Go Beavs: An Oregon State Dynasty

[Woy]

Mangum looks like he'll be a stud. Nice win against WSU by the way.

Good write-up, buddy.

Is it just me or do you leave for a while and pop in every once in a while? ;) You need to stay a little while brah.

[Emac78]

#6 Oregon State (5-0) at Washington (0-4)

Seattle, WA - Last season it looked like Washington head coach Lane Kiffin had finally turned things around for the Huskies as they made a bowl game, but this season it has been all downhill. However, the Huskies' record is misleading. Though Washington is 0-4, two of their losses came against UCLA and USC. Not surprising that they would lose those games. Though the Bruins only won 28-16. They were destroyed by USC 54-10, but lost a close one to Arizona 28-25 and another close one to NC State 21-17. So the Huskies are not as bad as their record indicates and they would love to spark their season with an upset over Oregon State.

The Huskies came into the game not looking at all like a winless team as the Huskies converted a few first downs on their opening possession. Inside OSU territory, the drive would stall. Lane Kiffin decided to go for it on 4th-and-one where HB Luis Johnson was met behind the line of scrimage by OSU MLB Casey Wright to prevent the first down. However, Oregon State did not have the ball for long as WR Brian Horn caught a ball over the middle but was stripped of the football which the Huskies recovered. With such good field position, Washington quickly got into the red zone, but a holding call would back them up. Then OSU DE Brandon Webb came up big with a sack. After, DE Jerome Groover also sacked UW QB Ryan Hogan. Hogan fumbled the ball but the Huskies recovered it. As a result, Washington scored on a 46-yard field goal to take a 3-0 lead.

As the 2nd quarter got underway, OSU QB Justin Rust was getting in a groove, and the Beavers were in the red zone. Where OSU HB Tim Taylor on a 9-yard toss, juked past a UW defensive back, and was in for the touchdown to put Oregon State on top 7-3.

OSU HB Tim Taylor with a 9-yard touchdown run.

Washington was down but certainly not out. However, the situation worsened for the Huskies when UW QB Ryan Hogan tried testing OSU CB Deon Weatherford at the sideline. The pass was thrown to late where Weatherford jumped on it and took it back for an easy pick-six to suddenly give the Beavers a 14-3 lead.

OSU CB Deon Weatherford with a pick-six.

But the Huskies maintained their confidence and put an impressive drive together. The OSU defense could not make a stop on 3rd down. As a result, the Huskies would make their way into the red zone. Finally, QB Ryan Hogan would find TE Chad Wallace for a 3-yard touchdown to cut Oregon State's lead to 14-10.

UW QB Ryan Hogan finds TE Chad Wallace for a 3-yard touchdown.

Sensing that the Huskies might actually have a chance at a huge win, the crowd really started to get into it. The added noise paid off as OSU went three-and-out. But the Husky offense was also forced to punt. On the ensuing Oregon State possession, Rust connected with WR Brian Horn on a short crossing pattern where the fourth-year junior was off to the races. However, Horn was tripped up from behind, gaining 47 yards on the play. Unfortunately, Rust would be sacked in the red zone and also was forced to leave the game. It looked like he got the wind knocked out of him. Red shirt freshman QB Ty Moore entered the game and he too was sacked. As a result, the Beavers attempted a 50-yard field goal at the end of the half that kicker Reggie Smith booted perfectly through the uprights to put OSU up 17-10.

OSU kicker Reggie Smith boots a 50-yard field goal just as the half comes to an end.

Usually Oregon State starts off the 2nd half with an impressive scoring drive, but this time the Beavers went three-and-out to start the half. It was apparent that the defensive gameplan for Washington was to contain HB Tim Taylor. So far, it was working. The momentum seemed to be with the Huskies as they marched down the field mostly behind the running of their quick HB Luis Johnson. Washington was just running right at that the Beavers. Finally, OSU would put a stop to the drive where the Huskies scored on a 41-yard field goal to keep the score a close 17-13.

Husky Stadium was getting loud and the Beavers needed to make a play. That is when OSU QB Justin Rust found TE Adam Banks on a deep corner route near the sideline. Banks was wide open and was able to outrun the UW defense to the house for a 52-yard touchdown reception, putting Oregon State up 24-13 and silencing the crowd.

