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#28 to Ride the Bench & Other Thoughts

By
angry
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2

So the safety, #28, is finally going to ride the bench this weekend. Finally! Cam Collins has looked shaky in his limited playing time, but change was long overdue and maybe a move like this jumpstarts the defense. For all the talk of Riley finding hidden talent and developing it, he’s painfully loyal to players who are not talented, and that loyalty nullifies many of his positive traits.  If we had benched #28 in the UNLV game when it was clear he was the weak link in the secondary, we maybe win vs Cincy (he did give up 14 points) or Arizona (he gave up 7 more). Last year we went through this same process when Riley got hooked on Keith Pankey, the player who took an angle on Toby Gerhart that not even his mother could love and 60 yards later the Beavers miss the Rose Bowl by 1 loss. Dwight Roberson was the obvious play to everyone but Riley. When Roberson began seeing the field more, the Beavers went on a tear. For whatever reason, Riley and Banker believed that Pankey was better in pass coverage than Roberson. Clearly this, too, is wrong. What do they feel #28 does well? He’s terrible in coverage and his tackling in run support is average at best.

So does this change parlay into a win in Tempe? I don’t think so. The thing is, the mental make up of the team is not right. I’m did not sense urgency in last weekend’s post-game quotes, nor did I sense any killer instinct in this week’s pre-game quotes. Paraphrasing, there has been a lot of “we’re not panicking”, “last year we started 2-3 and things were fine” etc. What is most disconcerting is that some of these sentiments were coming from the senior leadership. I understand what they’re trying to do, but if underclassman see a senior saying not to panic because we start 2-3 every year, then it almost makes the loses seem acceptable, common place, etc, and this curbs a younger guys natural passion. Wake up Beavers. It’s time to panic.

Wouldn’t it be nice to see some fire and passion from this team?

Academics and Recruiting

By
angry
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4

Those who have followed my blog a few months might remember the petition I wrote to Dr. Edward Ray. I criticize Ray for not following through on his promise of raising the University’s academic reputation. My main point in the article is that academics affect recruiting. We’re seeing it more and more, from Owamagbe Odighizuwa to the Stanford guys. Once and a while we win a battle with Stanford or Cal (e.g. Michael Phillip, who has a Stanford offer in hand yet committed to the Beavs), but those are long odds.

Most prospective students look at the U.S. News rankings…if a school is “Tier 1”, that is a good thing. The student is likely interested. If they are “Tier 3”, as is OSU, then that is a strike against the school. Intelligent recruits look at this data as well. It’s why I strongly advocate OSU and Dr. Ray abiding to the School’s academic goals. However, there is both corruption and major flaws in the US News rankings.

So where does this leave the Beavers? Well, there is another way to look at this problem, one where OSU does not have to chase the  US News rankings. I present to you: capitalism.

In this era of economic recession and tight wallets, what better gauge of an institutions reputation than the free market? Where does private money go when research is needed, when a question requires an answer,  or a product needs development?  The answer to that question might surprise you.

Oregon State (#87) ahead of Princeton (#89)?  Maybe that’s why ex-tiger Craig Robinson is donning our orange and black. Interestingly, the results of this study show what we all know: the Pac-10 is a conference of academic excellence.  You can’t go wrong with a Pac-10 education. But as with most things Pac-10, the powers at be, such as Tom Hansen, do a poor job in promoting the conference. Whether it’s athletics (most titles of any conference) or academics (the highest entrance requirements of any major conference), most people east of the Rockies know little about these universities.

What I find most interesting about the list is how free market capitalism quantified these institutions similarly to college guides. That is, UCLA, Washington, Stanford, Cal Berkeley, USC, all ahead of OSU. But to me this isn’t a slight of OSU’s academics more than it is a celebration of the conference. 3 schools in the top 10. For OSU to be ranked 87 and be associated with the PAC-10’s academic quality is a good thing. It’s something Riley should show recruits before they Google our “Tier 3” ranking from US News, one that anyone with an Oregon State degree knows is inaccurate.

Oregon State @ Arizona State

By
angry
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5

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

By
angry
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10

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

By
angry
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0

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.

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