Monday Morning Quarterback: Oregon State QB Ryan Katz growing in Riley's system

As I woke up this morning to a heavy fog in Orange County I could not help but be reminded of all those cold, brisk 8 a.m. walks to campus on Monday morning in Corvallis. With game day in the books and solid weekend of studying for anatomy exams, partying and shooting the breeze with friends, my sophomore year at Oregon State was without a doubt something special. Flash forward to my second year of graduate school and while I may not be hitting the books as often as I used to, another tried and true, but far most publicized sophomore, is quietly working his way into the hearts and minds of Beaver Nation and the Pac-10. Ryan Katz, the redshirt sophomore quarterback for the #24 Oregon State Beavers turned in yet another noteworthy performance this weekend in Tucson. The Santa Monica, CA native completed 30 of 42 passes for 393 yards and two touchdowns in Saturdays 29-27 Pac-10 road opener against the #9 Arizona Wildcats. Having lost his first two non conference road games to AP Top 10 opponents TCU and Boise State, the young Katz turned in an outstanding performance that left many of us wondering if the conference may have just gotten a little deeper at the quarterback position. Having played in only a handful of games last year, Katz came into OSU highly touted as the next signal caller to replace veteran Sean Canfield. Having had two years to work under Head Coach Mike Riley, arguably the most underrated coach in the country, as well as 7th round draft pick in Canfield, Katz has displayed an unbelievable amount of poise this season in the face of one of the nations toughest schedules. Having started his first game at Cowboys Stadium against then #6 TCU, one could only imagine the swing of emotions the redshirt sophomore could have been feeling as he left pass after pass sailing over or rocketing past his intended receivers for most of the game. With a week to recover from the disappointing 31-20 loss, Katz and the offense rebounded significantly with a huge 35-28 victory over Louisville at home. Having established the running game against the Cardinals, Jacquizz Rodgers 132 yards on the ground and two touchdowns were a welcome sign for an offense that was uncharacteristically pass heavy in its debut in Texas just a week earlier. Katz was impressive however at 15/26 for 142 yards and two touchdowns, having left briefly in the third quarter after taking a shot to the ribs that left him noticeably shaken on the sidelines. Flash forward to Boise State and the Pac-10 conference opener one week later against ASU. Having turned in a rather average performance once again on the road in Boise against the nations 3rd ranked defense, Katz and the Beavers looked to bonce back at home having come off its ninth straight home opening win just three weeks earlier. With the Pac-10 in a state of limbo and with the notion of Arizona State narrowly pulling off an upset bid the weekend before versus #3 Oregon, Katz again stepped up to the plate and delivered a strong 19/29 for 260 yards and two touchdown performance. Having not thrown an interception in his first four games, Katz had the Beavers sitting at 2-2 and just out of the AP Top 25 heading into last Saturdays contest against the Wildcats. With a win over the Arizona, Katz took a step in the right direction and supplanted himself into the mix among the quarterback elite in the Pac-10. But if there's one the Pac-10 and Beaver Nation know about Mike Riley's team, its that they usually start slow but always hit there stride come conference play. Katz's introduction coming against a schedule rated the toughest in the nation so far having already faced TCU, No. 12 nationally in total defense, Boise State (No. 3), Louisville (No. 52), Arizona State (No. 49) and now having toppled Arizona (No. 4) last weekend. It would be easy for one to assume Katz has seen everything in terms of schematics, coaching and overall defensive talent after last weekend, but the Pac-10 is always a crap shoot and he will have to continue to improve if the Beavers are going to remain in bowl contention this season. From the looks of things the schedule doesn't get any easier for the Beavers as they head to Seattle to take a hungry Washington Husky team that is looking to establish their identity in the conference as well. Having beat USC on the road two weeks ago and with the Dawgs coming off another tough loss the ASU, all eyes with be on Washington Quarterback Jake Locker on Saturday in a game that is sure to generate some buzz airing on ESPN at 7:15PM PT. With another shaky September in the books and this their seventh straight year without a winning record in during the seasons opening month, look for OSU to turn another tough start into a fabulous finish having boasted eight wins or more since 2006. While Riley's pro-style system takes time to learn, Katz has developed quickly having been through three spring practices and being Canfield's backup last season. With an arm that rivals former OSU quarterback and NFL draft pick Derek Anderson, the future looks bright for Katz heading into his first season under center for the Beavers. Sitting at the end of week 6 having gone 85/148 for 1,113 and eight touchdowns with only one interception, and with a quarterback rating of 130.07, look for Katz to improve his completion percentage (57.4%), covert key third downs and continue to spread the ball around in the absence of star wide receiver James Rodgers. Having already played and won in their conference opener without James two weeks ago, look for TE Joe Halahuni, RB Jacquizz Rodgers and WR's Markus Wheaton, Jordan Bishop and veteran Darrell Catchings to all set up in the coming weeks for Katz and the OSU offense. With the Oregon State starting quarterback lineage extending nearly a decade into OSU history, look for Ryan Katz to make his mark in Oregon State lore and keep the Beavers running strong this season.

