Commentary

There are few better things in football than a great defense. Defense may win championships, but it’s also pretty darn fun to watch a team shut down an opponent. To chase quarterbacks down. To dump running backs in the backfield.

To play with swagger.

That’s what Oregon State did last week in a 24-7 win over Utah in the season opener.

The Beavers left the Utes in shambles.

The Beavers throttled the Utah running game, holding the Utes to 18 yards, and gave little ground through the air, save one or two big plays.

OSU players swarmed the Utah ball carriers and their aggressive tackling resulted in two big setbacks for the Utes when quarterback Brian Johnson and running back Matt Asiata were knocked out of the game.

The injuries had a more unfortunate long-term effect: Johnson is out for several weeks with a separated shoulder and Asiata is done for the season with a broken leg.

Second-string quarterback Tommy Grady struggled and the Utes looked listless and tentative for the rest of the game.

The Beavers were not playing to take those two out, but they were looking to suck the life out of the Utes offense.

OSU cornerback Brandon Hughes said the Beavers wanted to take Utah’s soul away.

They did just that.

A good defense intimidates. It makes coaches think twice about running certain plays and allows doubt to creep into the heads of opposing players.

Oregon State fans have seen this before. The defenses of the Dennis Erickson era never let up. The aggressive, flying-to-the-football style became the norm at Reser Stadium.

Erickson loved speed at linebacker and players such as Richard Seigler, Nick Barnett, James Allen and Darnell Robinson thrived in his system.

The 2000 team had the perfect blend of talent for Erickson’s defense. Along with the linebackers, the Beavers had sack machines at defensive end in LaDairis Jackson and DeLawrence Grant, solid tackles in Eric Manning, Ryan Atkinson and Dwan Edwards and a shutdown cornerback in Dennis Weathersby.

The destruction of Notre Dame in the Fiesta Bowl that year is legend around the country and it was the defense that did the damage.

The images that stick in people’s minds are that of the defensive ends running down quarterback Matt LoVecchio and slamming him to the turf.

That and 18 penalty flags.

The flags don’t fly as often now that Erickson is gone. That doesn’t mean the Beavers can’t play with an edge. They did against Utah.

A strong defense is key for the Beavers right now. They need room to grow on offense with a new quarterback and other personell adjustments.

“We would like to help them out every game,” OSU linebacker Joey LaRocque said. “If they don’t have to worry about catching up to a team that is 20 points ahead of them in the second quarter, it’s only going to help them.”

Cincinnati will bring a wide-open passing offense that will test the Beavers.

OSU coach Mike Riley acknowledged the Beavers have had their share of struggles against similar offenses in the past.

This defense has a remedy.

“I think our compensation, frankly though, is speed,” Riley said. “If we’re playing with our speed and confidence in where we are then you have a better chance to get more people to the football and that’s what we did against Utah.”

Are they as good as that Fiesta Bowl team? Well, these Beavers have many of the same ingredients.

They have the linebackers, defensive ends and backfield.

They have the speed, attitude and aggression.

And for one game, at least, they had the swagger.

Kevin Hampton is a Gazette-Times reporter. He can be reached at kevin.hampton@lee.net.