Heading into Week 5 of the college football season things are heating up as conference play is set to hit the stage in what many are thinking will be a free for all in the Pac-10 Conference. While all eyes will be on 9 Standford @ 4 Oregon Saturday afternoon, the game featuring the 2-2 Sun Devils and 1-2 Beavers could have just as much at stake. With both teams coming out of non conference play bruised, battered and beaten its this Saturdays contest at Reser Stadium that could help set the tempo for the rest of the season and serve as a milestone win that could put some life back into either team. Having won three of its last four against the Sun Devils, Oregon State is poised to land another early season conference win and continue its mid season success from years past to make another run at the conference title.
Having started out 1-2 in each of the past two seasons, the Beavers were able to right the ship and set out on a series of hot streaks in 2008 and 2009 to reclaim control and take ownership of their own destiny throughout the course of the season. With another characteristically slow September behind them, only time will tell if the Beavers are able to rebound from yet another early season hole. The good news is that both losses came to AP Top 10 teams in 6 TCU and 3 Boise State on the road, the bad news is that they welcome an Arizona State team poised to make a run behind Michigan transfer Steven Threet. The Sun Devils nearly came away with a huge win at home last Saturday against the Oregon Ducks. A game that saw ASU turn the ball over 7 times and nullify the 387 passing yards and 3 touchdowns by Threet and his core of receivers.
Having also dropped two of their own to AP Top 15 powers Wisconsin, and again last weekend to 5 Oregon, the Sun Devils have also been tested by AP top level talent and will surely be ready to take on the Beavers in Corvallis this weekend. Bringing the 5th ranked offense (325.8 ypg) in the country and sitting at 27th in points for (36.3 ppg) expect this one to be another high scoring affair in what could be another back and forth match between two quality Pac-10 programs. For me this game is much less about the records and more about each teams ability to use their non conference experience to draw insight, study up and right the ship before the season really gets underway. With the Sun Devils looking at the possibility of going 2-3 overall, 0-2 Pac-10, this has to be considered a must for ASU and its hopes to make a run at the upper tier of the conference this season.
For the Beavers, its about getting into a rhythm and turning their offensive game around in time to weather the storm. Weighing in at 101st in passing (161.3 ypg), 101st in rushing (109.3 ypg) and 99th in points against (31.7 ppg) the Beavers have been been struggling on both sides of the ball. With glaring weaknesses establishing the running game, converting on third downs, the inability of the OSU secondary to maintain coverage and its seemingly non existent pass rush amongst the front seven the Beavers have not been able to establish themselves in each of their first three games. While I would love to see Oregon State dial up blitz after blitz against Steven Threet and Co., the other glaring threat is the fact that OSU has not been able to maintain coverage and has gotten burned regularly for big yards in the secondary. With all eyes on James Dockery, Lance Mitchell and the often targeted Brandon Hardin, the defensive backfield has been the center of this weeks media storm and the news has to be weighing on these players entering Saturdays game.
The keys for the Beavers, as outlined above, hinges on the ability for Jacquizz Rodgers to post 100 plus rushing yards (Beavers have won 20 of last 22 games when an OSU running back hits 100 yards) and the availability of James Rodgers, who sustained a severe concussion at the hands of suspended Boise State starting linebacker/safety Winston Venable. Venable will be sidelined for the first half of this weekend's game against New Mexico State after the hit that knocked out James in last weekends contest. With 9:27 left in the 3rd quarter James suffered a helmet to helmet collision with Venable in what many people, including WAC Commissioner Karl Benson, considered a "flagrant foul" against Oregon State's James Rodgers in the Broncos' 37-24 win last Saturday. Rodgers suffered a concussion when he was hit helmet-to-helmet by Venable early in the third quarter. Benson said that upon review, "Venable should have been flagged for a flagrant personal foul and ejected from the game." Venable hit Rodgers as he was blocking for quarterback Ryan Katz on a scramble play. The punishment was originally a full game, but Boise State appealed and the WAC sportsmanship committee which reduced it to a half (more on this in a future article). Rodgers, who was seen begging to return to play later in the 3rd quarter had his helmet removed by the training and medical staff therefore prohibiting him from returning to field after the hit. Take this as a sign that the NCAA and trainers are voicing their concerns and putting more emphasis on player safety, regardless of the fact that Rodgers is a legitimate weapon for the Beavs. Sitting at 5th in the nation in all purpose yards (184.3 ypg) and having set the all-time all purpose yards record (5,630 apy) in Oregon State history on a 53 yards punt return for touchdown last Saturday at Boise State, Rodgers is the catalyst that makes this whole team go and will be missed if he is not able to suit up at home this weekend.
