Use this post for your in-game comments, frustrations, ecstasy, etc.

Regarding the game, anyone else getting the feeling the Beavers are on the cusp of actually being good? I almost want to go against my prediction, and I would were it not for the coaching staff. Meaning, I don't trust the coaches will have the right players on the field at the start of the game, which will cost them points. One other thing: Arizona hasn't yet earned my respect. They have a lofty rating, but do any of us who follow the PAC-10 truely believe Arizona is the 9th best team in the country? Eh. I think they're more in the 25 range.

I've got some gin ready just in-case. Warren, you drink a Shirley Temple.

Go Beavs.

Usually I like to wait until Wednesday to do an analysis. It gives me time to read about the teams, players, etc and watch film. Lucky for me, when I came home for lunch today the Arizona/Cal game was on replay, and I pretty much saw all I need to know.

What surprised me is how much trouble Nick Foles has throwing deep passes. For some reason, I thought he could sling it, but most of his passes go to wide receivers in the flat. Arizona loves the yards after catch. Their formula seems to be throw a pass in the flat on 1st down and hope for at least 5 yards. It seems like they did that every play. And thinking back to last year when Foles torched the Beavs, I seem to remember a lot of horizontal passing. They have a lot of "2nd and short" because of it. I'm not sure how I feel about the Beavs defending that type of pass. One thing I know: Foles doesn't take many seven step drops, and that's going to negate the Beavs' new-found pass rush.

The game will be decided by the Beavers defense, and it will come down to making sound, fundamental, one on one tackles in open space, in the flat. Now that Collins is manning half that area, I can feel comfortable if Arizona decides to go there. Starting Doctor as the other OLB would be a wise move. Paea & Co are going to have to do their damage in defending the run game. There won't be any sacks to be had with Arizona's 3 step drops. What you want to see from the front four is penetration and tackles for a loss on run plays. Grigsby is a solid runner, but injuries seemed to have left him less explosive.

On the offensive side of the ball, I'm concerned. Arizona's stats are inflated due to their first two opponents, but watching them versus Cal they can get after a DI offensive line, and Golden is a good corner. It's a precarious combination–Katz probably throws his first career interception this weekend.

Some key points:

• The Wildcats aren't an offensive juggernaut; the Beavers have a leaky defense.

Advantage: Wildcats

• The Beavers can score; Arizona can play defense.

Advantage: None/Stalemate.

• The Beavs return game (i.e. special teams) is playing out of their minds' right now.

Advantage: Beavers

So, to me this game comes down to (a) the Beavers' defense, specifically in the flat and (b) whether or not the return men can create good field position for the offense. The offense needs a short field.

Oregon State's confidence is riding high right now, which can tilt the scale. However, the Wildcats can match that confidence, and have other intangibles in their favor, such as two weeks preparation and a 4pm kickoff, the hottest part of the day.

I see this contest coming down to the wire. Do not be surprised to see the game go to overtime, or won/lost on a last second field goal or missed extra point. It's a pick 'em game, in my opinion, and I'm begrudgingly giving the edge to the home team.

24-23, Arizona

It's somewhat amazing how 3 measly points is the difference between further fan outrage and the tamed hope for a successful season.

There was a lot of redemption yesterday. Stephen Paea finally shut his mouth, and let his play do the talking. Keith Pankey made his first memorable play as a Beaver. The defense pressured the QB. And, both coordinators schemed solid games. It was especially refreshing to see Mark Banker utilize his personnel. The speed of Doctor and Collins on the field at the same time made a difference, even though Doctor had a hard go of it.

Without James Rodgers in the game, the offense had to get everyone involved, and you saw the results of that. Do the coordinators see the light and become more diverse? We'll have to wait to see. It's unfortunate that injury (Roberson and James Rodgers) had to occur before the staff were willing to entrust these skilled backups, but it should not come as a surprise. The coaches tendency to hone on one player per position, whether it be Quizz getting every carry, James receiving every pass, etc, is perhaps my biggest frustration. 

Moving on.

