Oregon State Preview: Beavers Offense Good, Defense Not So Much
Oregon State leads the Pac-12 in rushing, is third in total offense and features one of the most exciting freshman to hit the league in awhile.
Yet the Beavers, dragged down by an ineffective defense, are at their usual spot at the bottom of the league standings. Their 0-3 conference record is the same as Cal’s, but the Bears won their three non-conference games, while the Beavers went 1-2, with the victory over FCS opponent Southern Utah.
Yet the Beavers think they have a chance Saturday to beat the Bears and win a conference game for the first time since they knocked off Oregon in the Civil War game in 2016.
The main reason for such optimism is freshman running back Jermar Jefferson, who leads the conference in rushing with 845 total yards, 144.2 per game. He has also scored 12 rushing touchdowns.
A closer look at the Beavers
Offense
Not even mentioned in most preseason analysis and a candidate to redshirt, Jefferson climbed the depth chart during fall practices, and when veteran Artavis Pierce was injured in the second game, Jefferson got his chance and has been virtually unstoppable. He has four games of more than 100 yards on the ground, including a 238-yard effort against Southern Utah.
In his last game against Washington State on Oct. 6 (the Beavers had a bye last week) he had 138 yards and impressed WSU head coach Mike Leach.
"Their running back is both powerful and fast,” Leach told the Portland Oregonian. “He seems fearless. He is biggish. Can change gears and has good lateral movement. Despite the fact he is a totally marked player, he is really productive. He is easily one of the best in the conference, if not the best.”
Cal is certainly in agreement. “He has a really good feel,” said defensive coordinator Tim DeRuyter. “He can make the first guy miss, and then make a jump cut, get his hips pointed downhill and then really burst out of it. I think they run schemes, that they do a nice job of creating extra gaps and making corners and defensive backs make tackles. They’ll crash safeties and the corner has to make the play. They’ll create extra gaps with tight ends. They’ll create situations where if you’ve got someone you want to tackle him, they’ll find a way to block that guy and make someone else do it.”
Surprisingly, Cal might not see as much of Jefferson as Leach did.Pierce is healthy again and head coach Jonathan Smith said the two will split time Saturday, at least in the first half, then see where they are..
“If the hot hand arises, we’ll go with them,” Smith said during his Monday press conference. Now Pierce is a fine back and very fast, but, so far at least, Jefferson seems to be one of a kind.
But where there is a possible overload of healthy talent at running back, quarterback is another story. The Beavers have two experienced QBs who have started games this year. Neither of them is completely healthy. Senior Jake Luton started the season opener at Ohio State and was hurt early. He was replaced by Conor Blount, who started the next five games. Luton had relieved an ineffective Blount against Nevada, and sparked the Beavers offense. But then he went down with a high ankle sprain and it was back to Blount, Last week Blount was hurt in the fourth quarter against Washington State.
Sophomore Jack Colletto finished up against the Cougars and “would be the next man up,” according to Smith. “He practiced really well on Sunday.”
Luton is the most accomplished thrower of the three and is the furthest away from being physically ready. Blount, who is more mobile than Luton but takes too many sacks for Smith’s liking, was limited in practice early in the week, but Smith expected him to improve.
The receiving corps does have some playmakers, notably senior Timmy Hernandez, who leads the team with 32 catches. Junior Trevor Bradford and sophomore Isaiah Hodgins are also threats, although Hodgins was injured against Arizona State two weeks ago and did not play against WSU. He is “iffy” Saturday. Bfadford had his best game of the season against WSU with eight catches for 68 yards.
TIght end Noah Togiai, who was second team All-Pac-12 a year ago, was injured in the spring and underwent offseason surgery. He missed the first four games of the season and took some time to round into form. However, reports are he is near 100 per cent and that is not good news for the Bears.
What has made Jefferson and the other Beaver runners’ life easier is the work of Oregon State’s offensive line. The O-line coach is Jim Michalczik, who in his illustrious career twice served as Cal’s offensive line coach, from 2002-2008 and then 2011-2012. He directed the lines that opened holes for the likes of Marshawn Lynch, Justin Forsett and J.J., Arrington.
