Arizona State @ Oregon State preview
Reser Stadium
Last Meeting ( Oct 3, 2009 ) Oregon State 28, Arizona State 17
After suffering losses to ranked opponents a week ago, both Arizona State and Oregon State will be in search of their first Pac-10 Conference victories when they square off Saturday in Corvallis, Ore.
It’s the conference opener for the Beavers (1-2, 0-0 Pac-10), who have suffered a pair of losses to teams with aspirations of busting up the BCS picture. They opened their season with a 30-21 loss against TCU in Dallas and lost 37-24 at Boise State last week.
After starting 2-0, the Sun Devils have lost back-to-back games to ranked opponents, losing 20-19 at Wisconsin on Sept. 18 and falling 42-31 at home last week against Oregon.
Oregon State's defense has allowed a whopping 458.3 total yards per game so far, and the Beavers again will be tested against an Arizona State offense that ranks second in the Pac-10 in total yards (495 per game) and first in passing yards (325.8 per game).
The ability to move the ball certainly wasn't the Sun Devils' problem against the Ducks, but the ability to hang onto it was. They racked up 597 total yards - the most they have compiled in a Pac-10 game since 2000 - but committed seven turnovers.
The Sun Devils (2-2, 0-1) have a pair of talented running backs in sophomore Cameron Marshall (246 yards, 5 TDs) and freshman Deantre Lewis (278 yards, 2 TDs). Lewis posted his second consecutive 100-yard rushing game, running for 127 yards and a touchdown against Oregon, and he also has nine receptions for 169 yards and two scores.
At quarterback, Michigan transfer Steven Threet leads the Pac-10 with an average of 307 passing yards per game. Threet has completed 62.8 percent of his passes for 1,228 yards and eight touchdowns, but he also has thrown seven interceptions, including four against Oregon.
Turnovers haven't been a problem for the Beavers - they haven't committed any through three games - but their offense has been surprisingly ineffective. Oregon State ranked second in the Pac-10 and among the top 35 in the nation in total offense in 2008 and 2009, but the Beavers are 10th in the conference this season at 270.3 yards per game.
The downturn can be partly attributed to the somewhat slow start of junior running back Jacquizz Rodgers, who has averaged 84.3 rushing yards through three games, down from 110.8 last season and 113.9 in 2008.
Rodgers managed only 46 yards on 18 carries against Boise State, his lowest total since his freshman season and the second-lowest of his career.
Sophomore quarterback Ryan Katz hasn't put up big numbers, but he has managed to avoid big mistakes. Katz has completed only 46.8 percent of his passes for 460 yards, but he has thrown five touchdowns and no interceptions.
The key for Katz might be getting senior receiver James Rodgers more involved. The elder Rodgers has nine receptions for 113 yards and one touchdown. He also has scored a touchdown on a punt return. Rodgers, who leads the Pac-10 in all-purpose yards, is recovering from a concussion but is expected to play.
Sun Devils coach Dennis Erickson was the head coach at Oregon State from 1999-2002. Erickson is 1-2 against his former team since taking over at Arizona State in 2007.
The teams have met 36 times with Arizona State leading the series 24-11-1. Oregon State has won three of the last four, including last year's 28-17 win in Tempe, and is 7-6-1 against the Sun Devils at home.