Oregon State's Defense Shuts Down UCLA Ground Game
News:Oregon State's defense proved a formidable foe Saturday as Oregon State defeated UCLA 27-20 on the road in Pasadena, allowing 372 yards through the air, but holding the nation's top rusher in Johnathan Franklin to a mere 45 yards on the day.
Analysis:Oregon State's secondary gave up big plays throughout Saturday's game, and, in particular, couldn't shut down a budding relationship between UCLA quarterback Brett Hundley and wideout Shaquelle Evans, who averaged 24.7 yards per reception on six catches and accounted for Hundley's only passing touchdown in the loss. Nevertheless, the Beavers' defensive front and linebackers did an outstanding job in addressing the UCLA ground game, and the fact Franklin was held to less than 50 yards Saturday after rushing for 110 yard or more in each of his first three starts is a testament to just how tough head coach Mike Riley has his Beavers playing early on in the year.
News: Washington State quarterback Jeff Tuel will start this weekend against Oregon State in a game being played in Seattle. Tuel returned from a broken clavicle last week in the loss to Stanford.
Analysis: Coach Paul Wulff said that Tuel simply needs to back into the flow of the speed of the game and get in sync with his receivers. That should be easier to do against Oregon State's defense.
News: The Oregon State defense will be without starting defensive tackle Dominic Glover for the opener against Sacramento State. Glover is still dealing with academic issues that everyone thought were taken care of in the summer.
Analysis: Glover's absence is a big one, though the Beavers shouldn't have much trouble shouldering aside Sacramento State. Coach Mike Riley expects Glover to be eligible at some point, but the continued uncertainty is a little worrisome.
News: Oregon State starting defensive tackle Kevin Frahm was on crutches after Tuesday's practice, having suffered unspecified knee and ankle injuries when he was caught in a pile of players. Frahm appeared to walk it off, but didn't return to practice.
Analysis: Frahm is the key cog in the Beavers run defense this season, so to lose him would be devastating. The crutches raise questions, but until we hear from coach Mike Riley on the seriousness, we'll stay optimistic.
News: A pair of key Oregon State reserve defenders missed Saturday's practice. Defensive ends Blake Harrah (knee injury) and Mana Rosa (injured hip) sat out Saturday's workout. No word on how serious the injuries are.
Analysis: Both players are battling for playing time in the DE rotation. At this point, expect them back and to work their way into seeing the field in varying roles this fall.
News: Oregon State starting linebacker Michael Doctor missed Thursday's practice with what was described as a full body cramp. According to coach Mike Riley, Doctor didn't hydrate himself well Wednesday, which resulted in the severe cramping after practice and forced him to miss Thursday's workout.
Analysis: Doctor is expected to recover and learn from his lack of hydration. He's a quick, hard-hitting linebacker who will be counted on to shore up a run defense that, at times in 2010, didn't stop much up the middle.
News: Oregon State defensive tackle Castro Masaniai will miss one game due to suspension. Oregon State coach Mike Riley was waiting for the court process to play out on a domestic assault incident, which resulted in a private settlement, before deciding on 6-2, 334-pounders fate.
Analysis: Masaniai will be reinstated to the team and begin practicing immediately, then serve his one game suspension. He's listed atop the depth chart at the left defensive tackle spot, so he's being counted on to be a big part of the Beaver defense.
News: Oregon State starting safety Lance Mitchell is experiencing tightness in his hamstring, a problem that is a recurring issues for him. He sat out part of Wednesday's practice to rest the hammy.
Analysis: Mitchell will be counted on to patrol the secondary and make plays for the Beaver defense. Since practices have just begun, the decision to rest his hammies seems like a prudent idea.
News: Oregon State coach Mike Riley said he wil make a decision on defensive tackle Castro Masaniai on Friday. Masaniai appeared in court Thursday as a result of a physical confrontation with his girlfriend in May.
Analysis: Masaniai is a potential starter for the defensive line, or at the very least a quality sub who will play quite a bit. Masaniai will either be suspended or begin practicing, based on what the judge in the case and Riley decide.
News: Oregon State coach Mike Riley allowed defensive tackle Dominic Glover to practice Monday. Glover still has some course work to finish up before he's eligible. Additionally, defensive tackle Castro Masaniai has a court appearance Thursday stemming from a public fight with his girlfriend.
Analysis: Riley said he thinks Glover will pass and be eligible, but said Masaniai's case is "still up in the air." The Beavers could definitely use both these players after losing Stephen Paea to the NFL this year. Glover is penciled in at Paea's old spot, while Masaniai is being counted on for quality depth.