Regardless of the suspension, a hot topic in collegiate and professional football this season and the first known suspension of its kind thus far, James ability to dictate tempo and establish a role in the return game are things that the Beavers will not want to be without versus ASU. The Arizona State defense looks strong, fast and physical, having played an overly aggressive and run heavy Wisconsin squad deep into the 4th quarter, dropping the game 20-19 when their kicker missed the game tying extra point. Against the Ducks last weekend, ASU held tough, but just did not have enough to overcome the speed and efficiency of the Duck offense. Ultimately, they killed themselves in the turnover battle and having played a Duck squad that flourishes with extra possessions, Chip Kelly's track style of play was eventually too much to overcome those mistakes in the end.
I feel that this game will be very competitive, as the Sun Devils and the Beavers have a history of very high energy, physical football games. While the Beavers took the win at Sun Devil Stadium last season 28-17, taking a game in Tempe for the first time in nearly 50 years, look for the Beavers to feed off that momentum and head into this one feeling good about their chances against the Sun Devils at home. This game looks to be a very interesting match up and will without a doubt be a make it or break it game for both schools heading into Saturday. The game is scheduled to start at 6:30PM ET/3:30PM PT at Reser Stadium in Corvallis. The game can been seen on Fox Sports Northwest. Also, the 2001 Fiesta Bowl Champion Oregon State Beavers, lead by current ASU coach Dennis Erickson, will be honored at halftime.
*For a look at the 53 yard punt return by James Rodgers and the red hot Oregon State Special Teams last weekend simply click on the title of this article
Heading into Week 5 of the college football season things are heating up as conference play is set to hit the stage in what many are thinking will be a free for all in the Pac-10 Conference. While all eyes will be on 9 Standford @ 4 Oregon Saturday afternoon, the game featuring the 2-2 Sun Devils and 1-2 Beavers could have just as much at stake. With both teams coming out of non conference play bruised, battered and beaten its this Saturdays contest at Reser Stadium that could help set the tempo for the rest of the season and serve as a milestone win that could put some life back into either team. Having won three of its last four against the Sun Devils, Oregon State is poised to land another early season conference win and continue its mid season success from years past to make another run at the conference title.
Having started out 1-2 in each of the past two seasons, the Beavers were able to right the ship and set out on a series of hot streaks in 2008 and 2009 to reclaim control and take ownership of their own destiny throughout the course of the season. With another characteristically slow September behind them, only time will tell if the Beavers are able to rebound from yet another early season hole. The good news is that both losses came to AP Top 10 teams in 6 TCU and 3 Boise State on the road, the bad news is that they welcome an Arizona State team poised to make a run behind Michigan transfer Steven Threet. The Sun Devils nearly came away with a huge win at home last Saturday against the Oregon Ducks. A game that saw ASU turn the ball over 7 times and nullify the 387 passing yards and 3 touchdowns by Threet and his core of receivers.
Having also dropped two of their own to AP Top 15 powers Wisconsin, and again last weekend to 5 Oregon, the Sun Devils have also been tested by AP top level talent and will surely be ready to take on the Beavers in Corvallis this weekend. Bringing the 5th ranked offense (325.8 ypg) in the country and sitting at 27th in points for (36.3 ppg) expect this one to be another high scoring affair in what could be another back and forth match between two quality Pac-10 programs. For me this game is much less about the records and more about each teams ability to use their non conference experience to draw insight, study up and right the ship before the season really gets underway. With the Sun Devils looking at the possibility of going 2-3 overall, 0-2 Pac-10, this has to be considered a must for ASU and its hopes to make a run at the upper tier of the conference this season.
