OSU News

As reported on CBS Sportsline:

It has been a remarkably quiet offseason at Ohio State, a nice change of pace for head coach Jim Tressel.
At this time a year ago, the Buckeyes were without starter Troy Smith at QB because he accepted $500 from a booster. All is quiet in Columbus, and that is good news for the Buckeyes offense. Smith turned into a 2006 Heisman Trophy candidate with his performances against Michigan and Notre Dame in the Fiesta Bowl.
However, as good as OSU was at the end of the year, there are serious question on defense. Tressel will pay more attention to that side of the ball in spring practice as he has to replace is second seven on defense.
If Ohio State's offense can play 12 games the way it did its last two, this won't be a problem.
With nine starters back on offense, there must not be a weakness here, right? Sure, there are plenty. What has been the signature of Ohio State's best teams under Jim Tressel is now a huge question mark.
All three LBs (A.J. Hawk, Bobby Carpenter and Anthony Schlegel will be drafted) and all four DBs (Donte Whitner, Ashton Youboty, Nate Salley and Tyler Everett) are gone. Chad Hoobler and John Kerr are likely candidates at LB along with Mike D'Andrea.
The Buckeyes need to find chemistry here. The defensive backfield right now is a Sudoku puzzle with few numbers on a line.
Copyright (C) 2006 The Sports Xchange. All Rights Reserved.

QB Swogger Leaving WSU

The Washington State Cougars finally won a football game Saturday, but they lost a quarterback.
Former starting quarterback Josh Swogger will transfer to an NCAA Division I-AA school, his father said Monday.

Jeff Swogger said his son "had a lot of great experiences and met a lot of great people" at Washington State, but wants a better chance to start as a senior next year. Sophomore Alex Brink posted some of the best passing numbers in WSU history this season.
Swogger hopes to play for I-AA power Youngstown (Ohio) State near his home in suburban Vienna, Jeff Swogger said. Due to NCAA transfer and five-year eligibility rules, Swogger (a redshirt junior) could not play for a I-A rival of Washington State.
"Josh's high school played its home games at Youngstown State's field," Jeff Swogger said by phone from Ohio. "He was Ohio's player of the year (in Division IV at Ursuline High School in 2000), and they won the state championship. It would be great for him to come home."
Swogger also has attracted interest from I-AA schools Eastern Washington, Montana State and Richmond (Va.), Jeff Swogger said. NCAA rules prohibit direct contact between coaches and prospective transfers until a player is released from his scholarship, which WSU coach Bill Doba indicated will not be an issue with Swogger.
Doba repeatedly praised Swogger for his upbeat attitude and work ethic after losing a close battle for the starting job in fall camp. Brink has started all 16 games since Swogger went down with a broken foot at midseason last year.
Swogger, who could not be reached for comment, appeared briefly in three games this season. Last year, he passed for 1,283 yards and 13 touchdowns in his only six college starts.
WSU's other backup quarterbacks are freshmen Gary Rogers, Cole Morgan and Arkelon Hall. Rogers played in four games this season; Morgan and Hall redshirted.
Doba said WSU's primary recruiting targets will be cornerbacks, linebackers, safeties (including some who might be moved to linebacker) and offensive linemen. Junior college cornerbacks will be a priority, since starting corners Alex Teems and Wale Dada were seniors.
Doba said senior cornerback Tyron Brackenridge, who was academically ineligible this year but impressed coaches with his work at practice, is a potential starter. If the Cougars have enough depth at cornerback, they plan to move Lorenzo Bursey to wide receiver next season as a senior.
The Cougars lose four senior starters on each side of the ball, plus punter Kyle Basler and kickoff specialist Graham Siderius. Doba said the Cougars have "23 or 24" scholarships available, and he does not anticipate any coaches or scholarship players leaving, with the exception of Swogger and possibly record-breaking wide receiver Jason Hill.
Hill, a junior, has said all season he may skip his senior year to turn pro. Hill said he'll definitely return to WSU if it does not appear he will be selected in the first two rounds of the NFL draft.
Doba said the Cougars are continuing to gather information for Hill about his draft prospects. Doba has repeatedly said he will support Hill (whose family struggles financially) on turning pro early if it appears he will land a huge bonus.
"In the mid- or late second round, I think he would be wise to stay another year," Doba said. "He can get stronger, and he can get his degree in December (2006)."
Regardless of Hill's status, the Cougars face the monumental task of replacing senior running back Jerome Harrison, the I-A rushing leader. Powerful DeMaundray Woolridge and shifty Dwight Tardy are highly regarded freshmen. Tardy redshirted, but Woolridge twice rushed for more than 100 yards this season.
WSU's league and overall records have declined each year under Doba, who was promoted from defensive coordinator to replace Mike Price after the 2002 season. The 2005 Cougars finished 4-7 overall and tied with Washington for last in the Pacific-10 Conference at 1-7, but five of WSU's seven straight losses prior to Saturday's win at Washington were by three or four points.
"I do think we are really, really close," Doba said.
The Cougars open the 2006 season Sept. 2 at powerful Auburn.

