The Beavers are looking for revenge.....

The Game:  University of Cincinnati Bearcats at Oregon State University Beavers

The Location: Reser Stadium, Corvallis, Oregon

The Date:  Saturday, September 19, 2009 6:45 PM (television coverage on FSN)

Why to Watch:  To watch two teams that rose from relative unknown status last season to finish with a combined record of 20-7, including a conference championship and BCS bowl bid for the Bearcats.  Cincinnati will travel cross country after facing a tough first against Rutgers (followed by a breather against Southeast Missouri State), while Oregon State should be 2-0 after hosting Portland State and traveling to UNLV.  This will be an interesting out-of-conference match-up showcasing a rare Big East-Pac 10 match-up that could have a lot of intrigue nationally should Cincy have a good showing on Labor Day against the Scarlet Knights. 

History:  Cincinnati and Oregon State have met only once before in program history, with Cincy leading the series 1-0-0.  Cincinnati hosted Oregon State at Nippert Stadium on Thursday night September 6th, 2007 in a game to forget for the Beavers.  After tying the score at 3-3 on a 2nd quarter field goal, the Bearcats hung 31 unanswered points on the Beavers in a 34-3 victory. OSU QB's Sean Canfield and Lyle Moevao each threw 3 picks and the Beavers turned the ball over 7 times in the rout.

OSU and Cincy will tangle for just the 2nd time in history in 2009

The Breakdown:  How easily we seem to forget that Oregon State was one game away (an absolute pasting in the Civil War against Oregon) from being the Pac-10 champ and spoiling that USC-Penn State Rose Bowl match-up.  OSU started out a disappointing 0-2, but steamrolled an unsuspecting #1 USC on a Thursday night in Corvallis, leading a great turnaround to a 9-4 record.  The 2009 version of Oregon State is a fringe Top 25 heading into the season.  The reason why they are on the fringe and not higher is the loss on the defensive side of the ball.  The Beavers return just 3 starters from last year's team that ranked 23rd in total defense in the NCAA.  That being said, the offense returns two of the most explosive players in the nation in the Rodgers brothers, Jacquizz and James.  Jacquizz became the first true freshman to be named as the Pac-10 conferences offensive player of the year after rushing for 1253 yards and 11 touchdowns, but injuries towards the end of the season caused him to miss the last 2 games.  His brother James caught 51 passes last year for 601 yards and 4TD's and his numbers should go up with QB Lyle Moevao back for his 3rd season under center.  The kicking game needs to improve as K Justin Kahutwas 16-24 on field goal attempts last season, a stat that needs to be addressed, especially for a team that tends to find itself in a lot of close games.

Raise your hand if you had Cincinnati pegged as your 2008 Big East Champions.  Liar.  The Bearcats came out of nowhere to take the Big East by storm with a 6-1 conference record.  Cincinnati got crushed by Oklahoma in week 2 (52-26, but who didn't get crushed by the Sooners), but rebounded to win 4 straight games before hitting a speed bump against UConn.  The crowning moment for the Bearcats was their overtime victory over West Viriginia where they blew a 13 point lead with1:11 left only to score on a 2 yard Tony Pike TD pass in the 1st overtime.  Fresh off their Orange Bowl appearance, Cincinnati has to deal with the defection of 10 starters from the defensive side of the ball.  When you lose that much talent on one side of the ball, especially in the secondary where they had been particularry solid (Mickens, Underwood, etc.) you never know how the replacements will respond.  But what CIncinnati will be sure of is that the offense will produce points, and produce them in bunches.  After going through 5 QB's last season, Tony Pike emerged as the go-to guy and proved that he will be the team leader, as long as he can remain healthy.  Last year Pike passed for 2407 yards and 19 TD's while missing significant action with a broken forearm that he suffered in the Akron game.  Pike has one of the Big East's biggest offensive weapons in Mardy Gilyard the talented speedster who averages close to 16 yards per catch and scored 11 touchdowns last season.  If the defense can get off the field, the Bearcats will be a dangerous team on the offensive side of the ball, and could repeat as Big East champs in 2009.

Interesting Fact:  Oregon State has been a slow starter but a fast finisher under Head Coach Mike Riley.  The Beavers are 22-5 in October, November, and December from 2006-2008 trailing only USC (21-4) in terms of late season play.  Luckily for Cincinnati, this game falls in September.

Prediction:  Cincinnati will already have 2 games under it'sbelt, but playing the Rodgers brothers with an experienced defense is a chore in itself.  With 10 starters still getting their footing, Jacquizz and James will run wild in Corvallis and get revenge for 2007's disgrace at Nippert.  Oregon State cements itself as a legitimate Top 25 team at 3-0, while Cincinnati tries to find itself (especially on the defensive side of the ball).

Oregon State 31  Cincinnati 17

We'll have game #21 for you tomorrow.....

Previous Games:

#25:  Army vs. Navy

#24:  USC vs. Notre Dame

#23:  Ohio State vs. Michigan