Not just Perry dinged on oline right? There is more than that I believe. However, I remain unconvinced that Moeavo can qb this team and I am of the opinion that the fly sweep will be better defensed this year.
Some live plays for OSU this afternoon on Day 9 ...
Posted by Paul Buker, The Oregonian August 08, 2008 14:08PM
Categories:
Football
FRIDAY ... morning practice, Day 8. ..
Redshirt freshman
Wilder McAndrews, who had a great chance to start at right tackle in the season opener (and still might), has a thumb injury (it was thought at first to be broken) and may be out two weeks, unless doctors decide he can continue to play while wearing a cast.
Horrible news, possibly, for coach Cav and the beleaguered offensive line, which has LG Jeremy Perry practicing sparingly because of knee issues, and tackle Tavita Thompson out until Nov. 1 because of NCAA issues. .. McAndrews had been solid in Fall camp.
Told that the O-line seems to be cursed, Riley said, "it's been our biggest issue over time and it always is, finding depth to cover all the spots and do what we need to do. ...
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Last spring the talk was about how OSU's DL losses were nearly insurmountable. 7 starters were gone. Now all the talk about their defense is nowhere to be found. This is mostly because the Beaver depth on the DL and LB was considerable. DC Mark Banker was rotating about 10 players last season all game long and though 7 seniors left the team, the replacements are very familiar with the defensive system and very experienced too. 2 of their DE's in the rotation led the conference in sacks last season. The talk now is concerning depth but the new guys on the bench seem to be picking it up and chiming right in. The new LB's are also experienced (only one new player of the 3) and said to be considerably faster and potentially better than the players who left. The strength of this team is their defensive secondary, among the top backfields in the conference, probably right up there with Oregon and USC.
Ducks mentions that the talk now is concerning their OL because 2 key players are either questionable or out completely until week 8. Jeremy Perry is their All American guard and he's been nursing a sore foot. He opted not to have surgery on the chance that it would heal up on its own. Thus far there have been mixed reports. He is practicing with the team but sparingly and is expected to start in W1 though he will be freely subbed in an OL rotation to stretch his mileage. Tavita Thompson, the other key OL who is out won't be playing until his NCAA suspension (off the shelf diet pills under a doctor's supervision) is done on Nov. 1. With both in the lineup, the Beaver OL is a formidable one, without them, we'll just have to wait and see but the new guys are said to be picking up on Cav's system pretty well.
The Beavers have never looked stronger at the skill positions. They have recruited well and have some genuine star power coming in and returning this year. Many point to the loss of Yvenson Bernard, their 2nd all time rusher as a tough one to replace. That's true but as I said their roster at the sklill positions never looked stronger... from a preseason point of view.
Aside from WR James (fly sweep) Rogers runing and catching passes, the Beavers return RS Fr. Ryan McCants from ly's scout team and he appears to be the complete package, running over would be tacklers and often drawing a crowd just to bring him down. Said to resemble Stephen Jackson in style, he comes highly touted as well.
Their 2nd RB who will start and who looks dangerous is Jeremy Francis, a sought after JC RB who is another accomplished crowd pleaser. He's slightly dinged up but he's expected to be at full strength again within a week.
Daryl Catchings returns from a pretty successful Fr. season to round out the WR and slot. This kid is fast and has caught his share of passes last year.
Sammie Straughter, a 2006 3rd team All-American WR is back in form this year after sitting out 2007 with personal issues and a lacerated kidney which has healed up completely. He's a team leader and brings not only skill but a good work attitude to the team.
Last but not least is freshman Jaquizz Rogers, James Roger's brother fresh out of high school, an all American prep in Texas where he set all time records for a HS RB in TD's among other things (over 8000 yards rushing.) The coaches are so impressed with how well this kid has played, spending a year redshirting him seems out of the question. He comes ready to roll and make major contributions to the Beaver offense immediately.
I am pleasantly surprised to see QB Lyle Moevao running the offense competently and with a lot more confidence than last season. He nudged out Canfield for the starting role before Canfield sustained a minor injury which has hampered him for a couple of weeks. Moevao's practices have looked sparkling with him making very few mistakes and showing good judgment as well as newfound accuracy in his throws. A year of experience appears to have done him well. Overall, I am expecting to see a markedly improved offense from the Beavers this season.
Ducks is right about their OL questions but I am a little more optimistic. They've reloaded quite well and should outperform people's expectations once again.
However they have a schedule from hell, more so even than the Oregon Ducks but not as bad as Washington.
ope:
