Going into his 12th year as HC at Oregon State, Mike Riley has established a reputation as a consistently good coach, who get a lot out of his talent while running a very clean program. The results have varied however, and he is coming off a 3-9 campaign last season, that he no doubt will try an improve on.
SO QB, Sean Mannion will go into his second year leading this team. Looking at history would make you think that this should be a breakout year for him, as it seems that most QBs of the Mike Riley era dramatically improve running the offense for their second year. It happened with guys like Derek Anderson and Matt Moore, and now Sean Mannion is in that position. Traditionally however, Oregon State has had a rock solid running game to lean on, and this year I'm not sure. SO Malcolm Egnew is talented, albeit fumble prone. But more than that, he has been inconsistent. He has had some very nice games, but has also gone through some stretches where he has struggled. If this team is going to compete in a very talented Pac 12, they will need to get more prolific, consistent production from Egnew. He is only going into his SO season though, so he definitely still has the chance to develop. At receiver, the Beavers have lost their top receiver and top TE from a year ago, but the guys that remain are still pretty good. WR Markus Wheaton really improved between his SO and JR years, and if he replicates that this off-season, his SR season this year could be quite nice. His counterpart, SR Jordan Bishop is another nice piece to the puzzle. Up front, the team has some returning talent, but none better than JR OT Michael Phillipp. If Phillipp can stay healthy this season, he could be poised to be one of the better OTs in the whole Pac 12, and that could raise the play of everyone around him.
Defensively, this team has some nice players too, but as a group, they lack the true outstanding leader they really need. SO DE Scott Crichton came out of no where last year to have a very good FR campaign. There were times where he was simply unblockable, and that is a good sign for a player who still has room to develop. If SR DT Castro Masaniai can return to from after his injury plagued 2012, these guys will be a formidable combination. The linebackers will be led by SR MLB Feti Unga. In Riley's defense the MLB is supposed to make a lot of plays, but because of a rash of injuries to this group, no MLB stood out last year. With some improved health, Unga could help turn things around. Along side Unga is one of my favorite player, OLB Michael Doctor. Doctor is a quick, instinctive linebacker, with a nose for the football. I like his energy, and his attitude, and I think he will put up some good number during his JR campaign this season. In the secondary SR CB Jordan Poyer will be the guy looked to. Poyer is a decent cover corner, but certainly not elite. He will struggle with some of the top talent at wide out in this conference if he is left on an island. Unfortunately, that is how this defense is designed. He will make some plays too, but the Beavers need to figure out a way to not leave themselves exposed in defending the pass.
Oregon State has been a well run program over the last decade, but they have not built the kind of power roster that would keep them up with the likes of the conference's elite. Being well coached always helps, but some of the guys on this team are going to need to step up their game if this team is to be successful. Despite still lacking in talent and depth in a few areas, I am calling for an improvement over last years 3 win season.
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