The Arizona Wildcats have a significant challenge in front of them on Saturday, not in the least because of Sean Mannion and the Oregon State Beaver offense. SB Nation's Arizona blog AZ Desert Swarm has taken a look at the Beaver offense in two separate posts, breaking down what to look for in the game.
In the first, they take a look at Sean Mannion:
"An experienced guy," and one who "can make all the throws," is how Arizona head coach Rich Rodriguez describes Oregon State quarterback Sean Mannion. Rodriguez's assessment is right, as the OSU play maker ranks among the nation's elite passers headed into Saturday's Wildcat-Beaver tilt at Arizona Stadium.
Not bad for someone who wasn't supposed to be Oregon State's starting quarterback in 2011....Mannion struggled through the bumps in the road customary of a freshman quarterback. He threw 18 interceptions and the Beavers sputtered to a 3-9 finish, the worst since Riley's return in 2003 and the second sub-.500 campaign for the program. But Mannion did have some impressive flashes, too. He was near the top of the Pac-12 in passing yards, with over 3300, and completed nearly 65 percent of his attempts.
In the next post, they they detail what the Arizona defense is going to need to do to keep the Wildcats in the game, with discussion of Taimi Tutogi and De'Anthony Thomas highlighted. Head over and check out the full post for a complete breakdown.
