Post by el_duderino on Sept 4, 2008 22:09:08 GMT -5
Now here's a team that would be better with Brett Farve at every position....
Sorry - channeling the inner-Madden within all of us.
Oregon State has a very strong program, and one that I'm quite excited to see. Needless to say, I was very happy when they replaced Louisiana Tech on our schedule for this season. But what are we looking at with Oregon State?
Offensively, they're trying to find their balance. They threw over 50 times against Stanford, something they don't really want to do again. (I'm sure they'd take the 400-yds of offense though...) However, I never really saw a solid run game from them. There is a lot of speed on this team, and that's where things get interesting for the back 7.
Defensively, they were a sieve for the Stanford running backs, allowing over 200 yards on the ground. Passing defense perhaps looked better because Stanford didn't need to throw as much.
So what's the plan to win? Spread the field on offense and keep them guessing. With how dominant our O-Line is, the run game should really have no problems. I also expect to see Clark run some this game - which would likely open up the deep passes. On defense, it'll be a challenge without Evans and Koroma. Still, the d-line looks strong, and should be able to keep their basic run attacks in check. It will be the reverses and the screens to worry about - something we struggled with against CCU. If anything, it gave our guys some experience with it, and maybe they'll do a better job in defending it. There's a lot of speed out there, but having AJ Wallace should keep some of that in check.
In the end, it's closer than the 16-point spread they're giving us. But it'll be a fun, high-scoring affair - something in the ballpark of 45-37, with State scraping away with the win.
Sorry - channeling the inner-Madden within all of us.
Oregon State has a very strong program, and one that I'm quite excited to see. Needless to say, I was very happy when they replaced Louisiana Tech on our schedule for this season. But what are we looking at with Oregon State?
Offensively, they're trying to find their balance. They threw over 50 times against Stanford, something they don't really want to do again. (I'm sure they'd take the 400-yds of offense though...) However, I never really saw a solid run game from them. There is a lot of speed on this team, and that's where things get interesting for the back 7.
Defensively, they were a sieve for the Stanford running backs, allowing over 200 yards on the ground. Passing defense perhaps looked better because Stanford didn't need to throw as much.
So what's the plan to win? Spread the field on offense and keep them guessing. With how dominant our O-Line is, the run game should really have no problems. I also expect to see Clark run some this game - which would likely open up the deep passes. On defense, it'll be a challenge without Evans and Koroma. Still, the d-line looks strong, and should be able to keep their basic run attacks in check. It will be the reverses and the screens to worry about - something we struggled with against CCU. If anything, it gave our guys some experience with it, and maybe they'll do a better job in defending it. There's a lot of speed out there, but having AJ Wallace should keep some of that in check.
In the end, it's closer than the 16-point spread they're giving us. But it'll be a fun, high-scoring affair - something in the ballpark of 45-37, with State scraping away with the win.