OSU TE Adam Banks silences the crowd with a 52-yard touchdown reception.

Again though, the Huskies were not phased as they marched right back down the field. HB Luis Johnson was finding running room that has not been there against this OSU defense this year. Before anybody knew it, Johnson was able to get to the outside and score a 13-yard touchdown scamper to cut the OSU lead to 24-20.

UW HB Luis Johnson with a 13-yard touchdown scamper.

This was shaping up to be a pretty good game heading into the 4th quarter and could quite possibly be the upset of the year if Washington could manage to pull it off. Now the crowd was out in full force. And another sack on OSU QB Justin Rust would end the Beavers' possession with a three-and-out. The Huskies now had a chance to take the lead but Washington also went three-and-out when OSU DE Brandon Webb came up with another huge sack. The OSU offense continued to struggle but on 3rd down, Rust stepped up and threw a dart in between the coverage which WR Bill Faaeteete was able to catch. Faaeteete was blown up on the play by the UW safety but he managed to hold onto the ball. However, Faaeteete sprained his PCL and was out for the game, but OSU could keep an important drive alive. As a result of that connection, the Beavers would be able to march into the red zone where Rust threw to the corner of the end zone to WR David Baker who made a spectacular diving catch, somehow managing to stay in bounds on the 4-yard touchdown reception to put OSU up 31-20 with 3:50 remaining.

OSU WR David Baker with a spectacular diving catch in the corner of the end zone.

It was not looking good for Washington. But QB Ryan Hogan led a quick scoring drive where he hooked up with backup HB Darren Haynes for a 21-yard touchdown. Then HB Luis Johnson crossed the end zone on the 2-point conversion to make it a 31-28 lead for Oregon State with still 2:43 remaining.

UW QB Ryan Hogan connects with HB Darren Haynes for a 21-yard touchdown.

Oregon State had the ball with 1:31 remaining deep inside their own territory. Washington was down to its last timeout and it was 3rd-and-one. HB Tim Taylor got the handoff where he was met by a UW LB in the backfield, but Taylor was able to hurdle over him to get the first down. As a result, the Beavers would be able to run out the clock and escape Husky Stadium with a close, close win.

OSU HB Tim Taylor hurdles a UW defender to allow the Beavers to run the clock out.

Oregon State 31
QB Justin Rust: 21-24, 256 yds, 2 td
HB Tim Taylor: 16 car, 51 yds, td
WR Brian Horn: 4 rec, 83 yds
CB Deon Weatherford: 6 tkl, int, 2 defl, td

Washington 28
QB Ryan Hogan: 21-28, 221 yds, 2 td, int
HB Luis Johnson: 24 car, 118 yds, td
WR Ira Price: 7 rec, 83 yds
DE David Gutierrez: 2 tkl, 2 tfl, 2 sk

[Emac78]

Week 8

(12)Virginia Tech Comes Up Short, Falling to (5)Clemson 14-12

VT HB Cory Smith is stuffed on the 2-point attempt to try to tie the game.

Clemson, SC - Offense came at a premium in this huge ACC duel. The first touchdown of the game came in the 2nd quarter when Clemson QB Morris Parrish hooked up with WR Jeremy Scott for a 2-yard touchdown to give the Tigers a 7-3 lead. Virginia Tech could only manage to get field goal opportunities but unlike last week when true freshman kicker Nate Davidson was the hero, this time he would miss from 44 yards out.

Later, in the 2nd half, Davidson would attempt a 51-yard field goal. He had the leg but it sailed wide right. Clemson would take a 14-3 lead when QB Morris Parrish threw a high arching pass to WR Patrick Rackley. Somehow Rackley came down with it and walked into the end zone for a 25-yard touchdown reception that will keep the Heisman talk alive for the overachieving receiver. But late in the 3rd quarter, VT kicker Nate Davidson would connect on a 41-yard field goal to make it only 14-6 heading into the 4th quarter.

