GAME 6: OREGON STATE VS. CALIFORNIA
GAME 6: OREGON STATE VS. CALIFORNIAOct. 7, 2023 o Berkeley, Calif. o California Memorial Stadium o 7:00 p.m. PT o Pac-12 Network
Game Notes
– Oregon State hits the road and opens the month of October with a Saturday night matchup against California at Memorial Stadium. Kickoff is slated for 7 p.m. PT.
– The game will air live on the Pac-12 Networks. JB Long (play-by-play) and Max Browne (analyst) will call the action.
– The game will air live on the Beaver Sports Radio Network. For a list of affiliates, turn to page two of these notes.
– Every game this season can be heard live on the Varsity Network, a free application available via computer browsers, smartphones and tablets. After downloading the application, search for Oregon State.
– Oregon State is 3-1 against the Golden Bears since 2019, and is 15-8 versus California since 2000.
Oregon State By The Numbers
4 – OSU’s rush defense ranking nationally, allowing an average of 67.2 yards per game. OSU is allowing an average of 2.29 yards per attempt.
6 – Sacks allowed by the Beavers.
6 – Punts downed inside the 20 for Josh Green against Utah. He came into the game with one.
24-6 – Oregon State’s record under head coach Jonathan Smith when taking a lead into halftime.
30 – Career wins for Smith, 20 of which have come at home.
31 – Percent success rate on third downs (20-for-64) for opponents this season, second-best in the Pac-12 and 21st nationally.
35 – Tackles for loss by OSU this season, fourth in the Pac-12.
42 – Tackles for by Easton Mascarenas-Arnold, a career-high. He’s tied for third in the Pac-12.
100 – Receiving yards for Silas Bolden versus Utah, a career-high.
439.2 – Offensive yards per game for the Beavers, up from 396 a year ago.
Against California
– California leads the all-time series by a a narrow margin at 39-36. The teams have split the past six games after the Beavers had taken 10 of the previous 12.
– California leads, 23-16, in games played in Berkeley, winning most recently, 39-25, in 2021. The Beavers last won there in 2019, 21-17.
– OSU was 4-0 against the Golden Bears during head coach Jonathan Smith‘s years as a letterwinner with the Beavers.
– The teams have met every season since 1995.
– OSU and Cal have played 27 times since 1996, and Oregon State has rushed for 200 or more yards eight times against the Golden Bears. The Beavers have topped 100 yards in 25 of the 27 matchups, and are 16-11 over that stretch.
– Oregon State’s 474 rush yards against California in 2016 are an OSU conference-game record and stand as the fourth-most in a single game all-time.
– The teams have met 23 times since 2000, and OSU has limited the Golden Bears to under 300 yards seven times, going 7-0. The Golden Bears have been held to under 100 rush yards eight times, with OSU posting an 8-0 record.
– Run game coordinator/offensive line coach/associate head coach Jim Michalczik has history as an assistant at California. He served as the offensive coordinator and offensive line coach with the Golden Bears from 2011-12 and the asistant head coach and offensive line coach from 2002-08. Cal was 69-45 during his tenure in Berkeley.
News, Notes And More
– Twitter.com/BeaverFootball is still the program’s main Twitter handle, but the Twitter.com/BeaverFBNews account was created prior to the 2019 season.
– Follow @BeaverFBNews for news, pre-game and in-game notes and more. The handle will post in-game news and scoring information as it happens.
Recapping Utah
– Oregon State’s seven points allowed versus the Utes were the fewest against a top-25 team since the Beavers defeated Wisconsin, 10-7, in 2012.
– It’s also the fewest points allowed versus a top-10 team since downing No. 1 USC, 3-0, in 1967.
– The Beavers have now won two straight against top-10 teams after ending the 2022 regular season with a win over then-No. 9 Oregon.
– Silas Bolden picked up his first career 100-yard receiving yard effort, totalling exactly 100.
– OSU defeated a ranked Utah team for the first time, cominig into the game 0-6.
– The Utes’ 198 yards marked the fewest by a top-10 team versus the Beavers since holding then-No. 10 Notre Dame to 155 yards in the 2001 Fiesta Bowl.
– It’s also the first time OSU has limited a top-10 team to under 100 rush yards since holding then-No. 1 USC to 86 in 2008.
