Oregon State Football

After a masterful performance against California, Oregon State quarterback Sean Mannion earned the privilege of starting the Civil War.

Oregon State’s signal-caller threw for 325 yards and four touchdowns in a 62-14 romp. He dismantled a porous Bears defense as he should, slinging a touchdown to four different receivers.

He displayed accuracy and poise that was missing in their loss to Washington, where Mannion threw four interceptions and just over 50 percent completion rate.

Mannion had been dealing with a shoulder injury for six weeks and seemed to come back a bit early in the Washington loss. He sat out another two weeks to heal and looked in regular season form versus Cal.

Frankly if Mannion merely managed the game to a win, he would’ve kept the starting job. No reason to flip-flop quarterbacks after a win.

Now, whispers from the Beaver faithful that junior Cody Vaz should man the Beaver offense are yesterday’s news.

But the sophomore did one better. He will take the momentum into their home building and give Oregon a competitive game. The Beavers have their best shot in years to unseat the Ducks if they can hang with them in the second half.

The proof is in the Stanford-Oregon result this past Saturday. The Ducks showed their hand in their first close game this season—Stanford outworked them in the trenches and rendered their spread attack into vanilla yogurt.

His team will have all the reason to play spoiler in the Civil War. The Ducks have a small chance to still play in the Pac-12 championship game with a Stanford loss to UCLA.

Behind Mannion, the Beaver offense has the game film to keep up with the Ducks' offense for some time.

But it will ultimately come down to the defense. If Oregon State can stop Kenjon Barner and Co. early on, the Beaver offense has more experience to come away with a close game.

Oregon State football fans are now Stanford fans.

Thanks to the Cardinal, the Beavers boast significantly better odds of shocking Oregon. In the Ducks’ roast on Saturday, Stanford exposed weaknesses that Oregon State will have the opportunity to take advantage of. It must do exactly that if it wants to come out on top in the 2012 Civil War.

Here are those weaknesses.

3. Poor Run Defense

Stepfan Taylor of the Cardinal rushed for 161 yards on 4.9 yards a pop against Oregon. It was his second-highest rushing total of the season. The Beavers must establish the run with Storm Woods to control the clock and keep the ball out of Kenjon Barner’s hands.

Woods has rushed for 689 yards and seven touchdowns on 5.8 yards per carry this year, so he’s more than capable of wearing down the Ducks defense.

2. Susceptible Passing Game

Perhaps the primary reason that Stanford was able to upset Oregon was because the Cardinal shut down Barner. Its stop unit keyed on the Heisman Trophy candidate and forced freshman quarterback Marcus Mariota to beat it, and he couldn’t.

Mariota finished the game with his lowest completion percentage and passer rating of the season. It was also only the second time he failed to throw more touchdowns than interceptions.

If Oregon State makes Mariota win with his arm, it’ll be in position to pull off another upset.

1. Abysmal Field-Goal Kicking

If the Beavers defense manages to bend but don’t break, they’ll keep the game close. And if they keep the game close, they’ll have a great shot to sink the Ducks. Why?

Because Oregon’s kickers are laughable.

Rob Beard has converted just four of eight field-goal attempts this year, while Alejandro Maldonado is 1-of-3. Maldonado missed each of his two attempts against Stanford, including one in overtime. The kicking game was its Achilles’ heel the other night, and it’ll continue to be its most glaring weakness.

David Daniels is a featured columnist at Bleacher Report and a syndicated writer.

Follow @TheRealDDaniels

Oregon State has enjoyed a significant amount of success this season, and the team must continue to take its season one game at a time, despite the exciting showdown that awaits it next weekend. 

The rivalry between Oregon and Oregon State has been so fierce that it has been dubbed the Civil War. It will have even more significance this year, as both teams are likely to be ranked in the BCS standings. 

The Ducks are currently No. 2 and the Beavers are No. 16, but OSU would plummet down and possibly out of the standings if it were to lose sight of the challenge in front of it when hosting Cal. 

The Beavers are a longshot to reach the Pac-12 Championship Game after a heartbreakingly close loss to Stanford, but  they can still reach a high-profile bowl game to end their season.

A win over Oregon is what they will need to accomplish this.

Beating the Ducks will take extraordinary efforts from all of the team’s key players, and even a slight mistake may doom them to defeat. That is an incredible amount of pressure to deal with, and it will be all too easy to look ahead to that game.   

The 3-8 Bears have turned few heads this season but still hold the big-play potential needed to upset OSU if the Beavers do not play up to the standard they have set for themselves.

Oregon State just needs to look at the team right behind it in the rankings to realize this.

No. 17 UCLA posted an impressive victory over archrival USC today, but five weeks ago the Bruins were blown out 43-17 against the Bears.

