What a difference a week makes. After a disappointing performance at home against
Arizona, the Oregon State defense went back to the drawing board and came out
improved against the Arizona State Sun Devils.

While not a perfect performance, the Beavers showed improvement in several
areas. The Beavers still only managed one sack, but pressured Sun Devil quarterback
Danny Sullivan all evening. Back-up defensive end Matt LaGrone had a breakout
performance, with seven tackles, two for loss and one fumble recovery leading
to his first Giant Killer Stone Award of his career. Fellow defensive ends Ben
Terry and Gabe Miller also had good performances with a combined six tackles
and two tackles for loss. Miller added a forced fumble too.

At linebacker Keaton Kristick continued his dominance, earning his fourth MVP
award. Kristick led the team in tackles with eight and had one tackle for loss
as well.

While the secondary had a disappointing day as far as giving up pass yards,
Lance Mitchell continued to show that he has the ability to make the plays.
Mitchell earned his third MVP award, barely edging out cornerback Brandon Hardin
who had a big game for his first start. Mitchell tallied six tackles and two
pass break-ups during the game, while Hardin added four tackles, one break-up
and one interception. Fellow cornerbacks James Dockery and Tim Clark added nine
additional tackles.