Week 6 is already here and with it another tough road contest for the Oregon State Beavers as they head down to Tucson for a match up with the 9 Arizona Wildcats. Hot off its first Pac-10 opening game win in seven years, history looks to be repeating itself in Corvallis as the Beavers look to gain an early season foothold in the conference. Having defeated Arizona State last weekend 31-28 at Reser Stadium in Corvallis, the Beavers look to end their four game road skid versus AP Top 15 opponents which dates back to last seasons Civil War loss at Autzen Stadium.
Yet while the Beavers come in with a wealth of experience in playing AP Top 10 opponents this season, Arizona's Defense, lead by CB Trevin Wade will look to set the tempo early for the Wildcats. The Arizona defense has been the identity of this team so far this season and they will look to put pressure on Oregon State QB Ryan Katz with an array of blitzes and strong secondary play lead by the above mentioned Wade. "We play hard and with our hair on fire," cornerback Trevin Wade said. "We just like to step up to challenges. And step up they have as the Wildcats rank second in the FBS in total defense (230.8 ypg), third in scoring defense (11.0 ppg) and fourth in passing defense (129.5 ypg). Impressive still, Arizona has only given up three touchdowns, all of which came in the teams Week 2 win at home to the then 9 Hawkeyes.
But the troubles for Oregon State don't just start with the Wildcat defense. With all the preseason hype surrounding QB Nick Foles, who beat this same Beaver squad on the road last season in his Pac-10 debut, will without a doubt be a key factor after his breakout performance in Corvallis last season saw him throw for 254 yards and 3 Touchdowns. With Arizona in the AP Top 10 for the first time since 1998, look for Foles to take command of the offense and for there to be a heavy dose of RB Nic Grigsby, who has 45 carries for 252 and 5 touchdowns this season. While the Wildcats have won 15 of their last 18 at Arizona Stadium, although one of those defeats was a 19-17 loss to then-No. 21 Oregon State in 2008, look for a new and improved group the hit the field running to try and avenge that loss and build off of last years success in Corvallis last season.
On the other side of the ball, the Beavers come in poised to start Pac-10 play 2-0 and set the stage for another mid season run to the top of the conference. Oregon State comes into this game having committed zero turnovers, a stat that was key to the Beavers ability to win close games at home versus Louisville and Arizona State. Being able to win the turnover battle by forcing the issue, committing fewer penalties and the sound play of CB James Dockery in the secondary are all paramount if the Beavers want to stay in this one. The ability for the offense to put up points and the defense to get pressure on Foles, while simply stated, will be key if the Beavers wish to continue their recent string of success against the Wildcats. Coming off a 6 sack performance last weekend from the OSU front seven, things are looking great if the Beavers can continue to get pressure from the likes of DT's Stephen Paea, Brennan Olander and DE Gabe Miller.
On the offensive side of the ball I think the game plan is pretty much set in stone with RB Jaquizz Rodgers set to carry the load for the Beavers. Coming off of an impressive game last week against ASU, Quizz ran for a season-best 145 and two touchdowns. With the running game being suspect in the teams two road losses to then-No. 6 TCU 30-21 in the season opener and three weeks later to Boise State, the Beavers should be in good shape having won nine of 11 over the Wildcats and four straight in Tucson since a 27-7 loss in 1997. Oregon State's ability to dictate tempo up front and control the line of scrimmage will also be huge in setting up play action down field to the likes of receiver James Rodgers.
With the return of the James to the starting line up after suffering a concussion in the teams 37-24 loss to Boise State on Sept. 25th, look for Coach Mike Riley and Offensive Coordinator Danny Langsdorf to get the ball in his hands early and often to try and add an element of balance to this offense. While the fly sweep and deep passing game has been there for Rodgers so far this season, Katz has had difficulty targeting James down field due to a combination of double teams and tremendous defensive pressure. Yet with James struggling on the receiving end, look for him to force the issue on special teams in lew of his record setting 54 yard punt return for touchdown two weeks ago against Boise State. James Rodgers, the senior flanker broke the school record for career all-purpose yards with his 100-yard game versus the Broncos. Rodgers now has 5,630 all-purpose yards in his three years and counting at OSU, surpassing previous leader Ken Simonton, who had 5,606 all-purpose yards from 1998-2001.
