FanHouse Yvenson Bernard

As is the norm, there are big names who have moved on down the road in the Pac 10. From bowl-winning QB's to standout running backs, the list is a long one. But clearly one of the most exciting things about an upcoming season of college football is always the element of the unknown. What young players are waiting in the wings? What hotshot recruit with all the whispers that he is going to be special will finally be unleashed for public consumption? But as is usually the case, the young replacements come in to take the spots of some pretty established players who leave a large body of work behind them. With that, we look at the five biggest Pac 10 shoes that must be filled and the candidates to replace them.

JOHN DAVID BOOTY, QB, USC

The QB position for USC is always a glamor spot, and a perfect place to start. John David Booty came into the 2007 season as everyone's Heisman favorite, and for good reason. Booty was coming off a 2006 breakthrough performance, throwing for over 3300 yards and 29 TD's. But while USC went 11-2, won a share of the conference title, and Booty capped off his senior season with a fine performance in a Rose Bowl blowout of Illinois, still, things didn't quite work out. He threw for nearly 1,000 fewer yards in 2007 than he had the prior year. A broken finger on his throwing hand had a lot to do with it, and he even missed three games due to the injured digit. But that said, Booty was more about stats. He was a leader and a winner, and could be more difficult to replace than originally thought. This year we find out if Mark Sanchez is the answer. Or will we? Sanchez, as was reported last week, suffered a dislocated knee cap during non-contact drills. While still not 100% officially ruled out for the season opener at Virginia, the latest report has his status very much up in the air. Meanwhile, Arkansas transfer Mitch Mustain and redshirt frosh Aaron Corp will run the offense in a job that suddenly appears wide open. It could be worse though. Mustain didn't go completely bananas at Arkansas, throwing for a modest 894 yards in eight starts as a true frosh year in 2006. But he did go a perfect 8-0 as a starter, so, he's got that going for him. Which is good.

If you thought the officiating was bad in last year's Oregon-Oklahoma game, the Pac Ten officials have taken incompetence to a new level in last week's Washington-Oregon State game, and Pac Ten Commissioner Tom Hansen is not amused:

"Our review of the game included study of the game tape by Coordinator of Football Officiating Dave Cutaia, Director of Instant Replay Verle Sorgen, football administrator Jim Muldoon and me, review of game reports from the officiating crew and instant replay officials, communications with the two institutions and follow-up communications with the referee of the game.

"We regret that there was flagrant misconduct on the part of some players which led to four ejections from the game, that there was an injury to Washington quarterback Jake Locker which increased the emotions of the players and that the instant replay crew failed to stop the game to review the play at the goal line with just under three minutes to play. On the play, it was ruled Oregon State's Yvenson Bernard fumbled. However, it appeared his knee had touched the ground before he lost the ball...

"We do believe the instant replay officials did not perform properly on the Bernard fumble play. There was human error in that while reviewing the available replays the crew failed to notify the game officials to stop play before the ball was snapped for the next play. It was not the fault of the equipment. The game should have been stopped and the play reviewed. The members of the IR crew have been reprimanded."

Life can get in the way of playing a game, and that's obviously what's happening with Sammie Stroughter. With three people very close to Stroughter passing away over the last year, it became clear that football just wasn't a high priority - for now. It's not inconceivable that Stroughter could return to the team at any moment, but that's a story for the 2008 season, not for 2007.

How is the team taking the fact that their biggest home-run threat at WR and in the return game will not be on the field this year? It's been an emotional blow for the team, losing a player so universally respected and loved by his teammates. What makes the situation a little more difficult is the pressure to replace him is going to fall to an unproven commodity in junior WR Chris Johnson (pictured), a guy who caught only four balls for all of 2006 as a JC transfer. Johnson does have good size for the position (6-1, 187) and head coach Mike Riley has been raving about Johnson's step forward thus far in camp. He does have good speed and has shown at least in flashes a good ability to get deep. At least Yvenson Bernard believes the team will be able to deal with the loss without too much of a hit:

Bernard said the Beavers can go on without their star wide receiver and still have a successful season. "To be honest with you, I feel like we have enough depth,'' he said. "I mean, I probably couldn't say that a few years ago when I was a freshman. But we have a lot of talent (at wide receiver) and I think C.J. has been doing a wonderful job.''

