Riley preaches team defense

By Kerry Eggers

The Portland Tribune, Sep 10, 2008, Updated Oct 30, 2009 (5 Reader comments)

RONALD MARTINEZ / GETTY IMAGES

Oregon State's defense couldn't stop Penn State and running back Evan Royster last week. Now the Beavers have to contend with more of a passing team in Hawaii.

CORVALLIS — The focus will be on Oregon State’s defense when Hawaii comes calling Saturday for a 1 p.m. date at Reser Stadium in the Beavers’ home opener.

After losses at Stanford and Penn State, Oregon State is 110th among 118th D-I teams against the run, yielding 224.5 yards a game. That’s a far cry from a year ago, when the Beavers were No. 1 nationally.

The Beavers lost their entire starting front seven, so maybe it’s not so surprising. Still, two poor performances against the run don’t mean that the situation can’t be turned around.

“We have the talent to get it done,” senior middle linebacker Bryant Cornell says. “We all believe that.”

“We have a lot of potential together, but we’ve yet to mesh,” junior outside ‘backer Keaton Kristick says. “We have a lot of players with experience, but also a lot of guys who don’t have much. But we’re starting to catch up on that. Once we catch up, we’re going to be a squad.”

Oregon State coach Mike Riley says individual breakdowns led to a rash of big plays by Penn State. The Nittany Lions had 20 plays of 10 or more yards — 16 in the first half.

“It’s a matter of tying things down assignment-wise,” Riley says. “Everybody has to fit on running plays. Everybody has a responsibility. It’s a matter of 11 guys doing it. In the Penn State game, we have one breakdown and ... what appears to be a nothing play turns into a touchdown. Those kinds of things are parts that have to be corrected.”

Riley referred to a 42-14 loss at Boise State in the second game of the 2006 season. The Beavers got better defensively and wound up finishing the season with eight wins in their final nine games.

“It’s a matter of playing team defense, and doing it all together,” Riley says. “When a team like Penn State is very crisp and you’re not, you get gashed.”

Oregon State ranks 106th in scoring defense nationally, having given up 81 points in its two games.

“We saw some improvement (against Penn State) from the Stanford game, but that was tempered by poor tackling,” Cornell says. “Our tackling was below average. We’re going to have to work on that.”

Kristick missed a potential sack and a couple of other tackles in the open field against the Nittany Lions.

“I’m not really one to miss tackles, but in the first two games, I’ve missed a couple,” Kristick says. “It’s just running through the (ballcarrier). I definitely need to work on that.”

If Oregon State’s run-defense numbers don’t improve against Hawaii, there’s plenty to worry about. The Warriors still employ the run-and-shoot offense former head coach June Jones installed, the emphasis on the shoot much more than the run. They passed for 305 yards in a 36-17 win over Weber State last Saturday.

“Hawaii will spread you out and isolate you,” Riley says. “It will be a major test of overall defense for us.”

“It’s the same old Hawaii offense,” Kristick says. “They kept it in the family. They’re going to pass the ball. They have the same plays they had a couple of years ago. We’re going to be ready for it. It’s a little bit different because you play against it only once a year, but we’ll adapt to it.”

Cornell says the OSU players aren’t going to let an 0-2 start affect their psychological state.

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