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Oregon State Week 5 Preview: Arizona State

If the Oregon State Beavers want to save a season that's slip-sliding away, they need to get very cranky and ornery... even defensive.

Indeed, the secret to success this Saturday for the OSU crew is its ability to make life miserable for an Arizona State offense that can't throw the ball very well. Mike Riley's club has been quite susceptible to potent downfield passing attacks, so as the kids from Corvallis travel to Tempe, Ariz., for a date with the Sun Devils, they'll need to take advantage of ASU's inability to exploit the Beavers' greatest weakness.

The story of this survival match in the Pac-10 Conference begins with a look at a Sept. 19 SEC game. On that day--in week three of the college football season-- Georgia allowed 41 points and a fat stack of passing yards to Arkansas and quarterback Ryan Mallett. The following weekend--this past Saturday, in other words--the same Georgia defense that couldn't defend a fence post (so listless was the unit coached by UGA defensive coordinator Willie Martinez) suddenly found new life against Arizona State and quarterback Danny Sullivan.

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Sun Devil coach (and former Oregon State boss) Dennis Erickson might be an offensive guru, but the credentialed football mind couldn't coax a quality performance from his leading signal caller. Sullivan labored through an awful 10-of-32 performance that produced just 116 passing yards and an interception to go along with a lonely touchdown pass. ASU scored one touchdown on a pick-six against Georgia quarterback Joe Cox, meaning that when the (Sun) Devils went down to Georgia, they might have been looking for a soul to steal (apologies to the Charlie Daniels Band), but they couldn't steal a football game. Not with only one touchdown scored by their offensive unit. If you can't throw well against Georgia, chances are you can't throw well against Oregon State, either. The Beavers, plainly put, are not in a position where their pass defense--rated 109th in the land--is likely to be exploited to a considerable extent. A secondary that's been staggered over the past two weeks could get healthy at Sun Devil Stadium.

With all this having been said, however, the overall battle between Beavers and Devils should be closely contested. Arizona State entered Corvallis last year with a 2-5 mark, but Erickson--back in the town where he led OSU to a Fiesta Bowl victory in the 2000 season--got his players to compete with maximum might and moxie. Quarterback Rudy Carptenter--a far more competent passer than Sullivan--brought his team within two points in the final minute of regulation, but a tying two-point try failed, and the Beavers escaped with a 27-25 triumph. The fact that ASU could push Oregon State even when down on its luck is a clear indication that this game is likely to be anything but a picnic as well.

The key to this game in a nutshell? Oregon State's secondary needs a turnaround... instead of turning around and finding more receivers frolicking in the end zone.

By Matt Zemek
DFN Sports Staff Writer