BearTerritory.net - Early look at the Beavers

November 2, 2009

Chris Nguon
BearTerritory.net Senior Writer

Spotlight on Oregon State

Last season's record: 9-4 overall, 7-2 in the Pac-10
Current record: 5-3, 3-2 (wins over Portland State, UNLV, Arizona State, Stanford and UCLA; losses to Cincinnati, Arizona and USC)

Once again, Oregon State has flown under the radar.

The Beavers are tied for second place in the Pac-10 and if they win out could find themselves in first-place a tie for the Pac-10 title at the end of the season.

OSU has beaten the teams its supposed to beat this year and all three losses have come against quality teams in contests that honestly could've went either way. The Beavers did struggle to put away UCLA last week however, as a late flurry by the Bruins had the OSU sideline sweating a bit.

The formula has never changed for head coach Mike Riley and this season is no different.

The Beavers play good, tough defense and rely on accurate short passing and the Rodgers brothers.

THEOREGONIAN.COM: 'We did all the things to self destruct'

Here are some quick observations of the OSU squad:

1. STATISTICAL ANOMALY?

Oregon State always has a tough defense. The Beavers play hard, tackle well and are very well coached.

When it comes to Cal, that's not "coach speak." The Bears have had a lot of trouble moving the ball against Oregon State in the past. It probably won't be easy this year either but the statistics are a bit striking.

OSU ranks just eighth in the Pac-10 in total team defense (380.1 yards per game allowed), eighth in scoring defense (24.9 points per game), ninth in passing defense (272 yards per game) and third in rushing defense (108 yards per game).

2. CANFIELD IN CHARGE

The last time Sean Canfield visited Memorial Stadium, there were some lingering questions about how good he really was.

Those questions don't exist anymore.

The lefty quarterback leads in the Pac-10 in passing (254.9 yards per game) and is completing an astounding 68.9 percent of his passes. In fact, the biggest reason why OSU almost knocked off USC in Los Angeles two weeks ago was because of Canfield's accuracy down the field.

3. RODGERS BROTHERS PART DEUX

Last season, Cal had a tough time slowing down Jacquizz Rodgers and James Rodgers.

If the Bears do a better job on the pair this time around, there's a pretty good shot Cal will come out on top.

The Rodgers brothers make up the majority of OSU's offensive production. Combined, the pair has rushed for 1128 yards and 15 touchdowns on the ground. Through the air, they have caught a combined 109 passes for 1077 yards and 6 touchdowns. The brothers are also statistically the two leading rushers and receivers overall this season for the Beavers as well.

The Rodgers brothers have made up 49.4 percent of OSU's total receiving yards this season (1077-2177) and 84.7 percent of OSU's total rushing yards (1128-1331).

MIKE RILEY speaks ?

? on Cal: "We're (facing) another one of those typical, hard Pac-10 games. I have a lot of respect for Cal, a lot of respect for what they do scheme-wise, and for the talent they have. They have some very explosive athletes."

? on comparing Jahvid to Jacquizz: "Jahvid can just flat-out run. He's got great speed. He gets an opening, and it's scary. ? Quizz, to me, has good speed, great cutting ability in the hole, and he always gets great leverage.''

TEDFORD speaks ?

? on OSU: "They are always well coached and have great players. The Rodgers brothers are a big part of what they do. They are very explosive and physical. It's always a battle."

? on why OSU is physical: "It's the players they recruit and it's the way they prepare. They are always physical up front. They play with good pad level. They do a great job."

Quote of Note

Here's what senior linebacker Eddie Young had to say about OSU's rushing attack.

Young: "They are a downhill attack. They aren't a lateral running team. In the Pac-10, you get a lot of personnel that are roll and spread teams that don't play the power football. With Oregon State though, they have that ability to play physical with Jacquizz Rodgers and their linemen."

Offensive player to watch: Jacquizz Rodgers

While his brother James Rodgers and quarterback Sean Canfield are also major players to watch, there is no getting around how important the younger Rodgers brother is to the OSU offense.

Rodgers has rushed for 922 yards and 14 touchdowns this season and has caught 49 passes for 371 yards and 1 score. Add to the fact that Rodgers also threw a 14-yard touchdown pass in the win over UCLA last week and fans can gather how crucial he is to the Beavers' overall success offensively.

Standing just 5-foot-7, 191 pounds, the Texas native plays much, much bigger than that.

The running back broke on to the national scene last season, when he ripped up the USC defense in OSU's upset victory over the Trojans. From that point on, Rodgers has been on a roll, barreling through every defense that has tried to step in his way.

"He's short, which actually works in his favor because he's strong," Cal linebacker Eddie Young said. "A lot of people are bigger than him and they go over the top, which is why he can break a lot of tackles."

Rodgers is currently the second overall leading rusher in the Pac-10 and has rushed for 100 yards or more in every OSU win this season.

YouTube: Rodgers leads OSU to upset victory

YouTube: How the brothers from Texas ended up in Corvallis

Defensive player to watch: Keaton Kristick

Probably one of the more underrated defensive players in the Pac-10, Kristick is a player that simply gets the job done.

Standing 6-foot-3, 230 pounds, the physical linebacker is having a heck of a season, having racked up a team-high 63 tackles, which includes 5.5 tackles for loss.

Kristick has also notched an interception and forced fumble this season.

Kristick's 63 tackles puts him fourth overall in the Pac-10, behind Cal's Mike Mohamed (74), USC's Taylor Mays and Washington's Donald Butler.

The Arizona native started all 13 games last season and was second on the team in tackles with 82, which ranked 14th in the Pac-10 overall. Kristick also had a career-high 10 tackles in the upset of No. 1 USC, including two tackles for loss and one sack.

Despite going roughly 230 pounds, Kristick is an underrated athlete and has shown the ability to chase down opposing ball-carriers on the edge. Considering how most of the big runs from Jahvid Best and Shane Vereen start in and go out to the edge, Kristick is a key player for the Cal offensive blocking scheme to keep an eye out for.

Chris Nguon is the lead football writer for BearTerritory. He's well known for his recruiting and game coverage in the star-studded Oakland Athletic League, plus his numerous contributions with The Daily Californian, UC Berkeley's only independent, student-run newspaper. Nguon is also a correspondent with the Oakland Tribune, and will cover Cal football and men's and women's basketball in 2009.

FEATURED PRODUCT