OSU quick preview

Sorry, gotta keep it short this week. First, re ASU, I’ll just say this. Cal played great, but how many people expected a home loss to ASU before the season started? Let’s be real here. The whipping looked great, and the team deserves a lot of credit for coming out fired up, especially the defense. But they should have won that game, period.

Which is what frustrates me about Oregon State the past three years. Cal should be beating this team. I am more sick of losing to OSU than any other team. I am sick of the “no team (other than USC and OSU) has beaten Cal at home for six years” statistic, or whatever it is.

I get that they are well coached. But when Cal has beaten them, they have whipped them, and when OSU has won, it has been mostly ugly on both sides. Cal should be beating this team more often than not, not the other way around. And the team and the coaches have to be feeling the same way.

Interestingly, it seems like every year Cal loses to Oregon State, Cal has some kind of injury issue that it is dealing with, and Oregon State catches them at just the right time. For once, the tables finally appear to be turned. Oregon State is a little banged up, and Cal is pretty healthy.

Whether Cal can take advantage is another story, especially given the fact that Riley has had two weeks to prepare and typically outcoaches Tedford’s staff every year anyway, and the forecast is calling for rain. But I still think it is refreshing to finally go into the OSU game without wondering how a backup is going to perform at a key position.

For me, this game is all about the Cal defense. Force third and long, prevent long conversions, and turn up the pressure on a young QB and take away his one advantage, which is a big arm. If Cal does that, and doesn’t level the playing field with special teams gaffes and turnovers, they should win. I even think this in spite of what we can all assume will be an ugly day offensively for Cal against Banker’s defense, unless they are somehow able to beat OSU’s corners deep, which has only happened twice in 7 years.

But most of all, beyond the win, I just want to see Oregon St. looked flustered against Cal for once. Cal destroyed them in 2004 and 2006, and it is borderline ridiculous that Cal has lost to these guys three years in a row. Yes, the personnel are different, but Cal should be beating these guys more than 2 out of 7 times. Let’s hope they sack up and end the streak.