Cliff Kirkpatrick

Here are some leftover notes from talking with Oregon State football coach Mike Riley on Sunday night that didn’t make the GT’s Monday story or the previous blog.

He was upset with the way James Rodgers and Taylor Kavanaugh didn’t attempt to field punts late in the Arizona game. Rodgers was scared by a defender and Kavanaugh just made a bad decision.

Rodgers is a good example of a great athlete having a hard time learning punt returning. It’s a different animal catching a high ball with people bearing down on you with bad intentions.

It was difficult to go deep on Arizona because the DBs play deep to contain the long ball. So that led the short passing game.

“I wasn’t disappointed about our approach in the game,” Riley said. “We’d like to take more shots. There are some stuff we’d like to get to, but I think it will come. We are hitting our outside receivers.”

Now that WR Darrell Catchings (ankle) is out two-three weeks, expect to see more of Geno Munoz backing up Damola Adeniji at split end.

“I also feel good about Geno Munoz,” Riley said. “He should play some more.”

And here are Riley’s thoughts on all the talk from the players about finishing strong.

“I’ve warned our team isn’t not a given,” Riley said. “We have to do it again, we know that. It’s good that it’s in our blood. There’s no need to panic but there has to be a sense of urgency.”

That’s not him doubting them. It’s just him being cautious about players expect it to just happen.

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From reading the comments on the blog, Oregon State football fans are grasping for reasons for the latest loss beyond that Arizona played well and the Beavers didn’t at crucial times.

My main story in Sunday’s GT pointed to the defense. It couldn’t stop the run or the pass, and allowed 37 points. Last week it was the offense that was the culprit.

Popular punching bags this week are the coaches and the quarterback, which means the offense was to blame. QB Sean Canfield didn’t play a perfect game, and with this offense he must.

Until the end of the game when sacks mounted and two INTs were thrown, the offense moved the ball.

Here are some other aspects of the offense. The Beavers scored 32 points, which is pretty good. That’s why defensive players were mad at themselves after the game.

Drives were sustained. The team ran for 104 yards. Canfield threw for 303 yards and two TDs. The Beavers have the most first downs in the Pac-10 with 87 and are plus-1 in turnover margin, and the defense has only four takeaways.

“Even though we didn’t win, I think we went forward,” WR James Rodgers said of the offense. “There were a lot of good plays. We just have to score points. Their defense played great, but we just have to make the plays.”

The offense was diverse with three different ball carriers used, and six difference receivers caught passes.

Yes, the Rodgers brothers were the focal point. James had 134 yards of total offense and Quizz had 155. However, WR Damola Adeniji had a strong game with six catches for 70 yards and a TD.

You might not notice but the coaches are trying to find different ways to get their top players the ball, and others are being reliable options. Even the deep passes were shown. Sometimes they hit, and sometimes they don’t.

“They made plays when they had a chance to, but offensively, we did everything we wanted to do,” Quizz said.” We just had some mistakes that cost us.”

Sunday night notes
The big news is that the Oct. 10 home game against Stanford will begin at 4 p.m. and be broadcast by FSN. That will be OSU’s 24th straight live broadcast.

WR Darrell Catchings suffered a high ankle sprain and will be out two-three weeks, coach Mike Riley said.

LB Keaton Kristick is expected to play this week after suffering a stinger, but he’ll be eased into practice.

WR Casey Kjos (back) is expected back. If he returns, Aaron Nichols has played well enough at slot that he’ll move to SE to back up Damola Adeniji now that Catchings is out for a while.

Canfield threw Sunday with no problem. He had a cut throwing hand in the game and his shoulder iced.

And before you ask, Canfield will be the starter this week. Lyle Moevao (shoulder) is still not 100 percent. Riley feels Canfield did a good job with the pressure he was under and receivers who were covered.

Read more about the state of the Beavers in my Monday story in the GT here.

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The Oregon State football team was in another nail biter with Arizona. The Beavers lost 37-32 Saturday night in Reser Stadium in the Pac-10 Conference opener.

The defense blew up at crucial times and offense did OK, but not great. The fourth quarter was a meltdown for the offense with an INT and sacks on the final two possessions.

“We have to go back to the details of what we have been doing,” QB Sean Canfield said. “At the end of the day you have to be safe with the ball.”

Here’s a link to my main story in Sunday’s GT on the defensive meltdown. Here’s a link to the notebook. Here’s the report card.

The third quarter was OSU’s undoing. Canfield threw a pick that led to points and then he couldn’t move the offense. Following a stop, it was another Arizona TD.

“It’s just a matter of being consistent the whole game,” Canfield said. “You take away that quarter, then who knows.”

Canfield looked like he was in a brawl after the game. His left (throwing) hand and left shoulder were wrapped in ice. The hand was hurt on his third-quarter pick. He hit it on a helmet. The shoulder was just sore from being hit.”

Injury report
WR Darrell Catchings hurt his left ankle in the first quarter on his first catch, and missed the rest of the game.

Arizona starting RB Nic Grigsby separated his shoulder on his first touch of the game. He missed the rest the game.

LB Keaton Kristick was shaken up in the third quarter with a stinger in his left shoulder. He returned in the fourth quarter.

Arizona No. 2 RB Keola Antolin hurt his leg at the end of the first half and didn’t return.

Video report
The top video is of coach Mike Riley with the media. The middle one is of Canfield and the bottom one is of WR Damola Adeniji.

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