Oregon State’s highly-ranked unit must focus on fundamentals

Guessing what the University of Oregon football team will do on offense in the Civil War creates intrigue.

Oregon State’s defense faces a mystery because the Ducks are forced to go with seldom-used Cody Kempt and Justin Roper at quarterback after 10 games with Dennis Dixon as the starter.

A knee injury ended Dixon’s season Nov. 15 at Arizona, and then an ankle injury sidelined well-groomed backup Brady Leaf last Saturday at UCLA.

How No. 18 Oregon makes up for the loss of a former front-running Heisman Trophy candidate will make the difference in Saturday’s game in Autzen Stadium.

“You have got to be versatile in your preparation,” OSU coach Mike Riley said. “It makes it a little bit of a question mark with the way they are going to head with it. We have to adjust to what they are doing. They have another week to look at this team without Dennis Dixon and we have to see what they come up with.”

Oregon (8-3, 5-3) found success using a spread option offense with a mobile Dixon making plays with his arm and feet. The Beavers (7-4, 5-3) have seen that offense several times in the last two seasons.

It’s similar to what Missouri, Utah and Washington run. So they are prepared for it, and some on the team are disappointed not seeing the Ducks at full strength. Others don’t mind.

“We’d like to think any team would have trouble against our defense,” defensive end Slade Norris said. “It’s still going to be a tough game, especially at their place. But any time the starting quarterback is out, you are excited because of the less experience (of the backup).”

Defensive coordinator Mark Banker teaches his players the opponent’s offense each week, so they know what to expect in each situation. It’s more a review this week.

Now he’s preparing them for two different types of quarterbacks, a runner and pocket passer, both of which he has seen very little. Then there’s the chance that running back Andre Crenshaw may take direct snaps.

“In this situation, we just have to prepare for their offense and go from there,” Banker said. “At the same time we have to mentally be able to adjust as the game progresses. They have a philosophy and what they do. If they are going to install something out of the ordinary, then that’s what they do. But they have time invested in what they do offensively.”

While it may seem useless to study the Ducks in early games with Dixon at quarterback, Banker believes tendencies can be analyzed.

He understood their game plan last weekend without Dixon, and how they used all the quarterbacks. It was similar to what was done with Dixon and Leaf, but more simplistic.

The Ducks could lean on standout running back Jonathan Stewart more. He averages 118 yards a game, but his shoulder and toe injuries hurt his production. He ran for 33 yards on 13 carries last weekend.

“We have a lot of respect for the talent on that team,” Riley said. “Dennis Dixon was a tremendous force for them, but they have a lot of guys who made a lot of plays, including their running back.”

Oregon cut back on its passing game early last weekend without Dixon, so the running game will play an important role for the offense.

If the Ducks fall behind and are forced to pass most of the time, the Beavers can unleash a pass rush. That scenario with untested quarterbacks fits into OSU’s style.

The Beavers are first in the nation in rush defense, allowing 64 yards a game, and 13th in overall defense. They are also third in sacks and eighth in tackles for lost yardage.

“I think what they’ll do, they’ll do their best to help out their people,” Banker said. “Whoever the quarterback is, they’ll play to his strength. They still have Stewart. You have to stop him and Jaison Williams is still out there at wide out. The offensive line is the same crew.”

It appears the Beavers have a significant advantage when their defense is on the field. However, they plan to be cautious.

Anything can happen in a rivalry game.

“We have to be ready for everybody they have,” Norris said. “We’ve faced all those styles of quarterbacks before, so we are ready for anything. If we play our game, we should be fine.”