Bombs away may be the order for the Oregon State offense when itbattles LSU tomorrow in Tiger Stadium at 5 p.m. on ESPN.
The Beavers led the PAC-10 Conference in passing offense andwere ranked sixth in the NCAA with 328.1 yards per game through theair last season. OSU quarterback Derek Anderson returns as theBeavers’ gunslinger in 2004 and hopes to build on lastseason’s success.
“We run the ball quite a bit,” Anderson said.”But we pass a little more than we run.”
The Beavers passed almost three times more than they ran lastseason with 134.9 yards per game on the ground. But, four ofOSU’s five top receivers are gone, including wide receiverJames Newson, who led the Beavers with 1,306 receiving yards lastseason.
Anderson said junior Mike Hass, who amassed 1,013 receivingyards last season, should provide a stable passing game for theBeavers in 2004. He also scored seven touchdowns for OSU.
Hass said the continuity Anderson provides at quarterback makeshis transition as a leader on offense a little smoother.
“It’s nice to build off last year and not to startover with a new quarterback,” Hass said. “I think wehad a lot of weapons last year, and we’ve lost a lot oftalent from last year’s team. Hopefully, we can be as goodthis season.”
Beavers cornerback Aric Williams said Hass might not be the bestathlete on the team, but he has the extra effort it takes to makebig plays.
“He’s not the fastest receiver we have,”Williams said. “He goes up and has great hands. He makes alot of plays.”
At the beginning of fall camp OSU coach Mike Riley said playersother than Hass had to step up at receiver. Riley said he has foundsuch players since in George Gillett and Josh Hawkins, who both hadless than 10 receptions last season.
“I think the talent at receiver is good,” Riley saidat his Tuesday press conference. “There have been some guysstep forward, and I think through this process we haven’tonly solidified who is going to start but also guys who are goingto play in the ballgames.”
Anderson also said he is ready to face the Tigers’defense, which ranked first in the nation last season. He saidLSU’s cornerback tandem of Corey Webster and Travis Daniels,who ranked second and fourth in the nation, respectively lastseason on defending passes, strikes no fear in his heart.
“For me, practices are good because we’ve got a gooddefense as well,” Anderson said. “Plus we played[Southern California] last year and other PAC-10offenses.”
Daniels said playing against a great passing offense gives theTigers’ defensive backfield a chance to showcase its talent.But, he said the Tigers will see nothing new on Saturday becauseGeorgia and Florida run similar offenses in the SoutheasternConference.
“We’re just getting ready for whatever,”Daniels said. “If they want to run it every down, thenwe’re just going to have to buckle our chin straps up and getrolling. If they want to throw it then we’re just going tohave to be all over them.”