The group Michalciz has now is experienced, two juniors and three fifth-year seniors, and talented. The Cal defensive front has its work cut out.
Defense
So just why have the Beavers been so bad?. A glance at the where they rank in conference defensive numbers says it all.
Scoring defense: 47.0 points per game, last
Total defense: 541.3 yards per game, last
Rushing defense: 186.3 ypg, last
Pass defense 271.8 ypg, last
Granted the Beavers have faced a couple of prolific offenses in Ohio State and WSU, still those numbers are pathetic. The leading tackler is junior safety Jalen Moore, which tells you that ball carriers and receivers are getting beyond the Beavers defensive front.
They have just five sacks in six games and other than outside linebacker Hamilcar Rashed Jr., the Beavers don’t have a player with more than two tackles for loss.
Tackling was a point of emphasis during the bye week, and Smith was encouraged with the results.
“I don’t think it’s going away,” Smith said of the tackling problems. “We’re not going the whole week live, but in small segments. I think it’s helped us.”
Cal head coach Justin Wilcox worked with defensive coordinator Tim Tibesar at Wisconsin.”You see them get better each week,” WIlcox said this week on the coaches’ conference call. “They have good schemes, It will be a challenge for our offense.”
One newcomer who was supposed to help the defense, end Jeromy Reichner has been missing because of injury, could make his Beavers debut this weekend. The 6-2, 270-pound native of Philadelphia began his college career at Temple in his hometown. He then transferred to Los Angeles Valley College and last spring to Oregon State.
Tibesar called Reichner's injury "a huge loss."
"It was frustrating standing on the sidelines," Reichner told the OSU media.. "You see certain things and you know what should happen. I still have a lot of trust in my guys."
Cornerback Isaiah Dunn, who was expected to add depth to the defense, is also given a chance to return this week, but safety David Morris, who has been out all year, is not expected back.
Freshman Jeffrey Manning could start at safety alongside Moore as the Beavers look for a winning combination.
Special teams
The Bears are on notice that Oregon State is not above some chicanery on special teams. Beavers had their wrist slapped by the conference for a little stunt they pulled on a WSU kickoff. Just as the ball was kicked OSU return man Champ Flemings lay down in the end zone as if injured. Kase Rogers caught the ball on the other side of the field.
As the defenders closed in on him, Rogers tossed a lateral across the field to Flemings, who had sprung to his feet without a Cougar anywhere close to him. He made it 57 yards up field before being tackled.
The play was allowed to stand by the flummoxed officials, but Smith heard from the league office. No penalty was assesed, but the Beavers were told simply not to do it again.
“At least they didn’t overturn it,” he said with a laugh.
Placekicker Jordan Choukair is a veteran in his third year as the main man. He is just 5-for-9 on field goals and has missed all three of his attempts from beyond 40 yards. His longest is 36.
Punter Daniel Rodriguez averages 41 yards per kick, and just four of his 21 punts have finished with the other team inside its 20.
Overall
Smith, the fourth OSU head coach in five years, was a star Beaver quarterback under Dennis Erickson, finishing in 2001. Those were heady times in Corvallis as Smith led OSU to a couple of bowl victories and were ranked fourth in the country.
He has a long, distinguished coaching career, most recently as offensive coordinator at Washington where he saw the recent struggles of the Beavers first-hand and took the job anyway. Now he is six games into his first season and looking up at the most of the rest of the college football world.
“We’re halfway and we are not where we want to be,” Smith said. “We can continue to improve and get over the hump. We have six opportunities to do it.”
And he feels Cal is probably his best chance. At the start of the season the Bears probably put this one in their win column, too. Somebody has to win, and let’s they deserve it.
Notes
This is the 71st meeting between Oregon State and Cal, with the Golden Bears leading the series 37-33 ,.. Saturday’s game is the 28th in Corvallis, where OSU has won 15 times, losing 12. ...The Beavers have won seven of the last 10 meetings at Reser Stadium. … Smith is the first OSU grad to serve as head coach. ...Oregon State’s last win in the series was a 47-44 overtime victory in 2016. ...Jefferson is on pace for 1,730 yards this season, which would surpass Steven Jackson’s school-record of 1,690 in 2002.
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