2008 NCAA Preview

The Beavers were clearly built for last year. Now what?

Mike Riley has quietly had a steady run in his second stint in Corvallis, but the coach and his kids are staring at a rebuilding season after losing top rusher Yvenson Bernard and each member of the front seven of a terrific defense. While that doesn't mean the Beavers are automatically going to go in the tank, in an improved Pac-10, any step back could appear to be major.

Although Oregon State has confounded experts more than once this decade, it'll need pleasant surprises just about everywhere on the depth chart, and far more consistency from the quarterback position, in order to approach last year's nine-win season. It's a good thing for Riley and the school that Beaver fans are patient, understanding that just a little over a decade ago this was one of the most inept programs in the country. However, on the flip side, this has been an underappreciated program with 19 wins over the last two seasons, and now the hope is to be able to quickly reload.

While almost everyone will put OSU in the bottom half of the preseason Pac-10 picks, there's a good base to build around and good potential to get back to a bowl game. But it's going to take everything Riley has in the bag to make it happen with few certainties on either side of the ball. Even the kicking game is no longer a sure thing on a roster that's blanketed by uncertainty and inexperience.

With trips to Penn State and Utah to go along with a rough Pac-10 schedule, the Beavers could hover around the .500 mark for the first time in three years, but they're used to being disrespected and have often thrived in the underdog role. They'll have to do it again.

What to watch for on offense: Sammie Stroughter. The wide receiver and punt returner extraordinaire is returning from a tumultuous year marked by personal tragedy and a season-ending kidney injury. He's back with the same energy and infectious smile that permeated throughout the program before last season, which is great news for a Beaver offense searching for new playmakers and greater consistency in the passing game. Whether it's Sean Canfield or Lyle Moevao, the starting quarterback will benefit greatly from having No. 19, one of the Pac-10's premier playmakers, to work with.

What to watch for on defense: The emergence of new stars on the front seven. Sure, Oregon State was gutted by graduation, but that only means that a new wave of smart, speedy defenders is set to wash over the rest of the Pac-10. Players, such as DE Victor Butler and LBs Keaton Kristick and Bryant Cornell, are upperclassmen pining for an opportunity to step out of ex-Beavers' shadows. They'll all excel this season as key cogs in a Mark Banker-coached defense that perennially plays well beyond its perceived talent level.

The team will be far better if... the quarterbacks begin turning the corner. Canfield and Moevao were a collective mess, which can't continue if the offense is going to improve on last season's No. 8 finish in the Pac-10. With the defense and the running game undergoing significant changes, it's up to the two quarterbacks to cut down on their interceptions, while distributing the ball to the two primary playmakers, Stroughter and James Rodgers.

The Schedule: Fine, so Hawaii isn't the Hawaii of last year, but Oregon Sate can't be accused of taking it easy playing the defending WAC champions along with road trips to Penn State and Utah. If those weren't interesting enough, the season starts with a Pac-10 road trip to Stanford while the late-September home game against USC comes after a week off. Things ease up the rest of the way with Arizona State, California and Oregon all coming to Corvallis, while there aren't back-to-back road games after the opening two weeks. Going to UCLA isn't going to be easy, especially after facing the Sun Devils, but there has to be at least one killer league away date.

Best offensive player: Senior WR Sammie Stroughter. A dual-threat who'll beat the other team as a receiver or punt returner, Stroughter is back after missing most of last season with a kidney injury. More than just a talented playmaker, he's the type of polished receiver who runs tight routes, picks up yards after the catch, and generally makes the quarterback more effective.

Best defensive player: Senior CB Brandon Hughes. Hughes came into his own as a junior, parlaying 57 tackles, seven tackles for loss, and a dozen pass breakups into a spot on the All-Pac-10 Second Team. An aggressive defender, he's as good stopping the run and jamming the receiver at the line as he is playing in pass coverage.

