Bowl Preparation Week vs. Northwestern

THE GOOD: Bowl week. This is the week. The New Era Pinstripe Bowl is this coming Wednesday.
THE BAD: End of 2016. This has been a good year for Northwestern football, starting with an appearance in the Outback Bowl and it will conclude with the New Era Pinstripe Bowl.
THE UGLY: One left for Justin Jackson. After the New Era Pinstripe Bowl, Justin Jackson only has one year left for the Wildcats. Make sure to cherish that last season because he has a chance to put himself in the conversation for greatest Northwestern football player of all time.

Oregon State Basketball November Recap

Positives: Drew Eubanks and Tres Tinkle. Eubanks really stepped up this month. Tres played good but the injury was devastating.

Negatives: The losses were complete trash. By trash I mean they lost to trash teams.

Bowl Preparation Week vs. Northwestern

THE GOOD: Bowl season. The greatest time of the year in sports is upon us, College Football bowl season. No matter what bowl game is on, you can bet that it will be exciting.
THE BAD: No more Carr. This week it hit me that the bowl game will be Austin Carr's last game in a Northwestern uniform. Carr has had a great year completing the journey from walk-on to top three receiver in the country.
THE UGLY: Beginning of the end. The beginning of bowl season means the end of College Football. This has been an extremely exciting year and it is sad to see it end.

Bye Week vs. Northwestern

THE GOOD: Rest. Northwestern get to continue to rest up.
THE BAD: Almost over. The season is nearing its conclusion. Without games Saturday's just won't be the same.
THE UGLY: No game. Even though Northwestern would never have played this week, a week with no game is not the same.

Conference Championship Week vs. Northwestern

THE GOOD: Destination known. Northwestern knows that they will be playing in the New Era Pinstripe Bowl.
THE BAD: No game. It would have been really special if Northwestern could have competed for the Big Ten Championship.
THE UGLY: Not close. Northwestern really wasn't close to winning their division. They need to improve their place in the standings in the future.

Beavers vs. Oregon

Positives: Ryan Nall and Artavis Pierce were unstoppable. The Oregon defense couldn't stop the run. I also like the little option offense they were running with McMaryion and the running back.

Negatives: I feel they had no negatives, but I guess their defense could have done better.








I hate to bring up this question this early for next year.
McMaryion or Garretson?
What is your preference?.... Email me your preferences @  beavcats@gmail.com  

Illinois vs. Northwestern

THE GOOD: Justin Jackson. Jackson continued his outstanding season. In a frustratingly inconsistent season so far, Jackson has consistently been great.
THE BAD: The passing game. Northwestern relied heavily on the running game. Thorson needs to show his improvement.
THE UGLY: Letting up. Northwestern let Illinois back into the game. Northwestern needs to keep up the same effort for sixty minutes if they want to win the bowl game.

Beavers vs. Arizona

Positives: Everything. This is the turning point for the beavers.

Negatives: Nothing.

Northwestern vs. Minnesota

THE GOOD: Anthony Walker Jr.. Walker Jr. was one of two players who looked like they wanted to be on the field, the other being Justin Jackson. Without Walker Jr.'s effort this game would have been a lot worse. He made big plays on defense and on special teams. Everyone on the team needs to look at what Walker Jr. did and emulate it.
THE BAD: The effort. This was by far Northwestern's worst performance of the year. There was no effort and no desire. No one looked like they wanted to be there (except Walker Jr. and Jackson). Northwestern was riddled with poor fundamentals, not wrapping up, dumb penalties, missing easy blocks, just to name a few. The inexplicable lack of desire did not end with the players. Mick McCall, for some unknown reason, continued to call a halfback dive in critical short yardage situations, despite that play having been stopped for negative yards multiple times prior to the short yardage plays. Special Teams was no better. Missed field goals, horrendous punts, and not hustling downfield to down a punt were all dumb and avoidable errors. This is the type of performance that should cost a coaches their jobs. If coaches cannot motivate players to give effort or simply teach them to have good fundamentals, and on top of that continue to make moronic calls, it is time to move on.
THE UGLY: Clayton Thorson. Thorson was atrocious. He was extremely inaccurate, held the ball too long, and did not protect the ball when getting hit. Thorson is too experienced for this garbage. He needs to mature and play like he is capable or Northwestern needs to move on.