Clemson looked like they were about to score again but a Hokie interception in the end zone prevented a Tiger score. Later, Clemson QB Morris Parrish would throw a backward pass that was deflected for a Hokie fumble recovery but VT QB Sam Concepcion would give the ball right back to Clemson when CB Andrew Walton picked him off. However, the Hokies would get the ball back with 2:22 remaining in the game. QB Sam Concepcion led a clutch last minute scoring drive when he hit WR Mike Zeppuhar in the back of the end zone on a 6-yard touchdown pass to make it 14-12. It would all come down to the 2-point conversion, but HB Cory Smith was stuffed in the backfield. Those two missed field goals now loomed very large as they were the difference in the game.

Virginia Tech 12
QB Sam Concepcion: 28-35, 227 yds, td, 2 int
HB Cory Smith: 17 car, 42 yds
WR Mike Zeppuhar: 5 rec, 53 yds, td
DT Manny Hubbard: 6 tkl, 2 tfl, sk

Clemson 14
QB Morris Parrish: 20-29, 192 yds, 2 td, int, fl
HB Chuck Jean: 21 car, 96 yds
WR Patrick Rackley: 4 rec, 56 yds, td
OLB Ryan Williams: 9 tkl, 3 tfl, sk, defl, ff

[b][size=+2]Games of the Week[/size][/b]

North Carolina 24
#21 Virginia 29

#14 LSU 42 (Butler: 3 car, 19 yds, td)
#10 Auburn 52

#8 Nebraska 45 (Rome: 3 tkl, 2 tfl, sk) (Garvella: 3 tkl)
Kansas State 19

Idaho 10
#18 Fresno State 17

#17 Florida 34
#19 Georgia 10

#24 Alabama 31 (OT)
#11 Tennessee 24

[u]#12 Virginia Tech 12
#5 Clemson 14[/u]

[b]#6 Oregon State 31
Washington 28[/b]

#15 Texas 33
Texas Tech 28

#22 Michigan 40 (Fox: 15 car, 87 yds, 3 rec, 71 yds, rec td)
Illinois 28

Colorado 3
Texas A&M 35

[b][size=+2]BCS Rankings[/size][/b]

1 Notre Dame 7-0
2 Penn State 6-0
3 UCLA 6-0
4 Ohio State 6-0
5 Clemson 7-0
[b]6 Oregon State 6-0[/b]
7 Oklahoma 6-0
8 USC 7-0
9 Nebraska 6-0
10 Auburn 7-0
21 LSU 4-2
23 Michigan 5-2

[b][size=+2]Heisman Watch[/size][/b]

QB Matt Thomas (Nebraska) ^
QB Mark Nelson (USC) -
WR Patrick Rackley (Clemson) -
HB Justin Holiday (Tulane) ^
QB Greg Medlock (Penn State) v

[Emac78]

CAPs Report

HB AJ Butler, SO, 86 ovr, 4th HB (Toy Soldier)
Corvallis, OR

2014: 11 car, 70 yds, td


HB Kevin Fox, SO, 88 ovr, starting HB (Fox1994)
Las Vegas, NV

2013: 109 car, 692 yds, 9 td, 10 rec, 142 yds
2014: 104 car, 528 yds, 7 td, 19 rec, 272 yds, rec td


WR/TE Courageous Campbell, SO, 79 ovr, 7th WR/2nd TE (jayroddog6)
South Bend, IN

2013: 6 rec, 125 yds, 3 td
2014: 13 rec, 267 yds, 3 td


CB Kyle Garvella, SO, 86 ovr, starting CB (raiderfan7)
Los Angeles, CA

2013: 33 tkl, 6 tfl, 3 int, td, 9 defl, ff, fr
2014: 13 tkl, tfl, 3 defl


FS Trent Rome, SO, 91 ovr, starting FS (nfcsouth25)
Charlotte, NC

2013: 24 tkl, tfl, int, 4 defl, ff
2014: 11 tkl, 3 tfl, sk, 3 int

[Fox1994]

If UM didn't have an FCS game so far this year, that'll make me feel really great about my stats so far.

[Emac78]

Interesting game against a weaker Washington team.. should be interesting to see how your players bounce back.. maybe they were looking ahead?

The funny thing is that we actually payed pretty well except for not being able to run the ball. Rust didn't turnover the ball at all. If he had thrown one interception, we probably would have lost. Not sure if they were looking ahead. Next week is Arizona, but the week after is USC.

what a god awful number, 31?

A number is just a number. Your guy is 4th on the depth chart. I can edit it if you want. I'm not sure what is available.

