Sean Mannion and Oregon State are looking to end the season on a high note. (Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports)
KICKOFF: Saturday, 10:45 p.m. ET
GAMEDATE: 11/15/14
SITE: Reser Stadium, Corvallis, Oregon
TV: ESPN
SERIES: ASU leads the series against Oregon State 26-13-1, including a 30-17 victory in Tempe last season. The Beavers have won the past four meetings in Corvallis, however.
RANKINGS: Arizona State, 6th
KEYS TO THE GAME
Arizona State thrust itself squarely into the national College Football Playoff discussion with its win over Notre Dame vaulting the Sun Devils into the No. 6 spot in this week’s College Football Playoff rankings.
But coach Todd Graham doesn’t think it will distract them.
“These guys have had a lot of close and emotional wins, and I think they understand that they need to always be prepared, especially in a conference like the Pac-12 where every team can beat you,” Graham said. “We have been focused keeping our guys humbled and hungry.
“The achievement of our goals is close, and this is the time when it is really important to focus and to get better fundamentally and that each player continues to have their personal best performances and practices each week.”
The focus now is on Oregon State, a team that didn’t take care of business early in the season and now must win two of its last three games to attain bowl eligibility.
The Beavers lost at home in consecutive games to teams that didn’t have winning records, now face not only Arizona State but also Oregon and Washington, the last on the road.
“What I always try to be is real,” OSU coach Mike Riley said. “And a couple of real things — we’ve shown some good capabilities. We’ve competed hard. We’ve been in games pretty late in the game, fourth-quarter leads. So it’s not like we’re not capable.
“There’s some things that we’ve got to change.”
Riley cited too many penalties, breakdowns defensively, and a sporadic offense as the problems the Beavers face.
Those seem to be bigger issues than the distractions the Sun Devils are contending with. The Sun Devils just need to go about their business.
“How we do it is we do it like every week,” Graham said. “We go about our business and really work hard on staying focused.”
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Sun Devils
–WR Jaelen Strong made all the weekend highlight films with his one-handed touchdown grab against Notre Dame. Strong is on pace for a potential All-America season with 62 receptions for 879 yards and nine touchdowns
–RB D.J. Foster ran hard last week against Notre Dame, carrying 20 times for 120 yards. He is up to 821 rushing yards this season, averaging 5.8 per carry.
–DE Marcus Hardison had his most impactful game at ASU last week against Notre Dame. His one tackle was huge — a sack that forced the Irish into a field goal attempt on their first drive — and he also intercepted a pass and tipped another that led to another pick.
–FS Damarious Randall returned an interception 59 yards for a touchdown against Notre Dame. He is second on the team with 70 tackles
Beavers
–WR Victor Bolden has put together consecutive outstanding games, with 10 receptions against Washington State following his 11 against California. He has a team-leading 51 receptions this season.
–TB Terron Ward’s versatility as a receiver, runner and blocker will be very important against Arizona State. There will be plays where he needs to provide a quick outlet as a receiver, or block against the blitzing tactics of ASU.
–DE Obum Gwacham has only 21 tackles, but of those, 5.5 have been for losses. He has a team high in sacks with 4.5.
–S Ty Zimmerman and fellow safety Ryan Murphy will have a major challenge in dealing with the diversified offense of Arizona State. Zimmerman leads the Beavers in tackles with 68.
