EUGENE – Five things to watch for Oregon State, as the Beavers play their regular season finale against Oregon at 12:30 p.m. in Autzen Stadium:
1. What’s at stake for Oregon State
Washington State’s 40-13 win over Washington takes OSU out of the Pac-12 championship game picture, but the stakes remain high. With a win, the Beavers earn a share of the Pac-12 North title. The last time Oregon State won outright or shared a division or conference title was 2000. The Beavers are looking for their first win in Eugene, as well as back-to-back wins over the Ducks, since 2007. Also, is 8-4 good enough to crack the top 25 for the first time since 2013?
Win or lose, the bowl picture doesn’t clear up. The Beavers are in the hunt for the Alamo, Holiday, Las Vegas, Sun, LA and ESPN bowls. As many as five teams could finish 6-3 in conference play, leaving the bowls with a wide choice of options.
2. Following Utah blueprint
In last Saturday’s 38-7 win over Oregon, the Utes gave Oregon State a path to success against the Ducks defense with their two and three tight end sets in the running game. No Pac-12 team runs the multiple tight end packages better than the Beavers. Surely Oregon knows what is coming, and adjustments are likely. Will OSU make Oregon try to stop it, or will the Beavers try to out-think the Ducks by countering their revised strategy?
3. Chance Nolan on the road
In Nolan’s last three road games (Washington State, California, Colorado), the OSU fourth-year sophomore is 46 of 89 for 646 yards, three touchdowns and five interceptions. That is unlikely to be good enough to beat Oregon. The Beavers need the home Nolan of late; in his last three games at Reser, Nolan is 45 of 62 for 555 yards, five touchdowns and no interceptions.
4. OSU’s defensive approach with Anthony Brown, Travis Dye
Watch closely to see if Oregon State plays it straight up trying to defend dual threat QB Anthony Brown and running back Travis Dye. Or if the Beavers decide to load up and make Brown beat them through the air. Brown is working with a depleted receiving corps, and Utah made the Ducks pay. OSU has been better defending the run under interim defensive coordinator Trent Bray. Dye, third in rushing yardage in the Pac-12, is a heat check.
5. What is Oregon State’s intangible?
The Beavers probably need something in addition to their conference-leading running game and a solid defensive effort to pull off a win at Eugene. A couple intangibles come to mind. Most obvious is Jack Colletto, whose package of plays has increased in recent weeks. Last Saturday against Arizona State, Colletto took a few snaps on first and second down. Another could be getting the tight ends involved in the passing game. Throwing to Teagan Quitoriano and Luke Musgrave has been underwhelming this season. But they’re capable, and maybe this is the week they get untracked in the passing game.
–Nick Daschel | [email protected] | @nickdaschel
