I feel like a weatherman talking to a bunch of people living in tornado alley. Every time I mentioned that bad times were coming people didn’t listen. Then the bad times came and people were all up in arms complaining and being outraged over this and that.
Go back to the two months prior to the football season this summer when I kept telling people this team was in trouble. All summer people didn’t listen. They told me I was a Riley hater, I was pessimistic, and full of crap – which are obviously valid arguments. I was called every dirty name in the book. I was even called a Duck fan. That hurt.
But I stuck to my guns. Unless the defense could hold an opponent under 30, Matt Moore could get comfortable in the pocket, and the players could get fired up by Mike Riley’s use of hip-hip-hooray, this team was in trouble.
Now, fast forward to Oct. 8. Fast forward to a 2-3 start. Fast forward to Oregon State giving up 407 yards to Boise State, 483 yards to California and 355 yards to Washington State. And fast forward to fans being ignorant – as usual – by revolting against Mike Riley, looking for Matt Moore’s head and acting as if it were the end of the world.
Now fast forward to the present. As this Beaver team is 7-4 and looks to take on the now unranked Ducks in their crappy-colored iron grated urine yellow and pea green jerseys. The Beavers are bowl bound, Matt Moore has the longest active streak for passes thrown without a interception and the defense is ranked 22nd in the nation holding teams to just 19.4 points per game.
It is quite the turnaround from the first five games. So I would like to give thanks, props, and kudos to those people responsible for the momentous turnaround that not only saved the face of Beaver football but also got us some national recognition in the process.
Props to Mike Riley. There must be something special in those hip-hip-hoorays. After blowing up USC’s winning record, winning five of the last six games and getting this team into a bowl, Mr. Riley must be riding high. The coach that seemed doomed for replacement a month ago now has this team rolling. On offense the Beavers are averaging around 26 points per game and 357 yards, and on defense they are only giving up 289 yards per game. Even though I still question his play-calling, he has this team playing hard as a well-oiled machine that is playing with pride, poise and tact. But more importantly, they are playing as a team.
Props to you Matt Moore. I would like to bury the hatchet. After this article, I will never refer to Moore as Frosty the Turnover Man again. Seriously. He has calmed down his happy feet and he has been playing like a quarterback that understands what he sees. Hell, even now he has the longest active streak for passes without an interception. But really, I mean in the end, it was just the law of averages. It always evens out; no one can consistently do anything for such a long time without doing the opposite. Whether it’s David Carr throwing completed passes, USC winning games, Adam Vinatieri making field goals, or in this case, Matt Moore throwing interceptions. Eventually, it had to stop.
Props to the defense. Sorry defense, it’s like group sex; in the end, I don’t know exactly who to thank so I just thank everybody. But I will say: Damn, what a turn around. Props to every person on defense that helped turn a porous defense that let Boise State’s Ian Johnson run for 240 yards on 22 carries into a team that beat the third ranked Trojans and keeping the horribly funny one-liner alive: the only thing that can break a Trojan is a tough beaver.
Props to you Nigel Burton. You have successfully turned a secondary that was in disarray into a unit that is showing up and making plays. Riley once said about his running game, “seventh in the nation in rushing last year, so why not first now?” To you I say, you are now 50th in the nation, down from 108th last season, lets climb another 58 spots next season-why not negative eighth?
And finally the big one; Props every player on this team for this season. This was by far one of the greatest in season turnarounds in Beaver history. You gave the fans something to come and cheer for again. Sure, half of them left early on a consistent basis, but you all battled past that and continued to grind and now have found the post season and a winning record in the Pac-10 for only the third time in school history.
You did all of that and managed to make me look like I had the answers, and that is the toughest thing to do.
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