There was swarming defense Saturday.
Check out my game story with Oregon State football player and coach reaction from the 44-21 Pacific-12 Conference victory over Washington State on Saturday night.
Here’s the report card. It was an almost perfect game. My previous blog has some notes.
Here are some more notes of interest.
OSU had 551 yards of total offense. The last time there was at least 500 yards was 567 against Washington State on May 21, 2009.
The Beavers topped the 40-point mark for the first time since 2009 against Washington State. OSU had 42 and 48 the previous week against Washington.
MLB Tony Wilson and OLB Rueben Robinson made their first starts of the season. DT Joe Lopez saw his first action of the season.
The four passing TDs by Sean Mannion was the most by an OSU QB since 2009 by Sean Canfield.
Mannion has thrown for 200 yards for six consecutive games. He ahd 376 in the game.
CB Rashaad Reynolds picked off his first career pass.
I tried to race the team bus home early this morning. In the world of more Internet stuff I have to do after the game, I did not catch them. In previous years I passed team on the way home to Corvallis.
23 comments
aaron_ says:
Oct 23, 2011
Last night was really a great game. They all looked good. Lets hope they can continue this onto next weeks game against Utah. They looked impressive.
tommiet says:
Oct 23, 2011
The play calling last night was so radically different, effective, and fun, like it used to be, that it had to be Mike Riley calling the plays. It seemed like a different team. I love seeing them air it out, and we haven’t been doing that for some time. Great game, very entertaining and inspired.
Excellent job Beavers.
Nicole says:
Oct 23, 2011
Awesome game for the Beavs! I really enjoyed watching them have fun on the field. They’ve needed that for a long time.
Cliff – You mentioned yesterday that there were scouts (6 I think) at the game from NFL teams. How many do you think scribbled Sean Mannion’s name down on their list as a player to watch? For that fact, Crichton and Wynn as well? That is going to be a monster team in the future.
Cliff Kirkpatrick says:
Oct 23, 2011
All of them.
BeaverDon says:
Oct 23, 2011
Whoa, Nellie (if I can borrow a phrase from a WSU Grad) hold the phone. Seems we were here after the Arizona game. If the Arizona game was one step forward, BYU was two steps back. So, let’s hold off on sainting Mike Riley. This was WSU, who it seems now had been overrated this year by those who had them as a Bowl Team. So, while this was a good outing by the Beavers, but there is a lot to do before the prove they can compete.
The penalties will kill them against a good team, having the ball taken away from the reciever on a sure touchdown, having to settle for FGs on several drives and break downs by the secondary. All of these things have to be worked out.
So I’ll celebrate this win, but Utah is next Saturday.
Chris says:
Oct 23, 2011
Arizona blew out UCLA, a team that beat the Beavs squarely. The Beavs beat AZ.
So was this an abberation? I saw a lot of questionable calls go against WSU that really helped the Beavs. It’s a good victory and a good moral win. That’s great.
I am NOT letting Langsdorf off the hook at this point. He has a heavy road to travel before that might happen
73GradMike says:
Oct 23, 2011
The bad calls went both ways and pretty much evened out. You’d think that the Pac-12, a BCS conference, would do better.
I agree that Langsdorf needs a good showing in more than one game. I’d also like to see Banker open up the ‘D’ packages even before he has a 20 point lead.
Tagup says:
Oct 24, 2011
Penalties and at least one “no call” helped WSU also. On the second 4th and short that WSU converted with a QB sneak, the right end flinched badly before the snap….no call….should have been 4th and 6. Make the call and WSU doesn’t score on the next play (FG maybe). This game was not as close as the score…
OSU4Life says:
Oct 23, 2011
The Beavers played a great game, a very complete game, with passion, and a chip on their shoulder! Great effort all around including the coaching staff! Where was this team in September? The heart of this OSU team stepped up and answered, they gotta keep it up now and get another win. I will admit that I was happily surprised by how they played, the attitude isn’t just lip service, they live it. It appears that OSU is beginning to find their identity, now they must be consistent.
Great job Beavers!!!
aaron_ says:
Oct 23, 2011
Cliff, has Riley taken back the play calling or is Langs still doing it? The play calling actually had a rhythm and flow to it. That rhythm that we saw is very unlike a Langs called game. Can you ask Riley and see if he is calling plays again?
