2012 Record: 9-4 (6-3 in Pac-12)
Head Coach: Mike Riley (81-67 at Oregon State, 52-51 in Pac-10/12)
Four Year Trend: 6.25 wins and 6.25 losses
Last Bowl Game: 2012 Alamo Bowl: lost to Texas 31-27
Stadium: Reser Stadium in Corvallis, OR (capacity = 45,674)
Home Field Advantage: ranked 26th out of 69 BCS teams
Schedule Glimpse:
Out of Conference: 8/31 vs Eastern Washington, 9/7 vs Hawaii, 9/21 at SDSU
Swing Games: 9/14 at Utah, 12/1 vs USC, 11/16 at Arizona St, 11/23 vs Washington
Toughest Conference Games: 10/26 vs Stanford, 11/29 at Oregon
Statistical Snapshot:
Stats to Fear: held opponents to 29.28% on third downs (1st in Pac-12)
Stat to Cheer: scored on 91.38% of red zone trips (1st in Pac-12)
Advanced Stats (Football Outsiders 2012 FEI Ranking): 16th out of 124 teams
Personnel:
Phil Steele's Returning Starters: Offense: 8, Defense: 7, Special Teams: 1
Key Defensive Returnees: LB Michael Doctor (83 tackles), CB Rashaad Reynolds (75 tackles, 3 INT), DL Scott Crichton (44 tackles, 9 sacks)
Key Offensive Returnees: QB Sean Mannion (2446 yds pass, 64.5% completions, 15 TD, 13 INT), QB Cody Vaz (1480 yds pass, 58.9% completions, 11 TD, 3 INT), RB Storm Woods (940 yds rush, 4.9 ypc, 13 TD), RB Terron Ward (415 yds rush, 6.1 ypc, 6 TD), WR Brandon Cooks (67 rec, 5 TD), TE Connor Hamlett (32 rec)
Top 2013 Recruits: CB Steven Nelson, DT Charlie Tua'au, DT Edwin Delva, RB Damien Haskins
Verdict:
After two down seasons, with a combined record of 8-16, many had Mike Riley on the hot seat. The Beavers responded last year by bouncing back with a 9-4 record that included a 6-0 start against a very tough schedule.
They Beavers lose WR Markus Wheaton (91 rec, 11 TD) but return a number of offensive talents. At QB, the decision still must be made if they will go with Sean Mannion (2446 yds pass, 64.5% completions, 15 TD, 13 INT) or Cody Vaz (1480 yds pass, 58.9% completions, 11 TD, 3 INT). Storm Woods and Terron Ward return at RB and red-shirt freshman Chris Brown should also get a shot to touch the ball. At WR, despite the loss of Wheaton there is still talent with Brandin Cooks, Connor Hamlett, Kevin Cummings and Richard Mullaney. Four starters return on the OL so we should see consistency at that position for the Beavers.
The Beavers made huge improvements on defense last year as they reduced their ppg allowed from 30.8 in 2011 to 20.6 in 2012. They finished third in the league against the pass and against the run. They return their top two defensive ends (Dylan Wynn and Scott Crichton) but will have to replace a good amount of depth as they lose four contributors along the line. The top two LBs, Michael Doctor and D.J. Alexander, also return but much like on the line some depth has departed. The secondary must replace Jordan Poyer and Anthony Watkins but they have four players returning with experience. There are some departures on this defense but from the looks of it they should be able to keep up the momentum that they built last year.
Last year's schedule started out very tough, this year the Beavers get to ease into the schedule. The toughest two games in their first six will be road trips to Utah and San Diego State. The key stretch will be the last five games as they face Stanford, USC, Arizona State, Washington and Oregon with one bye mixed in. Riley has Oregon State headed in the right direction and I think they will see similar success as they did last season.
Prediction: 8-4
Previous 2013 Pre-Season Previews:
Add The Sports Daily to your Google News Feed!
