Tonight's game between SUC (excuse my selective dyslexia) and Oregon State will be closer than 'the experts' or cocky SoCal-ers may think. Consider the last two games in Corvalis:

In 2004, the Beavers also started 1-2, and entered the game against USC with 4 losses. The final was a 28-20 win by SC, but the Beavers jumped out to an early 13-0 lead and hung tough until about 7 minutes left in the game.

In 2006, the Beavers entered the game with 3 losses. The Beavers forced 4 turnovers, and led by as many as 23, though SC stormed back and had the chance to tie it on a 2-pt conversion. The final score was 33-31.

Last I heard, the line for this game was SC by 24....not a chance. This game will be close, and the Beavers may very well have a chance to pull of a monumental upset yet again. In order for them to pull it off, there are a few things that have to happen:

1-Win the turnover battle. They cannot settle for even, as the 2004 game (which featured an SC team that is comparable to this year's version)--in that game both teams turned it over 3 times. In 2006, the Beavers forced 4 turnovers, and did not return the favor--that was the difference in that game.

2-Take an early lead. One thing both of the aforementioned contests had in common was that the Beavers looked impressive early, and forced the Trojans to play catch-up. This does a couple of things...it takes away the dimension of the run game since they will have to throw a lot more, especially if they take a two-score lead early. It also gets the crowd into it, and the Beavers have a great home-crowd.

3-Keep everything in front of them on defense. You know the cliches..."bend but don't break" and "You can't stop them, you can only hope to contain them." That should be the attitude of the defensive coaching staff. Force them to throw WR screens and make the tackles. Do not leave your corners on an island with any of SC's receivers. Play the deep ball and tackle.

4-Pressure the QB. Credit has to be given to the SC O-Line, Sanchez has been able to skate by without much contact. It is yet to be seen if he can maintain his composure when he's hit in the mouth a couple of times. I say blitz early, especially with a lead. Take a chance to lay a good hit on him, then mess with his head the rest of the night.

5-Just don't be intimidated. Ohio State looked downright cowardly against SC. In fact there aren't many Pac-10 teams that show that swagger that the Trojans show. Get right in their faces, don't back down, hit them with ill-intentions, and watch the shock in their eyes.

Overall, I think SC will probably pull it out with a late touchdown or two, but the game will be a good one. Still, I am gonna go out on a limb here and say Oregon State wins 38-34 with a late game-winning drive bid ended on an INT by Sanchez.