Pacific-10 Conference media day was mellow as usual, at least from the streaming video. I’ve been to them in the past and best part was getting all the media guides. But since they are going more online, it wasn’t worth attending. Here’s the full report that ran in Friday’s GT.
As for the Oregon State football team, there wasn’t much news. Coach Mike Riley said that senior OLB Keith Pankey has the full green light to start training camp.
We knew that was going to be the case a while back. Check out this past blog that has my recent interview with Pankey about his return.
The media questions came up about Riley doing more with less, since the Beavers always come in ninth in the conference in the recruiting ratings. Riley had a good response.
“We don’t do more with less, we just do a good job evaluating players,” Riley said. “We don’t care about how many stars they have coming in, we care about how many stars they have coming out.”
RB Jacquizz Rodgers had just as good a response:
“We develop players as they get older in the program,” Rodgers said. “Every player that comes through the program gets better. The coaches focus on technique to make you a better football player and not just the winning.”
7 comments
angrybeaver says:
May 24, 2013
There's good reasons to be optimistic if Katz performs well. We'll know this month. He needs to stop impersonating Brett Farve; he needs to stop forcing passes; and, he needs to learn touch. If he can do these things in a month's time he will be fantastic. If not, he'll be what you expect from a Soph.
http://angrybeavs.com
RenoNVBeavr says:
May 24, 2013
It may just be my blind ignorance but how is the BSU team of this year superior to the Beavs. Let's break this down:
QB = Clear edge in terms of experience to BSU
RB = Clear edge to Beavs
WR = Slight edge to Beavs because of depth and proven talent
OL = Edge to BSU
DL = Edge to Beavs. BSU has no Paea / Ollander combo on their squad.
LB = Edge to BSU
DB = Edge to Beavs because of depth and proven talent
K / P = Split or slight edge to Beavs.
Coaching = Have to give a slight edge to BSU…a VERY slight edge
On paper, where is the dominance overall? Why cant we beat this team?
aaron_ says:
Jul 30, 2010
i think the Beavs really have a chance this year to be something special. Quizz is a junior and is in the "prime" of his college career. James is a "vet" in his senior year and should have another outstanding year. I believe the big question marks will be the QB, the DB's and the pass rush. I think Katz will be fine this year and better as the season progresses. He has the tools himself to be a good one and has the wr's, rb's and TE/H-backs around him to help him succeed. The biggest thing is winning early. The Beavs historically finish strong and climb into the lower portion of the rankings. This year they have a tough task with TCU and BSU early. If this season is to be special in terms of making it to the grandaddy those games are essential. If they can beat those guys they will have the confidence to take on the pac-10. Winning early against those two will push them high into the rankings early and would put them into a upper tier bowl game even if they didnt make to the rose bowl. Realisticaly i think they take one of two from the TCU/BSU games.
LtSpears says:
Jul 30, 2010
Aaron – As a Beaver fan, you should realize that getting to the Rose Bowl truly has nothing to do with the preseason. In the past 2 years, the Beavs have played the CW to go to the Rose Bowl, and they faltered in the preseason both years. Riley and staff are great at not letting those early season setbacks destroy team confidence. In fact, they turn it into a source of motivation. For instance, I really don't think we would have beaten USC in '08 without the blowwout loss to Penn St under our belts. It might be frustrating to watch those early season losses as a fan, but we should know by now that it won't define the season.
aaron_ says:
Jul 30, 2010
the point i was making was that if they get those two very tough games as victories then that can only give them confidence going into Pac-10 play. If they can beat TCU and BSU they can probably beat any team in the conference.
If we win the early games and gain confidence (especially Katz) going into Pac-10 play the sky is the limit. If we start at say #20 in the preseason rankings and win those two games that could very likely put us in the top ten going into conference play. A strong season in conference play could land us in the Grandaddy and possibly better. If we lose the non-conference games it wouldnt necessarily ruin the season but it is about time that Riley and Co take that next step. This could be that season that they do it. Their non-conference schedule sets the stage for this to happen.
rooruns says:
Jul 30, 2010
I always seem to begin the season with a lot of hope, but it is dashed quickly and then rebuilt during the season. I really think this season can be different. We have the tools offensively to rival the Fiesta Bowl year. The key will be the defense–with the DE pressure constantly and the LB hitting hard and the rest swarming. I think Oregon and OSU will be the class of the conference once again. Beavers will start strong, stay strong and finish strong. Bring on Fall camp!
rooruns says:
Jul 30, 2010
Physically OSU is a better team on paper, but mindset, heart and momentum, not to mention the psychology of the blue field has been our down fall. I hope the character of this team is that of a winner.