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Oregon State Football: Mike Riley & Sean Mannion Come Up Short Against Washington

Oregon State Beavers head coach Mike Riley and quarterback Sean Mannion came up way short against the Washington Huskies. Building The Dam and Northwest Sports Beat cover the Beavers.

Joe Nicholson-US PRESSWIRE

What would you consider the biggest reasons the Beavers lost in Seattle? What was the most disappointing aspect of their play?

Andy Wooldridge, Building the Dam: The 4 interceptions are the biggest reasons for the loss. You can't turn the ball over that often and win. The biggest disappointment was the too-conservative game plan in the early going. Oregon St. needed to take command of the game early, and not allow Washington to put them in a hole.

Jonathan Irwin, Northwest Sports Beat: That loss sits on the shoulders of the coaching staff. Riley had a horrible first half game plan. You can't throw that many times against one of the best pass defenses in the conference, and it was amazing how the running game opened things up in the second half. He just didn't play enough to UW's weaknesses. It's disappointing to see the offense look so stale for a second game in a row.

James Crabtree-Hannigan, Building the Dam: There's no way around Sean Mannion being the biggest reason the Beavers lost to Washington. Throwing 4 picks is unacceptable, and so is overthrowing a wide open TE on a would-be touchdown pass.

Mannion has an excuse for his poor play, unlike Storm Woods and the ground game, which makes the rushing attack the most disappointing aspect from the loss. Woods has just 29 yards rushing at halftime, forcing Oregon State to rely on the shaky Mannion. Oregon State's running hasn't been spectacular this year, but it had been improving throughout the year, until taking steps back against Utah and Washington, gaining 53 and 109 yards on the ground, respectively. Especially with a brewing quarterback controversy that could affect the passing game, picking up rushing yards is essential.