No Platty: Oregon State Game Preview

Jermar Jefferson is for sure not in Corvallis anymore, right?

The Beavers are coming into Autzen Stadium tomorrow for an early morning battle to reclaim that damn train in Salem along I-5.

Two years ago, the Ducks hosted their brothers (you make the big/little distinction for yourself) in a must-win matchup immediately after losing their playoff hopes.

Tomorrow’s game will have that, too.

And last year, on a very foggy night in Corvallis, Jermar Jefferson ran all over the Ducks to claim OSU’s first win over the Ducks since 2016.

The ground game is going to be the centerpiece to tomorrow’s game as well.

The 125th meeting between these two Willamette Valley rivals will have a little bit of pressure, a lotta bit of rushing yards, and some trademark weather that has defined this inter-state dynamic for all of eternity.

The Ducks need to win this game if they want a chance to redeem themselves against Utah in the Pac-12 Championship game.

Since the Huard Huskies just fell short in the Apple Cup, The Beavers are now looking to play spoiler (or “Giant Killer” as they like to think of themselves). If OSU can pull off the victory, they’ll send the Cougs to Vegas.

And thus, the stage has been set. Sort of.

As far as the actual football of it all, Oregon State has had a tremendous season. Johnny Smith has the Beavis bowl-eligible for the first time in a long time, and they’ve beaten USC, Utah, Washington, Arizona State, and Stanford in one of the all-time streak-breaking tours in Pac-12 history.

The best thing they do is run the ball. Their offensive line is stellar, and running back BJ Baylor (#4) just might be first team All-Pac.

They also have an everything dude, Jack Colletto (#12), who is a former QB who is now primarily a linebacker, but he has also scored eight touchdowns rushing, and one receiving. He has also grabbed a pick and forced a fumble this year.

Colletto is as much of throwback as anyone in college football, and I would not be surprised if this a 10+ tackle kind of game for him—along with some other crazy play on either side of the ball—win or lose.

I have written EXTENSIVELY this season about my Respect™ for Oregon State. What Smith has built with transfers and team culture has been exactly what you have to do to win at a resource-challenged, basement program like theirs.

I actually bragged about OSU for three straight weeks in my Pac-12 Round Up, but then they lost a few games they should not have lost and stumbled just out of reach of greatness—opting instead to just hangout at a reasonable level of goodness.

As for the Ducks, they’re looking for redemption against a team they should beat—which has been a danger spot for them this season.

There’s still obviously a ton to play for in Kayvon Thibodeaux’s final game at Autzen, but the most important thing in my eyes is that Mario Cristobal’s team shows up and plays their own game.

The physical/resilient/trench-warfare Oregon squad that won out in Columbus, Seattle, and Pasadena failed to show up in Salt Lake last weekend, and the 7-38 score reflected as much.

Oregon State is Utah-lite. Mario needs to go back to trusting his stubbornness (along with his well-coached and well-developed offensive line), and run right at their chins over and over and over again.

Get AB’s legs going early in the rain. Give the ball to Travis Dye at least ten times in the first quarter. Push the Beavers around along both lines of scrimmage because that is who you built yourself to be.

Nobody needs it to be pretty. 

Pretty ain’t our game in 2021—and it’s definitely not what this rivalry is all about.

Just take pride in winning the North, be hungry for another shot at Utah, and hyper-focus on how much fun it is to end the season with a Rose Bowl.

It’s cliche, but just be yourself.

27-20, Good Guys.

Go Ducks.