Oregon State DC Keith Heyward Previews San Diego State Offense For Week Two
In preparation for Oregon State's matchup with the San Diego State Aztecs this week, Oregon State defensive coordinator Keith Heyward took questions from the media about what he expects from the Beavs' second opponent.
"They ran the ball really well versus Texas Commerce," Heyward noted. "They ran the ball really well, their back had 200 yards, they got really good skill on the outside, a freshman quarterback and they got very athletic tight ends. I think their head coach calling the plays does a does a great job he did that from way back at Ken State and then at Colorado. So they got a lot of tools, some of which is the same, but they got better athletes. And no knock to Idaho State, but they got you know some guys who can run, who can break tackles at the running back, pretty shifty there. It's going be a great challenge for us that we're up for and we keep pressing our guys each week that we got to get better."
The back Heyward refers to is Marquez Cooper, who rushed for two scores and 223 yards last week. Cooper was also an All-MAC selection at Kent State, one of his previous schools.
"He just runs. He's tough, you know. And then he has a really good spin move, some jump cuts and stuff like that, but he's physical and he'll run downhill on you. They run all the different run schemes in there to keep you honest up front, but even watching some of the stuff when he was at Kent State and then transferring over there I mean he's just he's a tough, physical runner."
The Beavers allowed just 82 yards on the ground against Idaho State, but also allowed 5.1 yards per carry to their FCS opponent. That number likely has to come down against an experienced back like Cooper.
The Beavs kick off against the Aztecs in San Diego on Saturday at 7:30 PM PT on CBS Sports Network.
Other Reading Material from On SI
WATCH: Oregon State Head Coach Trent Bray Talks Week Two At San Diego State
REPORT: Football Scheduling Agreement Between Mountain West & Pac-12 "Likely" Won't Renew For 2025
Pair of Sophomore Guards Will Have to Step Up for Oregon State in 2024-25
Joe Londergan joined the SI brand in 2023 with G5 Football Daily. With over 15 years of experience in covering and working directly in college and pro sports, Joe's expertise has been featured in Front Office Sports, SB Nation, and XRAY.FM. He is a member of both the Football Writers' Association of America and the National Collegiate Baseball Writers' Association. Joe holds a bachelor's degree from the University of Louisville and a master's degree in sports administration from Seattle University. Outside of his writing career, Joe enjoys golfing, although he admits that while he hits driver decently, his short game is a liability.