Football Friday: Oregon State vs. 9 Arizona

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.

Football Friday: Arizona State vs. Oregon State

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

Beaver Football - Week 4: 24 Oregon State vs. 3 Boise State

Week 4 of the college football season is upon us and as the AP Top 25 is sure to roll once again this week, Beaver Nation will again be biting their nails and hoping for another upset bid when it travels to take on #3 Boise State this weekend at Bronco Stadium. Coming off of a 35-28 victory against Louisville last Saturday at Reser Stadium in Corvallis, the Beavers hit the road again for the second time this season to face a potential national title contender and AP Top 10 opponent in the Broncos. Winners of 56 straight regular season home games, winning at Bronco Stadium hasn't come easy for those paying a visit. With their last loss coming to Washington State on September 8, 2001, a 41-20 drumming by the hands of the Cougs, the "Blue Turf" of Bronco Stadium has truly been a home field advantage for the squad from Boise, and that's how they like it. But the Beavers have a trick up their sleeve. Earlier this week Oregon State painted one of its Prothro Practice Fields blue in preparation for this weeks game. Whether that move served as a means to gain a mental advantage, to get use to running on a similar surface or work on depth perception and build conformity with the turf are all questions Mike Riley surely had to answer to this week. Whatever the reason it surely has created a lot of buzz on campus, in the media and amongst fans who were taken off guard by the move. All field painting aside, this game will prove to be another road test for the Beavers who have dropped their last three road contests to Top 25 teams, dating back to its Civil War loss last December to the Oregon Ducks and in the Las Vegas Bowl against a strong BYU team. While OSU did remain competitive in its 30-21 loss to then #6 TCU three weeks ago, the Beavers showed flashes of a team that has to ability to compete with the nations best, but only if Mark Bankers defense shows up to play. Having struggled to contain mobile quarterbacks this season, I feel this game comes down to two things: The Beavers ability to contain red hot Boise State Quarterback Kellen Moore and their ability to establish the running game early with Jacquizz Rodgers and Co. Moore has been more than stellar during his career at Boise State and the numbers tell the whole story. The left-handed junior is 28-1 with 69 touchdown passes and 14 interceptions in his collegiate career with the Broncos and has thrown for 585 yards and 5 touchdowns with 1 interception so far this season. With targets Titus Young and Austin Pettis running routes, the OSU secondary will surely have its hands full for four quarters and will have to get pressure on Moore in order to keep the game close. As for the running game, the Beavers have won 20 of their last 22 games when a Beaver running back rushes for over 100 yards and Jacquizz Rodgers will surely be asked to carry the load again this week. Coming off a break out performance last weekend against Louisville, Rodgers rushed for 132 yards and two touchdowns and added a receiving TD, all before the 4th Quarter. Look for brother James and Markus Wheaton to get in on the action with the fly sweep and expect Riley to turn to the 'Wildcat' formation to get the ball in his play makers hands. Ryan Katz looked very comfortable last weekend as well and has surely impressed in his first two starts for the Beavers. Having passed for 301 yards and 4 touchdowns with 0 interceptions this season, look for Katz to dump the ball to the Rodgers brothers this week in a combination of slip screens and under routes to open up the deep passing game for the offense. He did a great job of that last week against Louisville and it definitely opened up opportunities for the offense throughout the course of the game. Tight End Joe Halahuni, who had a touchdown reception last week, will be a key target on third down and should serve Katz well as a secondary receiver in 3rd and intermediate situations. Ultimately this Top 25 match up will come down to a game of grit and determination. In its last two visits to Bronco Stadium the Beavers jumped out twice to early 14 point leads, only to watch Boise State score a series of unanswered touchdowns and run away with win in excess of 19 points. Take a note from last years Oregon game, the only way to truly win in Boise is to take the crowd out of the game early and often, sustain key drives, run the ball and force turnovers. I think that the 17 point spread in favor of Boise is dead on and the Beavers will have to play four quarters of sound, fundamental football in order to come out with a victory. The game will air this Saturday, September 25th at 8:00PM ET/5:00PM PT on ABC. *For a preview for this Saturdays match up click on the title of this article. College Gameday will be live from Boise State starting at 10:00AM ET/7:00AM PT on ESPN.