Beavers @ UCLA

Sorry this VERY late my account was not cooperating with me.


Positives: The showed they can still score and compete with injures "hurting" them. GET IT!

Negatives: Ryan Nall needs to get on the field and play. These injuries are happening to often. He is sitting out to often.

Northwestern vs. Purdue

THE GOOD: Montre Hartage. Hartage finally showed some improvement. He had two interceptions and had great coverage all game long.
THE BAD: Clayton Thorson. Thorson started off horrendously as he made multiple errant throws. He got it together somewhat in the last three quarters, but he needs to be more consistent.
THE UGLY: Coverage. Other than Hartage Northwestern's defensive backs got beat multiple times. The deep ball hurt Northwestern throughout the game. This needs to be corrected this week in practice.

Beavers @ Stanford

Positives: The defense may have given up 26 points, but I was expecting McCaffrey run all over the beavers for like 300 yards.

Negatives: Offense needs to get more points per game.

Wisconsin vs. Northwestern

THE GOOD: Austin Carr. Carr continued his outstanding season with over 100 yards and a touchdown. Carr continues to be the most consistent player on the team. Northwestern, as a team, needs to begin to play more like he does.
THE BAD: Tackling. For the second straight week Northwestern missed some easy tackles. Fixing this should be a top priority for the coaches' top priority this week.
THE UGLY: Clayton Thorson. After a stretch of great performances, Thorson regressed against Wisconsin. The same inaccuracy and decision making problems that plagued him earlier in the year popped up again. He needs to regroup and get himself back on track.

Northwestern vs. Ohio State

THE GOOD: Clayton Thorson. Thorson continued to improve in this game. He made string throws and showed off his speed. The most impressive thing about Thorson's performance, in my opinion, was his poise under pressure. He made countless strong throws with defenders  closing in on him. This is the most improved aspect of his game.
THE BAD: Tackling. Northwestern missed too many tackles in open space. This is simple fundamentals and needs to be corrected. Northwestern did seem to get better in this area as the game went on.
THE UGLY: The end. Northwestern had a great chance to win this game. The defense allowed Ohio State to march right down the field and take the lead back. After a Northwestern field goal , the defense allowed Ohio State to run the clock out despite having multiple opportunities to get the ball back for the offense. The most notable was a long run on quarterback draw on 3rd & 10. Northwestern needs to become more consistent at finishing games out.

Beavers vs. Washington State

Positives: Ryan Nall was a beast. McMaryion stepped and showed us that he is a good quarterback.

Negatives: Defense. They gave up 2 big passing TD's and one long TD run. They need to stop the long plays.

Beavers @ #5 Washington

Sorry it's late. I was busy

Positives: They managed to score 17 points with their third string QB on #5 Washington. They never backed down.

Negatives: Their defense has to stop the big plays. John Ross was catching long passes all day long.

Indiana vs. Northwestern

THE GOOD: The receivers. All of Northwestern's receivers stepped up. It was not only Austin Carr, although he did score a touchdown. Macan Wilson and Solomon Vault also scored touchdowns. Vault was very impressive as he consistently got open.
THE BAD: The finish. Northwestern played a good first quarter and that's all. The defense did not allow Indiana to score much, but they were the definition of bend but don't break. The offense was atrocious after the first quarter.
THE UGLY: The defensive play calling. Northwestern continued to have their corners sit fifteen yards off the line and allow Indiana to gain ten yards a completion. This strategy is beyond stupid. No team can willingly give up ten yards a play and expect to win. Northwestern also seemed to forget about covering the flats.

Northwestern vs. Michigan State

THE GOOD: Clayton Thorson. Thorson made some great throws and lead the offense down the field. This was the kind of confidence building performance Thorson needed.
THE BAD: The start. Northwestern started very poorly. They cannot continue to do this or it will catch up with them.
THE UGLY: The defense. The defense gave up more than thirty points for the second straight game. This needs to be corrected soon.