News: Oregon State coach Mike Riley heads into the start of fall camp with question along his defensive line. Projected starting defensive tackle Dominic Glover is temporarily ineligible and fellow tackle Castro Masaniai not available while dealing with court issues.
Analysis: At this point, the Beavers expect both to clear up their situations and be available, but until they're at camp, anything is possible. Rudolf Fifita was recruited out of Mt. San Antonio College to add quality depth to the defensive tackle position, but may need to do more than that if things go south for either of these two players.
News: Oregon State defensive end Rusty Fernando, a JC transfer who was expected to snag a starting spot, is now third on coach Mike Riley's depth chart heading into fall camp.
Analysis: A bit undersized at 230 pounds, Fernando brings pure speed to the edge and despite his fall in the depth chart, figures to see plenty of snaps to rush the passer. The Beavers desperately need to pressure the quarterback in 2011, and Fernando's pedigree is that of a pass rusher.
News: Oregon State coach Mike Riley said that projected starting defensive tackle Dominic Glover is currently academically ineligible. He's trying to finish up some classes to get eligible as soon as possible.
Analysis: On the surface, it appears Glover simply needs to finish up some classes, but the mere fact he's not eligible right now has to be disconcerting. Glover is being counted on the handle Stephen Paea's tackle spot on the defensive line.
News: Oregon State's defense needs end Dominic Glover to come up big in 2011. Oregonlive.com is looking at OSU and Oregon players who could have breakout seasons and Glover, who will be counted on to pressure opposing quarterbacks, has been tabbed.
Analysis: Glover will slide between tackle (replacing Steven Paea) and defensive end, depending on down and distance. He's not as big and strong as Paea, but he's certainly talented and capable of making plays at both spots. The Beaver defense will need him to have a stellar year.
Oregon State Looks Like National Contender Versus USC
News:Analysis: Oregon State's defense manhandled the #20 team in the nation Saturday, taking advantage of an injured Matt Barkley at quarterback for the USC Trojans and to holding Lane Kiffin's offense to just 135 yards through the air. Mitch Mustain did his best to fill in for Barkley, who injured an ankle just before halftime, but couldn't get do enough to make USC's aerial attack go. The ground game - 26th best in the country - soon followed, with the Beavers locking in on Southern California's tailbacks and leaving C.J. Gable to finish the loss the Trojans' leading rusher with 10 carries for 57 yards and a touchdown. Oregon State, subsequently, came out of Week 12 looking like the national contender many thought it might be coming into the 2010 season. We'd be shocked if it can post a similar performance in either Weeks 13 or 14, however, as a pair of the Pac-10's best offenses - Stanford and Oregon - serve as OSU's opponents.
Oregon State's Defense Sinks To New Low - Loss To WSU
News:Analysis: The fact that Oregon State gave up 31 points and 221 yards rushing to one of the Pac-10's most notoriously bad offenses pretty much says all that needs to be said about the performance of the Beavers' defense in Week Eleven. If the combination of Jeff Tuel, James Montgomery, Logwone Mitz and Chantz Staden can combine for 215 yards and three touchdowns on the ground, then you know a team's rush defense is no good. Expect nothing but trouble then as the Beavers take on USC at home in Week Twelve, then two of the best rushing programs in the Pac-10, Stanford and Oregon, to close out the season.
News:Analysis: UCLA stunned Oregon State Saturday, not only on defense, where it managed to hold Jacquizz Rodgers to just 63 yards rushing, but also on offense, where it did just enough on the ground to wear down the Beavers and score 17 points. Richard Brehaut wasn't much a passing threat at quarterback, throwing for 127 yards and an interception, but gathered 61 yards rushing and a touchdown on 18 carries. Tailback Johnathan Franklin did the rest, taking an additional 23 carries for 100 yards and his own score. In all, the Bruins racked up 337 yards of total offense, and converted on nearly half of their third down conversions. Kai Forbath rounded out a solid performance by connecting on a 51-yard field goal with no time left on the clock and lifted his team to 4-5 on the year, 2-4 in conference play. The Bruins are off next weekend, and will get some much needed rest before heading up to Seattle for a favorable Thursday night match up on both sides of the ball against Washington.
