Beaver fans seem excited about Xavier Hawkins, newest commit.
Here are his highlights.
Folks from Tennessee say he’s under the radar and one of the best players in State. Reminds me of what Oregonians said about Jordan Poyer. With Poyer the talent was obvious, but I am not seeing it with Hawkins. He looks to me more like Malcolm Marable than Jordan Poyer…
5pm tip.
Step right up and watch Craig Robinson get taken to flight school by Altman.
Some things I’m hearing:
Luke Del Rio will be transferring to OSU. That would give OSU 7 QBs on the roster. Seems like overkill. Riley using quantity to make up for quality?
Kohton Miller is the carrot being dangled in front of Beav fans by the recruiting sites. He likely will not sign with OSU, but since there is a 5% chance they’re playing it up for subscriptions. This is sad.
Riley apparently didn’t know Skotte and his dad had arranged an interview to talk to him. From Mamma Machado: Riley said, “hmmm, I wonder if that is what it is about….”
Again, pretty sad.
The number of commitments and their ranking are both down year over year. This could be an anomaly and there’s still time for it to change. In general the class looks weak, and I haven’t heard anything about the staff working hard on recruiting or being aggressive. So, it seems like the same ol’ on that front. They will get a combination of low hanging fruit and mid-tier players and have to “coach them up” (with a coach who has semi checked out). Correct me if I’m not seeing it accurately.
Also, AngryBeavs is up for sale. I’m in no rush to sell it and will keep the current, slow pace if I don’t get a strong offer, but I when being honest with my output it has declined over the past few years (I thought it was due to medical issues, but the drive isn’t returning). Fact is it’s a lot of work running a blog, and when your passions lie elsewhere it starts to become more of a drag than a blast. I keep hoping something changes with that, but it’s starting to feel a lot like dating a lame girlfriend. For things to change this regime would have to change. That would ignite everyone. But everyone is content that “that ain’t happening unless you write a check, Angry” blah blah blah. I feel like I’m repeating myself too much these days (and possibly being overly negative out of sheer boredom with the lack of news/excitement around the program), and I could be spending that time more productively. So, if anyone is interested email me.
5pm.
Go Beavs.
And the results are the most balanced attack all year?
Riley will spend the offseason thinking about how he will handle play-calling next season.
The OSU coach took over calling plays from offensive coordinator Danny Langsdorf a couple of years ago.
But after the Beavers’ 69-27 loss to Washington on Nov. 23, Riley switched gears, handing the play-calling back to Langsdorf.
“I thought with where we were as a team, I needed to step back,” Riley says. “As far as the whole team and what I needed to do coming off the Washington game, I thought it was a move it would be wise for me to make. The preparation for calling plays is enormous. I thought we’d be better served with Danny doing it and with me focusing on all the other things we need to do in terms of game-planning. And Danny did a great job.”
In the last two games — a 36-35 loss at Oregon and the 38-23 win over Boise State at the Hawaii Bowl — the Beavers were more balanced than they’d been all season, running the ball very effectively.
On the surface, it would seem as if Langsdorf was more willing to run than was Riley. It’s true, to a point. But Riley was between a rock and a hard place. Poor run-blocking had left the Beavers in too many second- and third-down and long situations. Plus, the passing game, led by Mannion and Cooks, was so productive, Riley knew he could count on moving the ball through the air.
I don’t like this back and forth. We know Langsdorf was horrible in this role just a few years ago. Now he has two good games, and it throws confusion into the equation. It sounds like Riley did it because he was burnt out, but he goes on to say Langsdorf did a great job, implying he might call plays next year. Is it possible to grow and change as a play caller? I really have no clue. It seems like a feel thing that you either have or you don’t. But Riley’s play calling was all over the map this year, so maybe you can lose it. In Riley’s case I think he got caught up in the team having a “passing identity“.
Also, is it possible Riley called those games, yet he’s just trying to protect Langsdorf so he doesn’t have to fire anyone this off season? Anyone see Riley holding a play sheet (or any other possible proof) during either game?