Oregon State football

By Cliff Kirkpatrick
Corvallis Gazette-Times

Now that the defensive players have worked out much of their earlier problems, they believe it’s time to step to the forefront.

A feeling of accomplishment ran through the Oregon State football team when going over its defensive performance Saturday night.

The Beavers held a potent Washington State squad in check, losing 13-6 in the Pacific-10 Conference game at Reser Stadium.

OSU will need that trend to continue this weekend when it travels to Seattle for another Pac-10 game against a drastically improved Washington team.

“With the way we played on defense, we can’t be that hard on ourselves,” strong safety Sabby Piscitelli said. “Now we just have to improve on the little things.”

The defense allowed only 355 yards, and stopped WSU four times when it reached the red zone. There were five quarterback sacks, 12 tackles for a loss, Derrick Doggett intercepted a pass and Curtis Coker recovered a fumble.

“If we keep getting better each week, we still have a lot of games left,” defensive end Joe Lemma said. “We are only going to get better. There were a lot of good things, but the scoreboard didn’t reflect that.”

Lemma made demands of his team during the week, and they helped motivate his teammates.

He called on his defensive brethren to play without fear because he sensed a fear of failure. And they did, bringing back the intensity of the past.

Lemma also predicted five quarterback sacks would stop the Cougars. He was close, because the improved pass rush helped the overall unit.

Since he was so successful in his demands, now he’s looking for more turnovers and points scored by the defense since the offense is struggling to find the end zone. The Beavers have only scored one touchdown in the two Pac-10 games.

“We have to create more turnovers and possibly score points,” Lemma said. “That’s the way we have to be for the rest of the year. The defense has to score. We are not going to run. You can run or fight, and I know we are not going to run.”

There were several scheme changes on defense in the past week, which made a difference. The Beavers used a nickel coverage scheme that features five defensive backs instead of four.

Bryan Payton plays the nickel back because of how he’s come on since moving from cornerback to safety in the spring.

“We are utilizing personnel we have, and getting more people with ownership in playing, which is good,” coach Mike Riley said. “Then situationally in a ball game, that can help you in the pass rush. It’s a little bit of a different front.”

The Beavers pulled a defensive lineman out of the game instead of a linebacker to make room for the extra defensive back. The team doesn’t like losing the athletic versatility of the linebackers.

Another change in that formation for OSU is the use of three defensive ends and no tackles in order to use faster pass rushers.

Now it’s up to the offense to reach its potential. The dominant running game has been absent in Pac-10 play and the deep passing attack has yet to arrive.

While a system overhaul was done on defense, that won’t happen on offense, Riley said. He’s still waiting for his players to develop.

“It’s disappointing for sure,” Riley said. “It’s not that I think we are incapable, we just haven’t been productive that way. There are signs of development. I like that we got the ball down the field better and stretched it a little bit. I think it’s just continued development.”

After reviewing the video and how the game went, Riley still believes Matt Moore is the best quarterback for the team. He’s always looking at the key position, but isn’t ready to start backup Sean Canfield.

Riley maintains Canfield and backup running back Clinton Polk will play more, but he won’t rush them out of popular opinion.

“I’m going to think about it and look at it again,” Riley said. “What I see in practice, Matt gives us the best chance to win. Part of this deal is I want him totally ready when he plays. He’s getting close. What he’s done in practice and in the game have been good for his development.”

Quick hits

There were no major injuries from the game, only minor bruises, Riley said. Moore was still sore Sunday, but will be ready for next week. ... LB Eric Moala Liava’a (quad bruise) did not play, but is expected back this week.