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Oregon State vs California
PAC 10 Football Betting Action
11/7/09
This California football team has really bounced back from back to back
losses to Oregon and USC. Since those losses the Bears are 3-0 with wins over
UCLA, Washington State, and Arizona State. They have found a way to get their
star RB Jahvid Best back involved in this offense, and it has made a big
difference. We are now seeing why this Cal Bear team had so much hype
surrounding it in the preseason. They need to continue with this momentum to
close out this year strong, and that starts this Saturday against a very good
Oregon State team.
Oregon State was one win away from a Pac 10 title and berth in the Rose Bowl
before losing to Oregon in the last game of the season, and while they haven’t
had that same success this year they have still been playing some very good
football. They are 5-3 on the year, but two of those losses were to USC and
Cincinnati both of which have been Top 5 teams this year. They are coming into
this game off a 26-19 victory over UCLA, and are playing with a lot of
confidence which should make for a great game Saturday.
PRIMETIME MATCHUP
It is no secret that the Cal Bears are going to want to get the ball to Jahvid
Best early and often. When they commit to giving best the ball this is a
different offense. It was obvious that that was their game plan after losing
back to back games, and because of it they are 3-0 since. In the two games that
Best rushed for over 100 yards in that 3-0 stretch the Bears won those games
45-26 and 49-17. In his last game he only rushed for 63 yards, and Cal narrowly
escaped with a 23-21 victory over Arizona State. It’s obvious that when the
Bears open up holes for Best and he gets things going early this Cal team is
very difficult to defeat. When the opposing defense wins the battle in the
trenches and gets penetration and Best struggles so does this Cal team. This
Oregon State defense has average this year, but their strength is defending the
rush.
The Oregon State defense gives up 380 yards per game, but only 108 of those
yards come from the rushing game which is good news since they are going up
against arguably the best RB in the country this Saturday. We expect that
whoever is able to win the battle in the trenches will have a very good chance
at getting the victory.
THE FINAL VERDICT
The key to this game is Jahvid Best and his offensive line. Cal is averaging 196
yards per game on the ground, so expect them to try and establish the run early
and often. If they are able to get things going early with Best it will open up
the passing game for Cal QB Kevin Riley. Riley has really benefited from Best’s
recent success. In Cal’s 3-0 stretch he is averaging 262 yards per game and has
thrown 8 TD’s and just 1 INT. If Best is able to get it going early on, and
Riley is able to use the play action pass this passing attack should have no
problem moving the ball vertically on the Oregon State defense.
The Beaver defense is giving up 272 yards per game through the air. While the
Oregon State defense has been great against the run all year, they have not had
to go up against a RB as good as this one. We expect RB Jahvid Best to have a
very good day on the ground, and if he has a good day that means QB Kevin Riley
will also have a good day, and Cal will extend their win streak to 4-0.
California -7
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