Oregon State Beavers
Pac-12
Mike Riley has had a vote of confidence in Corvallis ever since he returned to the school after his stint with the Chargers in the early 2000s. It has not always been peaches and cream in his second regime, but 2012 turned out to be a really good year for the Beavers. They are staring 10 wins in the face with a win in their bowl game. Unfortunately, they had multiple losses to teams in their division, so they were never really in the Rose Bowl race. But the needle is pointing straight up for this team. After finishing 3-9 just one year ago, nobody pegged the Beavers to be the most improved team in the Pac-12. They inserted themselves into the conversation.
2012 Record: 9-3, 6-3
Coach: Mike Riley
Coach Bowl Record: 5-1
Big Wins: 9/22 at UCLA (27-20), 11/3 Arizona State (36-26)
Bad Losses: 10/27 at Washington (17-20), 11/11 at Stanford (23-27)
Strengths:
Oregon State does not do a lot of things great, but they do most things well. Offensively, they rank third in the conference in passing yards at just over 300 yards per game. Sean Mannion has finally stepped up and solidified himself as a good Division I quarterback. His numbers are not gaudy, but he is efficient and can sling it out to Markus Wheaton and Brandon Cooks who help make the passing game what it is. Running back Storm Woods is also a big part of the offense. As a runner who can also catch passes out of the backfield, he leads the Beavers in total offense. He is an X-factor for any defense to key on. Oregon State has also been really good at protecting the ball. Though Mannion has thrown 13 interceptions, the defense has forced 19 of their own. They are an opportunistic defense that really keeps them in games. They hold opponents to about 18 points per contest. Their ability to ball hawk keeps offenses out of their end zone. Statistically, they are top three in the Pac-12 in rush defense and total defense. They get to the quarterback nearly 2.5 times per game.
Weaknesses:
Despite the fact that Storm Woods is a dynamic offensive option, the Oregon State rushing attack is the weakest part of the offense. It ranks as one of the worst in the nation at just 120 yards per game. Woods has just over 800 yards for the season and does not score much in the run game. He has to jump start the offense by catching passes. As a result, the Beavers could be a little better about putting points on the board. They score about 30 points per game, which puts them right in the middle of the conference. Outside of a few exceptions most of their victories come with them scoring in the 20-35 point range. The Beavers also have a tough time protecting Mannion. He is a pocket passer, and he is susceptible to sacks. Defenses tend to get to him multiple times per game. Perhaps more than any other team in the Pac-12, the all-around special teams unit for Oregon State needs help. Their returners get nothing in the way of yardage with less than 20 yards per game for both punting and kicking. They have a decent punt coverage unit, but the field position battle is always key. The Beavers find themselves on the short end of it quite a bit.
Statistical Leaders:
Rushing: Storm Woods, RB, 822 yards
Passing: Sean Mannion, QB, 2,446 yards
Receiving: Markus Wheaton, WR, 1,207 yards
Tackles: Michael Doctor, LB, 72
Sacks: Scott Crichton, DE, 9.0
Interceptions: Jordan Poyer, CB, 7
2012 Team Stats:
Rushing Offense: 116.73 (106th in nation, 10th in conference)
Passing Offense: 304.09 (19, 2)
Total Offense: 420.82 (51, 6)
Scoring Offense: 29.00 (65, 6)
Rushing Defense: 137.91 (31, 3)
Pass Defense: 227.64 (52, 3)
Total Defense: 365.55 (38, 5)
Scoring Defense: 21.27 (24, 2)
Turnover Margin: 0.55 (34, 4)
Sacks: 2.18 (46, 9)
Sacks Allowed: 2.09 (75, 6)
Recent Bowl Appearances:
2009 Las Vegas Bowl BYU (20-44)
2008 Sun Bowl Pittsburg (3-0)
2007 Emerald Bowl Maryland (21-14)
2006 Sun Bowl Missouri (39-38)
2004 Insight Bowl Notre Dame (38-21)
*all team stats through 11/24