Cliff Kirkpatrick says:
Oct 23, 2011
Langsdorf is still doing it. I point this out in a column that will be in Monday’s GT, the OSU offense builds on top of itself. You have to get to Point A, B and C before you get to Point Z.
Meaning, if you can’t do something basic, you can’t something tricky. OSU’s offense had a progression because there was blocking, a running game, guys catching the ball and a QB making good decisions.
spacester says:
Oct 23, 2011
The offensive line had a lot to do with the brilliant play calling. When you’re opening holes, those running plays suddenly make a lot more sense.
Harry Beaver says:
Oct 23, 2011
From the looks of things vs. Wazzu, the Beavers are finally starting to come together as a team. Excellent play calling (finally) helped things along. True, this wasn’t Wisconsin we were playing, but it wasn’t Sac State, either.
Good job Beavs! Utah looks beatable.
Nicole says:
Oct 23, 2011
Hey boys, I’m not letting anyone off the hook at this point….but Banker and Langsdorff did some different stuff and different stuff happened. I’m mostly happy that the guys had smiles on their faces…and I really challenge anyone to tell me where Mannion, Wynn and Crichton made mistakes. Mannion threw into coverage a few times but quarterbacks sometimes have to. I agree he got lucky a few times too and the penalty calls last night were really odd…good sometimes, bad sometimes….and sometimes kinda invisible. The interception, in my opinion, wasn’t his fault. I’m sure some of you will argue with me on that one. He threw bullets most of the time and was very good on his feet getting away from those ugly gray uniforms coming at him with the red numbers you couldn’t see. He was calm and composed.
My question about scouts was not because I’m anointing those three as the second coming but more because I’m curious if that type of information gets mulled around the press box or if the scouts keep to themselves. I’ve been a supporter of Mannion’s since the awful handling of the Mannion/Katz situation and I really feel bad for Katz but if this is the stuff they were seeing in spring ball that Riley said ‘everyone could see what was happening’….then I can see why the switch happened. Then again, we don’t know what Katz would have done with some more games. It’s one of those things where you have to make a choice and run with it.
aaron – Langs was still calling but I think he said that since they had a good lead, it opened up the playbook a little more and they were looser with the calls and took more chances. Whatever it was…I hope they keep doing it.
73GradMike says:
Oct 23, 2011
Since you put up a challenge …
Mannion still has trouble seeing “underneath coverage”. He sees the DBs BEHIND a receiver OK, but he is extremely susceptible to interceptions by an LB (or others) who cover (usually a zone) in FRONT of a receiver. He got lucky a couple of times vs. WSU.
As far as our DEs are concerned, I have to review the tape to ID the culprit; but one DE failed to keep containment around the end on a WSU reverse. That may be attributable to Banker’s scheme to “slice” DEs to the QB while HOPING that the LBs make a tackle before a 20-yard gain.
I don’t believe that Banker really made many changes until he got a 20 point lead.
That being said, Mannion is improving nicely each week. Crichton is a BEAST, and Wynn has a great nose for the ball. Banker FINALLY did let some players loose on blitzes, and he let some DBs play zone BEHIND receivers instead of chasing them from behind while HOPING for a pass breakup or an incompletion.
Actually, Langsdorf made some adjustments BEFORE we had a big lead. I doubt that he took my comments from weeks ago to heart, but he did start throwing flare passes to RBs around both ends. He probably saw (or heard about) other teams being successful with that play. He MAY have noticed a WSU weakness on replays.
BTW I truly appreciate a little gender diversity on this website!
Nicole says:
Oct 23, 2011
Sorry…I was going to put a ton of smiley faces in that post but you guys seem to take exception to those. =-)
Nicole says:
Oct 23, 2011
Mike – I will concede you the points you made and congratulate you for taking up the challenge. =-) I agree with the analysts, however, that say -that at least last night- he was playing way above the level where freshman are supposed to be. He’s made a lot of mistakes along the way but I was happy to see it all gel last night. Yeah, he technically got the interception but I personally don’t count it cause it got where it was supposed to go. Even counting that one, the lack of interceptions this game was a huge improvement as was the fact that we actually made it into the end zone on our feet instead of settling for 3. I also liked the lack of turnovers. I think Mannion is going to be an amazing quarterback once things finally fall in place. I see pictures of him in uniform and I swear it’s Canfield. Apparently Riley -does- like a certain type of quarterback!