Beavers vs Utah

Positives: The defense played great.

Negatives: The offense needs to pass the ball better. Also injuries killed them such as Nall and Garretson.

Beavers vs. California

Positives: The offensive line finally held up together as a whole. Ryan Nall AKA WreckingNall was a beast with 221 yards and 3 TDs. Garretson finally stepped up.

Negatives: The defense can't give up 40+ points consistently.

Bye Week vs. Northwestern

THE GOOD: Rest. Northwestern gets to rest and hopefully get some key players healthy, like Matthew Harris.
THE BAD: The timing. The bye week comes just as it appeared the offense had figured it out; hopefully, they do not lose their rhythm.
THE UGLY: No game. As frustrating as Northwestern games can be, Saturdays just aren't the same without them.

Northwestern vs. Iowa

 THE GOOD: Ifeadi Odenigbo. Odenigbo had the best game of his career. He consistently harassed Iowa's quarterback and was a big part in stopping the run. Odenigbo is becoming the perfect defensive end this year.
THE BAD: The defense. The defense gave up 31 points. This was largely due to bad field position as they held Iowa to a low amount of yardage. They cannot continue to give up this many points, however.
THE UGLY: The kick coverage. No matter who was returning kicks or punts for Iowa, they were ripping off huge returns. Northwestern needs to get this issue fixed or it will hurt them down the line.

Beavers @ Colorado

Positives: nothing

Negatives: everything

Nebraska vs. Northwestern

THE GOOD: Austin Carr. Carr continues to be the only player on Northwestern who consistently plays hard and gets results. Despite Thorson's accuracy problems, Carr has been one of the best receivers in the Big Ten.
THE BAD: Jack Mitchell. This is getting ridiculous.
THE UGLY: The effort. In every game besides one, the win against Duke, Northwestern has looked like they don't care. Last year Northwestern beat a handful of teams that they were not better than because out hustled them and gave more effort. This year's team, however, simply is lazy. In the Kafka and Persa days, Northwestern could stay in a game with anyone because they played harder than every team that stepped on the field against them. Talent didn't matter, Northwestern out hustled and wanted every game more than the other team. This year's team couldn't care less. It has nothing to do with talent, this Northwestern team is by far more talented than the teams Kafka and Persa were quarterbacks for; they just don't care. This was plainly obvious against Nebraska, stupid penalties, lazy arm tackles, not hustling down the field to down punts inside the ten yard line, pulling guards just standing there and not blocking anyone, and many many others are examples of a lack of effort and little to no desire to win. This has to come back to the coaching staff. There play calling is a problem, no doubt, but if they can't even motivate the players to try; they have to go.

Beavers vs Boise State

Positives: Seth Collins played well. Victor Bolden Jr. had a great kick return for 99 yards.


Negatives: Darrel Garretson needs to step up. Ryan Nall needs to play like he did in the civil war. Defense needs to stop the run. Offensive line needs to protect Garretson better.

Reminder

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Beavers vs. Idaho State

I will not be doing a pregame anymore just a postgame on the Sunday after the game.



Positives: The offense and the defense played very well. The defense was forcing turnovers and capitalizing on those turnovers. Darell Garretson was good at escaping pressure and running or passing. Garretson was passing nicely and passed for 172 yards. Victor Bolden Jr. showed that speed of his on that jet sweep he so good at. Also, receiving for 56 yards.

Negatives: Ryan Nall had 39 rushing yards and receiving for -4 yards. He needs to play big against Boise State. Also, the Beavers need to work on tackling because on that long TD run by the Idaho State running back he broke multiple tackles and scored a TD.



Tune in on FS1 on September 24 at 2:30 vs Boise State

Duke vs. Northwestern

THE GOOD: The defense. Anthony Walker Jr. and the Wildcats' D appear to be moving past their poor performance against Western Michigan. Walker Jr.'s forced fumble was one of the key turning points in the game. The defense really carried the Wildcats to the victory against Duke.
THE BAD: Clayton Thorson. While Thorson set his career high in passing yardage, he was atrocious against the blitz. He rarely scrambled and threw far too many balls away. Northwestern's offensive line is bad, so Thorson needs to improve against the blitz.
THE UGLY: Jack Mitchell. Northwestern needs to do something about their kicking game. Mitchell is so inconsistent its almost consistent. Northwestern may need to start going for it more if Mitchell cannot solve his problems.

