Oregon State football coach Mike Riley said the team is obviously disappointed with the double overtime loss to Washington, but the Beavers will move on and improve.
He doesn’t second-guess his idea to go for the 2-point conversion that ended the game. Riley felt it was time for the team to try and win the game. Here’s a full length story in Monday’s GT on this and more.
It was a good play call, QB Ryan Katz made the right read and threw the ball to the right person. TE Joe Halahuni felt bad about not pulling the ball in, but it was just a good defensive play.
WR Markus Wheaton (knee) feels better. OG Michael Lamb (ankle) will miss practice this week.
The team will practice Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Sunday during the bye week. Coaches will head out and recruit Friday and Saturday.
26 comments
OSU4life says:
May 18, 2012
Thanks for putting things into perspective. I guess what frustrates me the most about OSU Football is the lack of improvements on Defense the past 7 games! They give up 459.2 yards & 30.8 points per game this year! Recruiting for this 2010 class is key! They need to recruit Offensive and Defensive Linemen along with a lot of SPEED! There is no reason why Boise State should be out-recruiting OSU.
tommiet says:
May 18, 2012
Seems to me that Eugene is a small town with crappy weather and a small fanbase, but they seem to do pretty damn well every year. Are you saying all it takes is HDTV in every locker? Are those commercials on ESPN really bringing in so much talent? Where is the huge difference between Eugene and Corvallis? How is is that the Ducks seems to be good every year, and we're consistently average? And now they're going to steal our thunder in baseball too? It aint right.
OSU4life says:
May 18, 2012
I have the same high expectations every year as does 99.9% of Beaver Nation! However, I absolutely refuse to accept mediocrity and that it's in our DNA somehow! I call for a mutation, a buck in the system, change! Why don't we go to the Junior College ranks and get some immediate help? (like the Fiesta Bowl year) Get the most speed as possible on the field for defense & offense! Maybe moving people around, move Hardin to safety, Poyer to corner, Roberson to MLB, etc…! Or, if there are underclassmen who are better/faster than the starters, why not play them? We need to recruit not only better athletes, but faster athletes! On offense, every receiver should be a burner, not just 2! Seems like every team we played so far is much faster than us, bigger than us, and more athletic than us and stronger physically than us. Coaching, and mental toughness can only go so far, eventually talent takes over. Talent can sometimes make up for mistakes too! Go Beavs!
OSU4life says:
May 18, 2012
I agree going for 2 was the right call! Gutsy, but the right call! I just question the "play called"! Maybe roll Katz out to make the LB's bite, or something else? I hope the coaching staff doesn't give a lot of time off this bye week, and I hope they really work the team hard this time around! There are too many areas in need of improvement on both sides of the ball, to take this bye week lightly. Move Brandon Hardin to safety and Jordan Poyer to starting corner playing opposite of James Dockery, Poyer had his 1st interception of the year, and more will come if he plays more! He is one of the best athletes on the team and 80% of the time he's on the sideline! Why? Hopefully the coaching staff will take notice and make the proper adjustments.
BeaverDon says:
May 18, 2012
Why have Beaver fans seemed to have accepted mediocrity? It seems the as long as we go the a Bowl Game, any Bowl Game, it's good enough. I don't know how many times I have read or heard the we have been in the Rose Bowl hunt the last two seasons, but (why does there always have to be 'but' when talking about Beaver Football) WE HAVE NOT GONE TO A ROSE BOWL SINCE 1964! We have never gone to a Holiday Bowl, and since the Fiesta Bowl the best we have been able to do is the Sun Bowl. It is getting old, it happens season after season, something has to be done if we are going to advance to the next level.
osbeavs says:
May 18, 2012
What is sad is that the Holiday Bowl is now the #3 bowl (old sun bowl spot) and we won't even make that. I am beginning to think that our final record is 5-7 or 4-8. Think Beaver Nation will be satisfied with that?
BeaverDon says:
May 18, 2012
I think that Beaver Nation would be satisfied. Not posters to this Blog, but think Beaver Nation as whole they would be satisfied.
OSU4life says:
May 18, 2012
Beaver Nation isn't paying higher donations and higher ticket prices to be satisfied with non winning seasons, or mediocrity! No we are NOT satisfied with mediocrity or below .500 seasons, nor should we be! If we wanted mediocrity or non winning seasons, then we should be able to buy two for one tickets for $5.00 at Bi-Mart again!!! Not large BASF per seat donations and hiked up ticket prices.
