Sun Devils bring heat to OSU's kitchen.

Byline: Bob Rodman The Register-Guard

CORVALLIS - It's that time again. Already. Time for that proverbial nasty jump from the ever-hot frying pan into the even hotter fire.

Staggered by a 63-27 uppercut to its collective chin, Oregon State flew home Saturday night from its knockout at Louisville.

Right into what could be a haymaker of a Pac-10 Conference opener next Saturday against 18th-ranked Arizona State.

That game, set for a national telecast on TBS, is scheduled for a 7 p.m. kickoff at Reser Stadium.

"I watched some tape (of ASU) on the way home (from Louisville, Ky.)," Oregon State coach Mike Riley said on Sunday. "Arizona State is impressive up front defensively."

Just what the Beavers did not need the football doctor to order.

Eleventh-ranked Louisville's defensive front had its way with Oregon State, chasing quarterback Matt Moore everywhere but into the stadium parking lot as it logged five sacks and seven tackles for loss.

"I put myself through the film this morning at 7:30 to get it behind me," said Riley, whose team was shoved into the 2-1 record it will send against the Sun Devils, also 2-1 after pounding Northwestern into submission 52-21 on Saturday.

"We had an unstable day protecting the passer, that's for sure," Riley said.

The OSU offensive line was beaten and beat up.

Junior tackle Adam Koets, bothered by a wrist injury, was eventually replaced by redshirt freshman Andy Levitre.

Sophomore center Kyle DeVan missed most of the second half with an ailing knee. He was replaced by redshirt freshman Adam Speer.

"This is a young group that if it keeps the right attitude and does not lose focus on getting better, it will get better," Riley said of the offensive line.

"Sometimes when things get a little out of sync and things are not working as well as you want, you sometimes abandon the things help you the most - your assignment and your technique.

"We're disappointed with our game but not with the team and where we are going. We're not going to dismiss this (Louisville) game at all. We must use it to get better."

Massive personnel changes do not appear to be the answer for the offensive line or the OSU secondary, which yielded to the pass 428 of Louisville's 553 yards as well as six airborne touchdowns.

"You always examine that," Riley said, "but you don't necessarily make wholesale changes. You do take a look at who else can contribute. You want to utilize guys as they grow."

Those reported injured in the Louisville game will be ready for ASU, Riley said, save for junior long snapper Joel Cohen.

Cohen's season ended after he sustained tears to the anterior cruciate and medial cruciate ligaments in his left knee late in the second quarter.

Four players appear to be in the Cohen replacement mix, including last season's long snapper, Darrick Bruns, backup junior tight end Jason Vandiver, true freshman Aaron Carlson, who had been on redshirt status, and reserve tight end Daniel Weis, a redshirt freshman walk-on.

With the Beavers in a recovery mode, the Sun Devils seem to be flying high. They are averaging nearly 49 points a game. Junior quarterback Sam Keller was 20-of-31 passing for 409 yards and four scores against Northwestern.

Oregon State is happy to have the game against ASU at Reser. The two wins the Beavers have over the Sun Devils in the past 25 meetings have occurred in Corvallis, including a 45-17 victory in 2003.

"I'm glad we're home," Riley said. "It felt like we were in Louisville for a week, and that game felt like it lasted 24 hours."