Illinois State vs. Northwestern

THE GOOD: Nothing.
THE BAD: Everything.
THE UGLY: Everything.

Western Michigan vs. Northwestern

THE GOOD: Justin Jackson was a beast. He crossed the goal-line three times and carried the team. Northwestern will need to continue to give him the ball if they want to have success.
THE BAD: The defensive play calling. The defensive line could not get pressure on the Western Michigan quarterback. Instead of calling a blitz to put pressure on the quarterback, Hankawitz and Fitzgerald continued to only rush four and give the quarterback all the time he needed to find an open receiver.
THE UGLY: The defensive line. The Northwestern defensive line got pushed around all game long. This got in the way of Northwestern's linebackers, making stopping the run very difficult. They also could not get any pass rush. Western Michigan's quarterback could have sat in the pocket all game if he wanted. The defensive line will need to get some push for Northwestern's defense to be successful.

Beavers @ Minnesota Postgame

In the future I will be doing a preview on Friday and a postgame on Sunday. I didn't make a pregame or a postgame on Friday because I was at the game and didn't have access to a computer. Now lets get to the postgame. Now I believe that the 2-10 beavers last season played very well against a big ten team in Minnesota. I think Ryan Nall was HUGE in this game leading the team in rushing and receiving yards with 71 rushing yards and 80 receiving yards. He was not the only one receiving Victor Bolden Jr. had 32 and a TD, Noah Togiai had 31 and a TD, and Seth Collins had 57. The offense was vastly improved from last year and the team as a whole. Their were costly turnovers for the offense with 2 fumbles. One of the fumbles was hard to avoid because Garretson was blind sided very hard. Both turnovers turned into touchdowns. The defense was so-so. In the first and third quarter they held the gophers scoreless. Second and fourth quarters were a different story. The beavers gave up 17 in the second and 13 points in the fourth quarter. If the beavers made tackles and came up big on 3/4 down, down the stretch of the game they would have won.




Tune in on Saturday the 17th against the Idaho State on Pac-12 network.     

Beaver Football Schedule Preview

Oregon State Beavers

Scores & Schedule

Thu, Sep 1	@	Minnesota W		8:00 PM
Sat, Sep 17	vs	Idaho State W		4:00 PM
Sat, Sep 24	vs	Boise State L		TBD
Sat, Oct 1	@	Colorado W		TBD
Sat, Oct 8	vs	California L		TBD
Sat, Oct 15	vs	Utah L		TBD
Sat, Oct 22	@	Washington W		TBD
Sat, Oct 29	vs	Washington State L		TBD
Sat, Nov 5	@	Stanford L		TBD
Sat, Nov 12	@	UCLA L		TBD
Sat, Nov 19	vs	Arizona W		TBD
Sat, Nov 26	vs	Oregon W		TBD

Northwestern Football Top Ten 2015 Highlights #6

#6: Nick VanHoose's 72 yard interception return for touchdown. Northwestern was leading Nebraska 7-5 with 7:32 left in the 2nd quarter. Nebraska quarterback Tommy Armstrong Jr. threw the ball towards the right sideline while he was falling down. VanHoose was there to catch it easily and run it down the sideline for a touchdown.

Northwestern Football Top Ten 2015 Highlights #7

#7: Solomon Vault's 98 yard kickoff return touchdown vs Duke. Northwestern was 7-3 at halftime against Duke. Solomon Vault fielded the kick at the 2 yard line; ran to his left and outran everyone down the left sideline. The blockers in front of Vault set up a perfect alley allowing Vault to run untouched to the house. He also got a key block from Warren Long at the Duke 30 yard line.

