What We Learned: Utah at Oregon State

Saturday, October 18, 2014

Jeffrey Martin, GoLocalPDX Contributor

Sean Mannion

The Beavers defense is the team’s strongest unit. And it might be by a considerable margin.

Giving up three touchdowns in the fourth quarter and overtime is never ideal, but OSU’s defense pitched a virtual shutout through three quarters, allowing its ineffective offense to finally find a rhythm.

Everyone in the Pac-12 scores points, so save the rhetoric bashing the Utes. Remember, these are the same Utes that scored 30 points against USC, and the Trojans hung 35 on the Beavers a few weeks back.

It’s all relative, but there were signs in the Coliseum that the defense was more rugged than most realized. Even now, after seemingly melting down late against Utah, that’s still the case. Sure, Devontae Booker rumbled for 229 yards, but the Beavers only allowed 315 yards total and just 62 through the air.

Again, in this conference, you MUST win those games. The offenses are simply too good otherwise.

Well, usually they’re simply too good. There are struggles on that side of the ball in Corvallis, but just know that...

It’s not Sean Mannion’s fault.

Blame is all too often heaped on the quarterback, but it’s the game’s glamour position for a reason, right? It’s where the credit is usually directed as well.

Mannion is a big boy. He’s got a big-boy arm and big-boy potential. Problem is, he’s not surrounded by big-boy talent.

Not buying that? Think Mannion should be able to extract more out of the players around him? Consider the response to the question posed to former Oregon defensive coordinator Nick Aliotti on that very topic before the season started:

“I love Sean Mannion - he’s a big, strong, pro-style quarterback. He’s a great drop-back quarterback - not good, great. Their line is about the same, the two backs are back. They’ve always done a great job with their tight ends and they have a bunch of them. But they don’t have that dynamic big-play receiver, in my opinion, like they’ve always had…

“A great quarterback can play smart within the system and teach guys on the move, help guys through stuff because they’ve been there so long. They understand the system so well. Guys like Mannion and (Oregon’s Marcus) Mariota are like coaches on the field, which is a great thing to have. They’ll make guys better, but at some point - and I say this about both teams without being negative - the receiving corps on both teams are a question.”

He hasn’t been perfect, misfiring on some routine throws and seeming a tad off at times. Why? He’s uncomfortable because for the first time in his college career, the weapons aren’t there. Mannion has never been the whole offense - just the triggerman, the point guard.

He’s a distributor, which is what he’ll also be on Sundays.

To think - Mannion, apparently because of a low NFL draft advisory grade, elected to come back to Corvallis to improve his stock. Again, he chose to come back to this situation, maybe buoyed by unfinished business and/or a belief in Mike Riley.

Either way, the odds are...

It might not get better for OSU.

The schedule does not ease up at all. Instead of being 5-1 and perhaps ranked, the Beavers are 4-2 and wondering where things went wrong Thursday and if they can be fixed in time for next Saturday’s trip to Stanford.

That should be a defensive slugfest.

But games against California, Washington State and Arizona State also loom - not to mention the Civil War.

Realistically, in how many of those games will OSU be favored? Heck, is six wins possible at this point?

Banner Photo Credit: osubeaver2000 via Compfight cc