Iowa State football: Blythe's airborne catch draws rave reviews

Todd Blythe’s four touchdown receptions at Texas A&M bought him a piece of Iowa State’s record book.The Cyclone wide receiver will hang on to one more memory from that big day at Kyle Field.On ISU’s first scoring drive of the day, Blythe went airborne for a deep pass from quarterback Bret Meyer. Even though Aggie defensive back Brock Newton flipped him head over heels making the tackle, Blythe kept both hands on the ball for a 20-yard gain.Even though Blythe felt a little woozy after the play, it became a milestone, a sign of forward progress.“I had trouble earlier this year with catching the ball fine, then hitting the ground and losing them,” said the sophomore, who dropped a similar type of pass in Iowa State’s double- overtime loss at Nebraska.Head coach Dan McCarney also gave that key 20-yard catch high marks.“I thought it was his best of the day,” said the Cyclones’ head coach.As for the dizziness, it didn’t last as long as a sense of post-reception sheepishness.“I was in a bit of fog for about 10 minutes,” he said. “I guess I was saying some dumb stuff to (Austin) Flynn, but I shook it off after that.”To Blythe’s fellow wide receiver, those words represented a sign of confidence, something he had been lacking during a mid-season slump.“He’s always got a swagger when he makes a big-time catch,” said Flynn. “Maybe Todd was running his mouth a bit, but that’s just the kind of competitor he is. No matter what, he’s always going to compete. When he makes a big catch, he lets you know. If he messes up, he’ll own up to it.”CHANGING LANES: His time at Iowa State is done, but former Dike-New Hartford star Lane Danielsen remains Iowa State’s career leader in receptions (163) and yards (2,690). With at least three games remaining in his sophomore season, Blythe owns 73 catches for 1,475 yards.The Cyclone head man said the sophomore belongs in the conversation with Danielsen.“He and Lane Danielsen are two of the best we’ve had in the program,” said McCarney. “Todd has a lot of career left, and no doubt potentially he can be, could be and should be the best we’ve ever had here.“But Lane had a great career — a lot of years. Todd is on the way to becoming another Lane Danielsen or better in his career.”THE LAW OF EVRIDGES: Dan McCarney wanted Allan Evridge at Iowa State. He recruited him as hard as he could.“We worked like crazy,” said the ISU head coach. “We did everything within the rules to get him to come to Iowa State. We would have loved to have had him here.”Instead, Evridge will be wearing Kansas State colors Saturday at Jack Trice Stadium. The redshirt freshman will start at quarterback for the fourth straight time against the Cyclones.A left-hander, Evridge has completed 53.4 percent of his passes for 1,042 yards and five touchdowns. The kid from Papillion, Neb., has thrown three interceptions.Evridge also impressed the man who tried to land him for Iowa State.“He’s a tremendous football player,” said McCarney. “He’s tough, he can run and he’s got a good arm.”ISU safety Nik Moser said Evridge bears some resemblance to an Iowa quarterback the Cyclones faced earlier in 2005.“Probably toughness-wise, he reminds me of Drew Tate,” said Moser. “He goes out there, takes shots all the time, gets beat up and stays in the game. He makes plays for them.”Evridge is merely the latest in a series of mobile quarterbacks faced by Iowa State’s defense. Among them have been Tate, Brad Smith of Missouri and Texas A&M’s Reggie McNeal.Asked if the classic immobile dropback passer exists anymore, Moser said, “I don’t think so, especially in the Big 12 Conference. There’s so much emphasis on passing the ball and being able to run (pass) routes. You’re going to have to have a mobile quarterback in this conference.”SPLIT ENDS: McCarney revealed than an injury limited wide receiver R.J. Sumrall’s playing time last weekend, although the freshman saw action as a punt return specialist.Milan Moses replaced Sumrall as an extra wideout, but the ISU head coach said there’s been no change in the depth chart.“We’ll play both of them,” said McCarney.

