Beavers aim to curb self-inflicted wounds

Preparation will be key when OSU faces Huskies, Riley says

By Kerry Eggers

The Portland Tribune, Nov 1, 2005, Updated Oct 30, 2009

Oregon State faces another team hungry for a victory Saturday when it visits Seattle to take on 1-7 Washington.

But coach Mike Riley says this about the upcoming date at Husky Stadium: “A lot of this game will be about us Ñ how we react, how we practice, how we prepare.”

Oregon State (4-4 overall, 2-3 Pac-10) didn’t do that in last week’s 29-27 loss to Arizona. Oh, the Beavers ran up some gawdy numbers, as they have done in all of their losses this season. They amassed 31 first downs and 654 yards total offense and held large advantages in first downs (31-14), rushing offense (218-49), passing offense (436-335), total offense (654-384), total plays (87-52) and time of possession (36:37 to 23:23). It’s almost inconceivable a team could lose with those numbers Ñ unless it has seven turnovers, as did the Beavers.

Oregon State leads the nation in turnovers (29) and ranks next-to-last in turnover differential (minus-1.63 per game). Quarterback Matt Moore, who had six interceptions against Arizona, leads the nation with 18 this season.

“We have to look at the Arizona game and simply say, ‘This is what we can do better,’ ” Riley told his players Sunday night. “We had so many positives in that game. We also had some glaring negatives. Let’s build on the good things and correct those things that I know are correctable.

“Going into the game, we talked about the final four-game stretch that will define our season. I said four games. We played one we didn’t like. Let’s move on to the next.”

The opponent is Washington, a team desperate for a win in the first year of the Tyrone Willingham regime. The Huskies, who lost 44-20 at Arizona State last week after trailing 24-20 with five minutes to go, are working on an identity behind junior QB Isaiah Stanback.

“They’re doing a good job with Stanback,” Riley says. “He’s more confident in what he’s doing, and he’s making throws.”

Washington has lost 13 straight conference games dating to the 2003 Apple Cup against Washington State. If the Beavers don’t take care of the ball better than they did against Arizona, they might provide a happy respite for another losing team.

kerryeggers@portlandtribune.com

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