Now does Johnson have to come in and be Sammie "lite"? Of course not. Nobody can fill Stroughter's shoes. Instead, more pressure is going to fall on everyone else, from WR's Brandon Powers and Anthony Brown, and obviously, Johnson. But as the QB situation never resolving itself with Riley announcing a two-QB system to begin the season, plus the loss of the biggest playmaker on the roster, there is little doubt the Beavers are going to run, run, and run some more as they lean on the biggest strength of the team.

First, a disclaimer. This preview was originally put together a couple of weeks ago, under the guise that one very key member of the Oregon State program would be a starter and major factor: Sammie Stroughter. While there still is no official word on the explosive WR's status, he's now been away from the team for 10 days, and counting, and no idea if/when we'll get an announcement. The Oregonian has been on top of the situation, and while Sammie made a cameo appearance at the team's scrimmage yesterday, he didn't look like a guy ready for some football. Given everything that is known thus far, it doesn't sound good. So, with that in mind, this preview is written with an updated angle of the Beavers' life without Sammie Stroughter.

The Beavers were a Pac-10 darling last year, coming out of nowhere to win ten games, including a thrilling 39-38 Sun Bowl victory over Missouri to cap off a real turnaround season. While QB Matt Moore had his ups and downs in Corvallis, and was even booed during some rough spots early in '07, the team rallied around him late in the year. Can the Beavers repeat last year's surprising surge to Pac-10 contender? Or will reality strike the black and orange as the off-the-field distractions have piled up over the last month?

WHY THEY'LL WIN

The biggest thing to contend with in Oregon State is the ground game. Yvenson Bernard is the top returning running back in the conference this year with over 1,300 rushing yards and 12 scores. But it's more than just Bernard's elusiveness, where he can make something out of nothing. As good as Bernard has been, it's the offensive line that does the heavy lifting, raising the entire offense to another level. How good is the line? Consider that Oregon State was the only program last year to have all five starters earn all-conference honors, either first-team, second team or honorable mention! That unit returns four of those five starters in '07, and even 8 out of 10 in the two-deep's from last year. Their interior of center Kyle DeVan and guards Roy Schuening and Jeremy Perry are talented and tough. No team in the conference has the type of maulers like OSU, and as the 2-point conversion play in their win over Missouri showed, they seem to be able to move the pile at will. Whether it's Bernard or backup RB Clinton Polk, or whoever prevails in camp as the starting QB, the entire offense will succeed because of the big uglies up front. The wide receivers have a lot of talent, led by the headline-making Sammie Stroughter. Of course, as of this writing, Stroughter is away from the team with what has been described as personal issues, and unfortunately there isn't anything more that is known about a potential return. Rumors and speculation abound at this point. Described as being an upbeat kid with an infectious personality, he's one of the most popular players on the football team. Oh, and he's really good. As in the leading receiver back in '07 in the entire conference with 74 catches, as well as being the #2 return man behind only DeSean Jackson at Cal. You can't sugar coat the obvious - losing Stroughter would be a huge blow to the football team. Behind Strougther, the starters would be Brandon Powers and Anthony Brown (formerly Wheat-Brown). While they are a nice duo as a compliment to a guy like Stroughter, to put it in perspective, Powers and Brown combined for 60 catches last year, still 14 less than the number Stroughter turned in. WR Chris Johnson is a guy that would likely move up the depth chart as the #3 guy should Stroughter not return. The OSU defense looks to be set for a big season. Nine of the top 11 tacklers from 2006 return, including the starting linebacker corps of Joey LaRocque, Alan Darlin and Derrick Doggett. Outside LB LaRocque is the top returning tackler in the Pac-10 from last year with 98, while Doggett anchored the other side with 87 last year, plus and he got after the passer with five sacks. Darlin did a commendable job in the middle with 72 tackles and 12 tackles for loss. The secondary did lose one potential starter in Coye Francies, who was arrested on a firearm charge and has been suspended indefinitely from the team, but they still look good with Keenan Lewis, Gerald Lawson, and Brandon Hughes, all guys that have started at corner at one time or another. Up front, the d-line looks to be strong as well, led by four senior starters. DE's Jeff Van Orsow and Dorian Smith are probably the two best up front. Van Orsow was the hero of the USC upset a year ago, tipping a 2-point conversion attempt by John David Booty with seconds remaining to clinch the win. He was honorable mention all-conference last year with 10 tackles for loss. Smith surprised a lot of people with a team-high nine sacks last year, tops on the team and the #2 pass-rusher in the conference coming back in '07. The tackles are Gerald Lee and Curtis Coker, both active run-stoppers who are good at plugging the middle and eating up some space, freeing up the linebackers to make plays.