If UM didn't have an FCS game so far this year, that'll make me feel really great about my stats so far.

Michigan is not playing up to expectations. They are actually pretty good on paper but I think patience might be getting pretty thin for Rich Rodriguez in Ann Arbor.

[packersfan4eva]

man, tough win. i can't believe u almost lost

[Emac78]

Game of the Week

#10 Auburn (7-0) at #15 Florida (6-1)

Chris: We are here in Gainesville where these fans are sure to give the only team in the SEC without a loss an unfriendly welcome. (crowd goes crazy) It is Auburn that is the last team left standing undefeated in the SEC, but can they win against the Gators in "the swamp?" There is also another team down in the Big 12 that will also look to stay undefeated when the undefeated Cornhuskers take on a very good Missouri team in Lincoln.

Other Game of the Week

#19 Missouri at #8 Nebraska
Kirk: Neb Lee: Mizz

Chris: Yeah...the Huskers better be prepared for Mizzou today. Okay guys. What are your thoughts on today's game here in Gainesville?

Kirk: We've got another fantastic QB today for the Auburn Tigers, Elliott Sharp (96 ovr) who is very smart and has good mobility. And he has a terrific WR Chip Taylor (91 ovr) who has great quickness to get open. But Auburn is going up against a great Gator defense. It has been a tough year for the great QBs in big games this year. None of these guys has stepped up in a really big game to up their draft stock, but I have to think that Sharp will be a big factor in the game today. So I say Auburn wins a close one today. (crowd boos)

Lee: Come on Kirk! The Gators have playmakers on both sides of the field. They probably have the best tailback duo in all of football with HBs Jerry Davis (95 ovr) and Ken Marshall (96 ovr). Plus, a fast WR (95 ovr) who is a big playmaker himself. And I think Florida's defense should make it very tough for Sharp to find anybody open. But I do like this kid, Sharp. I think this should be one of the good ones. So...(Lee puts on the Aubie headgear to a chorus of boos) Go Auburn!

[Emac78]

man, tough win. i can't believe u almost lost

I know. Washington always seems to play a tough game especially since in my dynasty Lane Kiffin took over and they are playing with the same playbook and philosophies as USC. Plus, they have a lot of team speed on both sides of the ball. Next up is Arizona, and their coach is Steve Sarkisian so they also have the same USC playbook and philosophies. Should be interesting.

[Emac78]

#6 Oregon State (6-0) at Arizona (2-3)

Tucson, AZ - After a very close call against former USC offensive coordinator Lan Kiffin's Washington Huskies, the Beavers would face another former USC offensive coordinator in Steve Sarkisian's Arizona Wildcats. The Wildcats and the Huskies are very similar teams but the Wildcats have managed to actually win a couple games. Do not forget that this the team that took Penn State to the wire, only losing 24-21 so this is a team the Beavers could not afford to look past with USC coming to Reser next weekend.

It was a warm 87 degree night in Tucson and the stadium seemed amped up but neither the heat nor the crowd seemed to be an issue for Oregon State's offense on their opening possession. A very efficient drive would be finished when QB Justin Rust found TE Adam Banks in the red zone over the middle. Banks was able to dodge a tackle and was in for six to put the Beavers on top 7-0.

OSU TE Adam Banks dodges a tackle and is in for six.

Arizona's offense failed to accomplish anything and punted after a three-and-out. The Beavers were off to a good start and looked like they were going to dominate the Wildcats. OSU had a good drive going until QB Justin Rust threw toward the corner of the field to WR Bill Faaeteete but the ball was underthrown. Arizona CB Marcus Thomas made an easy play on the ball, taking it back for a pick-six to tie the game 7-7 and ignite the stadium.

Arizona CB Marcus Thomas with an easy pick-six off of Rust's underthrown pass.

The OSU offense was met now with a raucous crowd and now the momentum seemed to be fully on the Wildcats' side. But the crowd got a lot louder when Rust under pressure threw up a prayer into heavy coverage for another easy Arizona interception. Taking advantage off the turnover, Arizona QB David Burley was able to throw a deep pass that somehow got by OSU FS Scott Vinson and into the hands of WR Jeff Wallace who took in for a 45-yard reception to put the Wildcats in front 14-7.

