Oregon State Beat Writer Answers 5 Questions About Cal's Next Foe

Who will be the Beavers' QB against Cal? How surprising is the success of freshman running back Damien Martinez? What is the secret to Jonathan Smith's success?

Cal faces Oregon State on Saturday night in Corvallis, Oregon, where the Beavers have been tough to beat.  Oregon State is 9-1 at home since the start of the 2021 season.

Oregon State beat writer Nick Daschel of the Oregonian answered five questions about the Beavers, who are 6-3 overall, 3-3 in the Pac-12 and favored by two touchdowns over Cal (3-6, 1-5).

1. Who do you expect to be the Beavers’ starting quarterback against Cal, and what is the difference between Chance Nolan and Ben Gulbranson?

Nolan was the starter last season and at the start of this season, but he has missed the past four games with a neck injury, and although Oregon State coaches expect Nolan to return sometime this season, it won't be this week.

"It's definitely going to be Ben Gulbranson," Daschel said in the video atop this story. "Chance Nolan is nowhere near ready to play. He's just doing some light drills in practice.

Daschel says that Nolan is a little more mobile than Gulbranson, but notes that Gulbranson is 3-1 as a starter, including last week's 24-21 loss to Washington.

"And I'm not going to hold last week's game against him too much, it was so windy up at Husky Stadium," said Daschel. "It was just hard to throw the football."

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2. How much of a surprise is freshman running back Damien Martinez, and what makes him so effective?

Martinez ranks seventh in the Pac-12 in rushing and his 6.37 yards per carry rank second in the conference among running backs averaging more than 40 yards per game.  He has rushed for more than 100 yards in each of the past three games. But his performance has not surprised Daschel.

“There’s no surprise at all with him,” Daschel said. “We knew in spring ball he was going to be the guy. What is surprising is that he wasn’t the starter from the outset.

“He’s kind of the complete package: He’s big, he’s fast, he’s got some moves, and he’s proven to be pretty effective.”

He’s the most explosive player Oregon State has, according to Daschel, who expects him to get 20-22 carries against Cal.

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3. How has Jonathan Smith had success at Oregon State without many big-time recruits?

The Beavers have shown steady improvement under Smith, even though their recruiting classes have not been ranked high. From 2018 through 2021, none of their recruiting classes ranked higher than ninth in the Pac-12, according to 247 Sports.

Smith took over a team that went 1-11 the year before he arrived, and has gone 2-10, then 5-7, 2-5 (in the pandemic season, which can be discarded), 7-6 last year and 6-3 this year. 

“The first order of business was getting the culture right,” Daschel said. “It’s team first, and he gets the right kind of guys to buy in."

Transfers have helped solidify several positions in recent years, and recruiting has picked up, according to Daschel.

The Beavers' 2022 class was ranked sixth in the Pac-12 by 247 Sports, and its 2023 class is ranked eighth so far.

“This [recruiting] class will be the best class they’ve signed, I believe,” Daschel said. “In the meantime, they’ve been able to piece the thing together with some transfers.”

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4. Oregon State has the best passer-rating defense (also called pass-efficiency defense) in the Pac-12 and one of the best in the country. What makes the Beavers so good against the pass?

The Beavers rank 10th in the country in pass-efficiency defense, and Daschel credits the experience in the secondary for a lot of that success. Four starters in the secondary this season were starters last year.

“Their secondary is about as veteran as you’ll see in the Pac-12,” said Daschel, who went on to note the standouts in the defensive backfield.

“While they don’t have a lot of sacks (just 12), they do tend to get to the quarterback and make him throw a little bit early,” Daschel said.

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5. Oregon State continues to have strong running attacks. How do the Beavers do it?

“It starts with offensive line coach Jim Michalczik,” Daschel said. “He’s been there all five years, and he’s just solidly put together this offensive line, which has been intact the last two or three years."

Michalczik was Cal's offensive line coach from 2002 through 2008 and again in 2011 and 2012.  The Bears went to nine bowl games while he was there.

“They’re not great in pass blocking, but in run blocking they’ve been good, and they take pride in it," Daschel said. "They love to run the football, like a lot of good offensive lines do, and it hasn’t really mattered who plays running back.”

Besides Martinez this season, Oregon's State's B.J. Baylor led the Pac-12 in rushing last season, and the Beavers' Jermar Jefferson was second in the conference in 2020 and third in 2018. 

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Cover photo of Oregon State quarterback Ben Gulbranson is by Soobum Im, USA TODAY Sports

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