It seems that any week of the season, just about any Pac Ten team can beat any other, unless the former is named Stanford--and after surprise upsets in 2006 by Arizona over California and UCLA and Oregon State over Southern California the axiom proved true--setting up some good revenge matches for 2007 in addition to a quality out-of conference schedule

5. Oregon State at Southern California, November 3

In 2006, Southern California traveled to a packed house in Corvallis, gave the ball up four times and dug itself into a 23-point deficit, before scoring 21 unanswered poins only to lose on a tipped ball two-point conversion. Homecoming will have extra meaning for the Trojans this year.

Beaver running back Yvenson Bernard will be making a run at two Trojans' places in the record books, as he chases Marcus Allen and Charles White on the all-time rushing yards list.

4. Notre Dame at UCLA, October 6

Only last-second heroics by Brady Quinn and Jeff Samardzija could save the Fighting Irish from the jaws of defeat at the hands of Pat Cowan and the rag-tag bunch of Bruins.

In 2007, Jimmy Clausen will have to fill the big shoes of Quinn as he makes his first trip back to Southern California in the Blue and Gold. Expect no sympathy for his spurning USC's advances from an aggressive Bruin defense.

Coming up with a list of the best players in the Pac Ten conference is no easy task. It would be very easy just to go down the roster of the University of Southern California and pick at random and you'd probably come up with five players that are arguably among the best at their position. We tried to resist the urge...but came up short. Enjoy the list.

1. John David Booty, QB, Southern California

If the Heisman Trophy is going to return to the West Coast this year, it will be going to Trojan quarterback John David Booty. In his first year as a starter for the Men of Troy, Booty only led his team to a Pac Ten title and a win in the Rose Bowl. Not shabby, but not quite what Trojan fans have come to expect. If Booty hopes to finish his career with as few losses as his predecessor, he'll have to run the table and he just may. Booty is not without his shortcomings, however. His mechanics mean that the Trojan signal caller has a low trajectory when he releases the ball--which can lead to some inopportune tipped balls in key situations, especially with a short field. What's more, Booty lost his two favorite targets--receivers Dwayne Jarrett and State Smith--to the NFL, meaning he'll have to earn every plaudit laid upon him in the 2007 season.

2. DeSean Jackson, WR, California

Expectations are high for the University of California's DeSean Jackson. Rivals.com and The Sporting News have him ranked as the nation's leading receiver and Rivals says he is the best special teams player in all the land. Jackson is on several watch lists for post-season honors, including the Belitnikoff and Randy Moss Awards--and something in the air in Berkeley has his name being touted as a potential Heisman Trophy candidate. Last year, Jackson averaged 18 yards a catch on 59 receptions and was the lone bright spot in the Bears' loss to Arizona, with a career-long 62-yard touchdown catch and a 95-yard punt return en route to 285 all-purpose yards. Nearly one out of ever five times the ball is punted to Jackson, he returns it for a touchdown--making him a dual threat for the Golden Bears.