What We Learned From Week 3: The Idaho State Game

Oregon State snapped their 10 game losing streak Saturday with a 37 to 7 victory over the Idaho State Bengals. Although it wasn’t pretty at times, the Beavers made some big plays when they needed to. Idaho State deserves credit as well for their team effort and giving the Beavers some fits at times.

The Defense was Opportunistic

Credit the Oregon State Defense for forcing 5 turnovers, as they forced 4 interceptions and 1 fumble. The total yardage was close yet the Beavers held a 418-363 advantage. The turnovers proved to be the difference in the game as the Beavers scored 24 of their 37 points off turnovers, this included a 75 yard interception return for touchdown by Cornerback Treston DeCoud. Besides the 75 yard touchdown run by Bengal running back Jakori Ford, (which you have to give Ford credit for breaking all those tackles), the Beaver defense did a nice job of keeping points off the board. Idaho State did move the ball well, but the Beavers made key stops when it mattered, and forced key turnovers to end Bengal scoring drives. In addition, the Beaver defense did a good job of pressuring Bengal Quarterback Tanner Gueller forcing him to rush his throws. Despite Ford’s 75 yard touchdown run, the defense did a decent job against the run and controlling the line of scrimmage.

There Needs to Be More Consistency From the Offense

I thought Idaho State’s Defense played well against the Beaver Offense especially stopping Running Back Ryan Nall on a 4th and 1 on the Bengal 10 yard line in the 4th quarter while the Beavs were called for holding on the same play. On the other side of the coin, that’s the type of play the Beavers need to make. Garretson had to move around the pocket quite frequently as a result of the pressure by the Bengal Defense. Garretson was able to rush for 46 yards and 1 touchdown. His scrambling ability caused many cheers among Beaver Nation. However, the Offensive Line needs to do a better job protecting the quarterback so he shouldn’t have to scramble that much. The pressure that Garretson faced effected the timing in the passing game. The Beavers missed some big play opportunities in the passing game. There were too many drives that stalled out due to a lack of push upfront. The offense had one turnover on a ball that should have been caught by Xavier Hawkins, instead the ball bounced off his hands and was intercepted by Idaho State’s Jeremy Bittle. The Beavers need to work on more consistency on offense, and making more plays that keep their defense off the field.

The Team and Program Continues to Build

Regardless of the opponent, the Beavers did end their 10 game losing streak. They made plays when they needed to, they won the turnover battle 5-1, and they had some big plays including Victor Bolden’s 92 yard touchdown run. (The longest run since the Terry Baker 99 yard touchdown run in the 1964 Liberty Bowl). It was good to hear some of the players and Coach Andersen acknowledge that there are mistakes that they can grow from, and they understand they need to play better against their next opponent, the Boise State Broncos. Regardless, the Beavers deserve to finally feel good after a win, and to know that they are capable of doing some positive things in the 2016 season. They have a huge opportunity to make a statement next week with a home game against a very good Boise State Broncos football team.