Oregon State hits road for clash with Stanford
Not that it was very likely beforehand, but last week’s 38-21 home loss to USC confirmed that Oregon State won’t be playing in a bowl game this season.
At 2-7 overall and 1-4 in the Pac-12, the Beavers will be missing out on the postseason for the fifth consecutive year. It’s their longest drought since going 34 years between bowls from 1965-99.
That doesn’t mean there’s nothing left to play for, first-year coach Jonathan Smith said Monday during his weekly press conference.
“I think this is a competitive group that is continuing to learn how to battle,” Smith said. “We just haven’t been where we wanted to in most games.”
The final three games won’t be easy for OSU; not that the first nine were. First up is a Saturday trip to Stanford (5-4, 3-3) for a 6 p.m. PT kickoff, with a visit to Washington and the Civil War at home against rival Oregon to wrap up the season.
Oregon State is 1-3 away from home but last time out won 41-34 at Colorado in overtime, snapping a 22-game road losing streak. The Beavers average 32.8 points per game outside of Corvallis, compared to 25.4 at Reser Stadium.
As has been the case all season, how OSU plays in the first half will say a lot about how the game goes. The Beavers have been outscored 213-106 against FBS opponents before halftime, creating deficits that are difficult to overcome.
“We don’t love it, I know that,” Smith said. “We don’t need to get in a hole to start. I don’t think it’s a lack of preparation, focus, effort. It’s just something that we’ve had to deal with. I am proud of the resiliency.”
Making sure the ground game is operating efficiently also helps. OSU ran for a season-low 31 yards against USC, six sacks of quarterback Jake Luton contributing to that tally. The 32 carries, including sacks, were seven fewer than in any other game in 2018.
“We didn’t run the ball efficiently like we wanted to early on and that led to more pass attempts,” Smith said.