I figure maybe it would be nice to put a tag on the Oregon St. game and explain how I think they will beat the Wildcats.
First of all, Oregon State's defense will be far superior to any that Zona has seen this year. People were making note of Cal's defense last week but look at how well Oregon St.'s defense shut down Cal. In the Cal game, OSU's OL eventually won out eventually wearing down Cal's LB's and DL's. Quizz and Quan took over in the 2nd half and I think a lot of it had to do with Cal's guys being winded and just plain getting beat.
Credit goes to Mark Banker, the Beaver DC who I hope sticks around for a few years. He's a miracle worker as evidenced by an entirely revamped group of DL's and LB's this year. OSU's defense was written off early this season because that (#1 in the nation vs the run last year) defense of theirs that gained so much notoriety last year graduated. All gone. However this season their new defense is #1 in the conference vs the pass (they are fast and nasty) and #2 behind USC in defensing the run. That is some remarkable work by Banker.
Second reason: OSU's rushing game. Relentless. Zona has had their problems with teams that run well. Of course most people know by now that Jacquizz Rogers leads the conference in rushing yards and it would take a natural disaster for him to lose the title over the last 2 games. He's had about 7 or 8 100 yard games this year and he'll probably get one more on Saturday. Oregon State rotates their OL's and they've gained a lot of depth over the year. Since Tavita Pritchard's return a couple weeks ago, they've become even more effective.
Still studying Zona's latest tendencies and trends so I'll probably be back with more from their side. It gets interesting when you start looking at individual matchups and coaching strengths. Sonny Dykes vs Mark Banker is an intriguing one. I give the edge to Banker because his schemes are far more effective than anything QB Tuitama has seen this year. Banker's mid-game adjustments have caught my attention a few times this past month.
Oregon's record vs Zona over the past several seasons has been very lopsided too. If you were to ask me which of the 2 teams this week have changed the most for the better, I'd have to give it to the Beavers because of their strong play in clutch situations. When the chips are down, they turn up the heat.
Footnote: Lyle Moevao seemed a bit rusty coming back from a minor shoulder injury but you can also credit his average numbers to the fact that he played with a cold during the game. I live in Oregon too and I bet he had the same cold I had a month ago. Nasty thing. I'm sure he's over it by now and he should be back in form for Saturday's matchup. Other than that, OSU's injuries are almost non-existent.
