2009 Previews: Oregon State
By Tim Cottrell
Sports Writer/Designer
Published: July 3, 2009
We go to Oregon State for Preview No. 17. Previews of all 65 BCS conference schools, plus Notre Dame and state schools, in no particular order, will run daily through Aug. 22.
Oregon State has been a very, very weird team over the years.
They almost always start slow, then suddenly pull off an upset and finish strong.
The same was true last year. After losing to Stanford and getting blown out at Penn State, the Beavers beat USC and would have won the Pac-10 if they could’ve beaten rival Oregon in the season finale.
This year, much of the offensive corps is back, but they’ve got problems on the offensive line and even bigger problems on the defense.
Quarterback Lyle Moevao had offseason surgery, but is expected to be back in time for the fall. Backup Sean Canfield is capable, so they should be OK there.
They also have shifty little running back Jacquizz Rodgers back. He was named the conference offensive player of the year as a true freshman after rushing for more than 1200 yards and receiving for nearly 250.
The wide receivers are a little untested, but capable.
The offensive line returns three starters, but lost several capable backups. That might not be good when you’re protecting a just surgically repaired quarterback.
Defensively, things are ugly.
Only three starters are back. Three-fourths of the defensive line and all the secondary will be new.
The Beavers will have to outscore people, at least early. But the early schedule shapes up well before a brutal conference schedule.
Here it is:
Sept. 5: Portland State
Next
Sept. 12: at UNLV
A tricky game, but one they should win. Unless of course they pull their early season hijinx again.
Sept. 19: Cincinnati
The Beavers got torched in Cincinnati two years ago. They might return the favor this time.
Sept. 26: Arizona
The Wildcats are back to respectability. This might go into the toss-up category.
Oct. 3: at Arizona State
Tough road trip to a team that should be improving.
Oct. 10: Stanford
Another one that won’t be easy. They should get the win though.
Oct. 24: at USC
The Trojans should be licking their chops for this one.
Oct. 31: UCLA
The Bruins might be starting to hit their stride around this time, but having them at home should be enough for a win.
Nov. 7: at California
The Beavers got a big win over the Bears at home last year. Don’t look for them to repeat it on the road.
Nov. 14: Washington
First surefire win in a while. I never thought I would write that sentence in regards to Oregon State beating Washington.
Nov. 21: at Washington State
It will be cold and OSU will roll.
Dec. 3: at Oregon
Weird things happen in this series, like OSU allowing 65 points at home to the Ducks last year. OSU will have a good shot to win this one.
With a more experienced defense this could actually be a really good season. But with those conference road trips and the areas they’re going to have to replace, it’ll probably be yet another 7-5 or 8-4 season.