WSU GAMES TELEVISED BY ABC, FSN AND ESPN:

Five Cougar football games have already been chosen for live television coverage this fall...additional Pac-10 games could be chosen for live TV coverage, either 12 or six days in advance of the game, per the Pac-10 television contract:
WSU vs. Idaho, FSN Northwest, 7:00 p.m.WSU at Nevada, ESPN, 7:00 p.m.WSU at USC, ABC, 12:30 p.m.WSU vs. Oregon, FSN, 7:15. p.m.WSU at Washington, FSN, 12:15 p.m.

Northwest Rivalry on Tap This Weekend at Reser Stadium

THEME: Oregon State enters Saturday’s game looking to snap a two-game losing streak before it enters its bye week. Washington State opens Pac-10 Conference play is attempting to begin the season with a 4-0 mark for the first time since the 2001 season.
THE SERIES: Washington State leads the series 46-40-3, with the programs splitting the last eight games. Oregon State went winless in the series for 14 games before a 21-3 victory at then Parker Stadium in 1994. Oregon State has won two straight and three of the last four played in Corvallis. Washington State will play at OSU for the third consecutive year in 2006 (Oct. 7). Last season Oregon State built a 24-3 halftime lead and went on to a 38-19 victory. Former Beaver Ryan Cole rushed for 104 yards, including a 79 yard touchdown gallop in the third quarter. Former Quarterback Derek Anderson had 270 yards passing and three touchdowns, and Mike Hass had 99 yards receiving.
THE EXTRA WEEK: For the second time in three games Oregon State plays a team that had a bye the week before. The Beavers get the week off next week before playing at California and UCLA.
TOUGH AT HOME : Oregon State is 32-7 (.821) at Reser Stadium since the start of the 1999 season. The Beavers also own the best home record within conference action starting with the 1999 season at 18-7.
THIRD AND HASS: It’s easy to see that senior receiver Mike Hass is a crucial part of the Oregon State offense. Hass has actually accounted for 27 of the team’s 102 (27%) first downs. Running back Yvenson Bernard has also had his share with 17.
EXPLOSIVE OFFENSES: Oregon State faces yet another outstanding offense this week in Washington State. The Cougars rank ninth in the nation with a 495.0 yards per game average. The Beavers are in a span of playing four games against teams that rank in the top 12 nationally for total offense -- 4. ASU (594.3), 9. WSU (495.0), 10 Cal (490.5) 12. Louisville (478.0).
"LINEBACKER U -- WEST COAST:" Oregon State head coach Mike Riley likes to bill his program as "Linebacker U -- West Coast" and with good reason. The Beavers currently have James Allen (3rd Rd 2002) with the New Orleans Saints and Nick Barnett (1st Rd, 2003) with the Green Bay Packers. Richard Seigler was a fourth round pick in 2004 of the San Francisco 49ers. OSU looks to have another pair of potential next level linebackers in seniors Trent Bray and Keith Ellison. Bray is a team captain and will likely break into OSU’s career top 10 for tackles by the end of the season.
RAGS TO RICHES: Oregon State has been blessed in recent years to have walkons turn into major contributors. Current senior wide receiver Mike Hass, who already holds several school records and one major Pac-10 record (rec. yds in 1 game -- 293) entered the program as a walkon. Current placekicker Alexis Serna is former walkon and has an opportunity to threaten the school’s career mark for field goals. Two recent former walkons also include the school’s former passing record holder Jonathan Smith (1998-2001), who led the program to three bowl games, and Kirk Yliniemi (2001-03) who holds several of the school’s kicking records.

