No Excuses For Oregon To Lose At Oregon State

By SPENCER McLAUGHLIN

Contributor, 750 The Game

I haven’t seen as many of these rivalry games as lots of other fans, but it’s certainly far from the first one I will have watched. It’s certainly the most unique as the Ducks and Beavers square off in Corvallis as members of a different conference on Saturday afternoon.

I’m glad the game is happening and should continue to do so. With so much history and tradition fleeting in college football, keeping what little we can is a worthwhile endeavor. 

There is no excuse for Oregon to lose this football game. The Ducks have always had superior resources to Oregon State, particularly in the last 15-20 years. It’s a big reason why Oregon has dominated the rivalry since they elevated themselves to being a nationally relevant program. This year is reaching another level of that disparity on both sides.

Oregon has invested heavily into NIL to build this roster, which has underwhelmed in its first 2 victories over Idaho and Boise State.  Conversely, Oregon State is playing with a mostly new team from the one that had Pac-12 title aspirations a season ago–not to mention they’re working in a first-year and first-time head coach in Trent Bray. 

The Ducks have more talent, more depth, and more explosive capabilities on offense than the Beavers. The question will be whether Oregon’s offensive line can find its footing. They’ve struggled creating consistent running lanes for Jordan James and Noah Whittington, while also allowing 6 sacks through 2 games of QB Dillon Gabriel. If the Ducks’ offensive line gains an advantage in this game, the Beavers will struggle to win a track meet.

That isn’t to say the Beavers can’t make this interesting, because they absolutely can. They remind me very much of the Boise State team that took Oregon down to the wire last week at Autzen Stadium. They run a pro-style offense with a lot of single back sets, running the ball is the identity of their offense behind a talented running back, and their passing game is capable but is far less threatening.

Ashton Jeanty went for over 190 yards and 3 touchdowns on this Oregon defense last week. How many will Jam Griffin go for? Will this coaching staff be able to expunge the demons of the Corvallis collapse from 2022? If Oregon holds the run game in check, the Beavers might struggle to manage more than 2 touchdowns.

Last year Oregon dominated a much better Beavers team 31-7, but that was at home with a team in its 12th game of the season and a Heisman front runner at quarterback. This is week 3, and Dillon Gabriel doesn’t look fully settled in yet. I thought the explosive plays last week were a step forward, but the Ducks need to take another step in a positive direction if they’re going to be a national title contender as they were billed in the preseason.

The atmosphere at Reser Stadium should be electric, perhaps with an extra gear given Oregon’s Big 10 membership while the Beavs are still trying to figure out what to do after this season. I don’t think the crowd is going to forget any of that.

One final note on the O-line for Oregon before I make my score prediction. They have underperformed through 2 weeks and the coaching staff is seeking the right combination up front as Indiana transfer Matthew Bedford works his way back from injury. How will they be on the road? Will there be more communication errors now that they’re playing away from the cozy confines of Autzen stadium? Oregon can’t afford too many miscues in front of the Beaver faithful.

Oregon’s talent gap should prove to be too much, but I bet Oregon State makes the first half very interesting and keeps the crowd alive. If they’re going to pull the upset, they’ll need their fans to be rowdy and to do that, they have to start incredibly strong.

Prediction:

Oregon 31, Oregon State 20

Spencer McLaughlin is an Oregon Ducks football contributor to 750 The Game. He also hosts the “Locked On Oregon Ducks” and “Locked On College Football” podcasts and has work featured throughout the season here.