Cal’s C.J. Anderson shredded Jim Mora’s team for 151 yard and a touchdown while UCLA quarterback Brett Hundley threw four interceptions.

Turnovers are often the manifestation of a lack of focus, and the Beavers must prove from the start in this game that they are fully invested in the game that they are playing. If this does not happen, the game against the Ducks will mean little more than bragging rights.

If the Beavers lose to Cal, even an upset over Oregon may not be enough to push them back towards one of the top 15 spots in the standings. OSU would have three losses on its record, with two coming against unranked teams.

Oregon State has the talent to dominate Cal, but only if it is completely focused on the task at hand. 

For fans of the Oregon State Beavers, it's been a surprisingly successful 2012 season in a number of ways, despite consistent instability under center.

The Beavers, who enter their final three games of the season ranked No. 16, started the year with Sean Mannion as their starting quarterback, and things looked promising after the team stormed out of the gates to a 6-0 start.

However, during their seventh game of the season against Washington, Mannion struggled. After throwing four picks, coach Mike Riley replaced him with junior quarterback Cody Vaz.

From there, Vaz played reasonably well, and Riley named him the team's No. 1 quarterback, until now.

That's because following the Beavers' disappointing loss to No. 14 Stanford last week, Riley made the decision to flip his quarterbacks again, and named Mannion the starter for OSU's game against California on Saturday, according to Yahoo! Sports.

Sean Mannion will start at quarterback for Oregon State on Saturday against Cal, replacing injured Cody Vaz went down in last Saturday's Pac-12 loss against Stanford with an ankle injury.

Coach Mike Riley said Vaz is expected to be in uniform Saturday but gave no indication whether he would be able to play.

Mannion suffered a knee injury after starting the Beavers' first four games this season. He returned after sitting out two games but threw four interceptions against Washington and was benched in favor of Vaz, who has started four of the past five games.

Regardless of whether Mannion's promotion is due to Vaz being injured, the Beavers need to put an end to the revolving door at quarterback, because the offense won't benefit from constantly having to adjust to a new signal-caller.

Not to mention the impact that continuously being promoted and demoted has had on Vaz and Mannion, because it undoubtedly takes a toll on each quarterback's confidence.

With three games left, including an all-important showdown with No. 2 Oregon, Riley needs Mannion to play his best football of the season, especially if he has any hopes of his team keeping up with the Ducks' high-powered offense a week from now.

Mannion didn't accidentally lead the Beavers to wins over No. 13 Wisconsin or No. 16 UCLA, and he's got the ability to at least help keep OSU close when it faces Oregon.

In order for him to do that though, Riley needs to let him know that he'll be the team's starter for the rest of the season, especially if he wants Mannion, a sophomore, to be his quarterback beyond this year.

The No. 16 Oregon State Beavers more than likely had their BCS dreams crushed when they faltered to the No. 13 Stanford Cardinal in Week 11, but they still have a lot to play for.

Most notably, the Beavers should be looking forward to Nov. 24, when they will get a chance to play spoiler against their biggest rival, the Oregon Ducks.

Let’s a take a look at some Oregon State players that will need to bring their “A” game if they want to pull off a shocking victory over their in-state foe.

QB Sean Mannion

The OSU signal-caller is going to be instrumental in any possible upset here. Because of the undefeated Ducks ability to put up points, and the inability of any defense so far to stop it, the Beavers will have to find a way to match their ability to generate scores.

Mannion lost his job earlier in the season when he went down with injury and backup Cody Vaz excelled upon taking control of the team. However, Vaz suffered an injury at the end of the Stanford loss, leaving the door open for Mannion’s return.

He needs to prove to the world why he was named the starter in the first place and avoid turnovers, an area that he struggled with when playing.

WR Markus Wheaton

Oregon’s defense is beatable. They are often out on the field because of how quickly the Ducks have been able to strike, and their corners have allowed a number of big games to opposing receivers.

Wheaton is going to need to put together the finest game of his career, and the senior should be up to the challenge. He’s recorded 61 receptions for 878 yards and nine TDs in 2012, with two of his best performances coming in the past two weeks against Arizona State and Stanford.

He’ll need to crescendo that momentum against Cal in Week 12 and turn into an absolute beast against Oregon.

CB Rashaad Reynolds

If the Beavers are going to have any chance to score enough points to beat Oregon, they need turnovers. Fortunately, the junior CB has a knack for creating them.

He has two interceptions on the season, both which came against quality opponents (BYU and Stanford).

If Reynolds can hawk down a pass from Ducks QB Marcus Mariota, it could turn the tide of the game in favor of the underdog.

After a bitterly disappointing loss to Stanford on Saturday, the Oregon State Beavers' dream season is in jeopardy, as the team entered the game on the verge of climbing into the top 10 in the BCS rankings. 

