Nittany Lions Say "ROAR;" Beavers Say "GNAW"

The Pac-10 took a hit last night in its claim for conference supremacy when Oregon State was embarrassed on national television by Penn State, 45-14.

Mike Riley's teams are notorious for starting out slow, however the feeling behind this team creates much greater concern for the 2008 Beaver faithful.

The previous week's loss to Stanford highlighted weaknesses in the Beaver defense that needed serious attention.  Linebacker play, secondary run support, and D-line pressure were absent in Week One and carried into Week Two.

Penn State is not Stanford, however. 

The Nittany Lions amassed 239 yards rushing, more than the Cardinal in Week One.  Not only was the running game effective, the passing game balanced out the offense with 215 through the air. 

Quarterback Darryl Clark had all day to throw and made the right reads, hitting his intermediate routes.  If a receiver was not open, he found success on the ground, rushing five times for 64 yards and a TD.

The offense that looked so explosive against Stanford was a dud against Penn State.  Jacquizz Rodgers looked a little more comfortable running the ball, gaining 99 yards on 22 carries. 

I believe when all is said and done, this kid will be something special.

Again, Ryan McCants was ineffective and ran scared, which is out of character for a guy who goes 6-foot-1, 240 pounds and was labeled the next great running back at Oregon State.  Still, he is only a redshirt freshman and will have plenty of time to find his groove.

The passing game sputtered all night. Lyle Moevao completed 62 percent of his passes for 250 yards but never really got into rhythm. 

Another aspect of the game that killed the Beavers was the awful performance by freshman punter Johnny Hekker.  I don't care what league you are in, 27 yards per punt is not going to get the job done. 

At one point Hekker looked so scared that he neglected to punt the ball when clearly the rush had stopped and he had time to get the punt off.  After the botched punt, Penn State went up 28-0 and you knew OSU was in for a long day.

Oregon State has made early-season road opponents look like National Championship  contenders in recent years. 

The combined score in their last five non-conference road games is 206-79, and that includes a one point loss at LSU.

While the last two years have started similarly, I do not think this year is the same as the previous two. 

Oregon State is 0-2, going into what should be a win versus an inexperienced Hawaii team.  A win could boost morale and create some momentum, however, a visit from the No. 1 USC Trojans and a trip to Utah to face the No. 22 Utes in the next three weeks could prove deadly and land OSU at 1-4 to begin the season.

College football is a game of passion.  Defenders flying to the football and gang tackling  creates excitement amongst players and fans.  Chest bumps after great catches and fist pumps are part of what fuels momentum.

What was put on the field at State College on Saturday was one of the most lackluster performances Oregon State has had in many years.  The defense played tentatively, as if they didn't want to give up the big play.  Well, when you play tentatively, bad things happen.  This time, in came the form of a 45-14 spanking at the hands of Joe Pa and crew.

The Beavers played with no passion, fire, or desire.  If a mistake is going to be made, make it at full speed.  Oregon State was conservative all game long on defense and on offense, and it showed.

Offensively, I found myself on the couch calling out what play was coming next before the huddle broke.  The predictability of the coaching staff is utterly laughable.  Heck, if a guy like me can find tendencies from the couch, you bet the coaches that study film will do an even better job..

There was no imagination on offense this week, the same off-tackle run plays stopped for a gain of two on first and second down, followed by a shotgun look on third down. 

There was never a reverse thrown in, or a halfback pass, it is almost as if the coaching staff is saving their top secret plays for conference.  Well, news flash Beavers, you are 0-1 in conference and 0-2 overall.

Defensively, the Beavers were standing still, there was no blitzing to hurry the decisions of Clark to possibly create turnovers.  Contain was lost on nearly every cut back by the running backs.  When players were in the right spot, they failed to bring down the ball carrier.

Mental and physical errors shone brightly this week.  Granted, Penn State looks like they are a legit Top 15 team; however, Oregon State did not provide any sort of challenge for the Nittany Lions.

The road ahead is a very steep uphill climb, even just to get into a bowl game.  The Beavers would most likely have to go 7-2 in their final nine games to get into a bowl. 

With the performances Cal, UCLA, and even Washington have put up, the Beavers could be battling Washington State for ninth place in the Pac-10 if their overall attitude and performance doesn't change.

But again, we've been through this for the past two years, right?