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http://www.omniture.com --> Sections Home Page Local News AP News AP Entertainment Archives Business Classifieds Event Calendar Forums Life Opinion Obituaries Photo Gallery Readers Photo Gallery Sports Tempo Weather Special Coverage 2006 Britt Festivals --> Shop Our Valley AutoFinder HomeFinder JobFinder Search Our Valley Special Sections Distinctly Northwest Readers' Choice Homelife Magazine Joy Magazine Holiday Guide Oregon Golf Info Oregon Wine Info Other Publications Local Links Ashland News eSouthernOregon Newspapers In Education Personals Moving Here Movie Listings TV Listings Volunteer Customer Service Advertise With Us Media Kit Place Classified Ad Contact Us FAQ's Home Delivery Site Map --> Email Story to a Friend December 27, 2006 Beaver player not impressed with Pac-10 bowl start By R.B. FALLSTROM The Associated Press EL PASO, Texas — So far, the Pac-10 Conference is getting kicked around in the bowl season. Oregon State safety Sabby Piscitelli said losses by Arizona State in the Hawaii Bowl and Oregon in the Las Vegas Bowl were well-deserved. "It's a little rough," Piscitelli said Tuesday. "It just looked like some teams weren't even prepared to play." Coach Mike Riley's team gets its chance to boost conference pride on Friday against Missouri in the Sun Bowl. He was a lot more diplomatic assessing the situation. "There's good teams everywhere, and we're playing a very solid, very good, very well-coached team, and we'll have to play very well to win," Riley said. "It's just like every game, it's how you play on that given day." Hawaii beat Arizona State 41-24 on Saturday and Brigham Young spanked Oregon 38-8 on Dec. 21. Advertisement "That's their problem; I don't really care," running back Yvenson Bernard said. "I just worry about Oregon State." Oregon State (9-4) takes a three-game winning streak into its game against Missouri (8-4), only the second meeting between the programs and first since 1956. Two other Pac-10 teams get a chance to reverse the 0-2 conference start before the Beavers, with UCLA (7-5) playing Florida State (6-6) today in the Emerald Bowl and California (9-3) taking on Texas A&M (9-3) on Thursday in the Holiday Bowl. Missouri coach Gary Pinkel is impressed with a team that avoids mistakes on offense and leads its conference in turnover ratio and sacks. "The other thing is they won a lot of close games," Pinkel said. "That certainly says a lot about the character of their team and the good job Mike has done." Riley said his team's passion for the game has never been in doubt, even coming off a long layoff. Oregon State finished the regular season with a 35-32 victory at No. 24 Hawaii on Dec. 2 and is playing in its third bowl game in four season. "One of the main things is really taking advantage of the opportunity to really be well-prepared, and then not getting stale so that you hit that game at the right surge," Riley said. "I think finding the balance is big." That said, Riley believes his players have maximized practice time all year. "I said that way back in spring practice, and I said that when we were 2-3," Riley said. "These guys have good intentions, they work hard, and that's what got us here." Oregon State is 7-1, also including a victory over then-No. 3 USC on Oct. 28, after a stumbling start with losses to Boise State, California and Washington State. "We were 2-3 and really had two terrible games, and their perseverance and hard work started to pay off," Riley said. "I've never really had a concern about how these guys approach the games." Sophomore Adam Speer will replace offensive guard Jeremy Perry, an all-Pac-10 pick who sprained his left knee in the Hawaii game. Speer has played in all 13 games but will be making his first career start. "Speer played most of the game against USC, so it's not like he hasn't been in games before," Riley said. "He's got good experience and the guys trust him and work well with him. "I'm not worried about his ability to be ready to play." Advertisement Copyright © 1997-2007 Mail Tribune, Inc. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions | Website Feedback online casinos news Home Security Systems Online Casino Reviews Men's Clothing Fundraisers UK Homeowner Loans Discount Hotel Reservations Send Flowers Casinos Canada Texas Electric Choice Compare Electric rates in Texas Windermere Van Vleet Trunks, Footlocker Online poker at AbsolutePoker.com