Washington State at Oregon State Notebook

Series history between the Cougars and Beavers...third down conversions...sacks...scoring streaks...a Rose Bowl reunion...and another quarterback that is on fire visits the Mid Valley.

Head coach: Bill Doba (4th season)
(Career: 22-18 | At WSU: 22-18)
Current ranking: NR
Current record: 3-2 overall, 1-1 in the Pac-10
Streak: One game losing streak

Last time Oregon State and Washington State met...
Oct. 1, 2005 in Corvallis - Oregon State 44, Washington State 33
Oregon State rallied from a 30-13 deficit in the first half to defeat WSU 44-33 Oct. 1, 2005 at Reser Stadium. The 44 points represented the most ever scored by an OSU team vs. the Cougars. OSU safety Sabby Piscitelli provided one of the more exciting plays of the year when he intercepted WSU QB Alex Brink and returned it 23 yards to tie the game at 30-30. WSU went back ahead at 33-30 on a Loren Langley 23-yard field goal, before OSU tacked on the final two scores -- a 63-yard pass from Matt Moore (longest of his college career) to Mike Hass and then the game was clinched on a Yvenson Bernard three-yard run. Brink set a Reser Stadium and WSU record with his 531 yards passing, completing 31 of 59 for one touchdown, but was intercepted four times ... more from BF.com

Last time Washington State played...
Sept. 30, 2006 - USC 28, Washington State 22
In the gloom of a valiant but failed fight against No. 2 USC, the crimson faithful could take solace in the answer to a question most of them have asked since the season began. Are these Cougars any good? A nailbiting 28-22 loss to the vaunted Trojans – in a game which went right down to the final snap – provided a convincing YES in the twilight of a gorgeous autumn day ... more from CougFan.com

Last time Oregon State played...
Sept. 30, 2006 - California 41, Oregon State 13
Nate Longshore threw for 341 yards and four touchdowns, including two to Marshawn Lynch, and No. 20 California defeated Oregon State 41-13 on Saturday.  Lynch finished with three touchdowns for the Bears (4-1, 2-0 Pac-10), running 15 yards for another score.  For Oregon State (2-2, 0-1), Alexis Serna hit field goals of 58 and 40 yards ... more from BF.com

Series history (WSU 46-41-3 overall, OSU leads 21-19 in Corvallis).
Washington State and Oregon State will meet for the 91st time since 1903 Saturday.  WSU holds a 46-41-3 series edge, but OSU has won the past two, both in Corvallis. The last Cougar road victory in the series occurred Oct. 12, 1996, when WSU posted a 24-3 win.  The Beavers are attempting to win three straight games against WSU, which would be the longest streak since the program won six in a row from 1966-71.  OSU has won the last three October match-ups with WSU, 2000, 2004 and 2005.

This is the first time in the series that the Cougars have played in Corvallis three straight seasons.  Wins have come in pairs in the last eight years with OSU winning the last two, WSU the two before that, etc. The home team has won the last five games.

WSU vs. OREGON STATE (46-41-3) Most WSU Points Scored: 55 (55-24, 1990, 55-7,1991) Widest WSU Victory Margin 48 (55-7, 1991) Longest WSU Win Streak: 10 (1983-93) Last WSU Win: 2003 (36-30) Last WSU Win in Pullman: 2003 (36-30) Last WSU Win in Corvallis: 1996 (24-3) WSU at Home: 22-15-2 (+2) WSU at Corvallis: 19-21-0 (-3) Bill Doba vs. Oregon State: 1-2 Bill Doba vs. Mike Riley: 1-2

OREGON STATE vs. WSU (41-46-3) Most OSU Points Scored: 44 (44-33, 2005) Widest OSU Victory Margin 35 (38-3, 1969) Longest OSU Win Streak: 5 (1960-64) Last OSU Win: 2005 (44-33) Last OSU Win in Pullman: 1999 (27-13) Last OSU Win in Corvallis: 2005 (44-33) OSU at Home: 26-24-0 (+3) OSU at Pullman 14-22-2 (-2) Mike Riley vs. WSU: 2-1 Mike Riley vs. Bill Doba: 2-1

Washington State connections.
Oregon State linebackers coach Greg Newhouse and WSU offensive coordinator Mike Levenseller were on the same staff with the B.C. Lions of the CFL in 1986 and ‘87. Beaver football operations director Ron Davis is a 1986 graduate of WSU and later served as a graduate assistant football coach and in athletic administration for the Cougars.

LB Chris Baltzer and QB Alex Brink both played their prep football at Eugene's Sheldon High.

Orange and black Rose Bowl reunion.
Oregon State will hold a reunion for the 1956 (‘57 Rose Bowl) team over the weekend. The team, coached by Tommy Prothro, was 7-3-1 overall. Oregon State ended the season with a tie vs. Oregon following six consecutive victories. The team entered the Rose Bowl No. 10 in the nation, but lost to the No. 3 Iowa Hawkeyes 35-19 in front of 100,000. Joe Francis, one of the all-time greats in Oregon State history, accounted for 207 yards in total offense. The 65th reunion for the 1942 Rose Bowl team will also be held this weekend -- this team defeated Duke 20-16 in the only Rose Bowl not played in Pasadena (Durham, NC) due to World War II. There are five members of the team planning to be in attendance.