Posluszny Earns Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week For 22-Tackle Effort in Win at Northwestern

Junior outside linebacker Paul Posluszny (Aliquippa) refused to lose in Penn State's Big Ten opener at Northwestern Saturday and was all over the field making plays from the game's first snap.
Posluszny made six hits on the Wildcats' first drive alone and went on to record a career-high 22 tackles to earn Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week honors. His tackle total was the most by a Penn State player since Bill Banks recorded 24 tackles against NC State in 1977. Posluszny and Ron Crosby (Ohio, 1974) are tied for fourth on the all-time Penn State single-game tackle list with 22.
Greg Buttle (West Virginia, 1974) and Banks share the school record with 24 tackles and Buttle's 23 stops at NC State in 1974 are third-highest.
Posluszny anchored a Penn State defensive effort that forced the Wildcats to try six field goals, including three kicks from 25 yards or less. Northwestern ran an incredible 95 plays and held the ball for 39:59, but the Lions allowed only six points in the second half and came up with a big interception by Anwar Philips in the final minute to seal the win.
The Big Ten honor is the second in Posluszny's career. The tri-captain also was honored after making 13 hits (11 solo) in the momentum-changing win at Indiana last season. The win over the Hoosiers started the Nittany Lions' winning streak, which has reached six games.
A Butkus Award and All-America candidate, Posluszny is second in the Big Ten in tackles with 48 and a 12.2 per game average. His 31 solo tackles lead the Big Ten. The Academic All-America candidate also has three tackles for loss, one sack, two pass break-ups and a quarterback hurry.
Coach Joe Paterno's Nittany Lions (4-0) host No. 18 Minnesota (4-0) on Saturday in Beaver Stadium. Kickoff is at 3:30 p.m. for the ABC regional telecast.

Charlie Johnson Makes Move from Tight End to Offensive Line

For senior Charlie Johnson, this year has been one of many changes.
For the past three seasons, Johnson has worn No. 80, played tight end and weighed less.
But in his final year as an Oklahoma State Cowboy, he has become a different player.
Gone are the days of rotating with current NFL tight end Billy Bajema, now he is a 300-pound offensive lineman who wears jersey No. 71.
"It was just one of those things where the coaching staff left and this one came in, and then we approached a decision about me making the move," Johnson said. "It has really helped the team so far, and it’s really helped me, so it’s been a good move."
But when the Sherman, Texas, native came to OSU, he believed he would be a tight end for his entire career.
"It never really crossed my mind," Johnson said. "I just thought I’d be a tight end and split time with Billy, and then my senior season I thought I’d be the man, but I’ve made the move, and I’m just happy to be playing."
Part of the process of changing positions was more weight had to be added to his frame.
"I gained 15 to 20 pounds, which is not that much," Johnson said. "Coach (Rob) Glass helped me put on ‘good’ weight."
Even though he was going through conditioning, Johnson still spent some time in local restaurants.
"I did eat a little bit," Johnson said. "I’m not going to lie. I went out and ate some. But, I still kept it in moderation because I didn’t want to be the big, fat lineman."
While he enjoyed catching an average of 13 receptions a season, he said his new position allows him to do pretty much the same thing, but this time as an ineligible receiver.
"Pretty much, the difference between tight end and offensive line is basically, you get to go out for a route every now and then as tight end," Johnson said. "As tight end, you’re still responsible for the protection of the quarterback and the running game.
"There’s really not that much difference."
While he has made some big adjustments, Johnson said he doesn’t believe the Cowboys will have any problems adjusting to a new staff and an abundance of young players.
"I see us doing big things," Johnson said. "Pretty much as long as I’ve been here, we’ve been picked to finish near the bottom of the Big 12, so that’s not really a big deal to me.
"I’m really looking forward to showing people what we can do. We’ve got a lot of talent here. This may be the most we’ve had since I’ve been here."
Even with all the young talent onboard for the reloading season, coach Mike Gundy is happy he has a veteran like Johnson on the team.
"Charlie is a leader for us," Gundy said. "He plays when he’s hurt, and he’s very intelligent. He was a reliable tight end for us, but he gained weight to move to tackle, so he can have a chance to play in the NFL someday.
"We’d like to have a lot of guys like Charlie Johnson. He goes to class, he’s going to graduate and he’s the definition of a good college football player."
While Johnson is planning on a career in the NFL, he does have a backup plan that includes the leadership skills his coach talked about.
"I want to coach, but I’m not sure what level," Johnson said. "If things don’t work out in the NFL, then hopefully I could get on here as a graduate assistant or something.
"I really want to coach because it’s something I’ve wanted to do since I started playing."
But someday when Johnson is in charge of his team, don’t expect the 6-foot-4-inch coach to be yelling too much.
"I’d probably be a more laid back type of coach," Johnson said. "I’d want stuff to get done, but I want it to be business like. I’m not to vocal, so I’d want things to get done, so we could go home."

