Beavers and Wildcats Meet Saturday in Tucson

You can hear the game locally and on News Radio 1190 KEX.

Photo courtesy: OSU Athletics

CORVALLIS - Both Oregon State and the University of Arizona are coming off their initial Pac-10 wins of the season. The Beavers snapped a two-game overall losing streak with their 27-17 win last week at Washington while Arizona ended a three-game skid with a 20-7 win at Stanford. Both teams rank among the league’s best at total defense, the Beavers are third allowing 302 yards per game and the Wildcats are fourth 306.

Clean Sweep:

Oregon State swept the Pac-10 Players of the Week awards after Saturday’s win. Wide receiver Sammie Stroughter had 223 receiving yards (4th-highest in OSU history) and caught his first career touchdown pass; linebacker Derrick Doggett had 10 tackles, including two for loss, one sack and forced one fumble; and Alexis Serna was 2-for-2 on field goal attempts and tied an OSU record with his 80th consecutive successful extra point attempt.

The Series:

Arizona leads the series that dates back to 1966 20-8-1. The Beavers have won two in a row in Tucson (33-9 in 2000, 28-14 in ‘04), but prior had lost all 11 meetings. OSU’s only wins vs. Arizona prior to 1999 were the first meeting in ‘66 (31-12) in Portland and in 1990 over the then No. 21 Wildcats (35-21). OSU had its six-game winning streak snapped last year when Arizona won 29-27 at Reser Stadium in Corvallis.

The Last Time:

Arizona used seven OSU turnovers to end a six-game losing streak in the series and win its first Pac-10 game of the year in its 29-27 win. The Wildcats overcame 192 rushing yards by Yvenson Bernard, 190 receiving yards by Mike Hass and 436 yards passing (4th highest in OSU history) by Matt Moore. OSU outgained UA 654-384, ran 35 more offensive plays (87-52) and held the edge in first downs at 31-14. UA quarterback Willie Tuitama passed for 335 yards and two touchdowns in his first career start.

Husky Stadium, Memorial Stadium, Arizona Stadium?:

In one of the odder trends in the Pac-10 Conference, Oregon State has a chance to win its third straight at an opponents locale for the third consecutive time -- in this case Arizona Stadium. The Beavers also have three-game winning streaks at Husky Stadium and Memorial Stadium (California), and can make it three straight at Stanford Stadium next month.

She Can’t Lose:

Sheri Levitre can’t be on the losing side of Saturday’s game. Her oldest son is Arizona reserve center Erick Levitre and her youngest son is OSU starting tackle Andy Levitre. The two brothers attended San Lorenzo Valley High School in Felton, Calif. Sheri attended the game in Corvallis last season (see page 55 of OSU media guide).

CLOSE MATCH:

The conference statistics indicate this might be a close game. Here is a closer look at several of the categories:

OSU

Scoring Defense 20.4 (5th in Pac-10) 21.7 (6th)

Rushing Defense 108.0 (3rd) 109.3 (4th)

Pass Defense 198.0 (6th) 192.7 (5th)

Total Defense 306.0 (4th) 302.0 (3rd)

Rushing Offense 78.4 (9th) 123.5 (8th)

Turnover Margin -0.29 (7th) -0.17 (6th)

First Downs 106 (T9) 108 (8th)

3rd Down Conversions 29.6% (10th) 32.9% (8th)

Tough Defense:

Oregon State enters Saturday’s game second in the Pac-10 for total quarterback sacks with 23, accounting for 171 yards lost. OSU is second in the nation for sacks per game at 3.8, trailing only Washington State at 4.0. The Beavers accounted for six sacks last week vs. Washington -- the Huskies had allowed five all season prior. OSU has 23 sacks for the season, one more than all of last season. Eleven Beavers have sacks this season, led by the 3.5 by Dorian Smith. Alan Darlin, Derrick Doggett, Joe Lemma and William `Akau'ola Vea each have three. Eleven of OSU’s 23 total have been acquired in the last two games. Arizona has allowed the second-most sacks in the Pac-10 with 20, tied for 99th in nation (2.9 per game).

