Oregon State Football: Keys To Victory vs. Purdue Boilermakers
The Oregon State Beavers are 2-1 to begin the season following a loss to Oregon in their third game. Over the last week, the Beavers have been working to correct the mistakes of that outing in preparation for yet another home game, this time against the visiting 1-1 Purdue Boilermakers.
As Trent Bray's squad hopes to move to 3-1, keeping these things in mind will be critical to securing their first win over a Power Conference opponent this season.
Great Matchup For The Running Game
Last week, Purdue's got absolutely eviscerated by Notre Dame's running game. The Irish totaled 362 yards on the ground with running back Jeremiyah Love and quarterback Riley Leonard both going over 100 yards. The Beavers average 243 yards per game on the ground and should present another significant challenge for that Purdue defense. Anthony Hankerson and Jam Griffin are averaging 94.3 and 92 yards per game, respectively.
OSU Secondary Needs To Rebound
Dillon Gabriel and the Oregon Ducks had a strong performance in the passing game last week against the Beavers, totaling 306 yards and two touchdowns. Purdue's passing offense, led by quarterback Hudson Card, is capable, albeit less lethal. Card was an All-Big Ten honorable mention last season, completing 215 of 365 passes for 2387 yards with 15 touchdowns and eight interceptions. The Beavers are allowing 214 yards per game through the air and should aim to bring that number down with some tighter coverage this time around.
Watch Out For Heldt
The biggest threat that Oregon State will face in this game is likely defensive end Will Heldt. Heldt has 2.5 sacks to start the year with 3.5 tackles for loss total. A combination of continuing to focus on runs aimed at the A and B gaps and enhanced focus on Heldt's rushing ability by OSU's tackles when Gevani McCoy drops back to pass should hopefully neutralize the threat that Heldt presents.
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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.