Oregon State Vs. California : Preview

Jacquizz Rodgers ran for 3 touchdowns and threw for another last year.
(Photo Credit - Rick Bowmer - AP )

 Oregon State is on the road this week to face the California Golden Bears in a series they have recently dominated. The Beavers have won each of the last 4 match ups between the North division rivals and look to make it 5 Saturday at AT&T Park. The interesting thing about this match up is that in recent years, regardless of record California seems to have trouble against Oregon State. It will be interesting to see if they can take advantage this year of a down OSU squad and break the streak.

Last season, the Beavers dominated the Bears in every facet of the game. Cal only managed 23 yards on the ground while Jacquizz Rodgers racked up 119 himself and three scores. The OSU running back also threw for another touchdown as they routed the Bears 35-7. One thing that goes beyond the box score is that starting QB Kevin Riley went out of the game early and forced Brock Mansion to enter the game and try to shoulder the load in hostile Reser Stadium. The Beavers defense pressured Mansion all day and forced 6 sacks for the rookie QB.

As the two teams look to renew their rivalry, Cal comes into this game favored and are looking at this game as their best chance to become bowl eligible before they face conference powers, Stanford and Arizona State. In light of recent outcomes, it may be a surprise but it is not without reason. For the Bears, the offenses output, as well as the teams success is directly tied to Zach Maynard. It's not a stretch to say that the quarter back is the most important player on the field but when looking at his statistics there is a glaring comparison from his play to Cal's winning. Zach Maynard completes just over 50% of his passes week in and week out. In that respect, he is the most consistent QB in the conference. However, looking a little deeper into the statistics, you'll see that in victories, Maynard has thrown 11 touch downs against only 3 picks. In losses, however it has been quite the opposite. Maynard has only connected on two scoring passes but has thrown 7 interceptions. The Beavers defense can win this game if they can force California to throw and capitalize on mistakes.

 However, if Keenan Allen and Marvin Jones can get open they can provide a real challenge for the OSU secondary; who, to this point been stout against the pass. One catch with the Beaver defense is they have shown difficulty defending against a mobile quarter back. Maynard has shown that he has the ability to run, but his willingness has not always been there. If Maynard gets outside the pocket he could scramble for a lot of yards against the Beavers.

Isi Sofele has been a nice compliment to Maynard in the backfield. To this point in the season he has gained 839 yards on the ground and provided a nice counter punch to an up and down passing game. This will be an interesting match up to watch as the Beavers have not played well against the run. Sofele could be the X-Factor in this game and if he can get loose and keep the Beaver defense honest it will go a long way in helping the Bears win.

The Beavers have had issues with their offensive line and they are going to have to bring their A game against one of the better defenses in the Pac-12. Statistically, the Bears are the only team with a better pass defense than OSU and they also rank in the top third in the Pac-12 against the run. Freshman, Malcom Agnew has shown signs of brilliance early in the season but has been slowed by injuries and shut down by defenses the past couple games. The Beavs will need to get him on track and take pressure off of Sean Mannion.

Mannion has been throwing the ball all over the field, and has had to often under duress. The first year signal caller has been sacked 16 times to this point in the year, but has still managed to throw for 2447 yards. His best passing game of the season thus far came against Washington State where he threw for 4 touch down passes and 376 yards. OSU is going to need those flashes of brilliance to be more sustained throughout this game and the rest of the season, for the Beavers to salvage what will be their second consecutive year without a bowl. The offensive line is going to need to clean up, cut out mistakes and play strong to keep Mannion on his feet. If they can, receivers Markus Wheaton and James Rodgers could factor in to this game and continue the recent string of dominance over the Golden Bears.