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Oregon State Beavers @ Boise State Broncos Football Preview
The Oregon State Beavers, looking to test the theory that the turf at Bronco Stadium in Boise holds some sort of psychological advantage, have painted a practice field blue in anticipation of this weekend’s matchup. The joke on the internet was that Boise State responded by painting its field orange. It’s fair to say that there’s never been a game in the 141-year history of college football in which the color of the playing surface drew so much attention.
We’ll see if Oregon State’s paint-based warfare makes a difference on Saturday, in the final big non-conference test for Boise State this season.
There are many reasons given for Boise State’s perceived ease of schedule – the program’s insistence on home-and-home agreements, time spent in the air, the camouflage effect of blue uniforms on blue turf, and most likely, a comparative lack of reward while incurring a massive risk. For all the times Boise has taken on the likes of an Oregon, an Oregon State, a Virginia Tech, or a Georgia, the Broncos have not yet been able to bust through that BCS championship game ceiling, the final barrier for non-automatic-qualifying FBS programs.
This weekend, we’ll see if a bit of ingenious adaptation will allow the Beavers to put an end to BSU’s 44-game regular season home winning streak.
Oregon State running back Jacquizz Rodgers, after putting up respectable numbers against the swarming TCU defense in the Beavers’ season opening loss, responded with a dominant performance against Louisville. The Beavers will lean on Rodgers heavily, and the quality of his performance will most likely determine if Oregon State can stay in the game.
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While the Boise State defense struggled to contain Virginia Tech quarterback Tyrod Taylor in the season opener, sophomore Beaver quarterback Ryan Katz does not have the legs to disrupt the Bronco scheme and pull members of the secondary toward the line of scrimmage. Moreover, Katz got lightly dinged up against Louisville, though he did re-enter the game. Katz has a big-league arm, and he will be asked by Coach Mike Riley to do what he has done well to this point - manage the game efficiently and distribute the ball to his receivers while not committing any turnovers.
Boise State has undoubtedly been studying the Oregon State-TCU tapes. That was a game in which Katz, while not committing any turnovers, completed only 36 percent of his passes. A mistake-free game with at least a 50-percent completion rate will be required of Katz if the Beavers are to escape Boise with a win.
Boise State, on the other hand, will ask little more than the usual out of quarterback and Heisman candidate Kellen Moore. After all, given last week’s 370-yard performance by Mr. Moore at Wyoming, ‘the usual’ will most likely be more than what his team requires; a normal day for Moore is a transcendent day for most FBS quarterbacks. This is a game that will play heavily into Moore’s Heisman candidacy for the remainder of the season, so look for Moore to throw a few deep balls in what should be a very aggressive game plan by coach Chris Petersen and offensive coordinator Bryan Harsin.
Ultimately, if Boise State can contain Rodgers and put the game on the shoulders of Katz, they should be able to win the game of ball control, and from there it’s all up to Moore and the Bronco offense.
Once more on a national stage, we will all see if the Boise reputation is little more than a layer of blue paint.
By Matt Zemek
DFN Sports Staff Writer