Oregon State 2010 Football Preview

by John Berkowitz on Jul 21, 2010 6:51 AM PDT

Oregon State was the doormat of the Pac 10 for nearly three decades. Beaver Believers suffered through the Dee Andros, Craig Fertig, Joe Avezzano, Dave Kragthorpe, and Jerry Pettibone era's when the Beavers went without a winning season for twenty-nine years.

In 1997 Oregon State hired Corvallis native Mike Riley who began rebuilding the program in earnest. He didn't have a winning season the first two years he was there but the foundation was set for Dennis Erickson to have some success once Riley bolted to the San Diego Chargers. Riley returned in 2003 after Erickson left to coach the 49ers and he has established his program as a perennial title contender.

How has Mike Riley accomplished this? Has he out recruited the competition? According to Scout his classes have been at our near the bottom of the Pac 10 the last five years. 2010 - #67 - 2009 - #48 - 2008 - #61 - 2007 - #40 - 2006 - #41. Obviously he has been an expert evaluator of talent because he has won with the pieces that other conference coaches obviously passed on.

The key to the OSU success under Riley is talent evaluation, talent development, conditioning, teaching, game day coaching, and a solid foundation that has been built over the past 13 years. Ask any coach and they will say the longevity of a coaching staff is perhaps the biggest key in establishing a successful program.

Heading into 2010 the Beavers should open the season in the top 25 and be one of the favorites to win the Pac 10 crown. They are breaking in a new QB but the multi-talented Rodgers brothers and a stout defense should be able to take a lot of the heat off of So QB Ryan Katz who drew comparisons to Jake Locker during spring ball.

Jr RB Jacquizz Rodgers returns to lead the OSU running attack and is arguably the best player in a league loaded with quality running backs. If he can stay healthy all season long there is no reason why he won't get heavy consideration from the Heisman voters.

Sr WR James Rodgers caught a team-high 91 passes for 1,034 yards and nine touchdowns in 2009. He also carried the ball 58 times for 303 yards and a touchdown on fly sweeps. So Jordan Bishop and JR Darrell Catchings will be lining up beside Rodgers. Jr HB Joe Halahuni was fourth on the team with 35 catches for 486 yards and three touchdowns.Sr TE Brady Camp returns but his chances have been limited due to the liberal use of the H-back.

The OSU line looks strong with four starters returning. Jr OT Burke Ellis who is a former walk on is the new starter at left tackle. Jr OT Mike Remmers return on the right side. Sr Alex Linnenkohl is one of the best centers in the country. So OG Michael Michael Philipp started 13 games last season as a true frosh. Jr OG Grant Johnson who is recovering from shoulder surgery is expected to start at the other guard position.

Mark Banker is one of the most respected DC's in the country. his defense rank consistently among the best in the conference and the secret has been the development of quality depth which keeps the defense fresh in the latter stages of the game.

Up front Sr DT Stephen Paea resisted the temptation of the NFL draft to return. Mark him down as one of the best players in the conference. Paea had 43 tackles, 8.5 tackles for loss, three sacks, and four forced fumbles in 2010 but he also had to be constantly double teamed which opened up opportunities for the rest of the defense. Sr DT Brennan Olander is another former walk on who has earned a starting job. He isn't big but his quickness allows him to make plays. Out on the ends Sr DE Gabe Miller returns and is flanked buy So DE Taylor Henry who has good potential.

The Beavers have some rebuilding to do at linebacker. Sr WLB Dwight Roberson returns and he is one of the best in the conference. Over on the strong side So SLB Devin Unga who is shaking off the rust of a Mormon mission looked to be in the lead for the starting job coming out of spring practice. So MLB Tony Wilson appears to be the guy in the middle but So MLB Kevin Unga is still in the mix.

The secondary that suffered from extreme growing pains last season returns as a seasoned unit with plenty of depth. Sr CB James Dockery is an all league candidate. He is flanked by JR Brandon Hardin who is described as a big CB who packs the punch of a LB. Jr S Lance Mitchell returns along with JR S Cameron Collins. Mitchell is a ball hawk who is always a threat to pick one off. Collins is a huge kid who reminds me of a healthy Jason Wells.

Washington vs Oregon State

The Beavers have a solid defensive system in place and plenty of depth to rotate the front four to keep them fresh. OSU will experience a fall off at LB but keep an eye on that defensive backfield. The Beavers are loaded back there with speed, physicality, and depth. They need to cover better in 2010 but man can they get up there and support the run.

Offensively the teams should be fairly even with the exception being at QB. Jake Locker can do so many things that Ryan Katz can't do and he has the experience of starting for the past three seasons. UW is a little deeper at receiver and will challenge the Beavers deep. OSU will be dumping it off more to the Rodgers brothers and Halahuni to keep the percentages high for Katz.