OSU FS Scott Vinson somehow allows the ball to get past him for an Arizona WR Jeff Wallace 45-yard touchdown reception.

Heading into the 2nd quarter, it looked like upset alert for Oregon State again. After an OSU punt, the Wildcats were riding high until QB David Burley was intercepted by OSU MLB Casey Wright. Rust got back in his groove, leading a good drive where at the 1-yard line, on a playaction, hit WR Brian Horn running a slant in the end zone to tie the game 14-14.

OSU QB Justin Rust hits WR Brian Horn on a 1-yard slant in the end zone.

Later, as there was under two minutes in the half, Rust would throw to TE Adam Banks in the flat who was all alone. Banks sped down the field as fast as he could, tightroping the sideline for a 33-yard touchdown to put the Beavers back in front 21-14.

OSU TE Adam Banks tightropes the sideline to score a 33-yard touchdown reception.

The Wildcats would get the ball back with over a minute left and QB David Burley made the most of his time he had remaining, getting Arizona into position for a 35-yard field goal attempt but the kick went wide right as the half came to an end. It was still anybody's game.

Arizona would come out to start the half with a chance to tie the game again but the OSU defense held them to another three-and-out. Then OSU QB Justin Rust under pressure, threw to a wide open HB Tim Taylor who took off the rest of the 50 yards, diving across the goal line to put the Beavers up 28-14.

OSU HB Tim Taylor dives across the goal line for a 50-yard touchdown reception.

But the Wildcats were still in this game despite now being down by two possessions. Arizona marched the length of the field, starting to finally find some holes to run through. In the red zone, QB David Burley fired a pass into WR Matthew Harris for a 6-yard touchdown to cut the OSU lead to 28-21. Arizona was not going away.

Arizona WR Matthew Harris with a 6-yard touchdown reception.

The crowd again seemed to becoming alive. That was until Rust threw over the top to WR Brian Horn who came down with the 35-yard reception in single coverage. After a good 9-yard run by HB Tim Taylor, QB Justin Rust hooked up with WR Brian Horn again off of a playaction on a 15-yard post in the end zone, giving Oregon State a 35-21 lead.

OSU QB Justin Rust hooks up with WR Brian Horn for a 15-yard touchdown.

This time Arizona would respond with a three-and-out. The Beavers looked comfortably in command heading into the 4th quarter. Then on a playaction, Rust found TE Adam Banks in the flat again where the athletic Banks raced toward the end zone and was able to house it for a 38-yard touchdown. Banks' third touchdown of the game and Rust's sixth touchdown pass of the game put the Beavers up 42-21.

OSU TE Adam Banks with his third touchdown reception of the game.

A bit of bad news occurred for the Beavers midway into the 4th quarter when OSU FS Scott Vinson intercepted a pass off of Arizona QB David Burley, but was tackled hard, falling awkwardly to the ground. Vinson ended up with a hip pointer on the play and is likely to miss four weeks which means the Beavers will be without their outstanding safety when USC comes to town next week.

Oregon State started off shaky but finished strong and might be ready for their huge matchup against the Trojans next week.

Oregon State 42
QB Justin Rust: 23-31, 334 yds, 6 td, 2 int
HB Tim Taylor: 24 car, 83 yds, rec, 50 yds, rec td
TE Adam Banks: 8 rec, 126 yds, 3 td
WR Brian Horn: 7 rec, 106 yds, 2 td
MLB Casey Wright: 6 tkl, tfl, int, defl

Arizona 21
QB David Burley: 18-30, 206 yds, 2 td, 2 int
HB Barrett Waters: 14 car, 33 yds
WR Jeff Wallace: 8 rec, 113 yds, td
CB Marcus Thomas: 11 tkl, 2 tfl, sk, int, defl, td

[Emac78]

Week 9

(10)Auburn Undefeated No More After Losing 41-27 to (15)Florida

Auburn WR Chip Taylor is stripped of the football by Florida CB Brian Jefferson on a late kick return to end any hope for the Tigers.

Gaineville, FL - It was a back and forth game for the most part in the 1st half. Auburn had taken a 14-12 lead when QB Elliott Sharp threw his 2nd touchdown pass of the game. But a late Gator 49-yard field goal would give Florida the 15-14 lead at halftime.