Oregon State Proves Unable To Stop UW's Locker, Kearse in OT Loss
News:Analysis: Oregon State revealed its Achilles' heel in Week Six when it allowed Arizona quarterback Nick Foles to throw for a career-high 440 yards and three touchdowns in a close win on the road in Tuscon. That Washington's Jake Locker was able to exploit that weakness this week in a 35-34 win at home in Seattle, however, stunned us. Locker was simply outstanding in the victory, throwing for 286 yards and a career-high five touchdown passes - four of which ended up in the hands of trusty wide receiver Jermaine Kearse. Kearse was a nightmare for OSU's secondary, grabbing nine catches for 146 yards and ending up the sole reason UW was able to keep up with the Beavers over the span of two overtime periods. Not to be outdone was Washington tailback Chris Polk, who added 105 yards rushing and 29 yards receiving in the game, while teammate D'Andre Goodwin ended up the Huskies' second-best passing target with six catches going for 75 yards and a score of his own. All said and done, Oregon State surrendered 475 yards of offense to Steve Sarkisian's Huskies, and left UW with 26 first downs and six-of-15 on third-down conversions. Oregon State matched Washington in forcing three turnovers on the night, but only one of those ended up coming as a result of an errant throw by Locker. Essentially surrendering to a shoot-out on a cold and blustery night at Husky Stadium, Oregon State's defense proved unable to shut down Locker and Kearse when it needed to most, and accounted for a heart-breaking loss against a squad that was absolutely manhandled a weak earlier by Arizona State. Expect the Beavers to try to address a number of concerns on the defensive side of the ball in Week Eight, as OSU enjoys a bye before hosting the California Bears on 10/30 at home in Corvalis.
Oregon State Holds On To Win Despite Being Outplayed On Paper
News:Analysis: It's hard to explain just what allowed Oregon State to win Saturday's night showdown on the road in Tuscon against nationally-ranked Arizona, especially considering that in almost every measurable category that counts, the Wildcats outperformed the Beavers. Quarterback for Arizona, Nick Foles, was impressive in Saturday's contest, completing 35-of-45 passing for a career-high 440 yards and three touchdowns, and Juron Criner proved explosive at wideout, taking 12 catches for 179 yards and a score of his own. The tandem of Keola Antolin and Nic Grigsby combined for nearly as many yards rushing as the entire backfield for Oregon State, while each also contributed an additional 40 yards and a touchdown serving as receiving targets in the Wildcats' passing attack. Total offensive yards on the day for Arizona? 541 to Oregon State's 486. So where did Oregon State find an advantage? It's offense ending up its best defense, with the Beavers taking advantage of long drives in order to win the time of possession battle 36:23 to 23:37 for Arizona. That, plus a strong showing by OSU quarterback Ryan Katz and a poor performance by Arizona placekicker Alex Zendejas proved just enough to ensure the Beavers a victory over the No. 9 Wildcats in Week Six. That should provide enough incentive for Oregon State's defense to improve heading into a road contest in Seattle in Week Seven, where Mike Riley's squad will try to extend its winning streak to three-in-a-row against the Washington Huskies.
Oregon State's Defense Holds ASU's Threet To Season-Low Numbers
News:Analysis: Oregon State's secondary played surprisingly well Saturday as the Beavers downed Arizona State 31-28 at home in Corvalis, holding the Sun Devils Steven Threet to a season-low 203 yards passing and picking off the junior three times for the game. Threet also succumb to significant pressure up front from OSU's defensive line, with ASU's quarterback sacked a total of six times on the day. Freshman tailback for the Sun Devils, Deantre Lewis, found success on the ground, taking 20 carries for 104 yards and a score, while teammate Cameron Marshall added an additional 70 yards and a touchdown on 14 carries. Yet, turnovers and a third-down conversion ratio of seven-for-16 proved too much to overcome for Arizona State, with Oregon State's defense putting together it's first respectable showing since a relatively strong performance Week One against TCU. The Beavers' will hope to continue finding similar success heading into Week Six, with a a tough road-contest scheduled against an Arizona Wildcats program ranked No. 14 in the nation.