Northwestern Football Top Ten 2015 Highlights #8

#8: Clayton Thorson's 16 yard run vs Purdue. On the surface, this play may seem inconsequential, but the circumstances make this play special. Northwestern had played a terrible game up to this point and they were tied at 14 with Purdue. Clayton Thorson had been benched earlier in the game, and soon after coming coming back he faced 3rd and 13 from the Purdue 37 with 6:22 remaining in the game. Thorson took the snap and scrambled to his left; when he got to the line of scrimmage, he cut back to his right. To top it off a defender hit him a yard short of the first down, and Thorson dragged the defender the final four yards to pick up the first down and more.

Beaver Football preview

Last year Oregon State went 2-10. Although in the civil war the beavers showed some promise. They lost 52-42. Seth Collins played outstanding in that game running some trick plays, playing QB, and receiver. Ryan Nall had some big runs and finally a Oregon state running back ran for big time yards. This coming year Oregon state needs to find a quarterback. I don't think Marcus McMaryion will cut it. With Seth Collins playing all over the place and being very athletic is a huge boost. Also adding two four star recruits to the team. I believe the beavers at the least will win 4 games.

Northwestern Football Top Ten 2015 Highlights #9

Sorry for the long delay, but I have been very busy recently, so expect multiple TOP PLAYS per day for the next couple days.

#9: Kyle Queiro's interception and 17 yard return against Stanford. Northwestern was up 16-6 with less than a minute to go against Stanford. Stanford had 3rd & Goal from the Northwestern 5 yard line. Stanford QB Kevin Hogan threw a pass to the left side of the endzone, where Queiro stepped in front of Austin Hooper to intercept the pass. Queiro returned the INT 17 yards before sliding down to seal the upset victory for the Wildcats.

Northwestern Football Top Ten 2015 Highlights #10

Over the next 10 weeks, I will post the top ten plays from Northwestern's 2015 football season (in my opinion). 

#10: Warren Long's 55 yard touchdown run against Duke. Duke had just kicked a field goal to cut the Northwestern lead to 12-10. Then on a 3rd & 1, Warren Long exploded through a huge hole on the right side of the Northwestern line. This (and the extra point) put Northwestern up 19-10, the eventual final score.

Northwestern Football Post Spring Preview

I'M BACK! Sorry for the long break, but I have been very busy lately. In this article I will give a position by position breakdown for Northwestern football this upcoming year.

Quarterback: Clayton Thorson is the man at quarterback. He won ten games as a Redshirt Freshman and there is no reason to believe that he won't be improved next season. Both Thorson and Pat Fitzgerald noted Thorson's greater confidence and improvement as a quarterback.

Justin Jackson "The Ball Carrier"

Running Back: The Ball Carrier. Need I say more? Warren Long will also see carries as he was effective spelling Jackson last year. (John Moten IV has been very impressive throughout spring)
Wide Receiver: Northwestern's worst position. Christian Jones is gone (thankfully?). Solomon Vault (from RB) and Marcus McShepard (from DB) have both moved to wide receiver. Northwestern will rely on their best receiver from last season, Austin Carr, to carry this unit. Flynn Nagel, who showed promise before getting injured last season, will also see a lot of snaps. There is one problem with all the names I just mentioned (except McShepard), THEY ALL PLAY SLOT RECEIVER. In four receiver sets, Carr could be moved outside, but this is not where he is strongest. Another option is leave either Vault or Nagel off the field and put Redshirt Freshman Charlie Fessler or Senior Andrew Scanlan as the other outside receiver.

Solomon Vault on one of his school record 2 Kickoff return TDs last season

Superback: This is the offensive position where Northwestern will suffer the biggest loss. Dan Vitale was a 6th round pick by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Northwestern will lean on Garrett Dickerson to be the superback. Dickerson showed signs of being a good superback when given an opportunity last year (mostly Penn State game). Dickerson will not be Vitale, but he will have a decent year.
Offensive Line: The O-Line will shift and swap positions throughout the year as usual. But I will take my best guess at the Week 1 lineup. There are some guarantees like Blake Hance and Eric Olson at the tackles and Connor Mahoney at one of the guard spots. That leaves the center and one guard spot open. Ian Park will likely start at one of these positions. That leaves Shane Mertz and Brad North to compete for the other spot.