Auburn regained the lead off of a 28-yard field goal but Florida QB Dylan Smith threw deep to HB Ken Marshall, covered by a slow LB for a 54-yard touchdown. Plus Smith was able to score on the 2-point play when he ran in it himself to put the Gators back in front 23-17. Auburn responded with another field goal to keep the score a tight 23-20 in favor of the Gators. Florida head coach got really aggressive, putting HB Jerry Davis in at QB in the wildcat to try some trickeration that failed miserably when the tailback threw a duck over the middle of the field that was easily intercepted by Auburn.

But early in the 4th quarter, Auburn QB Elliott Sharp, under severe pressure was intercepted by Florida OLB Josh Armstrong for a pick-six to put the Gators up 30-20. Adding insult to injury, Sharp went down hard on the play, and left the game with back spasms. The future NFL QB would not return. However, backup Auburn QB Jonathan White hooked up with HB Erik Dixon on a screen that went the distance, 64 yards for a touchdown to make it 30-27 Florida. The Gators could only manage to tack on another field goal to make it 33-27.

On the ensuing kick return, Auburn WR Chip Taylor had a good return going, getting into Florida territory but as he was tackled by Florida CB Brian Jefferson, he was stripped of the football. The ball hit the grass, and the Gators recovered with 2:07 remaining in the game. In the final seconds of the game, Gator HB Ken Marshall would score a short touchdown run. Then for some reason, Urban Meyer went for two which they converted to make it look like a larger margin of victory than it really was.

Auburn 27
QB Elliott Sharp: 22-37, 180 yds, 2 td, 3 int
HB Erik Dixon: 12 car, 62 yds, 7 rec, 94 yds, rec td
OLB Sam Cabral: 12 tkl, 3 tfl

Florida 41
QB Dylan Smith: 21-24, 267 yds, 2 td, rush td
HB Jerry Davis: 11 car, 35 yds, td, int
HB Ken Marshall: 3 rec, 89 yds, rec td
CB Brian Jefferson: 10 tkl, 4 defl, ff

[b][size=+2]Games of the Week[/size][/b]

#18 Tulane 23
Memphis 20

#19 Missouri 31
#8 Nebraska 28 (Rome: 5 tkl, tfl, 3 defl) (Garvella: 2 tkl, 3 defl)

#20 LSU 35
Rutgers 3

West Virginia 21
#21 Virginia 28

[u]#10 Auburn 27
#15 Florida 41[/u]

Northwestern 21
#24 Wisconsin 28

#23 Michigan 42 (Fox: 17 car, 114 yds, rec, 11 yds)
Purdue 14

Georgia Tech 38
#5 Clemson 45

Texas A&M 24 (Campbell: 2 rec, 25 yds)
Baylor 7

[b][size=+2]BCS Rankings[/size][/b]

1 Notre Dame 7-0
2 Penn State 7-0
3 UCLA 6-0
4 Ohio State 7-0
5 Clemson 8-0
[b]6 Oregon State 7-0[/b]
7 USC 7-0
8 Oklahoma 7-0
9 TCU 7-0
10 Florida 7-1
16 Nebraska 6-1
21 LSU 5-2
23 Michigan 6-2

[b][size=+2]Heisman Watch[/size][/b]

WR Patrick Rackley (Clemson) ^
HB Mike Martin (Texas) ^
HB Jutin Holiday (Tulane) ^
QB Matt Thomas (Nebraska) v
QB Greg Medlock (Penn State) -

[Emac78]

Oregon State Lands Top Recruit


WR Bryan Mitchell 5* #1 (1st)
East Hill-Meridian, WA
Committed: Oregon State

The top recruit in the nation, WR Bryan Mitchell, has decided to play for Oregon State. Mitchell made his decision prior to this week's visit to Corvallis for the huge USC game. By choosing Oregon State, Mitchell was turning down offers from Oklahoma, Florida, Ohio State, and Florida State. The Beavers have come a long way. Mitchell looks like the real deal. He has great quickness and pretty good speed. He will make the highlight catch downfield and is not easy to tackle. Look for him to make many plays for the Beavers in the near future.