ObjCritic says:
May 18, 2012
As long as Riley makes a bowl game, he gets another year added to his contract. Mediocrity is assured. The clause needs to be changed to "2nd place in Pac-10 or better," so OSU can go to Holiday Bowl, or Alamo Bowl, whichever is second place bowl now, or Rose bowl. After a while, Emerald Bowls and Las Vegas bowls just aren't very satisfying or meaningful.
I think its time DeCarolis tells Riley its time for Banker to go. He's not evolving his defense to keep up with the changes in offenses, and he doesn't seem to be very adaptive (either with schemes or getting the more athletic players on the field).
OSU4life says:
May 18, 2012
Check this out….! Only East Carolina, Bowling Green, Wyoming, New Mexico St, Arkansas St, & Wazzu allow more total yards on Defense than OSU! The Beavers give up 459.2 yards, and 30.8 points per game!!!! That's astounding, and unacceptable for Oregon State Football, thats NOT Beaver Ball! Time to improve or change things in the offseason!
osbeavs says:
May 18, 2012
Agreed, if Riley doesn't ditch Banker then ditch Riley.
RenoNVBeavr says:
May 18, 2012
Two things I noticed in this game: 1) Poyer is flat out the best special teams players in the conf! The kid is simply an awesome athlete and virtually unblockable on special teams. Who is ALWAYS the first player down trying to down a punt or make a key tackle on a return: Poyer. Even his return skills are maybe not James Rogers level but certainly respectable. Kid deserves to man the other CB spot. 2) Did anybody see how wide open Bishop was on that 2-pt conversion? I saw just a glimpse when he was in great position to take a slant pass right in, virtually uncovered. Cant believe a guy who can high jump 7" isnt used more for red zone help!!!
OSU4life says:
May 18, 2012
I agree! Poyer needs to be on the field more, especially on defense! I mean, look at what happened when he was able to play cornerback vs UW, he got an interception! He's quicker, has better agility and better instincts than Harden! I've been critical on Hardin, but I really believe he's playing the wrong position. Brandon Hardin should be a safety or OLB! Hardin would be a perfect safety, or a slightly undersized OLB who would make up for it with his speed! We could really use his quickness at Linebacker! Put the fastest players on the field (period). I would also like to see more creativity with the play calling on offense! OSU is too darned predictable! But, the protection and run blocking isn't there from the offensive line this year. We are getting killed in the trenches this season!
osbeavs says:
May 18, 2012
Anyone see Phillip last night? I thought he played uninspired and unimpressive. He had a lot of missed blocks/got owned by the Huskies.
angrybeaver says:
May 18, 2012
He played poorly.
http://angrybeavs.com
aaron_ says:
May 18, 2012
if Katz had not thrown those two Int's in the endzone there would have been no OT. The defense held in the second half. after giving up 21 in the first. They did their job, Katz did not.
Corvbeav says:
May 18, 2012
Are you serious everybody? Relax. Who needs to go GOBEAVS64? Riley?
The truth is that we still have average facilities, play in a small town with crappy weather and have a small fanbase.
We simply can't recruit great athletes. We have a few under the radar guys but as a whole we don't. We are seeing that on our defense and O-Line right now.
I think what Riley and his staff does is remarkable. We can play with anybody in the country year in year out. 6-3 in the Pac 10 is great with me.
If you guys think we should be playing for a national title each year then you need to seek some help. We never will. You can bring in Urban Meyer and it still wouldnt happen. Yes, we can put together a 10-2 season once in awhile but as a whole body of work, we will never be a consistent top 10 team.
I am proud of this team. They are not as talented as in years passed. Losing James Rogers hurts this team more that any of you want to admit. I still think we go 6-3 in the Pac-10 and play in the holiday bowl.
GO BEAVS!
OSU4life says:
May 18, 2012
A 6-3 Pac-10 record is a great, except when you already lost 2 non-conference games that equals a 6-5 record! If we had 2 non-conference wins, with 6 Pac-10 wins that equals an 8-3 record! Thats the difference between a decent Bowl and a crappy rather stay at home Bowl! The difference between a great recruiting class and an average to below average recruiting class! If the _ucks can recruit under the same conditions as OSU minus the Phil Knigt bank account, then OSU can recruit! Erickson did it when our facilities were terrible, name recognition wasn't there, etc..! Riley has much more going for not only him, but also the program than Erickson did! YOU CAN DO IT!!!! or YES WE CAN!!!! or GO BEAVERS, no excuses!!!!
tim33 says:
May 18, 2012
6-3 is respectable. But it seems to be a plateau for the Beavers. Only Cal has a longer streak of not playing in the Rose Bowl than OSU, although UA has never played there either.
