OSU NOTES: Beavers say they have r-e-s-p-e-c-t for WSU

By Kerry Eggers

The Portland Tribune, Nov 17, 2009, Updated Nov 17, 2009

Oregon State coach Mike Riley says his quarterback, Sean Canfield, rates as the all-Pac-10 player at his position.

JED JACOBSOHN / GETTY IMAGES

CORVALLIS — Oregon State is a 31-point favorite to beat Washington State Saturday in Pullman, probably the largest differential in which the Beavers have ever been favored in a road game.

Don’t think the 20th-ranked Beavers (7-3 overall, 5-2 in Pac-10 action) are taking the Cougars (1-9, 0-7) for granted, though.

“We’ve never paid attention to point spreads,” Oregon State coach Mike Riley said. “We can’t worry about that. There’s too much at stake to even think about facts like that.

“I’d be terribly disappointed if we weren’t focused for a good, hard week of practice. We respect (Washington State coach) Paul Wulff and what he’s trying to do. We’ve been there before. We’ve tried to develop a program and win some games. They’re working at it. They play hard. Whoever we’re playing, it goes back to how we approach the game.”

During a Sunday meeting, Oregon State coaches warned their players about overconfidence.

“It’s dangerous,” linebacker Keith Pankey said. “You cannot go play anybody and just expect to beat them. You can’t be thinking, ‘We don’t have to work hard. We’re just going to win.’

“Our coaches have made sure we know that. They said Washington State has not been successful, but we aren’t going to go up there and step on the field and automatically expect to win. There are lines and goal posts just like always, and you have to make plays to win.”

Cornerback James Dockery remembers what happened to the Beavers a year ago, when they went into the Civil War game needing victory to assure a Rose Bowl berth. Oregon won 65-38, and Oregon State wound up at the Sun Bowl.

“This could be another year where we’re one game away from playing in that big game,” Dockery said. “We know how it feels to be one game short from completely finishing off a season. You have to take care of business every single week. Everybody is focused. Everybody understands what’s at stake.”

The Cougars “have athletes,” Dockery said. “You watch their game (video), they’re making nice plays, they just haven’t put together a complete game. But football is a crazy game. We’re not going to go in there thinking we’re just supposed to win.”

Adds quarterback Sean Canfield: “Coach Riley stresses to us that we respect everybody. The whole team buys into that.”

• Weather forecast for Saturday’s 2 p.m. game (radio only; KPAM 860 AM) calls for temperatures in the high 30s, with 30 percent chance of rain and/or snow showers.

“I don’t have any worries about the snow or rain,” Canfield said. “I’ve never played in snow before, but I’ll stay warm. And our equipment staff does a great job keeping the balls dry.”

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