Oregon State Commitments

WR Bryan Mitchell 5* East Hill-Meridian, WA #1 (1st)

[Emac78]

Game of the Week

#2 Penn State (7-0) at #4 Ohio State (7-0)

Chris: Welcome to Columbus for a colossal Big Ten game. This will easily be one of the most anticipated games of the year. Last year Penn State absolutely obliterated Ohio State in Happy Valley (crowd boos), but this year Ohio State will look to return the favor. Both teams come in undefeated and the stakes don't get much higher. The winner of today's game will set themselves up for a run at the national title.

Also, that other Rose Bowl conference, the Pac-10 has a huge game as well. USC will try to beat the Beavers in Corvallis. Never an easy task. The winners of today's games could very well find their way to the national title, or to the Rose Bowl. But there are some tough games ahead. Penn State still has their rival Pitt. Ohio State still has to play Michigan and a late season SEC game against Alabama. USC will still have UCLA and Notre Dame. While Oregon State still has to face UCLA so things are starting to get really interesting.

Other Game of the Week

#7 USC at #6 Oregon State

Chris: Alright, so that brings us to USC and Oregon State. Last year, HB Roy Nolen had his breakout game that led him all the way to New York to win the Heisman. This year, Oregon State has another standout HB Tim Taylor that has really come out of nowhere. But USC has been demolishing teams. Who are you picking in this one?

Kirk: USC has the top defense in the nation statistically and this Oregon State offense has struggled at times this year against rather inferior teams. USC QB Mark Nelson has looked great this season but the Trojans haven't really played anybody either. This will be a huge test for these teams as they showcase the best that the Pac-10 has to offer. This will be a hard fought game but I think the Beavers come out on top. They have just too much talent on both sides of the ball.

Lee: It's unbelievable that we're saying that the Beavers are the most talented team here. Plus, Oregon State is the higher ranked team over USC. When was the last time that happened? USC has a great defense but forget about it. They won't be able to stop OSU HB Tim Taylor. I think the Beavers will win impressively today.

Chris: I'm a bit surprised guys. The Men of Troy are not a bunch of nobodies like Arizona and Washington. But anyways, on to the game of the week, and I may as well say it. It is the showdown of the year so far. (crowd cheers) Before we get to who you guys are picking, Erin Andrews has an injury report for us. Erin...


Erin: PSU WR Stan Baker (88 ovr) is listed as questionable today with borken ribs. The Nittany Lions have enough depth at receiver that they are willing to sit him if they have to. Back to you guys...

Chris: Thanks for that report Erin. That's a tough break for the Lions if Baker can't go. Well, time to make the picks.

Kirk: It may come as a surprise to many today that I'm not going with Ohio State. (crowd boos)

Lee: What?

Kirk: You heard me right. I mean the Buckeyes should win. They are definitely the better team on paper but they have to play with passion today if they want to win and I haven't seen that intensity come out yet. So I'm picking Penn State maybe to motivate Ohio State. (crowd boos)

Lee: Hmmm...a little reverse psychology or whatever. Well, the Buckeyes don't need it. I'll tell you why. They have QB Avery Vincent (92 ovr) who is very athletic. Put him back there with HB Eric Brewer (92 ovr, 99 spd) who has some amazing speed in the open field. He can really burn. With those two, Ohio State has the 2nd best rush offense. Another burner in WR Brian Butler (91 ovr, 97 spd). That is just a ridiculous amount of speed. Plus, the Buckeyes might have the best defense in the nation. They are ranked 2nd in defense and 1st pass defense. Led by superstars FS Derrick Parker (99 ovr) and OLB Wayne Sharp (99 ovr). I did not even mention one of the best CBs in the country, CB Richard Stanley (97 ovr). I mean this team is totally loaded! Give me that. (Lee puts on the Brutus headgear as the crowd roars in agreement) Go Buckeyes!

[Emac78]

Great win over 'Zona! Nice recruiting pick up too. Should be a great boost for the passing game for the next few seasons.

Thanks. It would have been nice if we could have put them away in the 1st half. Oh well, makes it more interesting to read. Mitchell should be awesome, plus we're targeting 4-star QB Todd Jones that will likely commit soon with A+ throwing power and A+ awareness so those two might be big names for Oregon State in the future.

[Fox1994]

Good luck. I gotta say, I'd prefer if my Trojans beat you, though. :P