Despite the ill-timed defeat, all may not be lost for the Beavers. 

That's because with three games left on the schedule, Oregon State still has a chance at earning itself an invitation to a BCS bowl game, but it won't be easy. 

Heading into next weekend, the team's last three opponents are California, Oregon and Nicholls State, and if running back Storm Woods and the Beavers can somehow win all three, they'll be marching towards a BCS bowl game appearance. 

Obviously, the game against the Ducks will be the key for the Beavers, as an upset would more than make up for the loss to Stanford. 

After the Stanford game, ESPN's Ted Miller pointed out what implications the result will have on both teams:

Oregon State will play host to California next weekend before concluding its season at home against Oregon. Both teams, obviously, still have a lot to play for, including a shot at the Rose Bowl.

The Beavers need a win over Oregon to get to the Rose Bowl, because anything less than a 10-2 record would leave Oregon State outside of the top 10 at season's end. 

It's not out of the question that the Beavers could pull of the upset over Oregon, but they'll need to find some stability at quarterback to do so. 

Heading into the game against Stanford, it appeared that Cody Vaz had cemented himself as the team's starting quarterback, but as the Associated Press' Antonio Gonzalez reported, Vaz was injured after being sacked late, and former starter Sean Mannion had to enter the game in relief:

Vaz fumbled while shifting the ball during a scramble and Josh Mauro recovered. After Ertz caught the go-ahead touchdown, Oregon State got the ball back and Debniak sacked Vaz on third down.

The quarterback left with an ankle injury, and Sean Mannion - the former starter - threw incomplete on fourth-and-16 from the Oregon State 37 with 1:52 left. 

At this point, if Vaz is unable to play against California, the Beavers have to declare Mannion the starter for the remainder of the season, because the revolving door at the quarterback position isn't helping the Beavers' cause. 

Mannion has struggled at times, but the team can't continue to change quarterbacks on a weekly basis if it has any hopes of taking down a national power like Oregon. 

If Mannion can somehow lead Oregon State to an upset over Chip Kelly's boys, the Beavers will be dancing towards a BCS bowl, but they'll have to be much better than they were against No. 16 Stanford on Saturday. 

No. 11 Oregon State faces a tough test against No. 14 Stanford on Saturday in a Pac-12 clash, but the difference-makers always come out to play when it matters most.

The Beavers have had a few stars on both sides of the ball this season, as well as a quarterback who made the most of his opportunity in a start against Arizona State last week.

Here's a look at the players who have to step up for Oregon State to dispatch the Cardinal at Stanford Stadium on Saturday.

Cody Vaz, Junior, QB

Cody Vaz has found himself behind Ryan Katz and Sean Mannion throughout his career at Oregon State, but after Mannion tossed four interceptions in the 20-17 loss to Washington, Vaz got his first start of the season last week against an underrated Arizona State pass defense.

The junior proceeded to average 8.1 yards per pass attempt while tossing three touchdowns to one interception in the 36-26 victory.

Stanford has allowed 1.91 yards per carry this season, best in the nation, via CFBStats.com. In that regard, it may be up to Vaz to put some points up on the board for the Beavers.

Markus Wheaton, Senior, WR

Coming off an outstanding junior campaign, Wheaton has picked up right where he left off, posting 54 catches for 787 yards and eight touchdowns this season.

Wheaton registered four catches for 108 yards and two touchdowns against Arizona State and is averaging a career-best 14.6 yards per reception.

Brandin Cooks, Sophomore, WR

Wheaton was supposed to be the receiver for Oregon State this season, but Brandin Cooks has emerged as perhaps the team's best option in receiving corps.

Cooks has racked up 50 catches for 906 yards and four touchdowns this season for the Beavers, including a 75-yard touchdown in Oregon State's 27-20 victory over UCLA.

Cooks had six catches for 116 yards and a touchdown against Arizona State last week.

Scott Crichton, Sophomore, DE

Scott Crichton has been a big part of Oregon State's run defense and pass rush this season.

The sophomore has registered 14 tackles for loss already (tied for second in the Pac-12) while racking up nine sacks (first in the conference).

While Crichton may go unnoticed in some parts of the country, Pac-12 fans know who this guy is. He'll be a crucial part in limiting Stanford running back Stepfan Taylor and putting pressure on inexperienced quarterback Kevin Hogan.

Jordan Poyer, Senior, CB

After sitting out the Arizona State game with a PCL sprain, Jordan Poyer is expected to play on Saturday against Stanford, according to Lindsay Schnell of the Oregonian.

Poyer, who leads the Beavers with five interceptions this season, will be critical in attempting to silence Stanford tight end Zach Ertz. Ertz leads the Cardinal in receptions (38) and receiving yards (566) this season.

If Poyer can stick to Ertz, it could make life miserable for Kevin Hogan.