(Photo: Travis Whittaker/WCSN)
Oregon State Football has made one thing quite clear this season: they are not going to go down easy.
The Beavers, despite their lowly, on-the-surface record of 2-4 in 2020, have not lost a game by more than ten points in its six contests. That came in Week 1 against Washington State, a game Oregon State lost by 38-28.
Since, the Beavers have lost by six twice and by three once. Their two wins have been by margins of three and four, and that includes an upset of then-ranked No. 9 Oregon.
Oregon State’s feistiness hasn’t gone unnoticed by the Arizona State coaching staff, who have dealt with their own close losses in the Sun Devils’ COVID-19 shortened season.
“We kind of consider them to be one of the better-coached football teams we’ve gone up against,” co-defensive coordinator Antonio Pierce said of the Beavers.
Saturday is possibly ASU’s swan song on a lost season. A bowl game is “a possibility”, according to head coach Herm Edwards. But the odds remain long. Last weekend’s 70-7 dusting of rival Arizona serves as perhaps the Sun Devils’ lasting memory of 2020, but the Beavers represent the chance for ASU to not give themselves off as a one-night fluke that relished in an opponent’s mistakes.
The Beavers can score – their 28.2 points per game reflect that. But teams have outscored Oregon State two-thirds of the time this season, and its ranking of 90th in Football Outsiders’ Defensive FEI out of 130 eligible teams can be to blame.
Still, ASU offensive coordinator Zak Hill sees a challenge in what the Beavers bring to the table.
“It’s a good defense,” Hill said. “They’re very active and from top to bottom, they’ve got a lot of guys that have played together and they communicate really well. They fly around, they play hard.
“Their [defensive] line is quick and they can create problems. They like to slant, move all over the place, different fronts. They do a good job of not having some made tendencies too.”
While the Beavers pass rush has been key in limiting opposing quarterbacks’ success, the line has allowed big performances from running backs. ASU threw just 13 passes against Arizona last weekend, though the big, early 42-0 lead may have factored into the play-calling. Still, the Sun Devils have revealed a potent duo in the backfield with freshman running back Chip Trayanum and junior running back Rachaad White. White’s versatility and Trayanum’s tackle-shedding ability could present a big problem to Oregon State.
Hill and ASU can’t afford a slow start similar to one experienced against UCLA, which ended up dooming the Sun Devils’ comeback hopes. Oregon State’s offense has kept them in every game this season due to its complexities and skill players.
The Beavers lost junior starting quarterback Tristian Gebbia to a hamstring injury for the rest of the season in the team’s upset win against Oregon, but sophomore Chance Nolan has stepped up and done just enough to keep games against Stanford and Utah close.
“[Nolan] has done an outstanding job of leading them, throwing the ball, running the ball,” Pierce said.
According to Pierce though, the Beavers’ biggest threat lies in its backfield. Pierce knows from experience.
He issued an ultimatum with regard to Oregon State junior running back Jermar Jefferson: if the Beavers leading rusher is playing, then Nolan’s presence as a backup quarterback “doesn’t matter”.
“Is No. 6 out?” Pierce asked. “If No. 6 ain’t out it don’t matter because that dude’s pretty good. It doesn’t matter. That running back for the last three years has been a pain for us. I knew him from high school. He played with [ASU junior linebacker] Darien Butler. Physical runner.”
Jefferson’s status is in question due to an ankle injury. An “out” designation for the junior would seem to boost ASU’s odds in the contest.
Regardless, no Jefferson and Nolan commanding the offense is still no guarantee for the Sun Devils. Pierce and Edwards mentioned how Oregon State’s staff does its best to throw a defense off, and make things easy for the offense.
“Very, very complicated offense,” Edwards said. “We dealt with them last year, multi-dimensional, a lot of tight ends, a lot of receivers, a lot of motions. They boot, waggle, they do it all now. A lot of eye candy for defense, get you in some bad situations if you don’t read your keys.”
Edwards said the team’s biggest improvement has come in “our ability to pay attention to the details of what’s required, in all three phases.” With Oregon State’s tricky scheme, the Sun Devils ability to do just that will likely be tested.
In what is possibly the season’s close, ASU faces one of its better chances to win against the Beavers Saturday night. A .500 record in an unprecedented, challenging year would set up an even highly anticipated 2021-22 season for the Sun Devils. While 2020 might close unceremoniously without a true Senior Day or bowl game, Edwards believes a win over Oregon State would give ASU the momentum it needs, even if it must wait to manifest until the new year.
“They’re going to think that they actually didn’t win when I get through talking to them tomorrow,” Edwards said on Monday. “There’s got to be a tone set and I think it’s important that we try to win another game. All of a sudden we win two in a row and that would be a good thing for us this year.”
