The press box view from AT&T Park.
OAKLAND, Calif. — It’s early in the morning before I head over the bridge for today’s Oregon State football team’s Pacific-12 Conference game against Cal at AT&T Park.
I’ve been dreading this trip since the venue was moved from Berkeley. I’ve told the horror stories of covering the 2007 Emerald Bowl many times.
As a quick review: the view stinks, security was horrible and I nearly got arrested trying to do interviews and I was locked in stadium as I wrote my stores and needed the last concession lady in the place to show my the way out.
Let’s just hope things work out better today, especially after the trip here. See the previous blog.
Check out my main story in Saturday’s GT about OSU’s strength as a passing team vs. Cal’s strength as a pass defending team. It will be an interest game how it unfolds.
Here’s a link to my Game Day special section that looks at the series with Cal. It has been pretty good for the Beavers over the years.
Here’s a link to the players to watch. It’s both the QBs, Sean Mannion and Zach Maynard. Mannion needs to play well and the Beavers must stop Maynard’s mobility.
Other than that, if there’s was a game a running game must be found, this would be the one. I’m not sure it’s going to happen.
My pick for the game? I forgot the exact score that I put in the Game Day section, but it’s something like Cal 28, OSU 13. Note the missed extra point for OSU.
Remember to follow along on the blog, at twitter.com/cliffgt and on Facebook.
Here’s a music video to get you ready for the game from the Bay Area Bashers. Yes, it’s in my ipod.
7 comments
BeaverDon says:
Nov 12, 2011
Cliff,
On the kicking game. Last week Tennessee had a guy who was not even on their depth chart do the place kicking for them. One article I read said he was at home watching TV waiting for the game to start when he got the phone call that all of the other place kickers were injured. What is OSU’s problem at PK? It is an important part of the game, yet the Beavers are very inconsistant.
Cliff Kirkpatrick says:
Nov 12, 2011
OSU feels it has its place-kicker, at the moment. They want him to work through it.
But I bet another walk-on is brought on in the spring to puts some pressure on him.
BeaverDon says:
Nov 12, 2011
Okay, so they want him to “work through it”…..has anybody on the coaching staff thought that maybe if he is allowed to “work through it” that will lose some games for the Beavers? Say a game with Sacramento State where he has the chance to win it with a FG, that he MISSES?
Cliff Kirkpatrick says:
Nov 12, 2011
First game of his career. He should have made that, but he wasn’t working through it then. The more recent misses are working through it.
His struggles is part of the team’s struggles.
If he made Sac State, though, the season would have probably turned out different.
OS_Beaver says:
Nov 12, 2011
13 points will be a very sad effort if that is all we get. That will mean the offense is having no consistency and not minding coming off the field after many stalled drives or 3 and outs or not much better. Time of possession would clearly be in Cal’s favor. The defense isn’t good enough to hold Cal under 17 IMO and never holds up if it is asked to be out there too long. I gave the Beavers a little more credit offensively but wonder if it was too much.
Cal 31, OSU 20
OSU @ Cal (AT&T Park) Preview:
http://beaverbyte.com
tommiet says:
Nov 12, 2011
Cesca….UW….the pain, the pain…
BeaverDon says:
Nov 12, 2011
Romaine….Sacramento State……the pain, the pain….