Cal Football: Previewing Bears' 2020 Opponents: Game 8: Oregon State

Can Cal avenge disappointment loss it suffered against Beavers in 2019?

We should have a pretty good idea whether Cal is still in the Pac-12 title hunt by the time it faces Oregon State in the eighth game of the 2020 season.

The Oregon State contest comes one week after the pivotal game against Oregon, and the Bears no doubt will recall their disappointing home loss to the Beaver last season, which essentially ended Cal’s chances to finish first in the Pac-12 North.

Of course, we don’t even know whether there will be a college football season in 2020, but if there is, this game in Corvallis will go a long way toward shaping the Bears’ season.

(Previews on Cal's earlier 2020 Opponents: Game 1 UNLV, Game 2 TCU, Game 3 Cal Poly, Game 4 Utah, Game 5 Washington State, Game 6 USC and Game 7 Oregon.)

Now it’s on to a preview of Oregon State, and what the Bears are likely to face in Corvallis.

Game 8: CAL at OREGON STATE, Oct. 24

Oregon State 2019 record: 5-7 overall, 4-5/tied for 2nd in Pac-12 North

Series record: Cal leads the series 38-34-0 and has won four of the past six games against Oregon State. But the Beavers beat Cal 21-17 in Berkeley last season. Chase Garbers did not play in that game, and his replacement, Devon Modster, did not finish the game, getting injured in the second half. Freshman Spencer Brasch finished up. It was a disappointing loss as noted by Justin Wilcox in the video below.

Oregon State coach: Jonathan Smith, 7-17, entering 3rd year as Oregon State’s head coach.

Top players: Senior OLB Hamilcar Rashed Jr. (first-team Sports Illustrated All-American in 2019, when he led the Pac-12 in sacks with 14 and led the nation in tackles for loss with 22.5); junior RB Jermar Jefferson (rushed for 685 yards in nine games in 2019 and ran for 1,380 yards as a freshman in 2018); Sophomore ILB Omar Speights (freshman all-American in 2019, when he had 73 tackles and 7.5 tackles for loss).

Strengths: The Beavers now believe they can win after improving to 5-7 last season and finishing tied for second in the Pac-12 North . . . Oregon State recorded 32 sacks in 12 games last season, and should have strong pass rush again led by OLB Hamilcar Rashed Jr., who might be the best linebacker in the Pac-12. . . . Oregon State’s top two tacklers from last year, ILBs Avery Roberts and Omar Speights, return, giving the Beavers one of the top linebacking units in the Pac-12 . . . Injuries limited RB Jermar Jefferson in 2019, but he demonstrated as a freshman in 2018, when he rushed for 1,380 yards, that he can be a game-changer. . . . The Beavers should be improved up front against the run with the addition of Auburn transfer Charles Moore and junior college product Tavis Shippen.

Weaknesses: The Beavers’ strong passing game of 2019 took a major hit with personnel losses. QB Jake Luton (28 TD passes, 3 interceptions), standout WR Isaiah Hodgins (1,171 receiving yards, 13 TDs) and TE Noah Tagiai (44 receptions) are all gone. . . . Last year’s backup QB Tristan Gebbia, a transfer from Nebraska, is likely to be the starter in 2020, but he will have competition from junior college transfer QB Chance Nolan . . . Oregon State lost three starting offensive linemen, including its star up front, Blake Brandel, so protecting its quarterback and opening holes for Jefferson will be issues. . . . Oregon State gave up 169.5 yards per game on the ground last season.

What you should know about Oregon State: The Beavers showed significant improvement in Jonathan Smith’s second year as head coach. After a 2-10 record in 2018, Oregon State improved to 5-7 overall and 4-5 in Pac-12 play in 2019. The Beavers barely missed getting a bowl berth, losing three games by three points or fewer. . . Oregon State has not had a winning season since 2013, when it went 7-6 under Mike Riley and won the Hawaii Bowl . . . The Beavers have finished with a winning conference record only once since 2009. The exception was 2012 when they went 6-3 in conference play. . . Oregon State plays road games against Oklahoma State and Pac-12 South foes Utah and Arizona State, which will make it difficult to improve on last year’s record.

Spring practice status: The Beavers began spring practice on March 3, and they completed five spring workouts before the rest of Oregon State’s spring practice was canceled because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The spring game was scheduled for April 18, but will not be played.

2020 Season projection: The Beavers might continue their improvement on defense with a lot of key components returning, but the offense has too many holes to fill to expect it to be as good as it was in 2019. Athlon projects the Beavers to finish last in the six-team North, but the San Jose Mercury News tabs the Beavers for a third-place finish. This indicates how muddled things are in the middle of the Pac-12 North. Oregon is the favorite, but after that it’s a free-for-all.

Cal-Oregon State game prediction: Cal 27, Oregon State 17