By Paul Sykes
James and Jacquizz Rodgers, a talented wide receiver/tailback combo for the Oregon State football team, are ready for some home cooking and a little fan base love. The team hasn’t played a home game since Nov. 14 last season.
The Beavers fared 1-3 on the extended road trip…beating Washington State 42-10, losing to Oregon 37-33 and falling to BYU 44-20 in the Las Vegas Bowl. They began the 2010 season with a loss to TCU 30-21. Last weekend was an open date.
James, a senior wideout has caught passes for 1,924 yards thus far, including 15 touchdowns on 165 receptions. He caught the ball four times against TCU two weeks ago and hit the end zone once while picking up 75 yards.
Younger brother Jacquizz, a junior tailback, has already picked up 2,768 yards in 550 carries and 33 touchdowns. He recorded 18 carries for 75 yards and a touchdown against TCU.
Neither Rodgers was on the Beaver squad during the 63-27 loss to Louisville in 2005 but the brothers have heard the stories and seen the video. Don’t expect to see a repeat of the track meet. One thing you can count on, though…is Johnny Patrick and his defensive secondary mates hearing a lot of Rodgers over the P.A. system. Maybe they could mix in a little Rodgers and Hammerstein…
The game will be televised on Fox Sports Northwest and over 45,000 are expected to attend the sellout. Louisville fans can catch the 5:30 p.m. televised broadcast on WBKI-34.