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Oregon State Beavers vs Arizona Wildcats Recap

The Oregon State Beavers have some primary concerns in their secondary. They need to be fixed if a football season is to retain any shred of its promise.

Coach Mike Riley might want injured quarterback Lyle Moevao to take over for Sean Canfield after a pair of interceptions crippled the Beavers during their 37-32 loss to the visiting Arizona Wildcats, but the foremost area of focus for Oregon State has to concern its back line of defense. Say what you want about the two turnovers--they were surely critical in determining the final outcome--but the main reason the home team lost at Reser Stadium was that it couldn't lock down the Wildcats' pass catchers.

Let's be clear about this defensive breakdown in Corvallis: Arizona entered this contest without the services of heralded tight end Rob Gronkowski, and then lost big-play running back Nic Grigsby to a shoulder injury on his first carry of the afternoon. Moreover, Grigsby's backup at running back, Keolo Antolin, couldn't compete at full strength due to a leg injury. Moreover still, Wildcat quarterback Nick Foles was making his first collegiate start after replacing Matt Scott, the No. 1 signal caller for the team's first three games of 2009. This was not an Arizona offense that figured to do much: no tight end, a depleted running back corps, a newbie at quarterback in a road conference game, and a poor performance the week before at Iowa. If there was ever a time for Oregon State's pass defense to get healthy, this was it.

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Yet, at the end of the day, the toughs from Tucson were able to tally a score in the mid-30s, while adding a safety in the final minutes for good measure. Despite the lack of his supreme backfield studs, Foles--operating in a pass-first framework--was able to slice and dice the Beaver back line for 25-of-34 completions, 254 yards, three touchdowns, and no interceptions. It's amazing to realize that OSU did a better job defending the pass against Cincinnati and Tony Pike than it did against Arizona's first-time collegiate starter. Sure, Canfield needs to display better ball security, and that will remain a point of priority for Riley and his offensive staff, but the top concern for the Beavers right now is their secondary, part of a pass defense that ranks 109th in the FBS.

Sometimes, the secondary is primary. If young corners and safeties don't grow up quickly, more air shows will overwhelm Oregon State as this season continues.

By Matt Zemek
DFN Sports Staff Writer