What We Learned: Oregon State Beavers Vs San Diego State Aztecs

Monday, September 22, 2014

Jeffrey Martin, GoLocalPDX Contributor

Sean Mannion.

Photo credit: Dainomite on Wikimedia. Creative Commons License. Image cropped.

What are the takeaways from Oregon State's routing of San Diego State this weekend?

Mike Riley wasn’t kidding about running the ball.

Or at least his commitment to doing so.

Subtracting Sean Mannion’s efforts, the Beavers ran it 32 times for 114 yards Saturday in a 28-7 victory against San Diego State. The key numbers, however, were elsewhere - Mannion only attempted 31 passes (completing 24) and the 1-2 running back punch of Storm Woods and Terron Ward accounted for four touchdowns.

Mannion became Oregon State’s all-time leading passer… And he was virtually an afterthought. That’s the formula Riley hopes his team will follow through the season - not to minimize the ability of Mannion, who might be a first-day selection in the upcoming NFL Draft, but because the run keeps defenses honest and Mannion clean. SDSU had three sacks in the first quarter, and Riley said run-blocking was easier against the Aztecs than pass-blocking.

And, the Beavers are still trying to sort out who Mannion’s main receiving targets are. Victor Bolden, who has so much potential, dropped a wide-open bomb from Mannion and hurt himself in the process, likely dislocating a finger.

The best collegiate defense in the state resides in Corvallis.

It’s hard to refute, isn’t it? There might be prettier athletes in Eugene, but as far as the actual results thus far? Gotta go with OSU.

Aside from the Aztecs’ opening drive, which spanned 75 yards and resulted in a touchdown, the Beavers surrendered only 140 yards the rest of the evening.

Look, San Diego State isn’t an offensive juggernaut, but the visitors also represented the stiffest challenge of the non-conference schedule for OSU. The Beavers completely shut down the Aztecs, registering two interceptions and three sacks.

Consider the Beavers a true threat in the Pac-12 North.

Especially given some of the other results we’ve seen in recent days. While some teams are still searching for a formula or an identity, Oregon State knows what it is - somewhat limited offensively with a dependence on a fantastic quarterback that doesn’t make mistakes and two quality running backs but stout, maybe extremely stout, on defense.

And fine coaching, of course.

That’s winning football, even in a conference where Arizona and California combined Saturday for 94 points and 1,200 yards of offense.

Is it enough to claim the North?

The prevailing notion here is yes.