This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2016, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
It's been a weird 24 hours, with focus on the game gradually shifting tohttp://www.oregonlive.com/pacific-northwest-news/index.ssf/2016/10/electric_companies_work_to_res.html#incart_big-photo";> the stormy conditions in Oregon over the match-ups and schemes that typically define these games.
But let's not lose sight of the two teams playing: Coming off their first Pac-12 win since 2014, who are the Oregon State Beavers?
To help answer some questions about OSU, I enlisted the help of Danny Moran from The Oregonian. He covers the team with fellow beat writer Gina Mizell. http://www.oregonlive.com/beavers/";>You can read their stories here, and you can follow Danny @DannyJMoran. Here we go:
1. Coming off a 221 rushing yard game,http://www.oregonlive.com/beavers/index.ssf/2016/10/oregon_state_beavers_practice_95.html#incart_2box";> you've reported Ryan Nall is questionable headed into Saturday's game. What does the sophomore back bring to the field, what is your best guess at if he plays, and who would step up if he can't?
Danny Moran: Nall has nicknames (most notably "Wrecking Nall") that refer to his power and ability to break tackles. But even at 6-foot-2 and 234 pounds, his biggest strength may be his burst through holes in the line of scrimmage and his deceptive speed once he's gotten into space. He had a slower start to the year, which could be attributed to an ankle injury and/or the early ineffectiveness of the Oregon State offensive line. Yet when he has a lane and is healthy, he's capable of breaking massive runs like his 80-yard score against Cal last Saturday. They definitely want him out there but his game is primarily between the tackles and that's where Utah is so strong. Artavis Pierce, a speedy true freshman, would start if Nall can't go and is averaging 5.2 yards per carry. Even if Nall does play, expect OSU to use two of their fastest players – Paul Lucas and Victor Bolden – to the outside. Lucas was recruited as a receiver but has primarily been used the backfield and Bolden is a receiver the Beavers use a lot of fly sweeps.
2. http://bit.ly/2dSNdNM";>Darell Garretson threw for more than 1000 yards in each of his years at Utah State despite playing only portions of seasons. But in his last three games, http://www.oregonlive.com/beavers/index.ssf/2016/10/darell_garretson_oregon_state.html#incart_2box";>he's failed to throw over 100 yards. What's the kink in the Beavers' passing game, and do OSU coaches have confidence it can be fixed?
DM: Initially the biggest problem was that the offensive line could not protect him. However, protection has improved and Garretson's biggest dilemma is his inability to hit the deep ball. Oregon State tried it a fair amount until last week and his passes have often been overthrown or floated out of bounds when along the sidelines. He and offensive coordinator Kevin McGiven pointed to footwork as an issue this week. We've seen him still struggle with it in the limited portions of practice open to the media, so it may not be a quick fix. But the staff recognizes it won't be able to successfully avoid the pass like they did in the Cal victory. He'll have to keep trying it, although I imagine you'll see them try to get in rhythm with quick outs, slants and crossing routes.
3. With Utah's running game dinged up, there will be a lot of pressure on Utah quarterback Troy Williams to perform in the passing game. But the Beavers have struggled to get pressure, ranked 11th in the league in sacks (7). What has stopped OSU from creating pressure on quarterbacks, and what potential threats might Williams face against the Beavers' D?
DM: There's some talent on the defensive line but they are thin on bodies and either young or inexperienced. They were better at generating some quarterback pressure last week yet still made some assignment mistakes, more notably against the run game. The defensive is generally pretty thin and young. The staff wanted to add some versatile packages utilizing different pass rushers. The core of that group were true freshmen outside linebackers who could also line up on the defensive line. They weren't able to add those by the start of the year, although the Beavers went to that lineup a bit against Cal and could use it again this week to try to create disruption. Again, it could be with multiple untested true freshman. The secondary is banged up but has looked pretty good, the highlight coming last week when shutting down the Bear Raid. That was one week after a serious lowlight in a blowout loss at Colorado when they got burned deep multiple times. The potential issue is that two nickelbacks (Jay Irvine and Dwayne Williams) are out so starting safety Devin Chappell will likely have to move into that role and be replaced by Kendall Hill, a former wide receiver and cornerback.
4. Oregon State has a pair of intriguing athletes in receivers Victor Bolden and Seth Collins (who was a quarterback last year). With the passing game struggling, are the Beavers looking for other ways to get them the ball? Could they factor into special teams significantly?
DM: They've experimented with Collins in the Wildcat, but it hasn't really gone anywhere and they've used it less as of late. They also haven't used him as a passer despite his quarterback experience. Part of that may be that he's become their most effective receiver even though he is still new to the position. Bolden has been the more versatile threat. He ranks ninth in the country in kickoff return yards per attempt, has been used in the backfield before when OSU was thin at running back and is frequently used on the aforementioned fly sweeps. He's made a bigger impact in the kick return game than on punts but did take one 78 yards to the house against Oregon last season. Given the respect the Beavers' coaching staff has for the Utah rush defense, it wouldn't be a surprise if they tried to get more creative with either of these guys.
5. While the attention of last year's Utah-Oregon State game was on the relationships between coaches, it seems like that storyline has cooled down in Year 2 of the Gary Andersen era. Is that also true in Corvallis? How did Andersen seem to approach last year's game, and does it differ from how he's looking at this one?
DM: Based on their press conferences, Andersen is more willing than Kyle Whittingham to discuss their relationship. He joked that he would likely be the one to text Whittingham throughout the week and that Whittingham would not respond. There are connections throughout the entire staff and while Oregon State coaches haven't run from them, all have generally downplayed the impact that would have on the game. One of the more interesting things Andersen has said is that Corvallis first got on his radar as a place he could see himself one day when he was the Utah defensive coordinator in 2007 and the Utes lost at Oregon State 24-7. He accepted the job in 2014 without an on-site visit. It's definitely a storyline but fans have more to be excited about coming off a win this week after 12 Pac-12 losses in a row.
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Thanks, Danny. Hope we all don't get blown away on Saturday.
kgoon@sltrib.com
Twitter: @kylegoon