The game is being played in Seattle and OSU is breaking in a new QB so advantage Washington. UW has an edge with Locker but the Beavers have plenty of skill guys which can take the pressure off a new QB. If Washington has any type of Rose Bowl aspirations they need to knock the Beavers off at home. I have to pick UW by a field goal at this point.

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This game has the potential

to be one of the best games of the year for both teams, and one of the better ones in the history of the rivalry. By the seventh week of the season, with five games under their belts, the fine tuning should be pretty well taken care of. So it should also be a very good barometer for both the Huskies and the Beavers as to whether the lofty expectations for both teams were reasonable.

Good analysis John, and while I obviously disagree with the outcome, I wouldn’t be a bit surprised if this is a one score decision either way. I have been looking forward to this trip for a year already!

Andy Wooldridge, andy_wooldridge@yahoo.com
BuildingTheDam.Com
Go Beavs!

by AndyPanda on Jul 21, 2010 9:08 AM PDT reply actions

Andy...

It will be really close…a FG either way.

by John Berkowitz on Jul 21, 2010 2:00 PM PDT up reply actions

I have a lot of respect for Riley and the Beavs

I think the key concept to OSU’s success is in the word “investment”. Oregon State has done a remarkable job of putting resources together both on and off the field. OSU has renovated just about every aspect of a football program. From the facilities, to the coaching, and to the players. I think the foundation of Riley’s recruiting philosphy is simple- find football players w/ winning attitudes. Riley doesn’t put a lot of stock into a kid’s star power. Rather he gages a kid’s attitude and work ethic, those traits are hard to put stars on. Both those traits are necessities towards player development.

On a different note, the only thing I don’t like about the Beavs is that sometimes I see too much aggressiveness, particularly on defense. Their are occasions where I see OSU defenders gunning for heads to a point of trying to inflict injuries. Now this is just crazi talking and I know some of this stuff is part of the game. However I think at times I see stuff that borders on uneccessary physical play. Other then the uneccessary physcial play, of all other Pac 10 clubs OSU is my 2nd favorite Pac 10 football program.

All I saw was purple

by crazidawg on Jul 21, 2010 9:27 AM PDT reply actions

I agree UW wins by a field goal. Same margin as the 2000 game. OSU no QB = little offense UW can contain Rodgers brothers. My prediction Huskies will win 10 games. Still time to jump on the 10-2 bandwagon all welcome aboard. Come on crazi I know you want to ride this puppy.

by lorenzothedog on Jul 21, 2010 12:47 PM PDT reply actions

:) Very tempting indeed

But the bottom line for me is that we still have to learn to win on the road. Until a young team learns how to put it together on the road it’s mediocre city baby.

So I have to continue to point out how very critical the opener at BYU is. If we beat BYU, it does two things…

1. It tells me that we started out on the right foot, our offense is going to be a juggernaut, and our defense is capable of doing good things like stopping folks.

2. It tells me that we’ve grown together and the team has matured enough to know what it takes to win on the road. No more official excuses, no more coaching blunder excuses, and no more hostile environment excuses. A championship team can and will block everything out on the road, will overcome disasterous referee calls, put it all together and walk out a winner.

Until I see it, the benchmark stays at 8 victories. Still good enough for a bowl invite. Yet if this team is dreaming of something more, they’d better leave it right there. Championships are recognized and built during the offseason- something Ty overlooked.

Can we do it? Depends on how bad our kids want it.

All I saw was purple

by crazidawg on Jul 21, 2010 1:12 PM PDT up reply actions

I predicted 8 wins last season too

We had all the home victories to get to the 8 win plateau last season. All we needed was to win a few road games. Three road games come to mind that were very winnable (ND, ASU, and Ucla). We could’ve easily won all 3 of them and if we’d pulled them out then we would’ve gotten my 8 predicted wins.

So to me nothing changes from last season. This is about baby steps, coming together as a team and learning how to play championship football. We don’t win anything until we get that first road victory. Once we get the one road victory then we can move on and start discussing more then just trying to achieve a bowl invite. The goal has to be receiving a bowl invitation.

All I saw was purple

by crazidawg on Jul 21, 2010 1:30 PM PDT up reply actions

prediction dilemna

If your prediction is right you are great if not the “kids want it bad enough”.

Get with the program and stop sounding like Pete Carroll.

by Purpledawg on Jul 21, 2010 7:03 PM PDT up reply actions

Last season had nothing to do with “kids want it bad enough”. But I thought we were a bowl contending team and if we’d come out on top in those 3 games or at least 2 of them, we would’ve been bowling.

Actually I can tell if this post I am responding to is a slam or not. If it is what did I say that warrents a slam? Our kids have 8 win potential and to me that is the benchmark.

