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<< Previous   of   Next >>   ADVERTISEMENT   CONTACT THE HERALD Report scores and results to 425-339-3470 or 1-866-6-SCORES (Call after 4:30 p.m.) E-mail information including items for Tuesday's Communities Sports Roundup and Thursday's Outdoor Calendar, to sports@heraldnet.com Kevin Brown, Sports Editor kbrown@heraldnet.com   Published: Saturday, October 11, 2008 College football: Beavers not taking Cougars lightly Associated Press CORVALLIS, Ore. -- Oregon State is quite familiar with being a big underdog and coming away with a big upset. So the Beavers are plenty wary of Washington State. The Beavers last month beat top-ranked USC despite being a 25-point underdog. Now, the Beavers are favored by even more than that to beat struggling Washington State on Saturday. "We'll treat this like any other game," Oregon State quarterback Lyle Moevao said. "Treat them like they're USC. Treat them like they're Penn State. We just have to have another week of good practices and come out on game day and do the same." But it's hard not to notice what Washington State (1-5, 0-3 Pacific-10 Conference) lacks. The offensive woes are especially glaring. The Cougars rank 113th out of the 119 teams in the BCS in scoring, averaging 16.3 points per game -- but even that number was boosted by the 48 points they scored in their lone victory against Portland State, which plays in a lower division. Washington State is averaging 193 passing yards a game, with 13 interceptions. The team is averaging just 105 yards on the ground, 103rd in the nation. The defense has given up 157 points in three conference games. The run defense has been particularly inadequate, allowing 240 yards per game. Granted, first-year coach Paul Wulff's team has been beset by injuries, most notably at quarterback. The top two QBs, Gary Rogers and Kevin Lopina, were knocked out by injuries in the Portland State game. Now Washington State is starting freshman Marshall Lobbestael, and even had to hold open tryouts for a scout team quarterback. "If we can (move the ball), maybe get a few TOs, and take care of the ball, then we've got a chance to be in the game," Wulff said. "And if we've got a chance to be in the game, we've got a chance to win the game." It might be tough for the Cougars to get those turnovers. The Beavers have given up the ball just six times this season, fewest in the Pac-10. After the stunning victory over USC, Oregon State (2-3, 1-1) lost 31-28 in the last moments to No. 15 Utah. The Utes staged an 11-point rally in the final minute-and-half, capped by Louie Sakoda's 37-yard field goal as time expired. "I mean it definitely hurts. I think the biggest thing is to just remember what happened that game -- we didn't finish," defensive end Slade Norris said. "We need to take the lesson and move on. It's going to help us more than hurt us because we did learn from that game and we're not going to let it happen again." Oregon State has gotten a lot of national attention because of true freshman running back Jacquizz Rodgers, who simply confounded the Trojans. The diminutive Rodgers leads the conference and ranks 14th nationally with an average of 110 yards a game. Moevao is averaging 280.4 passing yards a game, topping the Pac-10. He said the Beavers' running game has helped him. "Offensively, we've been pretty good so far in establishing the run game early on and being able to come out with some passes," he said. "I think it's important for us as an offense to keep that balance going between our run game and our passing game." The Beavers beat Washington State 52-17 last season in Pullman, Wash., a year after the Cougars won 13-6 at Reser Stadium in 2006. The Beavers have won their last five games at home. A victory this weekend would be Riley's 50th as head coach at Oregon State.

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