Crichton….wow….I will not ever tire of hearing ” Crichton knocked it out of his hand!!!!!…..and Wynn jumps on it! Beaver ball!” Those two are going to amazing for our defensive.
Of course, sooooo many people contributed last night. I can’t remember how many receivers they said Mannion had (10 or 11, I think) but WSU didn’t know where the ball was going….and his accuracy was on par with Canfield in his senior year (66% I think?).
It was very much a game of OSU being able to hurt them in soooo many ways. They had that elusive balance they’ve been looking for.
Earlier in the season, I asked knucklehead Tim Miller over at ESPN (who will not answer my questions anymore, btw….I think he’s scared of me)….if Mannion progresses from where he is right now and what he personally has heard from the local beat writers, who he thought that Mannion would be similar to. (Insert 45 mins of looking for the question and answer on Espn.com and giving up)….He said that as long as the O-line is healthy, active and well, good, he wouldn’t be surprised to see Mannion progress into another Andrew Luck. I asked him that because I remember Barkley as a freshman at USC and I wasn’t that impressed at his ability, wondering what everyone was making such a big deal about.
I digress….sorry. =-)
So yeah….go beavs!
dili says:
Oct 23, 2011
Cliff, there was a comment last night on the television broadcast that caught my attention. The announcer said essentially (if I caught his remark correctly) that “the play calling is on his shoulders-meaning Mannion). Is it the case that Mannion was calling some of his plays himself? If this were true it would not surprise me for the creative play calling seemed way beyond what we have seen to date from Langsdorf. Let us know anything you know about this situation, please Cliff. Thanks
maffu72 says:
Oct 23, 2011
I think the comment may have more to do with the progressions… I mean you’ve got a play where X is going one way Y another, and Z yet another… plus you’ve got a TE in space & perhaps the RB is off in the flat after chipping an LB… so it’s the read that the QB makes that determines whether he’s going deep to X or dumping off to the outlet. The O-Line gives him time to go through all his reads… the QB gets to choose.
But (quoting Dennis Miller) that’s just my opinion. I could be wrong.
Go Beavs!!
Cliff Kirkpatrick says:
Oct 24, 2011
He audibled a couple times. However, OSU has a pro system.
A passing play is called and had four options for the QB to go to. He has to decided where to go before the play, and adapt during the play has the defense develops.
Also, there are running play options he can chose to audible to.
D. says:
Oct 23, 2011
The point the announcers were trying to make is that the play calling from the coaches is determined by what Mannion can handle, how successful he is, etc. In that respect, how much or how little of the playbook is used is “on his shoulders.”
RenoNVbeavr says:
Oct 24, 2011
Thank you Langsdorf (or should I say, Mannion, by the comments made on audible skills) for getting the most dangerous TE in the conf involved in the offensive gameplan. I mean, it took this long for Langsdorf to figure out that no Safety or LB can cover Tank 1-on1??? The same can be said of James Rogers. JR seems to get a 1st down everytime Mannion can get him the ball, which is probably woefully short of what James needs to have thrown his way. Enough griping, however, because this was the most complete game of the season overall for the Beavs. Forget about who they were playing. Had Beavs played with this kind of consistency the Sac St. would have been a blowout and they would have finshed games vs ASU and UCLA with “W’s”, not losses. I simply hope that Langsdorf, Riley and Mannion realize that with playmakers on offense like Tank, Rogers, Wheaton and even the RB stable, this team can score pts in bunches. How pumped was I to see the conservative gameplan finally put to rest. God I hope that the Beavs continue with this kind of gameplan. Seriously, they may just be able to pull off W’s the next 2 games and conceivably give UW/Stanford a scare.
Crighton/Wynn…best DE tandem the next 3 years. Mark it down. Crighton may make people forget Paea in another year and be drafted in Rd 1. The guy is dominating like Swancutt in his prime.
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Jan 25, 2012
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