Oregon State - Utah Kick Off 2007 Season Tonight

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Image courtesy: OSU Athletics

(CORVALLIS, Ore. ) - The 111th season of Oregon State football begins Thursday when the Beavers host the Utah Utes of the Mountain West Conference. Kickoff is set for 7:02 p.m. PDT.

The game will be played at the new-look Reser Stadium and is one of only two in the opening week that features a matchup between 2006 bowl teams -- OSU played in the Brut Sun Bowl last season and Utah in the Armed Forces Bowl (the other is Oklahoma State at Georgia).

OSU is undefeated in August (3-0), but it has never faced a Football Bowl Subdivision (formerly D-I) club.

Oregon State received 42 votes in the initial Associated Press Top 25 Poll and 52 votes in the USA Today/Coaches Poll -- placing it eighth in the “also receiving votes” category.

The Beavers rallied in 2006 to finish No. 21 in the AP, and No. 22 in the USA Today and Bowl Championship Series (BCS) polls.

Both programs in this Thursday’s contest are used to successful seasons and bowl wins.

Utah has the second-longest active bowl win streak (6 games) and Oregon State is tied for the fourth-longest active win streak (3 games/longest in Pac-10).

Boston College has the longest win streak at seven.

Beaver head coach Mike Riley has never lost a bowl game (6-0) -- 3-0 at OSU and 3-0 at USC as offensive coordinator.

QUARTERBACK DUO:
For the first time in modern history and the first time during the Mike Riley era, Oregon State heads into the opener with alternating quarterbacks.

Sophomore left-hander Sean Canfield (8 games in ‘06) will start (his first) the game with sophomore Lyle Moevao (MOY-vow) entering at the beginning of the second quarter -- if Canfield is leading the team on a drive he may stay in the game.

The decision for the third and fourth quarters will be made at halftime.

Canfield, who is right-handed except as a QB and in ping pong, is the first lefty to start a game for OSU since Terrance Bryant Oct. 24, 1998 at Washington.

Both signal-callers have distinctvely different styles -- Canfield (6-4, 218) is a pro-style pocket passer with some mobility, while Moevao (5-11, 226) is more of a scrambler and “quick hits” style passer.

Riley anticipates using both quarterbacks in a similar fashion Sept. 6 at Cincinnati or until one establishes himself as the top option.

HE HAS EXPERIENCE WITH THIS:
Beaver mentor Mike Riley has experience and success using the two-quarterback system.

In 1995 as offensive coordinator at USC, the tandem of Brad Otton and Kyle Wacholtz led the Trojans to the co-Pac-10 title and in 1988 as head coach of Winnipeg the Blue Bombers won the Grey Cup title.

STARTING QB:
Thursday’s game will mark only the third time since 2002 Oregon State has opened the season with a first-year starting quarterback.

Derek Anderson (Cleveland Browns) was the durable starter from 2002-04 and Matt Moore (Dallas Cowboys) started all but one game during the 2005 and ‘06 seasons.

Granted, sophomores Sean Canfield and Lyle Moevao will likely see a tougher defense than Anderson saw in 2002 (Eastern Kentucky) and Moore in 2005 (Portland State), but here is how those two faired in their first starts: Anderson -- 15-26, 345 yds, 3 tds, 0 int. Moore -- 26-38, 367 yds, 4 tds, 1 int.

STREAKS:
Oregon State enters the contest winners of eight of its last nine games, and has the Pac-10’s longest active win streak at four games.

CHALLENGING OPENER:
This is the first time Oregon State has opened the season at home against a FBS (Div. I) member since hosting Nevada to open the 1998 season.

THIS WILL BE TESTED:
The Beavers have won 22 consecutive non-conference games at home and head coach Mike Riley is a perfect 13-0 at Reser Stadium against non-Pac-10 foes.

However Thursday’s game figures to be one of the tougher foes during that streak that includes wins over Boise State (twice), Eastern Washington (twice), Idaho, Portland State, New Mexico, New Mexico State, Sacramento State, Fresno State (twice), Baylor, Nevada, UNLV, Eastern Kentucky, Northern Arizona, San Diego State, Georgia Southern, San Jose State, Northern Illinois, Utah State and North Texas.

TOUGH TO CATCH:
Oregon State is 33-5 when it leads after three quarters with Mike Riley as the head coach. Over the last three seasons, the Beavers are 20-1 (only loss was to LSU).