Key player to a successful season: Redshirt freshman RB Ryan McCants. Unless the quarterbacks suddenly experience an unlikely epiphany, Oregon State will continue relying on the running game. The heir apparent to Yvenson Bernard is McCants, a burly 236-pounder with the toughness to pound between the tackles and the light feet to dance outside of them. Considering the uncertainty in the 87th-ranked passing game, the Beavers need McCants to be the next in a long line of talented runners.

The season will be a success if ... Oregon State bowls for the eighth time in the past decade. With the season being billed as a rebuilding year, an additional game would be a nice accomplishment for Mike Riley and exactly what the younger players need as a stepping stone for 2009. Despite the massive turnover from a year ago, don't forget that 16 starters coming out of spring were juniors or seniors. The Beavers may be undergoing a makeover, but they're certainly not without a bunch of familiar faces.

Key game: Nov. 29 vs. Oregon. Besides being the Civil War, which is always the biggest clash on both team's schedules, this could be a do-or-die game for the Beavers' bowl hopes. They're likely to straddle the .500 mark all season, making the visit from the Ducks even more poignant than usual. Oregon State has owned Oregon in Corvallis lately, winning the last five, a trend that could produce a ton of school pride and 15 more practices in December.

OFFENSE

Is there a viable option at quarterback to run the offense? Sean Canfield and Lyle Moevao were bad and worse, respectively, in 2007, combining for 11 touchdown passes and 21 interceptions. Canfield is recovering from offseason shoulder surgery, and is expected to begin throwing again in July. Through the years, however, the Beaver offense has been paced by the running game, putting pressure on Ryan McCants to become the third freshman to rush for 1,000 yards under Riley. He's good enough to deliver the feat. The team breathed a sigh of relief when a fifth year of eligibility was granted to WR Sammie Stroughter, a player who'll give a jolt to the passing game and special teams unit.

Who will win the Beavers' starting QB job — Sean Canfield (No. 5) or Lyle Moevao (No. 3)?

Quarterbacks: Juniors Sean Canfield and Lyle Moevao are set to resume a skirmish for the starting job that began a year ago and produced awful results. Moevao exited the spring on top of the depth chart by default, getting all of the reps as Canfield rehabbed offseason surgery on his throwing shoulder. Both quarterbacks had their chances to shine last season and failed to deliver consistent results. The Beavers were 114th nationally in pass efficiency, and until proven otherwise, will have one of the flakiest quarterback situations in the Pac-10, outside of UCLA. Above all else, the quarterbacks have to do a much better job of protecting the ball and keeping it out of the hands of the other team.

Running Backs: While Yvenson Bernard will be missed, the Beavers are excited about the beginning of the Ryan McCants era. Based on first impressions, the positive buzz is warranted. McCants, a Steven Jackson clone, will get plenty of opportunities to become the focal point of the offense, making him an early candidate for Freshman All-American honors. There's plenty of power with the 236-pound McCants, the 217-pound between-the-tackles thumper, Jeremy Francis, and the strong Patrick Fuller, and there will be quickness and speed when top recruit Jacquizz Rodgers joins the mix.

Receivers: With Sammie Stroughter and James Rodgers back, the receivers should be the strength of the Beaver offense. They'll form a dynamite duo, which will be even more effective if Darrell Catchings and Chris Johnson can capitalize on single coverage and make occasional plays as the No. 3 receiver. Rodgers didn't really develop until after Stroughter was already on the shelf. With the two of them together on the field at the same time, they're going to be nightmares for opposing defenses to stop. Overall, this is a very quick, very athletic group, but it's small. None of the starters are above 6-foot or 200 pounds and they should have problems being manhandled on the line.

