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Oregon State vs Portland State Recap

Oregon State's 2009 season kicked off before noon local time in Corvallis, Ore. Safe to say, the Beavers didn't need a wake-up call.

Focused at the outset, coach Mike Riley's roster rolled to a 24-0 halftime lead on the way to a 27-point pasting of Portland State at Reser Stadium. The win doesn't mean that OSU is headed for big things this year, but the performance wasn't as sluggish as other teams' week-one stumbles.

While Pac-10 schools UCLA, Oregon and Arizona struggled markedly in their first games, Oregon State produced solid if unspectacular football against the FCS-level Vikings. Quarterback Sean Canfield threw only 11 passes, but completed eight of them for a solid 72 percent completion rate, and without an interception. Oregon State didn't cough up a single turnover, while committing a very modest five penalties for only 34 yards. Loads of turnovers and holding penalties littered fields across the nation on the first weekend of play, but Reser Stadium was fairly clean, a testament to the Beavers' concentration and crispness.

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Because of the lack of errors, Oregon State's offense wasn't deprived of snaps or negative down-and-distance situations. This allowed Riley to get the ball to his brilliant skill-position talents otherwise known as the Rodgers Brothers. "Old Man" receiver James Rodgers accumulated 95 receiving yards and a touchdown, while younger brother Jacquizz Rodgers rolled for 103 yards and three scores. The balance of production from the edges and from between-the-tackles running made for an efficient late-morning and early-afternoon experience in Corvallis. The sleepy-head start time had no bearing on the Beavers' alertness, an encouraging sign heading into week two.

So no, there aren't any big revelations to be found after one game of Beaver football. In many ways, though, the lack of news is a good thing; there are no crises to point to in Corvallis. So far, so good, for last year's feel-good story in the Pac-10, which is intent on writing an equally inspiring narrative this time around.

By Matt Zemek
DFN Sports Staff Writer