With the Oregon State Special Teams carrying the load this season, the offense finally got the ball rolling last weekend in Corvallis. The Beavers, who ranked 113th in the FBS in offense at 270.3 yards per contest before rolling up 416 against the Sun Devils, finally found its rhythm last weekend in the absence of James with players like TE Joe "Tank" Halahuni, Jordan Bishop and slot Markus Wheaton coming up with big plays in the passing game for first year sophomore QB Ryan Katz. Having not thrown an interception this season, Katz will be tested early and often against this Arizona Wildcat secondary. If the Beavers can sure up their offense line play, look for Katz to nickel and dime his way down to field with an array of play action, half back screens and an intermediate passing game that was in full effect for the first time all year. Having throw for 720 yards and six touchdowns (with no interceptions) its Katz completion percentage (51.9%) that really needs to improve if the Beavers are going to sustain drives and convert in second and medium, as well as third and short situations.
This weekends game is sure to be a barn burner and I expect a high scoring affair. The Wildcat offense lead by Nick Foles will be geared up and ready to go in front of another sold out crowd in Tucson. My greatest piece of advice to the Beavers is to hydrate, hydrate and hydrate some more as the temperature at game time will look to hover around 88 degrees. In games like this, conditioning is paramount so I expect the Beavers to try and slow things down and control tempo as a means of keeping that high powered Wildcat offense off the field. While it will be close, look for Oregon State to come out of Arizona with a win. Having struggled two weeks ago versus Cal, a 10-9 fourth quarter come from behind win, I feel that the Wildcats will rebound nicely after a bye week and contest the Beavers for 4 quarters but won't have enough to overcome the consistent play of the Beavers. Final Score: Oregon State 30 - #9 Arizona 27.
Week 6 is already here and with it another tough road contest for the Oregon State Beavers as they head down to Tucson for a match up with the 9 Arizona Wildcats. Hot off its first Pac-10 opening game win in seven years, history looks to be repeating itself in Corvallis as the Beavers look to gain an early season foothold in the conference. Having defeated Arizona State last weekend 31-28 at Reser Stadium in Corvallis, the Beavers look to end their four game road skid versus AP Top 15 opponents which dates back to last seasons Civil War loss at Autzen Stadium.
Yet while the Beavers come in with a wealth of experience in playing AP Top 10 opponents this season, Arizona's Defense, lead by CB Trevin Wade will look to set the tempo early for the Wildcats. The Arizona defense has been the identity of this team so far this season and they will look to put pressure on Oregon State QB Ryan Katz with an array of blitzes and strong secondary play lead by the above mentioned Wade. "We play hard and with our hair on fire," cornerback Trevin Wade said. "We just like to step up to challenges. And step up they have as the Wildcats rank second in the FBS in total defense (230.8 ypg), third in scoring defense (11.0 ppg) and fourth in passing defense (129.5 ypg). Impressive still, Arizona has only given up three touchdowns, all of which came in the teams Week 2 win at home to the then 9 Hawkeyes.
But the troubles for Oregon State don't just start with the Wildcat defense. With all the preseason hype surrounding QB Nick Foles, who beat this same Beaver squad on the road last season in his Pac-10 debut, will without a doubt be a key factor after his breakout performance in Corvallis last season saw him throw for 254 yards and 3 Touchdowns. With Arizona in the AP Top 10 for the first time since 1998, look for Foles to take command of the offense and for there to be a heavy dose of RB Nic Grigsby, who has 45 carries for 252 and 5 touchdowns this season. While the Wildcats have won 15 of their last 18 at Arizona Stadium, although one of those defeats was a 19-17 loss to then-No. 21 Oregon State in 2008, look for a new and improved group the hit the field running to try and avenge that loss and build off of last years success in Corvallis last season.
