Oregon State returns to Reser Stadium on Saturday looking like the clear favorite over Washington State, with the Cougars arriving in Corvallis at 1-5 and riding a three-game losing streak.
Kickoff is set for 3 p.m. PT, with the game airing on USA.
It will also be carried on KEX 1190 in Portland and KEJO 1240 and 93.7 in Corvallis. The Beavers are listed as 18.5-point favorites.
Washington State’s season has gone from hopeful to rough in a hurry. The Cougars opened with a competitive loss to Washington in the Apple Cup, but since then the offense has stalled badly.
First-year coach Kirby Moore has already taken over play-calling, and the group still hasn’t scored more than 24 points against an FBS opponent. Quarterback Caden Pinnick’s grip on the job is very much in question.
Pinnick, a UC Davis transfer who finished second to Braden Atkinson for the Jerry Rice Award last year, has thrown for 952 yards while completing 61.8% of his passes. The production hasn’t come with enough impact plays, though: he has three touchdown passes and five interceptions, and his 106.66 efficiency ranks last in the conference.
Washington State does have some pieces worth watching. Junior running back Kirby Vorhees has 251 rushing yards, two touchdowns and 47 receiving yards, putting him on pace to surpass his numbers from last season.
Former Oregon State receiver Darrius Clemons leads the Cougars with 20 catches for 218 yards, and he figures to see plenty of TJ Crandall. On defense, Vanderbilt transfer Linus Zunk has become a key figure with a career-high 25 tackles, four for loss, and two sacks.
Linebacker Keith Brown, who started his career at Oregon, has also been active with a career-best 36 tackles and one pass breakup.
There’s some Oregon State familiarity on Washington State’s sideline, too. Along with Bray, the Cougars have former OSU coaches Greg Burns and Andrew Seumalo, the assistant defensive line coach who played for the Beavers from 2009-12 and is the son of OSU defensive line coach Joe Seumalo.
One more note: Washington State is among 12 teams with multiple interception returns for touchdowns.
Still, the matchup points heavily toward Oregon State. The Beavers’ defense may be the best unit the Cougars see all season, and Washington State’s offense has done little to suggest a breakthrough is coming now. The home team has won the last six meetings in the series, and OSU enters with the edge on both sides of the ball.
In Other News...
Oregon State Rolled But Two Concerns Still Followed The Beavers
Oregon States 66-14 win over San Diego State at Reser Stadium looked like the kind of complete performance a coach wants to bottle up and save for later. The Beavers controlled the line of scrimmage on both sides, with the offense rolling and the defense delivering a steady answer whenever the Aztecs tried to settle in. Jesse Legree was among the players who stood out, and the overall feel was of a team that dictated the game rather than reacting to it.
Still, the cleanest wins usually leave a few things to sort through, and this one was no exception. The return of Pac-12 referees added its own layer, with a handful of officiating mistakes mixed into the afternoon, while Oregon State also had some issues to clean up in the kicking game and at cornerback. After a lopsided result like this, those are the kinds of details that matter most, because better opponents tend to find every crack. [Read more 🡒]
Oregon State Now Faces A New Problem In Washington State Game
Washington State is adding a fresh wrinkle for Oregon State to sort out this week, with coach Kirby Moore turning to Owen Eshelman at quarterback. Eshelman redshirted last year and has been preparing as the starter, so the Beavers will now have to game-plan for a quarterback they have not seen in college action yet.
The move comes after Caden Pinnick struggled through the first six games, leaving Washington State in search of a spark on offense. For Oregon State, it means another layer of uncertainty in a matchup where the Cougars are trying to reset the position and make the Beavers adjust on the fly. [Read more 🡒]
Oregon State Gets Needed Reinforcements As One Injury Concern Grows
Oregon State is getting some welcome signs of help as the season moves along, even if the injury picture is still uneven. Receiver Xayvion Noland is expected to be available this week after missing the previous game, which gives the Beavers another option as they try to steady the offense and keep some rhythm going around a line that has been shorthanded.
The bigger concern remains on the defensive side, where linebacker Kord Shaw is not close to a return and appears unlikely to be back this season. Along the offensive front, there is some movement in the right direction: left tackle Josiah Timoteo has been practicing again, and interior lineman Carter Guillaume is edging nearer to being ready, giving Oregon State at least a little hope that its front could get healthier soon. [Read more 🡒]