Street & Smith's Recognizes NC State As One Of Top 50 All-Time College Football Programs

The NC State football program has been recognized as the 50th greatest college football program of all time by Street & Smith's Specialty Publications.
Street & Smith's publishes preseason annual magazines for Major League Baseball, the National Football League, the National Basketball Association, and college football and basketball, plus additional sports specialty magazines. Street & Smith's "50 Greatest College Football Programs of All Time," a 128-page keepsake, will be available on newsstands nationwide on Tuesday, October 4. The NC State spread encapsulates the football team's proud history and includes such football greats as: Chuck Amato, Philip Rivers and Torry Holt.
Notre Dame University tops the list, with Southern California, Oklahoma, Alabama and Nebraska rounding out the top five. Michigan, Yale, Ohio State, Texas and Princeton complete the top 10.
Street & Smith's graded each program's football history - reaching back to the game's origins in the 1860s - on a combination of national championships, undefeated seasons, major bowl wins and appearances, conference championships, all-time winning percentage, graduation rate, All-Americans, Heisman Trophy winners, No. 1 draft picks, NCAA infractions, and even mascot ferocity.
The eight ACC programs tied the Big Ten and the SEC for the most schools in the top 50. With Miami (11) and Florida State (14) and Georgia Tech (16) in the top 20, Clemson (29), Maryland (38), North Carolina (42), Boston College (49), North Carolina State (50) rounded out the top 50.

No. 11 Spartans Prepare For Big Ten Showdown Against Michigan

No. 11 Michigan State looks to continue its perfect season Saturday, Oct. 1 when it plays host to archrival Michigan in Spartan Stadium. The Spartans are 4-0 and 1-0 in the Big Ten after routing Illinois, 61-14, last week in Champaign. MSU also defeated Kent State, Hawaii and Notre Dame in the first month of the season. The Wolverines enter the contest with a 2-2 mark, 0-1 in the Big Ten. Michigan fell to Wisconsin in Madison last week, 23-20

Fisher named Big 12 Player of the Week

DALLAS - In the wake of his Kansas State freshman-record 169-yard rushing performance in the Wildcats’ 54-7 victory over North Texas, K-State running back Parrish Fisher has been named the SBC Big 12 offensive player of the week for games of Sept. 18 in voting by a select panel of media that cover the league, conference officials announced Monday.

The first freshman to start at tailback in the Bill Snyder era, Fisher totaled an impressive 228 all-purpose yards, including 59 receiving yards, in just three quarters of work. Fisher’s spectacular day included runs of 63, 16, 14 and 10 yards and a per-carry average of 8.0 yards on his 21 attempts.

In fact, the Richardson, Texas, product totaled 109 yards on the ground and 46 receiving yards in the second quarter alone.

For the season, Fisher has now gained 243 yards through three games and needs just 62 more to break Kansas State’s single-season rushing mark by a freshman.

Fisher’s 169 yards marked the third time this season that Kansas State has had a running back top the 150-yard mark in a game. Thomas Clayton totaled 177 yards in the Wildcats’ season opener vs. Florida International and 152 yards at Marshall.

Fishers’ Big 12 player-of-the-week honor is the first on the season for the Wildcats and the first of his young career. Darren Sproles was the last Wildcat to earn the league’s weekly honor after rushing for a school-record 292 yards in Kansas State’s win over Louisiana-Lafayette on Sept. 18, 2004.