The OSU offense has their hands full.
The Washington State defense enters Saturday’s game at Oregon State ranked second in the nation in sacks, trailing only Syracuse by less than a sack per games.  The Cougars have tallied 21 sacks through their first five games, four shy of the Orangemen.  Over its last three games, WSU has recorded 16 sacks (USC 3, Stanford 8, Baylor 5), vaulting WSU into the national spotlight. 

The Cougars are also tied for 19th nationally in tackles-for-loss at 7.40 per game, trailing only Saturday’s foe Oregon State in the Pac-10.  WSU defensive end Mkristo Bruce leads the conference in sacks with eight and TFLs with nine.

WSU’s defensive ends are playing like defensive backs so far this year, leading the team by stealing three of WSU’s five interceptions.  Mike Graise picked off a pass against Stanford and ran 33 yards for WSU’s first score two weeks ago.  Earlier in the season ends Lance Broadus (Idaho) and Mkristo Bruce (Baylor) picked off passes.  meanwhile WSU’s secondary has two interception – Eric Frampton’s theft against Baylor and Tyron’s first career interception against USC.

Balanced Beaver attack.
Through four games last season Oregon State was averaging 86.5 yards per game on the ground and 359.8 through the air; compared to this year’s 124.2 and 232.2. The 2006 club has 132 rushes and 128 pass attempts, compared to last year’s 138/192.

Redzone and third downs.
In 2006 WSU has scored 18 times in 23 trips into the red zone. Oregon State has converted 11 of 15 attempts.  The WSU defense has allowed 12 scores in 17 attempts, while the Beaver defense has yet to hold their opponent without a score in the red zone (7 of 7).

Over the past four years WSU opponents have been successful on third down plays just 32.4% (216 of 666) of the time.  Third down conversions is where OSU has struggled this year converting just 37% of their 51 attempts.

One of the best units in the nation.
After leading the Pac-10 in fewest sacks allowed last season, the 2006 Cougar offensive line has not missed a beat, allowing just two sacks over the last four games. Even more impressive than the low numbers of sacks is the way the line is continuing to protect quarterback Alex Brink with a rotating line.

In 2005 the Cougars used one starting lineup the entire season while this season injuries have forced WSU to use three different lineups through the first five games. Last week against USC, the Cougars did not allow a sack.

Scoring streaks a plenty for the Crimson Soldiers.
WSU has scored in 254 consecutive games since a 44-0 shutout at Ohio State in 1984.  The streak is the second longest among D-I schools.  Schools with streaks over 200 games are: Michigan 267, WSU 254, Oregon 248, Florida State 225 and Florida 220. 

The Cougars have scored in 238 consecutive Pacific-10 games, the longest active streak for any league team.  The last time WSU was shut out in Pac-10 play was at Oregon State in 1975.

Uh oh...another hot quarterback.
QB Alex Brink has a QB rating of 145.12 in WSU’s last four WSU games.  Since the Auburn contest he has hit 80 of 126 passes for 997 yards and seven touchdowns, with just two interceptions.

Additional notes.

• Oregon State was last in the Pac-10 and 113th (out of 117) last season for turnover margin at minus-1.3 per game (-14 overall). OSU has improved to tied for second in the conference and tied for 14th overall at plus-1.0 per game.
  
   
• OSU is tied for second in Pac-10 in turnover margin (+4, 1.0 per game) after being dead last (-14) in the Conference in that category last year.
  
   
• Oregon State is 26-5 when leading after three quarters under head coach Mike Riley, including 12-1 in the combined 2004, ‘05 and ‘06 seasons.
  
   
• Lou Groza Award winning PK Alexis Serna booted a 58-yard field goal vs. Cal last week that tied the OSU record for longest field goal and tied for the sixth longest in Pac-10
  history. Serna is 43-of-53 on career field goal attempts and has connected on 77 straight PATs.  His 58-yarder is the longest in the nation to this point.
  
   
• TB Yvenson Bernard averages 101.0 yards per game and leads the Pac-10 with five rushing TDs. He has topped 100 yards rushing in eight of his last 12 games and rushed for 15 TDs over that span.
  
   
• P Kyle Loomis, the first true-freshman punter to start at Oregon State since 1983, is averaging 40.5 yards per kick in his last three games.  He started the season averaging 28.0 per kick in the opener, he has since averaged 37 yards per punt twice and last week averaged 49.0 vs. Cal.
  
   
• PR Sammie Stroughter continues to lead the nation in punt returns with a 22.9-yard average.
  
   
• Junior safety Daniel Drayton has been involved in two faked punts that resulted in first downs. Against Boise State he was on the receiving end of a Kyle Loomis pass (fake punt) in the first quarter that resulted in 27 yards and a play that would eventually lead to a Beaver touchdown. He also had a seven-yard rush against California on a fake punt that resulted in a first down.
  
   

• WSU has won its last two Pacific-10 road games, at Washington and at Stanford.  The last time WSU won three straight league games on the road was during the 2002-03 seasons.
  
   

• WR Jason Hill is 46 receptions short of WSU’s career record of 176 receptions and he is 69 yards short of the receiving yards record.  Hill’s school record 29 career touchdown receptions ranks second nationally among active receivers.  Hill has caught at least one pass in 26 consecutive games.
  
   
• The 22 points scored against USC last week is most Trojans, who lead Pac-10 in scoring defense (12.2), have allowed this season.

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Dan Norz is the publisher of BeaverFootball.com.  He can be reached at .