The game has been postponed. The trend continues–if the Beavs didn't have bad luck, they wouldn't have any luck at all.

Ramifications:

• Lower attendance if/when they do make this game up.
• No tuneup for Wisconsin
• Likely start 0-1 instead of 1-0

The positives are they'll have two weeks to prepare for Wisconsin and should be healthier.

Greetings Beavlettes, and welcome to another exciting year of Beaver football!

So I've been looking over the final depth chart, and the only issues I have with the starters are Colin Kelly and Colby Prince. Now, I know why these two players are starting (experience, plus Caleb Smith/Gavin Andrews didn't do enough in camp), but still, those two are weak links. I'd personally rather see Tyler Anderson at FB, but some say he missed blocks, so I get it. On defense, Watkins over Zimmerman is the lone error, though with Watkins injured Zim will get the start this weekend. Sweet serendipity. Overall, this is the closest Riley's ever come to putting the right guys on the field.

Regarding Nicholls State, I've heard the same things you guys have: they incorporate elements of the spread and pistol, didn't score much last year, and now have incorporated more pro sets. I typed in "Nicholls State Football Preview" trying to find more info and possibly game film to analyze, but couldn't find anything. Nicholls State–the Simi Kuli of the Southland Conference?? Maybe they don't exist, and that, not Hurricane Isaac, is why they're not going to show up on Saturday. Speaking of Hurricane Isaac, that should be Seumalo's nickname–it can't be coincidence that he's playing his first game vs a team from that area, right? The odds are against that. I declare him Hurricane Isaac!

So, I expect the Beavs to have a vanilla game plan. Run left, run right, figure who on the O-line can run block, and then throw in a play action here and there. I know the pass game is the Beavs' strength, but they need to figure out who can block and who can't  (I'm looking at you, Colin Kelly) before playing Wisconsin. That's not something to figure out in-game. They also need to establish an identity from the first play of the season, something Riley has never done, but he's also never put 90% of the right players on the field, so maybe after 12 years something is finally clicking in his slow, laconic brain. Riley will get to within 2 wins of Lon Stiner on Saturday. Lon had higher highs, like all the other successful OSU coaches, and for that reason I think it's a tarnished stat. 

There's actually a lot of pressure on Riley and the Beavs this weekend. The Sac St debacle has to be in the back of their minds, and they've heard all the negative press this off season…plus, Riley feels his seat getting hotter (you can tell, because he's finally working again (e.g. taking over play calling, actually trying lol, etc).

I honestly believe the Beavs will dominate this entire game and put up 40+ points. I don't see Nicholls State scoring more than 10. So…how about something like 45-10? Maybe the vanilla game plan keeps them in the 30s.

Oh, and I usually am not one for sentimental gestures, but the Beavs will be wearing "FT 92" on their helmets this year in honor of Fred Thompson. Loved that guy (as much as a straight, angry writer can love a fellow male and football player from afar). It's classy in a good way. Good job getting something right, Beavs.

Some people don't like comparing football to war. Those people should stop reading now.

I agree, they aren't the same thing, but there are similarities and lessons to learn.

On that note, I'm re-reading The Art of War in an attempt to understand what goes into a successful "battle" (let's call it a "football game" for the sake of this argument and blog). From Sun Tzu's masterpiece:

The art of war, then, is governed by five constant factors, to be taken into account in one's deliberations, when seeking to determine the conditions obtaining in the field.

These are:

• Moral Law
• Heaven
• Earth
• The Commander
• Method and Discipline

The Moral Law causes people to be in accord with their ruler.

Heaven signifies night and day, cold and heat.

Earth comprises distances, great and small, open ground and narrow passes.

The commander stands for the virtues of wisdom, sincerity, benevolence, courage, and strictness.

By method and discipline are to be understood the marshaling of the army in its proper subdivisions, the graduations of rank among the officers, [etc]

So let's relate these to football.

The moral law: basically, the players must respect their coach and unquestionably obey him.

Heaven: The Beavers could use things like the saturated air and rainy weather to their advantage. Oregon has done this brilliantly with their heavy run game and fast pace (an advantage in their native humidity but also a potential opponents' heat). Beavs should be a heavy run team with a short passing game–two things that excel in rainy conditions.

Earth: This would be the field. Since fields are standardized, it doesn't really apply, but I would argue that a grass field would give the Beav's an "Earth" advantage. Again, in damp conditions a muddy field would help the team familiar with it. By using field turf, it neutralizes that advantage over the opponent.

The Commander: Obviously, this is RIley. Wisdom (check), Sincerity (check), benevolence (check), courage (no), strictness (no). You can see why Riley is not the ideal leader.

Method and Discipline: This is where the Beavs most obviously fall apart. The correct players are rarely on the field or in the correct position to succeed, and the rank of "officers" (i.e. coordinators) is determined by nepotism, favoritism, and stubbornness more than rank.

Tzu goes on to say

By means of these [see below] seven considerations I can forecast victory or defeat

1. Which of the two sovereigns is imbued with the Moral law?
2. Which of the two generals has most ability?
3. With whom lie the advantages derived from Heaven and Earth?
4. On which side is discipline most rigorously enforced?
5. Which army is stronger?
6. On which side are officers and men more highly trained?
7. In which army is there greater consistency both in reward and punishment?

Again, let's quickly break these down:

1. Moral law = player respect for their coaches. The Beavs have this.
2. Riley is rarely the better general, but it's exaggerated against coaches like Chip Kelly (who epitomizes Tzu's writing).
3. Beavs could have advantages here, but they have freely chosen to neutralize them. This shows lack of understanding in their "army"…
4. Beavs have poor discipline.
5. Beavs rarely have the "stronger army" due to poor recruiting.
6. Players receive good training (i.e. coaching), but their skill level is usually less than the opponent. In other words, there's only so much coaching up for the Beav army…
7. Beavs really suffer in this department. There is no consistency in punishment, especially on the field. Riley enforces off the field issues well…

Again, I'm trying to understand what is wrong with our program. I watch other teams, and everything is so much easier. Something is not right in Corvallis. I think understanding the rigid mindset required to win any battle helps shed light on the flaws in our program. Hope this helps others' see the light.

Riley quoted as saying there were a lot of procedural penalties…said the team needs to work on details (does this sound familiar?)

Banker says CBs were lining up offside, guys were "missing tackles", defenders "panicking" and committing holding or interference penalties.

Trevor Romaine goes 2-4 on FGs.

Sounds like problems with basic, fundamental football will haunt this team yet again. These types of mistakes play out as one step forward/two steps back during games. I don't know about you guys, but I might pull my hair out watching another season of missed tackles, false starts, and shanked kicks. Banker did not sound happy at all with the D.

No punting stats. When a reporter asks Riley about the punters, he dodges the question and says he was watching the return game and the blockers so he didn't pay attention to the punters. That sums it up; he never pays attention to punters, which is why we don't have one. I thought it was a clever way to dodge the question, though…if he was watching the return game he obviously saw the punts. He just didn't like them, and being Mr. Nice Guy, he didn't want to say that.

Everyone will focus on Woods scoring and Gilmore having a nice day. That's fine. But what I want to see is solid fundamentals, and not only didn't it happen, but we got the exact opposite.