Offensive Line: A lot will need to go right for this year's line to approach the consistency of last year's unit. With Andy Levitre paving the way, Oregon State should be fine on running downs, but pass protection will be an adventure against opponents that can get after the quarterback. Assuming guard Jeremy Perry can get through 12 games without a flare-up of his knee problem, the dominant left side of the line will be capable of blowing the other team completely off the ball. While Levitre is a rock on the left side, right tackle will be manned by one of two redshirt freshmen who aren't quite ready to control some of the Pac-10's better defensive ends. If Sean Canfield is the quarterback, it means his backside will be vulnerable until Tavita Thompson, who was suspended until November, rejoins the team for the stretch run.

DEFENSE Go ahead and give coordinator Mark Banker the Broyles Award if the Beavers are even remotely as stingy as last year's eighth-ranked defense. The unit must replace the entire front seven, all of whom earned at least All-Pac-10 honorable mention recognition a year ago. Of greatest concern is the dearth of tackles, where only Pernnell Booth has earned a letter. It's a good thing Banker substitutes freely, a philosophy that'll help ease the transitions of ends Victor Butler and Slade Norris and linebackers Bryant Cornell and Keaton Kristick into the lineup. The strength is in the secondary, which boasts four veterans, including all-league CB Brandon Hughes and snot-knocking SS Al Afalava.

Defensive Line: Last season's starters, Jeff Van Orsow and Dorian Smith, have graduated, but the drop-off may never come, especially if Simi Kuli meets expectations. When Victor Butler and Slade Norris are on the field at the same time, offensive tackles will struggle to suppress their speed and relentless backside pursuit. A year after leading the country in run defense, Oregon State could have problems slowing down teams that run right at it. There are way too many uncertainties on the interior, which could wind up being an opportunity for Stephen Paea to blossom into an instant run stuffer.

Linebackers: Just like the defensive line, the linebackers must replace all of last year's starters, including three Second Team All-Pac-10 performers. It's not going to be easy, but a bunch of letterwinners return. Keaton Kristick and Keith Pankey are two of the best athletes on the defense and are the type of linebackers who can stay with tight ends and backs in pass coverage and rattle quarterbacks on blitz packages. Although it certainly hurts losing Alan Darlin, Derrick Doggett and Joey LaRocque, this collection of linebackers won't be as vulnerable as the lack of experience suggests. Bryant Cornell and Kristick, in particular, were buried for years on the depth chart, but should pile up impressive numbers now that their time has finally arrived.

Al Afalava (No. 9) and Brandon Hughes (No. 36) are the anchors of the Oregon St. secondary.

Secondary: By far, the most stable unit of the defense, seven players who started a game last season are back in the secondary. The best of a strong group is 5-foot-11, 182-pound CB Brandon Hughes, a veteran of 31 starts and a Second Team All-Pac-10 performer. The enforcer of the secondary at strong safety is senior Al Afalava, one of the most violent stickers in the Pac-10. Playing much bigger than 5-foot-11 and 215 pounds, he's able to intimidate receivers before separating them from the ball. All of the pieces are in place for the Beavers to have one of the better pass defenses in the Pac-10 and be an opportunistic group that'll bend more often than it breaks. For all of the experience, Oregon State still yields too many big plays in pass defense. Last season, for example, the Beavers allowed 20 touchdown passes and were last in the league in yards per completion.

Special Teams: The graduation of four-year starter Alexis Serna means Oregon State must replace its kicker and punter. The heir apparent at placekicker is Justin Kahut, who enjoys an edge over fellow sophomore Jake Webber. While only 5-foot-8 and 160 pounds, Kahut gets good loft and distance on his kicks, a couple of 50-yarders among his four field goals in the spring game. Serna the kicker will be missed. Serna the punter will not. He ranked last in the Pac-10 with a 35.3-yard average, meaning the only way is up for redshirt freshman Kyle Harper and junior Sean Sehnem. The return of senior Sammie Stroughter instantly gives Oregon State one of the country's most dangerous punt returners. When he was last healthy for an entire in 2006, he was a Randy Moss Award finalist and an All-American, averaging almost 16 yards a return and taking three back for touchdowns.