For four weeks now there's been a lot of criticism that Katz doesn't check down to Quizz enough. I saw two check downs yesterday that would have resulted in meaningful yards. Two. Let's not forget how frustrating it was to watch Lyle and Sean throw two yard passes 90% of the time back in 2007. My point being, it's not just about checking down for the sake of it, it's checking down when there is opportunity for good yardage. And I agree, he needs to improve at the latter. But let's not criticize the guy so much that he develops a complex and begins checking down when big plays are available down field. Learning how to check down is an organic process–let it take its course.

Moving on.

The biggest problem I saw yesterday, and this has been this program's Achilles heel under Riley, is the inability of his teams to finish off games. Over the last five years, the Beavers have been a great first quarter team, but then slowly fade as the game goes on, only to pick it up again in the fourth quarter, many times to secure the victory. The second and third quarter lulls need to be addressed. Why does the team continually lose focus once they get a lead? In my opinion, many times it's predictable, conservative play calling that is the culprit, and that falls squarely on the coaches. Young people have less and less attention span, so it's imperative to keep them interested and involved in the game. QuizZ dive left, Quizz dive right does the opposite.

Another point to address is the notion that the defense has arrived. That is simply false. What made them look good was the pressure they were able to get on Threet, which forced him into mistakes, but many of the same problems continued to plague the unit. For example, allowing close to 50% third down conversions (7/16), 100% 4th down conversions (2/2), 161 rushing yards for a 5.1 average, and let's not forget the continued lack of fundamentals (e.g. the tackling "effort" on Arizona State's first touch down). In short, there was a lot of good (6 sacks, 3 turnovers), but also much of the same old. Improvement does not equate to "arrival."

One final note I'd like to mention: the coaches need to understand when to use the red flag. After Saturday, my tally is 5 calls this season alone that had an above-average to excellent chance of being overturned. In the Boise State game, one of them resulted in 7 for the Broncos. Yesterday, they lucked out and ASU kicked the FG they would have gotten anyway, but not before first driving to the 1 yard line, and almost scoring a touchdown. That would have resulted in 4 additional points–enough to win the game. The lack of decisiveness and aggressiveness has become old. Do you remember the failed challenges (notably on the WR, D.J. Woods' fumble) last year versus Cincinnati? Not recognizing or seizing these opportunities makes the coaches look at best passive and at worst incompetent, and that is not being nit-picky or harshly critical–the broadcasters always mention it, too. Pac-10 officials are bad, and at some point a game is going to be lost over one of these (missed) challenges, if it already hasn't.

Use this post for your in-game comments, frustrations, ecstasy, etc.

Five key points I'll be looking at early on:

1. Do the Beavs come out of the tunnel fired up? They looked anemic before the Boise kickoff. Attitude is what's going to allow them to prevail in this game, because ASU has more talent. Further, will our geriatric fanbase be quiet and more concerned about people standing up in front of them, or are they going to get up and make some noise? Now that classes have begun, I expect a more electric atmosphere.

2. Ryan Katz–this game is set up perfectly for him to have success. Keep in mind Katz enrolled early and essentially has the experience of a Junior. If he doesn't click today, we can legitimately begin the Vaz discussion.

3. As with the last two games, 3rd downs on both sides of the ball will decide the game.

4. Watch the pass rush early on. If they aren't getting near Threet you can expect Hardin et al to look terrible again. You can also expect a blowout loss. Specifically keep an eye on Paea and watch if he's truly being doubled or if that is an excuse for his poor play–I'll bite my tongue and let you decide.

5. James Rodgers. First, does he play. Second, the Beavers' offense is very predictable with him in there–the ball is going one of two places 90% of the time. With Rodgers out, maybe that opens up. Don't get me wrong, I definitely want to see James out there, but there needs to be more diversity.

Have the booze ready, Beavlettes. I'm going with Gin, unsweetened iced tea, a slice of lemon, and a splash of 100% cranberry juice. It's low calorie and delectable. I call it the Angry Beaver. My lady Beav is making us a veggie pizza from scratch. Can't beat Saturday's in the fall, am I right?