YouTubesDay: Utah's Sprinkles the Bear originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Tue, 04 Mar 2008 17:45:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Freshman defensive end Paul Kruger (same name as his father), junior defensive lineman Greg Newman and Kruger's younger brother David, a recruit who plans to sign with the Utes next month, told the men to "shut up" and "get out of here." Kruger's father said Newman threw a snowball at the car during the exchange and the occupants then got out of the vehicle.

Keeping 'The Man' Busy: Utah Keeps it Real originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Thu, 24 Jan 2008 17:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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BYU Claims the Latest Holy War originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Sat, 24 Nov 2007 17:50:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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"Honest to God, I can't even respond to it," Glenn said. "Maybe, I don't know.

"I don't remember that. Honestly I don't. It's what it was."

Joe Glenn Flips Utah the Bird originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Mon, 12 Nov 2007 14:52:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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UCLA Implodes in Utah originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Sat, 15 Sep 2007 20:55:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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While the Oregon State QB situation might be closer to a resolution, one thing was clear for last night's opener - Yvenson Bernard is going to have a huge role in 2007. Bernard sliced and diced the Utah defense for 165 yards as the Beavers pulled away from the Utes in the second half, breaking open a 7-7 tie at halftime for a 24-7 win. Bernard had a couple of TD runs on a night when the new QB's showed some nerves and inexperience.

Some quick thoughts from last night:

1) The defense played fast and aggressive. Anytime you hold an experienced offense to 196 total yards, and just 18 net rushing yards? That's doing the job, and then some. Aside from the 37-yard TD pass in the 2nd quarter, the Beaver D controlled the game. The defensive line had constant pressure on Utah QB's, and the linebackers were definitely up to the task in containing the scrambling Brian Johnson. There were several plays he just couldn't escape, where against an average defense he might have done a lot more damage on the ground. The Beavers did catch a break when Johnson went out with a shoulder injury in the 2nd quarter and Utah had to go to the backup QB, Tommy Grady, a 6-7 pocket passer who didn't have much mobility. Still, even with Johnson it might not have mattered, as the defense was outstanding on this night.

2) Bernard is going to have to "carry the mail" this year. At least last night, it sure looks like he'll be the guy to do it. He got off to a somewhat slow start, in fact the entire offense was slumbering early, but once things got in a rhythm, he was fantastic. The offensive line shook off the rust early and started to blow Utah off the ball later in the game, sort of how we thought it would be in yesterday's preview, but you could see that once they got in sync, Utah just couldn't stop the ground game. Overall OSU rushed for 241 yards, which is a dominating number. There was also a nice surprise in WR James Rodgers, a 5-6 true frosh from Richmond, Texas, who had 62 yards rushing on end-around handoffs where he would line up at WR and come back across, almost like a reverse. Rodgers is one of the fastest recruits to ever come to Oregon State and looks like he might be a nice addition to the offense.

3) The QB's were predictably inconsistent. Sean Canfield's numbers weren't pretty, just 8-for-19 for 87 yards with one TD and one INT. However in his defense, I counted at least three dropped balls in the first half that could have amounted to something big. WR Anthony Brown dropped easy first-down catches on consecutive throws by Canfield. In the first half alone the official number had the OSU WR's with five drops. That's just plain bad, and it simply can't continue next week. It's even worse with inexperienced QB's who are trying to get their footing in actual games that count. While Canfield's numbers weren't much to celebrate, Lyle Moevao was worse, just 3-for-9 for 32 yards and one INT, which happened on his first NCAA D-1 pass attempt. Welcome to Oregon State!

While Mike Riley still wouldn't tip his hand as to who it will be the starter at QB, I'm betting it's Canfield. Maybe he already knows but doesn't want to give Cincinnati anything particular to focus on, or maybe he wants to rotate both QB's next week just to change things up. But I don't think there's much doubt, that after seeing them play last night, Canfield is the choice.

Bernard, Beaver Defense Shut Down Utah originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Fri, 31 Aug 2007 09:29:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Ready or not, here comes 2007 for Oregon State. The Sammy Stroughter soap opera, or other key players leaving the program for various reasons, plus the QB derby that never resolved itself, all of that can now be looked at via the rear-view mirror. For it's time for Utah, and while it might not have looked too difficult when the schedule was first put together, the more you look at this game, the more you see reasons for the Beavers to be worried once things kick off tonight.

Top Three Questions for Tonight

1) How will OSU's defense handle Utah?

First and foremost, dual-threat extraordinaire Brian Johnson is back at QB and when healthy, has shown he can be a headache for any defense in the country. Johnson actually red-shirted last year, coming off a knee injury in 2005, but when he was playing he was pretty special - 2,892 passing yards, 18 TD passes to only seven INT's, plus an impressive 690 rushing yards. All good for second-team Mountain West Conference honors.

