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Oregon State @ Arizona State

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What do I know about Arizona State? Nada. Not one of their games has been broadcast here in Santa Barbara. Haven’t seen a single play, not even on Sportscenter. Everything I know about the Sun Devils is from hearsay. With that being said…

1. They played Georgia close on the road.

2. They beat up on two bad football teams.

3. In spring ball they were talking about using a lot of 5wr sets–also known as #28 will get torched for a minimum of two scores.

4. They have the highest ranked defense in the PAC-10, but again, that data is likely skewed due to the weak competition.

5. Supposedly their QB isn’t very good, but the Beavers make every QB look All-American.

Given all of the above, and considering the game is at Tempe, we should lose. But, I tell you what–we need to win a game that we’re expected to lose in order to make up for last weeks debacle. That’s the only way to get back in this. Given the Beavers haven’t won a game at Tempe in 40 years, this is definitely a game they’re expected to lose. The good news for the Beavers is that my last two predictions have been wrong. And this week I’m predicting a loss. So, if they lose, Angry is a genius; if they win, Angry is an ecstatic idiot. It’s like a rook/queen fork in chess–I simply can’t lose.

31-17 Sun Devils

Markus Wheaton and the Redshirt

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Markus Wheaton’s stat sheet can be seen here: http://scores.espn.go.com/ncf/player/profile?playerId=482558

So far this season, Markus has 2 catches for 13 yards. He has rushed 4 times for 19 yards. Projected stats are 6 catches for 39 yards and 12 rushes for 57 yards.

He has not been used on kick returns or punt returns. His stat sheet for UNLV and Cincinnati reads “Did Not Play or did not accumulate any stats.”  On September 15th, Mike Riley said, ““Markus is not quite ready for prime time yet, but we hope to get that going this week. There are some things we’d like to do with him. Right now, we lose something running the fly sweep because he’s not as efficient with it yet.”

Someone needs to ask Mike Riley the tough question here: Why didn’t he redshirt Wheaton? If he wasn’t ready for primetime on the 15th, two games into the season, then logic tells you he certainly wasn’t ready the first game. Riley knew Catchings was returning for Cincinnati, and he didn’t even play Wheaton in the games that Catchings missed, so injury is not a valid excuse. Riley essentially wasted a year of Wheaton’s eligibility. That is a big deal given that Wheaton is the most explosive recruit from the 2008 class.

Grading the PAC-10: Week 4

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1. Oregon–a testament to how quickly a team can come together. Maybe it gives Beav fans hope. Thing is, Oregon has always had the altheles, so it was simply an execution issue in their case.  Anyway, this was their first impressive win. Utah isn’t a good team, shouldn’t have been rated, etc. But Cal is a good team. And the Ducks annihilated them.

2. Stanford–this team is beginning to scare me. They’re winning with special teams and defense, mixed in with the occasional big play on offense. It’s a strange combination that doesn’t seem sustainable, yet it continues…

3. Arizona–Impressive win by the Wildcats. Didn’t think they had a chance with the new QB. When Grigsby went down the situation turned doubly dubious. Hey, what can you say other than the Beavers Couged it.

4. USC–Speaking of the Cougs…they played tenacious D (ha ha). USC is definitely not vintage this year. Barkley doesn’t impress me so far. Their D is softer than in the past. Sure, they’re still USC, but to win by 21 when you should have won by 60 has to be slightly disappointing.

5. Arizona State–Impressive showing on the road versus the big bad SEC. ASU are going to have a lot of confidence next week and the Beavers aren’t. To make the dire even worse, the game is in Tempe. Load up on the gin, boys.

6. Washington State–As noted, hung in there. Considering they have no talent I was impressed with the effort. On the road no less.

7. Oregon State–Manhandled for the second straight week on both sides of the ball. At home no less. Tempe looming.

8. Washington–Letdown or reality check? I think USC simply isn’t vintage and Washington always plays them tough at home. The #24 ranking was hilarious…voters love the Carroll pedigree and grasp for reasons to parlay his progeny into the top 25. Egg on their face.

9. California–Ha ha. Tedford. What an idiot. Too bad it was the Ducks who waxed him on national television because now they’re in the top 25 again. Bittersweet situation, really, as is much of my emotion when following the PAC-10.