All I saw was purple

by crazidawg on Jul 22, 2010 7:20 PM PDT up reply actions

In my mind, OSU gave the UW the worst physical beat-down of anyone last year.

They absolutely dominated the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball. The Beavers are still better in the trenches; for the Dawgs to have a shot to win, the gap will have to have been narrowed substantially.

The good news for the Dawgs is that the game’s at home, and Locker will hopefully be more mobile than he was against OSU last season (the quad bruise really slowed him down in the game last year). Katz still won’t have a ton of experience for this game. He’ll be road-tested already, and will have faced some good defenses. It’ll be interesting to see how he progresses.

The bad news is that the Beavers, right now, look like they could hand the ball off to the Rodgers brothers et al 40+ times and grind out a win. I’m not sure they’ll choose to, though. When they pass, the Dawgs have to get pressure and still maintain coverage on the safety valves (Jacquizz and the tight ends). Hopefully, force Katz into some bad decisions. On offense, the Dawgs have to get off to a fast start. Make Oregon State play catch-up. Get a running game going.

The Dawgs are going to have to win the special teams battle, too.

by Sundodger on Jul 21, 2010 2:20 PM PDT reply actions

Ask a barber if you need a haircut...

John, you wrote, “Ask any coach and they will say the longevity of a coaching staff is perhaps the biggest key in establishing a successful program.” Well…yeah. What would you expect a coach to say? “The best way to get a program winning again is to fire the coach. In fact, don’t just fire him; bury him up to his neck in ants and put honey in his ears. Paint My Little Pony designs on his car. Cancel his cable TV and put police-line tape over his front door. Tie a brick to his…”

Here’s the truth: it’s very hard to tell if continuity is the cause or the effect. Does a team win because its coach stays put? Or does the coach stay put because his team wins? Statistics has no reliable means of telling us. (That’s assuming that winning and continuity are actually correlated at all. Are they, or is this just an intuitive statement?)

by djohnson on Jul 21, 2010 4:19 PM PDT reply actions

Yeah, I was going to comment on that too.

I think the truth is probably something like this – continuity in coaching staffs and philosophies is great, but only if the staff and philosophies are good. I have my doubts that the results under Ty would have been much better if the UW had given him another 5 years.

by kirkd on Jul 21, 2010 4:59 PM PDT up reply actions

LOL...

So true….but continuity of success is a key.

by John Berkowitz on Jul 21, 2010 8:32 PM PDT up reply actions

Props, djohnson.

That was pretty flippin’ hilarious. Well done.

James freakin' Rodgers. Beast.

by The Orange Joe on Jul 22, 2010 10:30 AM PDT up reply actions

Josh Shirley Coming To Washington

Being reported by http://www..realdawg.com%2Fnews.asp%3Fid%3D5287&h=ed731

The Tunnel is Hallowed and Sacred Ground

by bigdawgdaddy999 on Jul 21, 2010 8:25 PM PDT reply actions

Bad Link...being reported os Softy's Facebook

The Tunnel is Hallowed and Sacred Ground

by bigdawgdaddy999 on Jul 21, 2010 8:27 PM PDT up reply actions

Please don't quote RD here...

Do not link it…do not quote it.

by John Berkowitz on Jul 21, 2010 8:32 PM PDT up reply actions

I’ll believe it when Scout.com, Biggins or Rivals reports it.

Not that I’d be surprised, just that I don’t trust that particular site…

by kirkd on Jul 21, 2010 8:42 PM PDT up reply actions

Your right John....I completely forgot.

The Tunnel is Hallowed and Sacred Ground

by bigdawgdaddy999 on Jul 21, 2010 8:38 PM PDT reply actions

No problem….just a reminder.

by John Berkowitz on Jul 21, 2010 11:07 PM PDT up reply actions

You gotta love Ivan Lewis!!!!

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/huskyfootballblog/2012421961_checking_in_with_ivan_lewis.html#continue

by Snostrebla on Jul 22, 2010 1:10 PM PDT reply actions

If we presume that Lewis isn’t just blowing smoke and there really are significant gains being made in strength, speed and explosiveness in our players, it seems more clear than ever that the problems this team had under Ty weren’t so much about lack of “talent” – it was lack of development of the available talent. Now, there certainly were some guys recruited that were below the standards of a successful Washington program, but there were also guys that had the raw talent to be good football players, but just never reached that potential. And yes, there were plenty of other problems stemming from Ty and his staff, but clearly player development via the strength and conditioning program was severely lacking.

I don’t know what happened between the time Trent Greener was at Oregon State under Riley and at Washington under Ty, but something went really wrong.

by kirkd on Jul 22, 2010 1:40 PM PDT up reply actions