Sabel's Haus

A win is a win is a win, and even though I thought that the Bearcats looked a little sloppy throughout the night, they seemed to be able to turn it on whenever they needed to. The result was snapping Oregon State's 26-game home winning streak against non-conference opponents, and moving up three slots to No. 14 in the AP poll.

Things that caught my eye:

- Tony Pike was not as efficient as he has been. Pike was 31-of-49 passing for 332 yards, two touchdowns and a pick. Don't get me wrong, he made some great throws. NFL-like throws. The pass across the field on the out-route in the third quarter to Mardy Gilyard was exceptional. A 15-yard gain but a 40-yard throw that had to be right there. Still he made some throws that were not catchable.

- Give a lot of credit to Oregon State. That's a very good runner in Quizz Rodgers and UC held him to 73 yards on 20 carries and a touchdown. Not to mention Oregon State was loud yesterday for that game. A good experience for the Bearcats as they move forward.

- I've said it before that I thought Oregon St. was the toughest game on UC's schedule and they came away with a 10-point win. That doesn't mean that they won't have tough games down the stretch. West Virginia at home and Pittsburgh on the road to end the season will be tough.

- Next up, UC takes on Fresno State this Saturday at noon. It will be the first home game since UC students have returned to campus. (Classes start this Wednesday.) Fresno is 1-2 but played Boise State pretty close this week. It's not a cake game but the Bearcats should be up for it in front of a packed house at the Nip.