With Civil War Looming in Rear-View Mirror, Mike Riley Must Win Sun Bowl

Heading into last month's Civil War, many were calling this annual rivalry game "the biggest of Mike Riley's career."

In many ways, it was. 

Oregon State (8-4, 7-2 Pac-10) was playing with a Pac-10 championship and a Rose Bowl berth on the line. It could have been Oregon State's first appearance in the "Grandaddy of them All" since 1965—Riley, now 55, was 12 at that time.

However, Riley and his team were embarrassed by the Oregon Ducks, who will play Oklahoma State in the Holiday Bowl. The Beavers gave up 694 yards of total offense—385 rushing—and were defeated, 65-38, in front of a record crowd at OSU's Reser Stadium. The Beavers were favored heading into the game, but never led. 

Once Oregon State shook up the college football world with a 27-21 defeat of (then No. 1) USC on Nov. 25, they gained control of their own destiny. The Beavers preceded to win their next six Pac-10 games, with each victory bringing them closer to the Rose Bowl. 

"Everybody wants to go to the Rose Bowl, and we had forged a path to get there" Riley said. "We held the cards right until the end, and we lost our opportunity."

The heightened stakes of the Civil War made the loss that much harder to swallow for the Oregon State program, and overcoming the residual disappointment of not qualifying for the Rose Bowl will be one of Riley's greatest challenges as he prepares his team to play Pittsburgh. 

Riley will head into the Sun Bowl with a depleted roster. James and Jacquizz Rodgers, who have accounted for precisely 50.1 percent of Oregon State's offensive production this season, will likely both be sidelined due to injury.

James was a key threat at receiver this season, but his most notable contribution was in running the ball out of Oregon State's "fly sweep" package. In his two seasons at Oregon State, he's already rushed for 994 yards on 96 carries, for an average of 10.3 yards per carry. He'll sit out the Sun Bowl with a broken collarbone, suffered in the Civil War.

Jacquizz, who rushed 37 times for a season-high 186 yards against USC, emerged as one of the nation's top rushers as a true freshman. He currently is the 13th-leading rusher in the nation, with an average of 114 yards per game. However, he'll likely miss the Sun Bowl as well with an AC Joint sprain and a fractured scapula, suffered in a win over Arizona on Nov. 22. He wasn't able to play in the Civil War game against Oregon.

Most importantly, Riley needs to win the Sun Bowl to salvage as much as possible from a great season and send his talented group of seniors out with a victory. Oregon State will lose much of its defensive front seven for the second consecutive year, as well as its entire starting secondary.

On offense, the Beavers will lose All-Pac-10 First Team receiver Sammie Stroughter, as well as All-Pac-10 linemen Andy Levitre and Adam Speer. Wideout Shane Morales and offensive lineman Tavita Thompson will also be playing in their last collegiate game in the Sun Bowl.

With the Civil War loss now in the rear-view mirror, the 2008 Sun Bowl becomes the biggest game of Riley's career. He's a perfect 4-0 in bowl games at Oregon State, but the fifth consecutive win could be the toughest one to attain.

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