Oregon State Football: What to Expect - Cal Poly

The Beavers take on the Cal Poly Mustangs this Saturday, an opponent they’re expected to defeat but shouldn’t take lightly. Here are some things you might expect to see at Reser.

The Beavers Will Face Another Mobile QB

The defense will be tested, going against a very interesting offensively schemed team. The Mustangs primarily run the triple option, but sprinkle in some two back shotgun formations where they like to use the play action pass.

Through two games, Cal Poly QB Jalen Hamler has 403 passing yards, 149 yards on the ground, and six touchdowns (3 passing/3 rushing). He’ll try to use his legs first, but use those plays to set up the play action deep post routes that can hurt the Beavers if they’re not careful. The Beaver defense had trouble (and has always had trouble) stopping Oklahoma State QB Spencer Sanders and other fast quarterbacks from running all over them, so containing Hamler is going to be a priority on Saturday.

Another thing to note is, the Mustangs ended up scoring 24 points against Weber State, a team that held San Diego State to just 6 points all game in week one, which is another reason this Beaver defense should not take them lightly.

Jermar Jefferson is Going to Have a BIG Game (If He Stays Healthy)

The Beavers are going to feed Jefferson early and often on Saturday. Jefferson was seemingly impossible to stop during the 1st quarter of the Hawaii game. In the quarter, he carried the ball 10 times for 94 yards and a touchdown, giving him more yards then he had all of week one against Oklahoma State. But early in the 2nd quarter it appeared that Jefferson wasn’t running as hard as he was in the 1st and looked like he had a little limp whenever he jogged to the sideline.

Jefferson still managed to finish the game with 188 yards on the ground but never looked quite the same. I think we’re going to see the type of performance he had in the 1st quarter of the Hawaii game, all game against the Mustangs (assuming he stays healthy). The Beavs will use their offensive line to bully the undersized Cal Poly defense, and should have an easy time opening up running lanes. Expect Artavis Pierce to get some carries as well following a very nice performance against the Rainbow Warriors.

If They Play Hard, The Beavers Will Win

I cannot stress this enough; The Beavers cannot afford to play lightly against ANY opponent. This team is lacking depth and sadly, skill, on the defensive side. Even with those problems, the Beavers should be better than an FCS team. If the Beavers play with urgency and a chip on their shoulder, they should be able to handle the Mustangs quite easily. But if they come out thinking they’re going to have an easy day... well... Beaver fans know the pain of losing to an FCS team since it’s happened twice this decade.