Oregon State Beavers Way Too Early Preview

It was a baptism by fire for the Beavers last year, hopefully the experience
will temper the squad for the next season.
AP Photo/Ted S. Warren

Last season was another tough year for the Beavers. They could not have started the season much worse losing in overtime to FCS opponent Sacramento State in over time. They followed that up with three more losses, including a 35-0 shut out at Wisconsin. The Beavers would get their first win of the season against Arizona at home and then beating Washington State in Seattle. Oregon State would not win again until the Huskies came to town to give the Beav's their last win of the year. OSU had one of the most prolific passing attacks in the country, ranking in the top 20 but in a lot of situations the Beavers were trying to throw their way back into the game. Their running attack was anemic and the offensive line wasn't helping matters much. That's where the Beavers must start to rebuild if they are to be competitive this season in the Pac-12.

The Beavers are young, last season they played more froshmen than ever before in program history. They had to face a steep learning curve, going up against the likes of Oregon, Wisconsin and Stanford but overall the trial by fire will serve them well in the future. While the offensive line was the weak link of the team they got some help in the recruiting field, reeling in 7 OL recruits including Isaac Seumalo a 4* recruit from Corvallis.

As was mentioned, the Beavers were a top 20 passing team last season. Markus Wheaton and James Rodgers were the main targets for Quarterback Sean Mannion who threw for over 3300 yards. Wheaton came close to a 1000 yard season and James Rodgers bounced back from an ACL tear to reel in 45 receptions and three touchdowns. Not only has Rodgers graduated, stalwart Joe Halihuni is also graduating. Halihuni was the go to guy when OSU needed a first down to keep the drive alive. The Beavers still have Wheaton as well as Jordan Bishop to carry the load. As far as the running game goes, Sophomore Malcom Agnew will likely tote the rock the most for the Beavers. He lead the team last year in rushing with 423 yards and found the end zone 5 times on the ground. He is going to have to step up his production to take the pressure off of Mannion so the offense can produce.

On defense, the Beavers are going to to have to rely on defensive back Jordan Poyer who lead the team in pass break ups. While the defense held their own against the pass, they had a tough time defending the rush. They allowed nearly 200 yards a game on the ground and the defensive line is going to have to shore themselves up if they want to stay in games this upcoming season. They are going to have to replace defensive leader Lance Mitchell who intercepted the ball twice and was among team leaders in tackles. Replacing him will be a challenge as his affect was felt far beyond the box score.

With the Beavers going a combined 8-16 the last two seasons, the fans are clamoring for change. Coach Riley and staff are going to have to show improvement this year or the boosters may be calling for a new regime. Looking at the schedule for the next season, they have a similar beginning, Nichols State before Wisconsin comes to town before the conference schedule starts. Optimistically, the Beavers could find their way to a 6-6 record and get themselves back to a bowl game. That may be what they need to keep the current coaching staff intact and show boosters and future recruits that the team is making progress. However, in the worst case scenario they could find themselves in another 3-9 season which could cause a lot more grumbling in Corvallis.

Mistakes, Wilson bury Beavers in Wisconisn

Jacob Pedersen (48) catches a touchdown pass with Oregon State's Rashaad Reynolds (16) defending during the first half of an NCAA college football game, Saturday, Sept. 10, 2011, in Madison, Wis. (AP Photo/Morry Gash)

Oregon State came into Wisconsin with a lot of questions, Saturday and it seems as though they got at least some answers, even if the answers weren't what they wanted to hear. With two quarter backs sharing the reps with the first team through out the week, it seemed as though Coach Mike Riley would be deciding on a starter by throwing them into the fire of Camp Randall Stadium, one of the most raucous in the country. Unfortunately for the visitors, they didn't get enough answers to make it matter on the scoreboard as Wisconsin garnered their first shut out, 35-0 since they shut out Purdue 37-0 in 2009.

The offense had to lean on the experience and abilities of their quarter backs as the running game was only able to net 23 yards on the ground against a stifling defense. It seems as though Coach Riley decided on Sean Mannion to lead his offense as he managed to complete 25 of 38 passes for 244 yards. Former starter Ryan Katz only threw 3 passes as it appears he will be passed up by Mannion on the depth chart. Only time will tell at this point as OSU has two weeks to prepare for their first conference game against UCLA.

On the other side of the ball, Russell Wilson was again sparkling, passing for 3 touchdowns and only missing on 4 passes. The Oregon State interior defensive line held up their end of the bargain early, slowing down the dynamic rushing attack of Montee Ball and James White, but there were no answers for Wilson as he lead the Badgers up and down the field. The Badgers eventually wore down the undermanned Beavers defensive line and Montee Ball broke through for two touchdowns late in the second half to ice the game for the home team.

Wisconsin got help from an unexpected source as the Beavers just couldn't get their special teams on the same page. Johnny Hekker netted -4 yards on a punt to give Wisconsin the ball inside Oregon State's red zone and an eventual touch down when Russell Wilson found Jacob Pederson in the end zone for his first touchdown of the day. With Wisconsin leading 14-0, the Beavers needed a solid drive to get back into the game but Kick Returner Kenyan Parker made a mental mistake, fielding the ball and stepping out of bounds inside their own 5 yard line, creating a tall order for the offense.

The Badgers have one more warm up against Northern Illinois before they get into conference play and they appear to be on the right track. Wilson providing a much needed spark to an offense that seemed to be missing one element to really become unstoppable. Meanwhile, the Beavers seem to find some rhythm on offense. Oregon State was really missing Freshman standout Malcom Agnew who rumbled for 223 yards against Sacramento State, getting a little banged up in the process. Perhaps, the passing threat of Sean Mannion will open up the Beaver offense and give Agnew the much needed lanes to make Oregon State effective.