Jordan Thompson may have to move outside to
Defensive End to make the NU defense as good as it can be

Defensive Tackle: Possibly Northwestern's deepest position. Tyler Lancaster, CJ Robbins, and Jordan Thompson are all great starting options. All three played and played well last season. Robbins and Thompson can also play defensive end if need be.
Defensive End: As I mentioned above, Jordan Thompson can play defensive end, and I think he will have to. Xavier Washington will start at one D-End spot. The other one will likely originally go to Ifeadi Odenigbo, but I have zero confidence he can become a two way defensive end. He is a great pass rusher, as is evident by his 5 sacks last season. He, however, will have to learn to stop the run and I don't think he will. This will force Thompson to be the primary end opposite Washington, with Odenigbo coming in for pass rush situations.

The Northwestern defense will again center around Linebacker Anthony Walker Jr.

Linebacker: Northwestern keeps All-American linebacker Anthony Walker Jr.  Nate Hall, who saw some action last year, will also likely start. Jaylen Prater, who started last season before being injured, looks to have been beaten out by Joe Jones for the final starting spot. Cameron Queiro had a very strong spring and could see decent playing time at any of the linebacker spots.
Safety: Godwin Igwebuike returns to lead Northwestern's safeties. Kyle Queiro, who had the game winning interception against Stanford, then broke his arm against Ball State, will start at the other spot. There is no reason not to be confident that Igwebuike and Queiro will be a dynamic duo at safety. Jake Murray, who has been heralded as "The next Brian Peters", will likely also see some action.
Corner Back: Matt Harris will lead the Wildcats' secondary next season. He has been one of the best corners in the Big Ten since stepping on campus, but he has not gotten the recognition he deserved until this offseason. Hard-hitting Junior Keith Watkins II, who started 2 games last season, will start at the other corner. Montre Hartage and Trae Williams will see action in nickel and dime packages.

Below is my projected Depth Chart, Starters in BOLD

Beaver Basketball Season and Football

The Beaver basketball season has been an amazing journey for me. Making the tournament is huge for the program. Even though the Beavs may have lost to VCU it was an amazing season. The future is bright for the beavers. On the other hand, the football team has salvaged 3 four star recruits I'd say the future is big for the beavs.

BeavCast #1

We discuss the Beavers win over the Washington Huskies. We discuss the impact Wayne Tinkle has had on the program. We review some stats; look ahead to the NCAA tournament and where the Beavers may find themselves, and Sean Miller's comments on court-storming.

#gocats

I am a huge Northwestern fan. I have been a Northwestern fan my whole life. I have always wanted to write/talk about Northwestern athletics and this blog is my opportunity. The Wildcats have cause me a very large amount pain throughout my young life. There also have been some great moments. My top three moments (in no order) are: The Ohio State football game in 2013 and College Gameday, the basketball game against Ohio State when Alex Marcotullio hit a late 3 to tie it, and winning the 2013 Taxslayer.com Gator Bowl. I was lucky enough to attend both of those Ohio State games. My favorite all time player is Dan Persa. Currently I would say Anthony Walker Jr. is my favorite player.

#B1GCATS

Go Beavs

Hello. I will primarily be writing about the Oregon State Beavers. Oregon State has been a big part of my life. I began following this team about 2 or 3 years ago. The reason I started liking this team is because I loved how they played, and their nickname stood out from the rest. I also always agreed with the saying "defense wins championships". This why I love Gary Payton and his son Gary Payton II. The beavers have in my opinion one of the best basketball coaches in the league. In his first year he was a semi-finalist for coach of the year. On the other hand, we have the football team who went 2-10 just last season. By far my favorite player was either Storm Woods or Seth Collins, but sadly one transferred and one graduated. The beavs are building for the future.






                                                         Go Beavs!

Inroduction

This blog will primarily used for links to podcasts, but there will be occasional articles posted on here. As you may (or not) have guessed from the title, this blog/podcasts will be primarily about Oregon State and Northwestern athletics. There will likely be other sports and teams mixed in. Thank You and more importantly...

ENJOY!!