Under head coach Bill Snyder, Wildcat players have now earned player-of-the-week honors 73 times - 26 offense, 31 defense and 16 special teams.

Baylor at Iowa State Football Game Oct. 8 Will Have 1 PM CDT Start

Iowa State's Oct. 8 football game against Baylor will kickoff at 1 p.m. CDT in Jack Trice Stadium. The game will NOT be televised. The game is on Family Weekend at Iowa State. Both teams are currently 3-0 heading into Big 12 play.

Golden State Warriors Preview

OAKLAND - Warriors fever in September?
Yeah, that might be a stretch. After all, the A's and Giants (barely) are making playoff pushes, Cal's undefeated football team is climbing up the national polls, and Stanford's train-wreck loss to UC Davis has our morbid attention
The 49ers, meanwhile, are filling up bulletin boards throughout the NFL with wild quotes, the Raiders are consulting Oliver Stone about conspiracy theories, and the Sharks are finally playing hockey again.
Our sports plates are definitely overflowing.
Yet you can't deny there is already a definite buzz about the Warriors, who open training camp in Hawaii in 11 days.
The Warriors have missed the NBA playoffs 11 consecutive seasons, but they've sold over 3,100 more season tickets this year than they sold last year.
Expectations have been skyrocketing ever since the Warriors went 18-10 down the stretch after trading for point guard Baron Davis on Feb. 24.
Of course, Warriors fans have been fooled before, have bought into their team's this-will-be-the-year spiels. Borrowing a line from Fed Chief Alan Greenspan, they've been victims of "irrational exuberance" before.
This year, though, seems different. Those high expectations seem downright rational, assuming Davis remains healthy and continues to be the leader and superstar the Warriors so desperately needed.
"The players, from what they've done this summer, feel this is real," Warriors executive vice president Chris Mullin said Wednesday afternoon during a pre-training camp news conference at a McAfee Coliseum luxury suite. "I think the excitement is about the talent that fits together that can win. It's not a marketing ploy.
"I think right now we've got a bunch of guys who are hungry. They're welcoming the expectations and want to go out and prove that together they're winners."
Last season, when Mullin and coach Mike Montgomery were rookies, only the most faithful fans expected the Warriors to make the playoffs.
Montgomery knows times have changed, that expectations have gone off the charts. Fans didn't scoop up season tickets to watch the Warriors finish below .500 and miss the playoffs -- again.
The first question Wednesday to Montgomery, although basically facetious, was about his job security this year.
"We're going to hear a lot about playoffs," Montgomery said. "And that's fair. But, you know, it's not a make-or-break thing with the playoffs. ... I think that given the fact that we haven't had a winning season for 11 years, maybe that's a starting point. Let's talk about winning more than we lose.
"But I think if you do that, you're going to be in a position to potentially be in the playoffs. ... We want to give fans, everybody, the opportunity to say, 'Hey, we've got a shot.' And I think we do."
The Warriors will open camp with all the key players they had last season plus draft picks Ike Diogu, Chris Taft and Monta Ellis.
Mullin said there's still a chance he could add someone to the roster, using part or all of their available $5.2 million trade exception.
According to Mullin, the Warriors have had "internal" talks about Chicago Bulls center Eddy Curry, a restricted free agent, and are interested in a handful of other players.
Of course, the key to the Warriors' playoff hopes is Davis. The Warriors were 16-38 when he arrived, then won 18 of their final 28 games. During that stretch, they beat the Phoenix Suns and Sacramento Kings twice.
Davis averaged 19.5 points and 8.3 assists as a Warrior, despite battling a long list of nagging injuries. Now he's healthier and stronger.
"You've got to see him," Mullin said. "You'll be pretty impressed. He's been training, taking care of his body, strengthening, just getting ready to have a great season."
So what does the thought of having Davis for a full season, not just 28 games, mean to Mullin?
"A smile on my face," Mullin said, flashing that smile. "Excitement. Trust. Confidence. Leadership. And more importantly, a whole lot of talent. Or as important.
"He's got a unique combination of talent, skill, personality. And he backs it up. And he does things with a certain flair."
Maybe it's not too early for Warriors fever, after all.

