Oregon State struggled in every part of the game against Cal and needs to turn things around quickly to earn a bowl bid.
[[{“value”:”
This has been a tough stretch for the Oregon State football program and its fans.
The Beavers last week announced a 2025 football schedule that is understandable given the extraordinary circumstances. But it is a little weird to play the same opponent (Washington State) twice in the same month during the regular season.
The current team has now lost three games in a row after falling 44-7 at California on Saturday. This was the team’s worst loss since a 52-7 drubbing by Utah in 2019.
And while this has been happening, rival Oregon has climbed to the No. 1 spot in the polls and appears to be on cruise control leading up to the Big Ten title game.
Despite the current events, all hope is not lost for this season. But before looking ahead to the rest of the year, here is a quick summary of what went wrong against the Golden Bears:
People are also reading…
Third-down defense
Injuries have highlighted the team’s lack of depth on defense. Key players — such as starting cornerback Jaden Robinson, among others — remain out of action.
The defensive unit appeared to be completely worn down against California. The Golden Bears scored on nine of their first 10 possessions before running out the clock on their final drive.
One of the problems for the Beavers (4-4) was their inability to make a play on third down. California was 7 of 14 on third-down attempts.
As an example, with California up 14-0 late in the first quarter, the Beavers had an opportunity to get a badly needed defensive stop on a third-and-9.
Oregon State rushed four and dropped seven defenders into coverage but did not generate enough pressure on quarterback Fernando Mendoza. He moved around the pocket for 5 seconds before finding a receiver open down the sideline for a 29-yard gain.
The inability to put pressure on the quarterback has been a consistent problem for Oregon State, which is tied for last in the nation in total sacks with just five.
Slow start on offense
Calling it a slow start is an understatement. After the first quarter Saturday, California led 17-0 and had outgained Oregon State 196-17 in total yards, including a 185-3 edge in passing yards.
The Golden Bears have a good run defense and kept Oregon State from establishing its usual ground game. Anthony Hankerson ran for just 49 yards on 16 carries (3.1 yards per attempt) and freshman Salahadin Allah couldn’t find any space either, gaining a total of eight yards on six carries.
Forced to put the ball in the air, and needing to find some offensive spark, coach Trent Bray turned the offense over to Ben Gulbranson in the second quarter.
It remains to be seen if this is a long-term move or if Gevani McCoy will remain the starter when the Beavers return to action after the bye week. McCoy helped the team get off to a good start this season by limiting turnovers over the first few games. But at this point, McCoy has thrown more interceptions (six) than touchdowns (five) through eight games.
Gulbranson led the team on a couple long drives and helped the Beavers avoid the shutout. He is a team captain who has the respect of his teammates. Redshirt freshman Gabarri Johnson also got a few snaps Saturday and is also an option.
Miscues on special teams
Special teams has been a strength of Oregon State in recent years with dynamic punt and kickoff returners Anthony Gould and Silas Bolden.
They are both gone and that tradition has not continued this year. Oregon State made some costly special teams mistakes Saturday that put the team in a hole:
A short kickoff return combined with a penalty stuck the Beavers deep in their own territory for their opening drive of the game.
The Beavers had the opportunity to get on the scoreboard in the first half, but the field-goal attempt was blocked.
A fumble on a kickoff return in the third quarter gave California the ball at the OSU 23.
A team that is struggling in so many other ways simply can’t afford these types of mistakes. Right now, instead of looking for big plays on special teams the focus should be on avoiding negative plays.
Looking ahead
This bye week comes at a great time for the Beavers, who need to regroup and get some injured players back on the field.
When Oregon State does return to action at 12:30 p.m. against San Jose State on Nov. 9 at Reser Stadium, it will be an important game for the program and its fans.
Earning a bid to a bowl game for a fourth consecutive year would be a positive outcome for this team and a win over the Spartans would be a big step toward making that a reality.
San Jose State (5-3) is also on a bye week and has a home win over the Nevada team which started the Beavers’ recent skid.
After that, the Beavers have a road game for their first-ever meeting with Air Force, which sits at the bottom of the Mountain West Conference standings. Oregon State then wraps up the regular season with big games against No. 22 Washington State and No. 15 Boise State.
The path to a bowl game is still clear, but there’s no margin left for any bad losses.
Related stories:
Les Gehrett is the sports editor and covers Oregon State football, women’s basketball and gymnastics. Follow him on X at @lgehrtet.
“}]]
