“It’s a great lesson about this kind of ballgame,” head coach
Mike Riley said. “We have to be more tough-minded than ever. That’s
a key coming back.”
From day one of spring ball Riley has said how he likes how his team’s
mentality. He felt that much was accomplished in April and August and just because
of one loss, early in the season and on the road against a tough opponent, it
doesn’t mean the season is awash.
Riley gave his team Sunday through Monday, giving them extra time to heal physically
and emotionally. With the added time off the sixth year coach anticipates his
team to hit the practice fields Tuesday with vigor.
“Our biggest job right now is to get some confidence back, and get some
attitude back,” Riley said. “It comes down to individual character.
Every time you go through stuff, you learn from it. We have to draw on that
and hopefully we can use it the next time.”
In each of the past two seasons the OSU football team faced a crossroad after
a key game. In 2004 the team sat at 1-4 after a humiliating 49-7 loss to California
in Reser Stadium. The team sucked up the loss and hit the turf with renewed
determination winning six of their last seven. Their only loss was to number
one USC in “The Fog Bowl” and they finished the season with a convincing
win over Notre Dame in the Insight Bowl.
In 2005 the Beavers posted a 4-2 record after defeating a ranked California
team on the road. Unfortunately, the team lost focus losing three of their last
five, including two ugly losses at home against bad Arizona and Stanford teams,
finishing 5-6 and missing a bowl game for the first time in three years.
With adversity staring this team squarely in the face mask they can choose
to pursue the path of the 2004 team or the course of 2005 squad. Only time will
tell how this team deals with adversity, but from what the leaders of the team
are saying, it looks like the Beavers are on the right track to recovery.
"We are going to deal with adversity sometimes but we have to step through
it even though it's tough,” wide receiver Sammie Stroughter said. “We
know what losing tastes like, and we have to go back to the drawing board and
get better so we don’t taste this again."
There aren’t going to be any radical changes in the system this week
and there will be minimal, if any, personnel changes. Success lies within the
details, the fundamentals and the technique, and that’s just what the
Men in Black will work on.
“We need to talk about the details of what to do, to finish plays correctly,
angles on defense, and efficiency, quickness and details on offense,”
Riley said. “No matter what system you are playing, you've got to take
care of the details within the system.”
And those details on defense include containment by the secondary during running
plays, filling the gaps by the linebackers and the defensive line understanding
their role within the system. Offensively that means consistency running the
ball, stretching the field and converting on third downs.
Mentally it means the players must not get overconfident if they have the lead
or dejected if they are behind. Staying focused, playing until the end and host
of other clichés are relevant this week for the Men in Black.
"We just have to get better. You just have to move on,” senior quarterback
Matt Moore said. “Our motto is the next game is the most important one.
That’s just the way we have to be. We have to let it go."
And this fan believes the team will let it go. This fan believes that all those
hours hanging out in the summer together, all those hours practicing together,
all those hours lifting weights together and all those hours building friendships
will pay off. They will unite and overcome this adversity together bringing
pride to themselves, the coaches, their family and friends and the fans.
Defensive end Jeff Van Orsow sums it up best: “We are still a team. We
have the bye week to recover, and then go for a 12-game season."
Go Beavs!
******
Dan Norz is the publisher of BeaverFootball.com. He can be reached at webmaster@beaverfootball.com.