Oregon State Underwhelms San Diego State
Oregon State got another win Saturday, but the victory over San Diego State was more of a statement about where expectaions are than what the performance was.
Nominally, any game won by 3 scores, where the opponent was also held to single digits, is a good win. And there was a time not that long ago where Oregon State couldn't count on a win against a Big Sky team, never mind a Mt. West one. But expectations, and stadium building and funding projects, in Corvallis are now that the 16th (and likey to rise; multiple teams just ahead of Oregon State lost today) Beavers be a top tier team.
Yet had the Aztecs converted a 2 point conversion attempt after their 4th quarter (and only) touchdown drive of the day, the Beavers, thanks to another baffling conversion decision (and faliure) of their own earlier, would have found themselves in a 1 score game with 9 minutes left.
Anthony Gould's ensuing 75 yard catch and sprint by everyone touchdown, above, run put Oregon State ahead 26-9, and Akili Arnold's diving touchdown preventing interception of Aztec quarterback Jalen Maden in the Beavers' own end zone, below, put the game away.
But the best thing that cound be said about the first 51 minutes was that Atticus Sappington has cemented his hold on the place kicking job, with 48 & 44 yard field goals that were the only points of the game until Joshua Gray's trick play touchdown midway in the 2nd quarter.
If the objective of the game plan for Offensive Coordinator Brian Lindgren was to not put anything on video that would scare Washington State, Oregon State's next opponent, or any other Pac-12 defense, than what Gould did with a tunnel screen route, mission accomplished.
The afternoon long effort to feature Silas Bolden after last week's dominant performance at Cal Davis's expensee was a series of misfires until a mid third quarter 31 yard catch and sprint downfield slot route, above, and the subsequent reverse sweep that went for 18 yards, and set up quarterback DJ Uiagalelei's 1 yard touchdown dive, below.
Uiagalelei's 14 of 30 passing perfoamce, which yielded more interceptions than touchdowns (the pass to Gray was a brilliant play, above, no one was anywhere near Gray but fellow lineman Heneli Bloomfield looking for someone to block, but it was technically a backward pass, and therefore a rushing play), and only 178 yards exclusive of the mostly run after passes by Bolden and Gould. Especially in the first half, Uiagalelei was regularly wide right with his passes, and also was susceptible to throwing high or over-leading the quick but short Bolden.
What the objective of using Bolden on longer routes, and keeping Gould, who is and was demonstrably faster than Bolden, or anyone else in Reser Stadium Saturday, to almost exclusively short and underneath routes, instead of the other way around, was unapparent.
Damien Martinez did manage another 100 yard rushing day, barely, with 102 yards, on 15 carries. But 43 of them came on one mid first quarter run, above. And it only led to a field goal, not a touchdown.
And Defensive Coordinator Trent Bray's defense continued to fly around the field, and held the Aztecs to 50 yards rushing, and Mayden to 256 yards passing, on 20 of 32 passing, and no touchdowns. But there were a number of open plays where Aztec receivers either flat out dropped the ball, or Mayden wasn't able to connect with open targets.
Almost every quarterback the Beavers defense will face in the Pac-12 conference is on a whole other level than any of the ones encountered in the non-conference portion of the schedule the Beavers have navigated to a 3-0 start. At least Oregon State got thru the day without getting too many people hurt.
Better coverage schemes, and more consistent offensive production, and play calling that isn't a day long exercise in head-scratching, will have to happen if a finish in the top half of the conference is to happen. It starts in a week, with a trip to the Palouse, where the Cougars won today, by a 64-21 score.
At least Coach Jonathan Smith won't have to talk about a lot of things to clean up, the players in various post game comments already did.
Fortunately though, the Beavers did do enough against the Aztecs that the sunny afternoon did end with queing the Fight Song!
Andy_Wooldridge@yahoo.com
(Photos by Andy Wooldridge)