is running fast if you’re not breaking up the pass?

2. The WR slows down to look for the ball as well.

3. There’s a reason nobody else in college football teaches Banker’s technique.

But Banker’s problems go even deeper. We saw Collins and Dockery miss tackle after tackle in the CW and versus BYU. They were constantly out of position with their bodies’ flailing at the defender. Steve Sanner, the recruiting guru over at rivals.com, tells me he loved Dockery on signing day. Three words: orange-colored glasses. Oh, and dating back to Keith Pankey’s flail at Toby Gerhart in 2008 and more recently with Keaton Kristick’s meltdown at USC, it seems the cancer that is being out of position and flailing has infected the linebacker corp as well. The guy is simply done here. He’s got his head up his ass dreaming of a head coaching gig; he’s said as much. Mike Riley won’t do it, though. He’ll do the family thing to the detriment of the program. This is another chance to replace a coach with a great coach/recruiter that will be missed…unless we’re “poached”, and cross your fingers that we are.

1. This team is flat, lacks leadership, and blew an opportunity for a top 15 finish.

2. Jordan Bishop drops every pass thrown to him. Not just in this game, but all year. He’s like Catchings part 2.

3. Why was Johnny Hekker on award lists? I don’t want to hear this guy is good ever again. He’s the worst punter in the conference by far.

4. Banker’s defense looks like a joke yet again.

5. BYU was practicing for a week before the Beavers. They didn’t take this game seriously.

6. Another national embarrassment. It’s guys like Mark May, Lou Holtz, and Rese Davis who you have to impress. They’re laughing at the Beavers.

7. Expect more of this national embarrassment next season. The Beavers never rise to the occasion when they’re the only game on primetime.

There are plenty of reasons to be nervous about this game.

1. This is practically a home game for BYU.

2. Nobody on the Beavers defense will be able to cover the BYU tight end.

3. Max Hall is great at moving the chains on 3rd down.

4. The Beavers red zone defense is terrible.

5. BYU was practicing and prepping for this game a week before the Beavers.

The positive is that the Beavers should be able to put up points on BYU’s slow, nonathletic defense. The game comes down to whether or not OSU’s defense can get off the field. Given my five points above, and the fact that historically the Beavers play (down) to the level of MWC and WAC opponents, a betting man would take the home dog, BYU. The line has me salivating. But I think the Beavers put up a monstrous offensive performance, their best of the year, and bail out yet another uninspired and incompetent defensive showing.

44-34, Beavs

From Ted Miller:

Oregon State certainly isn’t shy about scheduling.

It appears the Beavers are about to sign a game contract to open next season against TCU on Sept. 4 at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas.

So Oregon State will be breaking in a new starting quarterback in front of 80,000 hostile fans in the most sparkling — distractingly so — venue in football.

The Beavers will be dropping Eastern Washington to add the Horned Frogs, who are presently unbeaten and headed to a Fiesta Bowl date with Boise State.

Did someone say Boise State?

Oregon State visits Boise State on Sept. 25, the week after playing Louisville. The Broncos are 71-2 playing on the blue turf since the 1999 season.

http://espn.go.com/blog/pac10/post/_/id/6343/oregon-state-close-to-inking-game-with-tcu

How do you guys feel about this? I think it’s great to challenge yourself, but you have to be smart and see what the BCS does/does not reward, and SOS is low on the list. Of course, perception plays a key role in the human polls so there is some reward to be gained there from this risk.  In the end, I’d prefer the Eastern Washington game since we’re breaking in a new QB. Before ganging up on Bobby D, realize that all scheduling decisions go through Riley, so he approved this.