Posted by ESPN.com's Ted Miller
It's darn near deja vu all over again for Oregon State.
The Beavers, however, got a head start this year on their annual turnaround. Instead of waiting for the natives to get restless over a 2-3 record, they righted themselves at 2-2 and rolled off a pair of impressive Pac-10 wins over Arizona State and Stanford.
The questions is will the end result still be as good as the previous three seasons?
It looked for a moment like the Beavers would bypass the whole slow start thing entirely. They began 2-0, including a tight win at UNLV that felt like the sort of game they'd lost in previous years.
But consecutive home losses to quality teams -- Cincinnati and Arizona -- started some navel gazing about where things might be headed.
The program's first win at Arizona State since 1969 helped reverse the negative thoughts, though, and a subsequent whipping of a previously surging Stanford team made it clear that the Beavers would be a factor in the conference.
The rebuilt defense is playing better. A young offensive line is starting to jell. Quarterback Sean Canfield is in rhythm. And the Rodgers brothers are probably the best multi-purpose one-two punch in the conference.
Offensive MVP: While little brother Jacquizz earned midseason Pac-10 offensive MVP, many Oregon State observers would contend that receiver James Rodgers is no less important to the Beavers. James could become the first player since Arizona's Bobby Wade in 2002 to lead the conference in receptions per game, receiving yards per game and all-purpose yards. He is No. 1 in the Pac-10 and eighth in the nation in all-purpose yards with 180 per game, and he is an equal threat as a runner on the fly sweep and a receiver in space.
Defensive MVP: Linebacker Keaton Kristick is the Pac-10 co-leader with 50 tackles -- 8.3 per game. He also has 4.5 tackles for a loss, one fumble recovery and an interception. He's the heart-and-soul of a defense that only welcomed back three starters but now appears to be finding its rhythm.
It's darn near deja vu all over again for Oregon State.
The Beavers, however, got a head start this year on their annual turnaround. Instead of waiting for the natives to get restless over a 2-3 record, they righted themselves at 2-2 and rolled off a pair of impressive Pac-10 wins over Arizona State and Stanford.
The questions is will the end result still be as good as the previous three seasons?
It looked for a moment like the Beavers would bypass the whole slow start thing entirely. They began 2-0, including a tight win at UNLV that felt like the sort of game they'd lost in previous years.
But consecutive home losses to quality teams -- Cincinnati and Arizona -- started some navel gazing about where things might be headed.
The program's first win at Arizona State since 1969 helped reverse the negative thoughts, though, and a subsequent whipping of a previously surging Stanford team made it clear that the Beavers would be a factor in the conference.
The rebuilt defense is playing better. A young offensive line is starting to jell. Quarterback Sean Canfield is in rhythm. And the Rodgers brothers are probably the best multi-purpose one-two punch in the conference.
Offensive MVP: While little brother Jacquizz earned midseason Pac-10 offensive MVP, many Oregon State observers would contend that receiver James Rodgers is no less important to the Beavers. James could become the first player since Arizona's Bobby Wade in 2002 to lead the conference in receptions per game, receiving yards per game and all-purpose yards. He is No. 1 in the Pac-10 and eighth in the nation in all-purpose yards with 180 per game, and he is an equal threat as a runner on the fly sweep and a receiver in space.
Defensive MVP: Linebacker Keaton Kristick is the Pac-10 co-leader with 50 tackles -- 8.3 per game. He also has 4.5 tackles for a loss, one fumble recovery and an interception. He's the heart-and-soul of a defense that only welcomed back three starters but now appears to be finding its rhythm.
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ABOUT THIS BLOG
Ted Miller
Miller has been covering college football since 1997, starting with Auburn and then heading West to Washington and the Pac-10. His columns for the Seattle Post-Intelligencer won first place in 2007 APSE Best Writing contest. The Atlanta native and University of Richmond graduate presently lives with his wife in Scottsdale, Ariz.
PAC-10 SCOREBOARD
Saturday, 11/21
Final Arizona State 13 UCLA 23 Final 19 Oregon State 42 Washington State 10 Final 25 California 34 17 Stanford 28 Final/2OT 11 Oregon 44 Arizona 41
