Once Again, Oregon State Is Getting Better As The Season Moves Along

Oregon State tight end Jack Velling (88) celebrates his touchdown against UCLA with quarterback DJ Uiagalelei (5) during the second half of an NCAA college football game Saturday, Oct. 14, 2023, in Corvallis, Ore. (AP Photo/Amanda Loman)

By STEVEN VAUGHAN, 750 THE GAME

Last season Oregon State started 3-2. They just got blown out by Utah 42-16 and their starting quarterback just got hurt. The season was on the ropes.

All the Beavers did from there was win the next 7 of 8 games to finish the season 10-3, building momentum into this season.

This year, Oregon State didn’t start 3-2, but they did lose an early game to Washington State where the final score wasn’t indicative of how the game was played. Since the loss Oregon State has won three in a row and the offense is averaging 36.3 points per game.

John Canzano on the Bald Faced Truth says this is a proven characteristic of the Jonathan Smith era, and if they played Washington State again, things would be different.

“Oregon State gets better and better every year,” Canzano said on 750 The Game. “We watch them at the end of the year. The end of the season last year they were a better team than they were at the beginning of the season. I think if Oregon State plays Washington State this week, Oregon State wins that game. They got them at the wrong time. Oregon State hadn’t quite figured out what it was.”

Last season it was the defense that was dominant. This season it may be the offense under DJ Uiagalelei that becomes dominant. Canzano says the offense has been elite, the defense has been good, but the real difference is the fans at Reser Stadium.

“Since the second half of that Washington State game, Oregon State’s offense has been lights out. And the defense is good enough. And you throw in the complicating factor of Reser Stadium – nothing is a gimmie. Utah went in there and scored seven points. Washington could go in to Reser Stadium and have a difficult time. With that crowd, that noise on Saturday as they were playing UCLA, is deafening.”

Reser Stadium is no joke. The Beavers have lost one game there in the past three years, including winning 15 of their last 16 games in Corvallis. Canzano says UCLA felt the affects of that on Saturday.

“There were about four or five snaps that were altered by the Oregon State crowd,” he said. “That crowd at Reser Stadium is a fun thing to watch.”

Oregon State is on a bye week this week. Then they head on the road to take on Arizona in Tuscon on Oct. 28th, a 7:30 p.m. kickoff on ESPN.

Listen to the full segment on the Beavers starting at 24:25 of the podcast below. Catch the Bald Faced Truth with John Canzano weekdays 3-6 p.m. in Portland exclusively on 750 The Game.