A Look Ahead: Oregon State

Some give and take here. In 2009 Uani Unga played in the Vegas Bowl against the cougs but now finds himself on the blue and white roster. On the other hand former coug recruit Shiloah Te'o apparently has found a home on the OSU roster. The beavers return 4 of the 5 from the offensive trenches but also have allowed 35 sacks last season. If the OL can step up to hold its own junior QB Ryan Katz could take a big step forward with such a strong arm. Last season despite an iffy line Katz still managed 18 TDs which ranks 10th all time at OSU. As a veteran Katz should help provide the stability to make the offense run smoothly. Senior back and sociology major Ryan McCants should see considerable time in the backfield. In the offseason McCants even spent time in Macedonia building a second story to a home for a needy family.

On the defensive side OSU gave up nearly an average of 27 a contest good enough for 64th in the nation. Consider though some of the high octane offenses the beavers faced last season (Boise State, Oregon, Stanford and TCU). Arguably OSU's top playmaker on defense returns with 157 career tackles and was voted co-team captain by his teammates. Senior Dominic Glover moved from end to defensive tackle. The LB crew will be converted safety Cameron Collins and Michael Doctor (OLB) while the MLB will be manned by junior Tony Wilson.

Could the heat be on Coach Mike Riley since finishing a disappointing 5-7 last season? The beavers last bowl game was the 2009 Vegas Bowl. Although likely the beavers won't threaten the Ducks off the big PAC12 pond look for the OSU to certainly put up a worthy challenge against the jerseys of the blue and white.