Beaver Football - Week 3: Louisville vs. 25 Oregon State

Week 3 is upon us and Beaver Football is back at home in Corvallis in what is setting up to be a great match up between the Louisville Cardinals and #25 Oregon State Beavers. Coming off back to back home games at Papa John's Cardinal Stadium, Louisville hits the road and comes to Beaver Nation at 1-1 and ready to extend their winning streak to two games. With a 23-13 victory last week over Eastern Kentucky, you have to think Louisville is feeling great and is geared up to take on a Pac 10 opponent here on the West Coast. On the other side of the ball is the #25 Oregon State Beavers. Fresh off a Week 2 bye and looking to get back on the winning path at home, the Beavers will turn to Sophomore QB Ryan Katz and the Rodgers Brothers (Jacquizz and James) to take control of the offense early. With a Week 1 loss on the road to #4 TCU at Cowboys Stadium, the Beavers are looking to get back into the win column after losing their last three road games dating back to last seasons Civil War and Las Vegas Bowl defeats. Having lost three in a row on the road to rival Oregon, BYU and TCU, Oregon State could not be more excited to return home to Reser Stadium to take on the Cardinals, and it will be packed. With a school record 29,655 season tickets sold this year and with all 6,000 students tickets SOLD OUT for this weekend match up, only a number of ADA and Club Level tickets remain for what is expected to be the largest crowd in Reser Stadium and Oregon State history (in excess of 46,000). Beaver Nation will have plenty to cheer about as OSU always comes ready to play in front of the home crowd. Look for Ryan Katz and the Beaver Offense to try and establish the running game early today with a heavy dose of All-Pac 10 Selection Jacquizz Rodgers carrying the load. Impressively, Rodgers has only fumbled the ball once in his collegiate career and will be looking to bounce back after a disappointing performance last week which saw Jacquizz carry the ball 18 times for 75 yards and a TD. The Heisman hopeful will surely have to have a break out game this week to get himself back on track and raise his stock in the eyes of the Heisman Committee. Katz, who was 9/25 for 159 and 2 TD in his Oregon State debut will look to air it out on second and third down through a mix of play action, misdirection and screens. Look for him to get Jacquizz involved early in the short passing and screen game, as Quizz failed to net a reception against TCU after registering an Oregon State record 78 receptions last season at Tailabck. Katz will have a number of targets in the intermediate and deep passing game to choose from as well including WR's James Rodgers, Markus Wheaton and Jordan Bishop, as well as, TE's Joe Halahuni and Brady Camp. I expect Katz to be poised this week and if given time to throw, to work on checking down and moving through his progressions to find an open target. If the Beavers can get the crowd involved early, look for the offense to be running on all cylinders and for the defense to play some inspired, ball hawking Beaver Football. Oregon State is 19.5 point favorites and I look for them to win big! #25 Oregon State: 38 vs. Louisville: 17 *The Game will air at 5:30PM ET/2:30PM PT on FSN Northwest - Also, feel free to check out the Oregon State 2010 Football Intro Video (3:00) by clicking on the title of this article.