Not All Sacks:

In addition to OSU’s 23 sacks, it has also added 30 tackles behind the line of scrimmage. The 53 total tackles-for-loss averages to 8.8 per game, tied for the second (Middle Tenn.) in the NCAA -- only Florida International has a higher average at 9.4. Linebacker Derrick Doggett leads the team for TFL with eight, followed by linebacker Alan Darlin and lineman Jeff Van Orsow with 6.5. OSU TFLs have accounted for 272 yards in losses.

Punt Team!:

The Beaver defense has been among the best at third-down conversion defense this season, allowing 26 percent -- third in the NCAA, trailing only UCLA (23.3) and New Mexico State (25.0). Those numbers are in direct correlation to OSU forcing opponents into third-and-long situations -- opponents are just 6 of 32 (19%) when facing 3rd and 10-plus yards. OSU’s offense has posted good numbers, minus the fourth quarter where it is 1 of 14 (7%) -- for the other three quarters combined OSU is 23 of 59 (39%).

Signs of Linebacker U:

Oregon State has billed itself as the West Coast’s version of Linebacker U over recent years, and there are signs of this year’s unit that features three new starters -- Derrick Doggett, Alan Darlin and Joey LaRacque -- of becoming another formidable group. Those three players have combined for 48 tackles over the last two games, including 8.5 for losses and 4 sacks.

Super Sammie:

Junior receiver and punt returner Sammie Stroughter has started the season with an impressive run. Stroughter leads the Pac-10 and is ninth in the NCAA for receiving yards per game (92.0) and is the team leader for overall receptions (29). Stroughter’s 223 yards receiving last week is the most in the Pac-10 this season and the fourth-highest in OSU history (Pac-10 Player of the Week). He is also third in the nation for punt return yards per attempt at (18.9) and is one of three players in the nation (Jeremy Trimble, Army & DeSean Jackson, Cal) with two returns for touchdowns.

Numbers Game:

Matt Moore has a quarterback rating of 143.2 over the last two games, compared to 121.7 over the first four. Last week, he posted an efficiency rating of 237.8 (14-19, 308 yds, 1 TD, 1 INT)-- the 17th best performance in the NCAA and third-best in the Pac-10 this season. His rating would have been a few points higher without the interception, in which the ball went through the receiver’s hands. The only two better marks in the league this year are Alex Brink’s (WSU) 275.4 vs. Idaho and Rudy Carpenter’s (ASU) 244.1 vs. Nevada. Moore’s overall 130.3 rating is fourth in the Pac-10.

Victory Indicator:

Oregon State is 3-0 this season when Yvenson Bernard rushes for 100-plus yards. In the three victories he has averaged 128.3 yards per game, while in the losses its 84.7. Bernard has rushed for 100-plus in 9 of the last 14 games.

Tough Schedule:

The Pac-10 ranks No. 1 in the Sagarin Rankings in USA Today, with Oregon State’s schedule ranking as the 10th most difficult in the nation. USC has the most difficult, followed by the Cal (2), Stanford (4), Washington State (6), Arizona State (8), Washington (11), Oregon (17), Arizona (21) and UCLA (51).

Tricky Guy:

Junior safety Daniel Drayton has been involved in some deceptive plays this season, resulting in first downs. Against Boise State he was on the receiving end of a Kyle Loomis pass (fake punt) in the first quarter that resulted in 27 yards and a play that would eventually lead to a Beaver touchdown. He also had a seven-yard rush against California on a fake punt that resulted in a first down. Drayton has also played a significant role on other special teams units.

The Speed of The Game:

Through six games this season Oregon State contests have averaged 3 hours 11 minutes and 123 plays. Through six games last season, the average was 3 hours 37 minutes and 153 plays.

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