The even more interesting aspect of Utah's offense is what they are returning from last year's 8-5 team. If you include Johnson, that makes 10 out of 11 who are considered returning starters, the only loss the starting left tackle from last year, Tavo Tupola. Their top seven receivers from last year are all back for 2007, led by speedy senior Derrek Richards, who had a team-high 60 catches; Brent Casteel, a junior who had a team-high 10 TD receptions; and Brian Hernandez, a senior who was #2 on the team last year with 49 catches. The team doesn't list a starter at running back this week, instead listing three players in Darryl Poston, Ray Stowers and JC transfer Matt Asiata. Poston led the team with 553 yards and 5 TD's on the ground last year. Quite frankly, Utah is loaded offensively with speed, athleticism, and experience.

The good news for Oregon State fans is that the Beaver D appears up to the task. Eight starters are back from last year's aggressive, opportunistic defense. OSU led the conference with 33 takeaways in '06, and the Beaver pass rush was outstanding, racking up a conference-best 47 sacks. Best of all, the OSU linebackers in seniors Derrick Doggett, Alan Darlin and Joey LaRocque are among the top units in the Pac-10, if not the country. They are tough against the run, they can rush the passer, and they are good in pass coverage, all good qualities against Utah's versatile read-option offense.

2) How will Oregon State's two-QB system work out?

It's a difficult question, and one Mike Riley would rather not have to answer, but it's there. Neither Sean Canfield nor Lyle Moevao did enough to separate from each other, so, both will play tonight. The plan going in has Canfield playing the first quarter, and Moevao playing the second quarter. The coaches will then decide at halftime who gets the call to start the second half, and they'll most likely just roll with the hot hand going forward. You know that Riley would love nothing more than to see one of these guys seize the day and not look back. While he'd rather not have the two-QB situation, he really has no choice but to play both guys and see how it shakes out.

3) How good are the special teams?

Really good. Both teams have all-league kickers in OSU's Alexis Serna and Utah's Louie Sakoda. Sakoda handles the field goals, hitting 16 of 20 last year, and is also the punter, averaging an impressive 44 yards per punt. Serna's accuracy went down a little last year, hitting 22 of 29, but his leg strength was up, hitting four out of six from 50+ yards, including a school-record 58-yarder. But OSU's special teams have taken a hit, with leading return man Sammie Stroughter out for personal reasons, and starting punter Kyle Loomis left the team on the eve of fall camp. Serna will also handle the punting duties this year, something he hasn't done in his college career. Utah's leading punt returner is back in Marquis Wilson, who averaged over 11 yards per return last year.

Prediction:

The biggest area where the Beavers should have an advantage is the offensive front. Oregon State returns four starers from last year's excellent line, led by all-conference candidates in tackle Jeremy Perry, center Kyle DeVan, tackle Andy Levitre, and guard Roy Schuening (pictured). Factor in Utah's defense losing five starters from last year, and you get an idea of the kind of edge the Beavers should have.

In the end, it's all about the Beavers' ability to run the ball. Look for Oregon State to establish the running game with Yvenson Bernard and that powerful front controlling the line of scrimmage. The successful running game will eat some clock while keeping the pressure off the new QB's, plus it will keep the ball away from Utah's explosive, experienced offense. Even though Utah has won four of their last five against the Pac-10, they were blown out at UCLA last year. In a tight game that will be put away late, Oregon State rides the running game and the home field advantage to a 27-20 win.

Beaver Defense Has Hands Full With Utah originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Thu, 30 Aug 2007 09:51:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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In its annual meeting Tuesday, the MWC Board of Directors voted unanimously to retain Kelly Crabb, the lawyer originally hired and retained last week by BYU and Utah, in efforts to clarify the nature of the TV contract and delineate distribution strategies of The mtn. network.

Crabb will work with Commissioner Craig Thompson and an ad hoc committee made up of three Board members - BYU President Cecil Samuelson, Texas Christian University Chancellor Victor Boschini and Colorado State University President Larry Edward Penley. The conference presidents spearheaded the TV deal that the MWC settled on a year ago with the network co-owned by Comcast Cable and CBS' College Sports Television.

However, there is widespread displeasure because of the troubles in getting The mtn., distributed.

But the big service the mtn. network has provided for the MWC has been the flexibility in the athletic schedules, specifically in football.

"Saturday afternoons is when I believe we should play football," Whittingham said. "That's what the mtn. has done. Our home schedule is all Saturday afternoon contests. I think that's a big positive."

Fitzpatrick also noted that the mtn. offers unprecedented coverage within the conference, including on-campus cameras and televised coverage of MWC sports such as swimming, baseball and softball, which are enjoying exposure never seen in the conference before.

Learning from the mtn. originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Sat, 30 Jun 2007 10:44:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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BYU Students Won't Be Able To Watch Highlights on YouTube Anymore originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Sun, 18 Feb 2007 18:06:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Former Utah QB Alex Smith Donates 500 Grand to University originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Thu, 15 Feb 2007 16:14:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Vitals

Armed Forces Bowl Preview: Tulsa vs. Utah originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Sat, 23 Dec 2006 14:10:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Utah Options for New Offense Against Bruins originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Mon, 28 Aug 2006 17:46:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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