Oregon State Football: Keys To Victory vs. #9 Oregon Ducks
After a 2-0 start to the season, Trent Bray's Oregon State Beavers are hoping to make it 3-0 and fend off the #9 Oregon Ducks at Reser Stadium this Saturday. It's a difficult task, but not an impossible one.
While the Ducks are also 2-0, they've looked vulnerable in a 24-14 result against Idaho and a 37-34 game against Boise State. Here's what the Beavers need to do in order to ensure they pull off the upset over their archrivals.
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Keep the pressure on Gabriel
No matter how you look at it, Dillon Gabriel has been one of the most productive quarterback in FBS history when you look at his time at UCF, Oklahoma, and now Oregon. The Hawaii native is the main selling point of the offense, ranking fourth in NCAA history in career total touchdowns, seventh in total yards, eighth in passing yards, and eighth in passing touchdowns.
This season, Gabriel has performed well through the first two games with a completion percentage of 0.84, 623 yards, and four touchdowns. However, through two games, Gabriel has been sacked more times (7) than Bo Nix was all of last season (5) with the Ducks. The Beavers can take advantage of that by trying to make the most of their matchups along the defensive line and mixing up blitz packages to further confuse an Oregon offensive line that's clearly struggling.
Rise to the occasion in the secondary
There's an argument to be made that Oregon's receiver group is the best that the Beavers will face this year. Tez Johnson may have had just three catches last week against Boise State, but he had 12 and two touchdowns in the first week against Idaho. Johnson also set a program for catches last season with 86. Texas A&M transfer Evan Stewart is also a threat who caught five passes for 112 yards last week.
All that to say, the Beavers' defensive backs need to have an exceptionally strong day against a passing game that's a significant step up from what they've faced so far.
If it isn't broke...
I'm not just saying the Beavers should continue to flex their running game because it's been the driving force in their first two wins. I'm also saying it because Oregon had trouble defending the run last week against Boise State. Neither Jam Griffin or Anthony Hankerson are Ashton Jeanty. However, continuing to give opposing defenses a healthy dose of both guys, mixed in with an occasional burst of speed from Salahadin Allah, is the next best thing. The Ducks allowed 6.7 yards per carry against the Broncos last week.
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JOE LONDERGAN
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.