Breaking: QB K.J. Costello ruled out vs Oregon State

Stanford Football’s twitter account broke the news about 10:35am PT that their starting quarterback, K.J. Costello, will not play against Oregon State this weekend in Corvallis. Backup QB Davis Mills will start in his place against the Beavs.

Costello and the Cardinal have had a poor season that are far below David Shaw’s usual standards. Costello currently has 471 yards passing to go with two touchdowns and two interceptions, while the Cardinal are 1-3 on the season as they prepare to head into conference play. Davis Mills, meanwhile, has 352 yards and one touchdown and one interception with only one start on the season. If the Cardinal are unable to turn things around within the next week or two, they could be in serious danger of missing their first bowl game under David Shaw.

On the other sideline, if Jonathan Smith and the Beavs were looking for a springboard game to get their season rolling, this could be the game to get things started. The Beavers have been unable to beat Stanford since 2009, and a win this weekend could mark another monumental moment for Smith, quite possibly the biggest moment in Smith’s short tenure as the Beaver coach. The game was already expected to be close even with Costello, so the Beavs have to take advantage of this opportunity.