Nothing rhymes with "orange". Certainly not "upset" or "kick your (fanny)". But that's sure what the Beavermen did Thursday night. Wow--what an achievement! Slapping the ESPN favorites from Song Girl U upside the head 27-21.
I am extremely jealous, and I think every Husker fan with a pulse should be as well. That was basically the same SoCal team that breezed through Lincoln last year to the point that video clips were incorporating Mrs. B's scooter. That game still makes me mad. Yet, last night, USC got chopped down and mushed up...and the crowd swarmed the field.
When was the last time THAT happened in Lincoln? Probably the OU game in 2001, right? When Mike Stuntz had his moment of glory and Eric Crouch secured the Heisman? Wow--what a long time ago.
Okay, let's get back to business, folks. Now that I've done my wallowing in self-pity, let's look and see what the Oregon State formula was for punking the Pete Carrolls.
Point #1---run the ball. And a frosh running back burrows his way for over 180 yards. Great job, kid! And am I the only one who finds it funny in a way that some little squirt who's not even 5-8 can get so many yards because the big 6-5 and 300-lb linemen CAN'T SEE HIM???!!! There's something appealing about that. And Oregon State had almost 35 minutes' worth of possession. Major, major factor in keeping the pretty Troy Boys off the field offensively.
Point #2---get turnovers. Oregon State had 0 vs the Beach Boys' 2. And IIRC, both SoCal turnovers led to points by Oregon State--certainly the INT in the 4th quarter that the Beaver safety ran back to the 2.
Point #3---don't give yards on penalties. Oregon State had only 5 penalties for 27 yards. SoCal had 7 for 84--including that flagrant foul on the 1st TD by Oregon State (don't ever think that the Carroll guys don't give out cheap shots).
And, finally--Point #4---luck never hurts. Just like in '01 when our guys got lucky because an OU gadget play failed because of a bad pass, Oregon State got lucky when a tipped pass got caught by a receiver just barely in bounds in the end zone. But, then again---if you believe that luck is the intersection of preparation and opportunity, then plays like that are not to be wondered at.
Bottom line for me as a fan in trying to get past the "DAMN! Why can't that be us???!!!" feeling is this---everything that I mentioned above is what Bo is trying to get to. Physical play, swarming and takeaway-minded defense, not making stupid penalties, and grabbing the bouncing ball. I can't think of a better way to start that trend than by putting those ideas to work in just a little over 24 hours against VA Tech.
Go Big Red!!!
The Old Husker Fan
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