– The win was the third for head coach Jonathan Smith against a ranked team, and the first versus an opponent other than Oregon.
– OSU improved to 14-1 over its last 15 home games.
– The Beavers saw their streak of 11 consecutive 100-yard rushers snapped.
– Oregon State scored on its opening drive for the fourth time in five games this season. Conversely, the Beavers held their opponent scoreless on their initial drive for the fourth time.
Against The Rush
– Oregon State limited an opponent to under 100 rush yards for the fourth time in five games this season when Utah totaled 57. Only Washington State’s 106 yards in week four have surpassed the plateau versus the Beavers this season.
– OSU has gone seven straight games without allowing an individual 100-yard rusher. Arizona State’s Xazavian Valladay was the last with 109 on Nov. 19, 2022.
– Oregon State has held opponents to 100 yards or less on the ground 20 times under Jonathan Smith, and is 13-7 when that happens. Fifteen of those 20 have come since 2021, with OSU going 12-3.
– The Beavers have won nine straight when holding an opponent under 100 yards rushing. That streak includes limiting Cal to 9 yards in last season’s 38-10 win.
In The Rankings
– Oregon State remains ranked in both major polls entering this week’s matchup. OSU is 15th per the Associated Press and 16th in the Coaches Poll.
– The Beavers are ranked in each of the first six AP Top-25 polls of a season for the first time in program history.
– Oregon State was in the AP Top 25 for six weeks during the 2022 season, which included a final ranking at No. 17 after the win over Florida. The Beavers also finished 17th in the USA Today Coaches Poll.
Rush Rush
– Oregon State saw its streak of 11 straight games with a 100-yard rusher snapped versus the Utes, but still surpassed Utah’s season-average for rushing yards allowed.
– Utah came into the game allowing an average of 51 yards and 2.0 per carry.
– Oregon State totaled 131 yard and picked up 3.6 yards per carry in the win.
– The Beavers now turn their sights to California, whom Oregon State has averaged nearly 160 yards per game on the ground against since 1996.
– OSU, under head coach Jonathan Smith, has averaged 141.4 per game.
– Damien Martinez totaled 105 yards in last season’s win. It’s one of his nine career 100-yard efforts.
Looking To Go 5-1
– Oregon State is looking to improve to 5-1 for the first time under head coach Jonathan Smith.
– The Beavers last went 5-1 in 2013 when beginning the year 6-1 after losing the season opener to Eastern Washington.
Points Against
– Oregon State has held opponents to 15.6 points per game, which ranks fourth in the Pac-12 and 21st nationally.
– The Beavers have given up an average of 18.8 points per game since the start of the 2022 season, good for 13th nationally and No. 1 in the league.
Let’s Talk About Bolden
– Silas Bolden caught six passes for 100 yards and ran twice for 53 yards in the win over Utah. He scored a touchdown via the pass and the rush for the first time in his career.
– Bolden also set a career-hight in receiving yards.
– He has 24 receptions on the year, which is already a career-high, as are his 335 total yards.
– Bolden has 288 scrimmage yards over his last three games. He’s averaging 16.9 yards per touch over that stretch, third-best in the Pac-12 among players with 15 or more attempts.
Easton Through Five
– Inside linebacker Easton Mascarenas-Arnold has a team-best 42 tackles over the first five games of the season. He’s led OSU individually in each of the last four games.
– The junior came into the season with 52 in 27 career games, including 37 over 12 games last season.
– He tallied 13 in week three against San Diego State, then had 10 against Washington State, his first two career games in double figures.
Limiting Yards
– Trent Bray took over as Oregon State’s defensive coordinator for the last four games of the 2021 season. Since then, over a stretch of 22 games, the Beavers have held opponents to 327.6 yards per game, 19th nationally, and second in the Pac-12. Teams have surpassed 400 yards against OSU just four times in those 22 games.
– OSU has also held opponents to 105.5 rush yards per game over that stretch, ninth nationally and second in the Pac-12, trailing only Utah (96.2 rypg).
Points, Too
– Oregon State’s defense, under Bray, has held teams to under 20 points 13 times in 22 games.
– Opponents have averaged 19.3 points per game over that stretch, 13th nationally and No. 1 in the Pac-12, just ahead of Utah’s 19.4.