10. UCLA–Bye. Slick Rick helicoptered into Portland to woo our 5 star DE recruit. Not good.

10 Post-Game Observations

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1. The line play is atrocious. Both sides of the ball. No pass rush. I said this week 1, because we played PSU and didn’t sniff Hubel’s jock, but people kept saying, “Angry, we didn’t TRY to blitz or try to get pressure!”  That never made sense to me, because why would a team not try to pressure a QB? Also, the same happened against UNLV, and I heard the same thing. Can we officially put a fork in the pass rush, guys?

On the flip side, the offensive line is terrible, and this goes back to all those walk-ons who are starting. I made various posts about this issue and essentially everything I said is coming to fruition. Who was standing with hands on hips after every sack? Either Mike Remmers or Grant Johnson.

2. Sean Canfield is a heart breaker. Yes, he’s handsome, but I’m not talking about a heart breaker with regards to the ladies. He teases you. Shows flashes of brilliance. Flashes where you say, “I was wrong, this guy can play.” But when there’s pressure he simply makes bad decisions. He doesn’t appear nervous. I don’t think it’s performance anxiety; I think it’s simply that he makes stupid decisions. This seems to be a problem with OSU QBs going back to Derrik Anderson. Feel bad for the guy because he seems to be a great person and teammate.

3. That safety, #28, the one with the weird name, he should have his scholarship yanked. He might be the worst “safety” in OSU history. At least since the 28 year losing streak…wasn’t around for that, but I’m sure those guys were worse. Maybe not. Any old timers who can confirm?

4. @Arizona State is always a loss, so we’re looking at the annual 2-3 start, but more importantly, we’re looking at an 0-2 PAC-10 start.

5. Arizona is likely the worst PAC-10 team besides Washington State. So where do we get a win on this schedule? I’ve watched enough football to know every week is a new mindset and anything can happen (see Cal vs Oregon), but realistically, looking at this schedule I see 1 more game on the schedule we can mark as a win, and it’s the one vs Washington State. Stanford is a game we could win, but their line play is superior to ours so I see it playing out much like this game tonight.

6. This is all about the athletes. The rest of the PAC-10 has been out-recruiting us for years now and it’s visible on the field. Stoops is an excellent recruiter, and now that he has all his guys, he beats us. Realize the Beavers won 9 of the last 10 vs Arizona. The two teams with the worst recruiting right now, OSU and WSU, are fielding the worst teams.

7. I’m not going to blame this game on Canfield. Bone-head pick late in the game, but if you yield 37 points to an Arizona team with a QB who hasn’t started since high school, a team that lost both an all-conference RB and TE, then you look no further than the defense. Specifically the lack of a pass rush.

8. Can we begin a discussion about special teams? Hekker’s punt. Kaput’s kick out of bounds late in the game. Refusing to catch two punts inside the 20 yard line. We blamed our last coach, the deadbeat from the south, on the special teams play, but simply put it’s the players. We don’t have good players. We need to recruit a prep kicker and give the kid a scholarship. Yes, Hekker is on scholie, but he shouldn’t be…one good game in the Sun Bowl does not make a resume.

9. Adding insult to injury, the Golden Domers eked out a win vs Purdue and will probably be in the top 10.

10. Beavers don’t have the talent to reload. It’s a rebuilding job. Translation: load up on the gin.

10 In-game Observations: Major Defensive Problems

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1. Kevin Frahm is worthless–been trying to bite my tongue on this one and give him some time, but it’s judgment day.

2. Cameron Collins and the Hawaiian Safety (#28) can’t cover or tackle anyone.

3. Stephen Paea isn’t dominant like we thought. We’re beginning to see it was Victor Butler and Slade Norris who determined his success last season.

4. Ben Terry is pointless.

5. The 2nd DT hasn’t made a play in 4 games now.

6. How many times can Arizona dump the ball in the flat before we tighten up?

7. James Dockery always has tight coverage, but then he flails and falls to the turf for no reason.

8. I don’t see how we’re going to get any turnovers this season. We have no playmakers. Everyone is on their heels. The offense is so much more likely to turn it over than the defense is to force a turnover. This reality makes every game have an uneasy feel.

9. This should really be a blowout. At home vs a bottom tier PAC 10 team that lost their star RB and TE and is starting a new QB …

10. We will lose this game. No pass rush…making a first time starter look All-PAC 10. Each week the Beavers take the field our season gets more and more grim.