120 Players You Need To
Know
Oregon State LB Keaton Kristick
By
Richard Cirminiello
Who is
Keaton Kristick?
… Kristick is the key veteran of the Oregon
State defense and a returning All-Pac-10 performer at strongside
linebacker. After patiently waiting his turn for two seasons behind
a talented group of veterans, he capitalized on the Beavers’
attrition a year ago, finishing second on the team in tackles and
third in tackles for loss. A product of Arizona, he only seriously
considered two schools, Northwestern and OSU. Shortly after visiting
the campus, Corvallis just felt right and Mike Riley was exactly the
type of player’s coach and human being he was seeking. Over the last
three years, it’s been a good fit for both sides. Kristick has the
athletic ability and intelligence that coordinator Mark Banker
recruits to play on his defense. He’s solid in pass defense and will
use his speed and instincts to make big plays behind the line of
scrimmage. While not quite a known commodity outside the Pacific
Northwest, he’s poised to have a national coming-out party in 2009.
Kristick’s best game so far
was … last year’s upset of USC.
While RB Jacquizz Rodgers was the hero that Thursday night, he
wasn’t the only reason the Beavers shocked the nation. Kristick did
his part to keep the Trojans from scoring in the first half, making
a season-high 10 tackles, two tackles for loss, and a sack of Mark
Sanchez.
Why you should care about Kristick?
… Of the six linebackers named to the
All-Pac-10 first or second team, only two are back in college in
2009. Kristick is one of them. He enjoyed a breakthrough season as a
junior, his first as a starter, making 82 tackles, 14 tackles for
loss and 3.5 sacks. On a defense that’s losing a bunch of starters
on the front and back end, he’s being counted on to do even more
this fall.
Positives about Kristick … Yeah,
he’s an outstanding, 230-pound athlete who’ll flirt with a 4.5 in
the 40, but his biggest strengths have no measurements. Kristick
does a great job of knowing his opponents and learning their traits.
In other words, he has terrific instincts for the position, which
allow him to sniff out a play before it fully develops and make a
ton plays for minus yards.
Negatives about Kristick
… While Kristick does a nice job in pass coverage, he’d like to turn
a few more of those batted balls into picks in his final year. He
also has trouble maintaining ideal weight, which could become a
problem with durability. Although he’s 230 pounds today, he’ll
sometimes drop as low as 210 pounds during the season.
A cool
thing about Keaton Kristick you probably didn’t know
… A self-described laid-back goofball, Kristick derives a lot of his
energy from caffeine. He rarely misses a day without consuming
coffee or some caffeinated beverage, a habit he started almost a
decade ago.
Career Statistics
2007: 15 tackles
2008: 82 tackles, 14 tackles for loss, 3.5
sacks, and four pass breakups
Statistics, information and photo provided by the
Oregon State sports information department