Keaton Kristick must control his excitement this week for his own good.

The senior outside linebacker for the Oregon State football team is coming off the worst stinger of his career, suffered last Saturday night against Arizona.

Kristick, who has had several stingers over his career, will ease back into practice this week and should be ready for Saturday's game at Arizona State when the Beavers face his hometown team.

"Everything blacked out," Kristick said Tuesday of the stinger. "That was by far the worst I've ever had. I usually get excited when things go numb. That means you are hitting hard. But that was one of the scariest moments I've had."

Kristick collided with the ball carrier head on. Neither got up right away and both needed help off the field. Kristick was able to return.

He doesn't plan on wearing a neck brace for extra protection, but hopes rest will help him feel better. Kristick expects to play his usual aggressive style.

"I feel all right," he said. "I feel ready, excited and motivated. It's a big game for us. I'll be ready for the game."

The 20-25 family and friends who are planning to attend the contest will provide extra motivation for Kristick, who grew up close to the Tempe campus in nearby Fountain Hills.

He was recruited by the Sun Devils, but they were slow to offer him a scholarship. That led to him jumping at OSU's offer.

"This is an opportunity I've been looking forward to since I came here," Kristick said. "I drove by the stadium every day going to high school. I can't wait."

More homecomings

Besides Kristick, there are five other Beavers from the Phoenix area who will be playing before family and friends this weekend. Running back Jovan Stevenson is from Tucson.

The five are offensive tackle Geoff Garner (Mesa), defensive tackle Mitchel Hunt (Chandler), linebacker Rueben Robinson (Chandler), offensive guard Rory Ross (Phoenix) and receiver Markus Wheaton (Chandler).

Losing streak

The Beavers hope to break their two-game losing streak, but Sun Devil Stadium hasn't been a kind venue: they have lost 16 straight to Arizona State in Tempe. The last win came in 1969.

They were victorious their first three times in the stadium, and haven't won since. An asterisk to that is the Beavers 2001 Fiesta Bowl victory there over Notre Dame.

"I know our record down there hasn't been very good," coach Mike Riley said. "The old saying is we are due."

Top dogs

The Beavers lead the conference in passing with 255.8 yards a game. Arizona State has the best pass defense, allowing 136.7 yards a game. The Sun Devils also lead the Pac-10 in total defense at 211.0 yards a game.

Both teams share the conference lead in red zone efficiency. They are 15-for-16 when getting inside the opponent's 20-yard line.

More numbers

The Beavers lead the Pac-10 in first downs with 87. They are last in third-down percentage defense at 43.1 percent (22-for-51), punt return average (3.4 yards), sacks allowed (15) and are tied for last in sacks with Arizona State with two.