Oregon State Secondary Surrenders 288 Yards and Three TDs to BSU's Kellen Moore
News:Analysis: Boise State looked every part a national championship contender Saturday night in a 37-24 win against Oregon State, while the Beavers' struggled for a third-consecutive game to contain a mobile quarterback and multi-faceted ground attack. For the night, BSU's Kellen Moore finished 19-of-27 passing for 288 yards and three touchdowns, and alongside tailback Doug Martin (138 yards rushing on 19 carries), helped to manufacture an additional 175 total yards on the ground for the Broncos. Oregon State struggled to keep its defensive unit off the field, allowing BSU to convert on nine-of-14 third downs and forcing BSU to punt just twice for the entirety of Saturday night's match-up. The Beavers did manage to force two fumbles - one of which resulted in a change of possession - but besides that, proved mostly ineffective in stopping the Broncos' offense or putting any significant amount of pressure on Moore (zero sacks for the game) or Boise State's tailbacks. A return home to Corvalis in Week Five will hopefully find improved play on the defensive side of the ball for Oregon State. Still, given the Beavers will be going up against the second-most productive offense in the Pac-10 in Arizona State, fantasy owners will likely find themselves better served by looking elsewhere within the conference for a quality start on defense.
Oregon State's Defense Struggles Against Louisville Ground Game
News:Analysis: Oregon State's defense actually allowed Louisville to manufacture more yards on offense than did the Cardinals' defensive unit against the Beavers, with OSU yielding a total of 453 yards of offense to Charlie Strong's squad for the day. UL quarterback Adam Froman saw better-than-usual numbers throwing against Oregon State's secondary, hitting 22-of-38 for 288 yards and a touchdown (coupled with one interception), but, as did TCU's Andy Dalton in Week One, too proved effective against the Beavers' defensive front in moving the ball with his legs (eight carries for 46 yards and an additional two scores). Bilal Powell also proved a dangerous ball carrier in Saturday's contest, taking 20 carries for 83 yards and a score - not as good a showing at TCU's Ed Wesley, but impressive, nevertheless. The Beavers did end up producing two turnovers - one fumble, one interception - with the latter coming late in the game on a throw picked by OSU's James Dockery which ended what looked to be yet another nice drive being put together by Louisville. James Rodgers also added over 200 return yards on special teams, while Justin Kahut connected on all five of his extra-point attempts. Still, more than anything coming out of Saturdasy's game, Oregon State's defense showed a clear inability to handle itself well against a quarterback capable of making plays with his feet as much as with his arm, and earned only one sack for the day thanks to a lack of pressure up front. OSU will have to find a quick answer to that problem heading into Week Four, as its defensive unit will be faced with yet another mobile playmaker at quarterback in Boise State's Kellen Moore next Saturday.
Oregon State's Defense Gives TCU All It Can Handle
News:Analysis: It would be easy to blame Saturday night's loss by Oregon State to TCU on the inability of the Beavers defense to stop quarterback Andy Dalton and tailback Ed Wesley. Fact of the matter is, though, had it not been for a mistimed snap late in the fourth quarter that cost OSU a safety, Mike Riley's defense might been nominated for most valuable player of the contest. Was Dalton impressive under center against the Beavers? Yes, if you take into consideration his 175 yards passing, 64 yards rushing and lone touchdown on the night. Ed Wesley? He too contributed to TCU's win, netting 134 yards and a score on 17 carries. At the same time, however, Oregon State's defensive showing Saturday wasn't terrible by any means. Dalton was intercepted twice in the game, both times as TCU was driving deep into Oregon State territory, and on multiple occasions, Beavers defensive linemen flushed Dalton out of the pocket to make plays with his feet. The Horned Frogs did find success on the ground against Oregon State, with 54 rushing attempts on the night going for 278 total yards; that was to be expected, however, given the dynamic quality and depth present in TCU's backfield and likely would have been a challenge for even the most dominant run defense in FBS football today. That Oregon State allowed just 28 points to TCU ought to be considered a victory. That doesn't mean that the Beavers automatically deserve a nod for a starting spot on fantasy owners' roster on an ongoing basis, but is to say that RIley's defensive unit certainly showed it can stand up against some of the best offenses in the country and do a respectable job while doing so.
Oregon St. Defense Shuts Down UCLA Running Attack in Week 9
News: The Oregon St. defense shut down the UCLA run game in their victory over the Bruins on Saturday.
Analysis: UCLA ran for just 51 yards on 29 carries in the game. However, they also gave up 323 yards in the air and are now ranked 116th in the nation in pass defense. Oregon St. will take on California in Week 10; and don't be surprised if the game turns into a shootout since both teams are among the worst in the nation in terms of pass defense.
News: Oregon St. allowed 227 yards rushing, an average of nearly seven yards a touch in a 42-36 loss at USC.
Analysis: The Beaver defense did all they could to try and contain the Trojans, forcing two turnovers. They could not get off the field when they needed to and it cost them.