For the Beavers, its about getting into a rhythm and turning their offensive game around in time to weather the storm. Weighing in at 101st in passing (161.3 ypg), 101st in rushing (109.3 ypg) and 99th in points against (31.7 ppg) the Beavers have been been struggling on both sides of the ball. With glaring weaknesses establishing the running game, converting on third downs, the inability of the OSU secondary to maintain coverage and its seemingly non existent pass rush amongst the front seven the Beavers have not been able to establish themselves in each of their first three games. While I would love to see Oregon State dial up blitz after blitz against Steven Threet and Co., the other glaring threat is the fact that OSU has not been able to maintain coverage and has gotten burned regularly for big yards in the secondary. With all eyes on James Dockery, Lance Mitchell and the often targeted Brandon Hardin, the defensive backfield has been the center of this weeks media storm and the news has to be weighing on these players entering Saturdays game.
The keys for the Beavers, as outlined above, hinges on the ability for Jacquizz Rodgers to post 100 plus rushing yards (Beavers have won 20 of last 22 games when an OSU running back hits 100 yards) and the availability of James Rodgers, who sustained a severe concussion at the hands of suspended Boise State starting linebacker/safety Winston Venable. Venable will be sidelined for the first half of this weekend's game against New Mexico State after the hit that knocked out James in last weekends contest. With 9:27 left in the 3rd quarter James suffered a helmet to helmet collision with Venable in what many people, including WAC Commissioner Karl Benson, considered a "flagrant foul" against Oregon State's James Rodgers in the Broncos' 37-24 win last Saturday. Rodgers suffered a concussion when he was hit helmet-to-helmet by Venable early in the third quarter. Benson said that upon review, "Venable should have been flagged for a flagrant personal foul and ejected from the game." Venable hit Rodgers as he was blocking for quarterback Ryan Katz on a scramble play. The punishment was originally a full game, but Boise State appealed and the WAC sportsmanship committee which reduced it to a half (more on this in a future article). Rodgers, who was seen begging to return to play later in the 3rd quarter had his helmet removed by the training and medical staff therefore prohibiting him from returning to field after the hit. Take this as a sign that the NCAA and trainers are voicing their concerns and putting more emphasis on player safety, regardless of the fact that Rodgers is a legitimate weapon for the Beavs. Sitting at 5th in the nation in all purpose yards (184.3 ypg) and having set the all-time all purpose yards record (5,630 apy) in Oregon State history on a 53 yards punt return for touchdown last Saturday at Boise State, Rodgers is the catalyst that makes this whole team go and will be missed if he is not able to suit up at home this weekend.
Regardless of the suspension, a hot topic in collegiate and professional football this season and the first known suspension of its kind thus far, James ability to dictate tempo and establish a role in the return game are things that the Beavers will not want to be without versus ASU. The Arizona State defense looks strong, fast and physical, having played an overly aggressive and run heavy Wisconsin squad deep into the 4th quarter, dropping the game 20-19 when their kicker missed the game tying extra point. Against the Ducks last weekend, ASU held tough, but just did not have enough to overcome the speed and efficiency of the Duck offense. Ultimately, they killed themselves in the turnover battle and having played a Duck squad that flourishes with extra possessions, Chip Kelly's track style of play was eventually too much to overcome those mistakes in the end.
I feel that this game will be very competitive, as the Sun Devils and the Beavers have a history of very high energy, physical football games. While the Beavers took the win at Sun Devil Stadium last season 28-17, taking a game in Tempe for the first time in nearly 50 years, look for the Beavers to feed off that momentum and head into this one feeling good about their chances against the Sun Devils at home. This game looks to be a very interesting match up and will without a doubt be a make it or break it game for both schools heading into Saturday. The game is scheduled to start at 6:30PM ET/3:30PM PT at Reser Stadium in Corvallis. The game can been seen on Fox Sports Northwest. Also, the 2001 Fiesta Bowl Champion Oregon State Beavers, lead by current ASU coach Dennis Erickson, will be honored at halftime.
*For a look at the 53 yard punt return by James Rodgers and the red hot Oregon State Special Teams last weekend simply click on the title of this article
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