I think we are seeing some restlessness among the fans. Why? First, USC is vulnerable and there is no longer a lock on them owning the conference. Now is a perfect time to be a contender. Second, one of our rivals has ascended to powerhouse in the Pac 10 (UO). Third, recent struggles of team. OSU is 3-5 in the last 8 games and giving up well over 30 pts. and a lot of yards per game.
RickyBooby says:
May 18, 2012
Horrible decision. Every year OSU loses 1-2 games because of terrible coaching. Go for 2 in Double OT, when the next round of OT requires you go for two? Not have Quizz involved on the terrible playcall? OSU was undefeated in the conference, now they're in the mix of "a bunch of other teams". I know they were with out James, but it's going to be like that all year. You can't replace him, and you certainly don't, by making stupid decisions at the end of the game. If they converted, I'd be happy, but it would still be a terrible playcall. Frustrating.
OSU4life says:
May 18, 2012
I disagree. It was the right call to go for 2!
#1: OSU defense can't win games with the game on their backs and wasnt' stopping UW.
#2: It shows that you have confidence in your young QB, to give him a chance to win the game after a sub par 3 interception game. Believe it or not, the offense and Katz will be better just from that call alone!
#3 It takes guts to go for two in Double OT, Riley gained trust and respect from his players by this decision!
RickyBooby says:
May 18, 2012
I'd say rather than guts, Riley exposed our insides. The D was amazing in the second half, Locker had been prone to turnovers, Katz now knows that two picks in the endzone, and throwing the last incomplete pass came from his hand. I don't see any silver lining in this one. Washington is just an unpredictable as OSU. Great one week, terrible the next. The Beavers don't need coaching decisions to pile on too. Katz will be great, this wasn't his finest effort. Don't make the game more difficult for the kid than it needs to be.
OSU4life says:
May 18, 2012
That is true about Boise State, I just remember the Pokey Allen days when they were in the Big Sky conference. Now, they will out recruit OSU, but they shouldn't have been able to before.
Cliff, what do you think needs to be done to improve the Beaver Defense? Moving players around? New defensive philosophy/schemes? It's in dire straits right now! Hey maybe time to post a video from them? It could be the defenses theme band. Then after they improve the theme song could be "Don't tread on me" by Metallica!
GoBeavs64 says:
May 18, 2012
I disagree , the defense has come through three times against Louisville , ASU and Arizona . Dockery had two game winning INTS if you recall . I think going for the 2 pointer rather than try to force the Huskies to score another touchdown plus the 2 , says you don't trust your defense and earns you no respect from that half of the team and possibly your defensive coordinator.
So Riley stands by his decision to go for two, does he also stand by his decision to take quizz out of the game and throw the ball instead ? Katz couldn't hit the broad side of a barn all night and the only players catching anything from him were players wearing purple and white instead of orange and white. Leave Quizz in even if you throw , surely Washington would have been keying on him distracting the defense and making the chances of a td pass even more possible . If you run Quizz instead , use the fly sweep or run him wide right or left , they couldn't stop him when he was running in that fashion , only when he ran straight up the gut. Why does it take us armchair coordinators to figure this out ?
So we keep Riley as coach , but we definitely need to start looking for a new offensive and defensive coaching staff someone who has a rep for building defensive powerhouses.
We've had some great seasons under Riley , went to some bowl games but is it really a good thing when your ok with losing 3 or 4 games a year as long as you get to a bowl game ? No your settling and we need to settle now for nothing less than actually getting to the Rose Bowl , the prior bowl games should have been stepping stones toward the Roses and the national championship you build up to those goals , you don't become complacent and say we got to the Las Vegas Bowl , or the Emerald Bowl , great season. You strive to get to the top Oregon's been in bowl games too before the Rose Bowl , but they didn't settle , they worked their asses off , recruited the best and hired the best coaches . Corvallis may be small , but it doesn't have to be small market . The football program should have a good enough rep by now and enough promise for a bigger better future to make star prospects want to come help make all that happen . I just don't see the athletic director or the coaches working on that
osbeavs says:
May 18, 2012
You know that Riley and Banker are best friends. Their wives are too. Riley won't fire his best friend.
mckalk says:
May 18, 2012
If the talent is truly there then I think it is natural for the fans to want to see the team reach the next level just like the Ducks have done. Riley and company do need to break through at some point soon or risk becoming the Buffalo Bills of the P-10. Maybe the restlessness is the feeling that the Riley era may have peaked. This season is a tough one to judge becasue of the strength of schedule. I think next season will have sky high expectations and it will be interesting to see how it plays out.