RECAP: Oregon State Shutout By Air Force 28-0 in Fifth Straight Defeat
Edit: This story originally had the date of OSU's previous most recent shutout loss incorrect. It has since been corrected.
There's no other way to say it: Oregon State put forth a thoroughly bad performance in a loss to Air Force on Saturday. The 28-0 result marked the Beavers' first time getting shutout since the 2015 season (41-0 vs UCLA).
Ben Gulbranson, who started at quarterback for the Beavers last week at San Jose State, was a late scratch after not traveling to Colorado with the team. Gevani McCoy started under center in this game, but was quickly replaced by Gabarri Johnson.
Johnson struggled in that position, completing nine passes on 19 attempts for 106 yards and an interception while carrying 13 times for 22 yards. OSU totaled just 175 yards of offense in the loss, their lowest total of the season.
First Half
The Falcons started things off with a vintage Air Force drive, traveling 75 yards in 11 plays, eating up six minutes and 42 seconds. A 36-yard completion from Quentin Hayes to Cade Harris got Air Force down to the eight-yard line. Hayes eventually punched it in from eight yards out.
After a Beavs three-and-out, Air Force again made it down into the red zone, but their second possession ultimately resulted in a missed field goal.
Gabarri Johnson led the next drive at quarterback for the Beavers, but threw an interception. The two teams traded punts, then Air Force got back into the end zone with a 97-yard touchdown drive that took them eight plays and just under five minutes. Hayes got his second rushing touchdown of the day on a one-yard tush push.
In their final possession of the first half, Air Force appeared to get a 52-yard field goal attempt off in the closing seconds, but the Beavers blocked it.
Second Half
Oregon State received the opening kickoff, but punted after a three-and-out. While Air Force put together another long drive, eating eight minutes off of the clock, the Beavers caught a break when Isaiah Chisom forced a fumble that the Skyler Thomas recovered deep in OSU territory. However, OSU could not capitalize and turned it over on downs, still in their own territory. Air Force drove 34 yards to set up another one-yard score and extend the lead.
The next possessions were a similar story. Oregon State turned it over on downs again, giving Air Force the opportunity to pile on more points. They did with an 11-play drive that lasted just over seven minutes and saw Owen Allen dive through the OSU line from two yards away.
OSU had time for one more turnover on downs before the final whistle. In eight possessions on Saturday, Oregon State achieved just nine first downs, were two-for-ten on third down, and one-for-four on fourth downs.
With the loss, Oregon State will fall to 4-6 on the season and suffer their fifth consecutive defeat. The Beavers need to win their final two games, both against ranked opponents in Washington State and Boise State, in order to be eligible for a bowl game. They'll continue their season on November 23 in Corvallis against WSU at 4 PM PT.
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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.