Oregon State heads into Saturday’s road game at Colorado State with momentum, but the matchup in Fort Collins comes with plenty of moving parts. The Beavers are trying to keep rolling after two straight blowout wins, and they’ll face a Rams team that can change shape fast on offense and takes real pride in creating turnovers on defense.
The quarterback situation for Colorado State is anything but settled. In the loss to BYU, the Rams rolled out three different signal callers, each bringing a different look.
Ksann Farrar, the sophomore from Virginia, threw for more than 340 yards last weekend against UTSA. First-string quarterback Hauss Henjy is dealing with a hamstring injury, and his status for Saturday afternoon is still unknown.
Colorado State also has sophomore Darius Curry, who scouts describe as a "pure pocket passer who can also escape pressure," and he went 6-8 for 70 yards against BYU. Oregon State has to be ready for the possibility that the Rams will keep rotating personnel and that the quarterback they see early may not be the one they see for the full game.
On the other side of the ball, Colorado State’s defense has built its identity around taking the football away. The Rams have given up a lot of yards this season, but they are also top three in the FBS in interceptions.
During Monday’s press conference, OC Mitch Dahlen pointed out that CSU uses aggressive man coverage and is willing to take risks to try to get the ball back. That doesn’t mean Atkinson should change who he is; he’s been effective at getting the ball where it needs to go.
But he and the rest of the offense need to understand that the Rams are more than willing to gamble on jumping routes.
The Beavers can also expect Colorado State to try to establish the run. BYU was able to limit that part of the Rams’ offense a couple of weeks ago, and it made CSU more one-dimensional.
Colorado State did run it well last Saturday against UTSA, but Oregon State should bring a stronger defensive front than the Roadrunners. If the Beavers can hold the Rams under four yards per carry, they could take away a major piece of what CSU has leaned on against teams like Wyoming and UTSA.
Even then, the challenge doesn’t disappear. Colorado State still has four players with more than 150 receiving yards, so Oregon State will have to deal with threats all over the field if it wants to leave Fort Collins with the result it wants.
In Other News...
Oregon State Faces A Road Test That Could Worry Beaver Fans
Colorado State comes into its matchup with Oregon State sitting at 2-2, and the Rams early season has been a mixed bag that still leaves plenty of questions to sort through. A conversation with Colorado State beat reporter Tyler King painted the picture of a team that has had trouble getting stops and will need to be sharper defensively if it wants to keep the Beavers from finding rhythm in the passing game, especially with Jesse Legree giving Oregon State a legitimate vertical threat.
The biggest variable may be at quarterback, with Hauss Hejny dealing with a hamstring issue and his availability hanging over the week. King also sees this as the kind of game that could open up and turn into a back-and-forth scoring battle, which is exactly the sort of road environment that can make a Saturday feel a lot more stressful for Beaver fans than it should. [Read more 🡒]
Jesse Legree Is Bringing A New Swagger To Oregon State
Jesse Legree has given Oregon State a little extra juice this fall, and the freshman receiver has done it with production and personality. He turned in a two-touchdown performance against Texas Tech and has quickly become one of the more watchable players on the roster, pairing big-play ability with a style that reflects where he comes from.
Legree has leaned into his Baltimore roots through his celebrations, bringing a bit of that citys swagger to Corvallis and even teaching the dance to teammates. For a Beaver team always looking for new sparks, his emergence has added more than just catches and yardage. It has also brought a different kind of energy to the sideline, one that keeps building as the season goes on. [Read more 🡒]
Sergio Vega Is Stepping Into A Brutal New Test At Oregon State
Sergio Vegas sophomore season is already taking on a different shape at Oregon State. After winning a 141-pound national title as a true freshman, Vega is expected to move up to 149 pounds, a shift that reflects how much his body has developed since last year. Coach David Taylor said Vegas body composition has changed enough that the higher class is the better fit now, a noteworthy adjustment for a wrestler who wasted no time proving himself on the biggest stage.
The timing matters because 149 pounds looks loaded before Vega even settles in. The bracket is expected to include former national champions Caleb Henson and Aden Valencia, along with returning finalist Shayne Van Ness, giving Vega a much steeper climb than the one he handled as a freshman. For Oregon State, it means one of its brightest young stars is about to find out how quickly a title defense can turn into a much tougher kind of test. [Read more 🡒]