Florida State Practice Report 9/22/05

The No. 6 Florida State Seminoles (3-0, 2-0 ACC) held a 17-period practice Thursday. The team met for flex and then went straight into special teams work before working on individual drills. The Seminoles were able to get through almost all of their work outdoors before lightning drove them inside for a second straight day. The offense and defense went inside to get work in the turf room and meet before conditioning drills. The team was given the weekend off and will not have to report back to Tallahassee until Sunday night.
Head Coach Bobby Bowden missed the beginning of practice due to a funeral he attended in West Virginia. He spent a short time out on the practice field before the lightning halted the practice and drove the team inside.
QUOTES FROM HEAD COACH Bobby Bowden
(opening statement)
"We got in most of our practice. We only missed 15 minutes of our practice before we were driven off the field because of the threat of lightning. Then we came inside, the offense went to the turf room worked out for 15 minutes and then got their running in. Then the defense came in and worked out for 15 minutes and then got their running in. We just finished inside. If we were to have gotten completely rained out, then we would have practiced tomorrow."
(on the objective of this week's practice)
"Here is what we tried to do this week. Number one, give the boys that were injured a chance to get well by not getting them involved. Number two, try and work with a lot of the new guys. Try to work with the guys that haven't been able to play and get them further along. Number three, just try to get introduced to Syracuse's offense and defense and try to practice against that. Those were our three main objectives and that is what we did."

Arizona State vs Oregon State

Following a decisive 52-21 victory over Northwestern that included a school-record 773 yards of total offense, the No. 18/17 Arizona State University Sun Devils are set to open conference play this weekend, travelling to play Oregon State (2-1), Sept. 24 at 7 p.m. at Reser Stadium. The Sun Devils are off to a 2-1 start and the high-powered offense has scored 146 points to set a school record for the most points scored in the first three games of a season. The Beavers are coming off a 63-27 loss at No. 11 Louisville, but will be on their home turf where they have the best home record within Pac-10 Conference games since 1999, going 18-6 (.750) over that stretch. The Beavers have also played in five bowl games in the last six years, including beating Notre Dame in the Insight Bowl last season. Following this week's game with the OSU Beavers, ASU will return home to play its fourth home game at Sun Devil Stadium against No. 1/1 USC (3-0).
Media ExposureTBS will televise the Oregon State game to a national audience with Ron Thulin (play-by-play), Charles Davis (color) and Craig Sager (sidelines) calling the action. It marks the third TV game this season and 16th in the last 17 games dating back to the end of the 2003 season. The Sun Devil Sports Network will carry all 11 of ASU's football games live on its 12-station radio network including flagship stations KTAR 620 AM and ESPN Radio 860 AM in Phoenix. Tim Healey (play-by-play), former Sun Devil quarterback Jeff Van Raaphorst (color analyst), Mark Lewis (pregame) and Vince Marotta (halftime and postgame) will bring the action to Sun Devil fans. Amy Bender will provide reports from the ASU sidelines during home games. ASU games can also be heard live on the Sun Devils' official web site at www.TheSunDevils.com.
In the Series with Oregon StateArizona State holds a 22-8-1 all-time advantage in the series with Oregon State and has won eight of the last 10 meetings. Last year, the Sun Devils opened Pac-10 play with a 27-14 win over the Beavers at Sun Devil Stadium (9/25/04). In that game, the ASU defense held the Beavers to -19 rushing yards and forced three turnovers. In ASU's last trip to Corvallis in 2003, the Beavers snapped ASU's seven-game winning streak in the series with a 45-17 victory at Reser Stadium in the Pac-10 opener for both teams. ASU is 5-5-1 all-time in games played in Corvallis and is 3-2 in its last five trips to the OSU campus. The Sun Devils have dominated the series in games played in Tempe, going 17-3 and have won 15 straight. ASU has earned a victory in 23 of the last 25 meetings with the Beavers. ASU's only losses in that streak, which stretches back 33 years, came in 2003 and 1993 (a 30-14 defeat in Corvallis), while the only tie came in 1989 (17-17).