On the other side of the ball, the Beavers come in poised to start Pac-10 play 2-0 and set the stage for another mid season run to the top of the conference. Oregon State comes into this game having committed zero turnovers, a stat that was key to the Beavers ability to win close games at home versus Louisville and Arizona State. Being able to win the turnover battle by forcing the issue, committing fewer penalties and the sound play of CB James Dockery in the secondary are all paramount if the Beavers want to stay in this one. The ability for the offense to put up points and the defense to get pressure on Foles, while simply stated, will be key if the Beavers wish to continue their recent string of success against the Wildcats. Coming off a 6 sack performance last weekend from the OSU front seven, things are looking great if the Beavers can continue to get pressure from the likes of DT's Stephen Paea, Brennan Olander and DE Gabe Miller.
On the offensive side of the ball I think the game plan is pretty much set in stone with RB Jaquizz Rodgers set to carry the load for the Beavers. Coming off of an impressive game last week against ASU, Quizz ran for a season-best 145 and two touchdowns. With the running game being suspect in the teams two road losses to then-No. 6 TCU 30-21 in the season opener and three weeks later to Boise State, the Beavers should be in good shape having won nine of 11 over the Wildcats and four straight in Tucson since a 27-7 loss in 1997. Oregon State's ability to dictate tempo up front and control the line of scrimmage will also be huge in setting up play action down field to the likes of receiver James Rodgers.
With the return of the James to the starting line up after suffering a concussion in the teams 37-24 loss to Boise State on Sept. 25th, look for Coach Mike Riley and Offensive Coordinator Danny Langsdorf to get the ball in his hands early and often to try and add an element of balance to this offense. While the fly sweep and deep passing game has been there for Rodgers so far this season, Katz has had difficulty targeting James down field due to a combination of double teams and tremendous defensive pressure. Yet with James struggling on the receiving end, look for him to force the issue on special teams in lew of his record setting 54 yard punt return for touchdown two weeks ago against Boise State. James Rodgers, the senior flanker broke the school record for career all-purpose yards with his 100-yard game versus the Broncos. Rodgers now has 5,630 all-purpose yards in his three years and counting at OSU, surpassing previous leader Ken Simonton, who had 5,606 all-purpose yards from 1998-2001.
With the Oregon State Special Teams carrying the load this season, the offense finally got the ball rolling last weekend in Corvallis. The Beavers, who ranked 113th in the FBS in offense at 270.3 yards per contest before rolling up 416 against the Sun Devils, finally found its rhythm last weekend in the absence of James with players like TE Joe "Tank" Halahuni, Jordan Bishop and slot Markus Wheaton coming up with big plays in the passing game for first year sophomore QB Ryan Katz. Having not thrown an interception this season, Katz will be tested early and often against this Arizona Wildcat secondary. If the Beavers can sure up their offense line play, look for Katz to nickel and dime his way down to field with an array of play action, half back screens and an intermediate passing game that was in full effect for the first time all year. Having throw for 720 yards and six touchdowns (with no interceptions) its Katz completion percentage (51.9%) that really needs to improve if the Beavers are going to sustain drives and convert in second and medium, as well as third and short situations.
This weekends game is sure to be a barn burner and I expect a high scoring affair. The Wildcat offense lead by Nick Foles will be geared up and ready to go in front of another sold out crowd in Tucson. My greatest piece of advice to the Beavers is to hydrate, hydrate and hydrate some more as the temperature at game time will look to hover around 88 degrees. In games like this, conditioning is paramount so I expect the Beavers to try and slow things down and control tempo as a means of keeping that high powered Wildcat offense off the field. While it will be close, look for Oregon State to come out of Arizona with a win. Having struggled two weeks ago versus Cal, a 10-9 fourth quarter come from behind win, I feel that the Wildcats will rebound nicely after a bye week and contest the Beavers for 4 quarters but won't have enough to overcome the consistent play of the Beavers. Final Score: Oregon State 30 - #9 Arizona 27.
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