Week Two - #9 Oregon Ducks @ Oregon State Beavers: How To Watch, Preview, Storylines
The Oregon State Beavers started the season 2-0 with wins over Idaho State and San Diego State. On the other side, the #9 Oregon Ducks are also 2-0 after beating Idaho and Boise State. It's 130-year-old rivalry that rarely fails to deliver on excitement.
In the latest chapter of the rivalry formerly known as the Civil War, the Beavers host the Ducks Saturday in Corvallis. Here's everything you need to know about the matchup and what to expect on the field.
RELATED: State of the Beavs: Why CFB Rivalries Still Matter + Oregon Preparations
Oregon Ducks (2-0, 0-0 Big Ten) @ Oregon State Beavers (2-0, Pac-12/Independent)
Date: Saturday, September 14th
Time: 12:30 PM PT
Location: Reser Stadium - Corvallis, Oregon
TV: FOX
Radio: Oregon State Radio Affiliates
Betting Line: OSU -16.5 on FanDuel
RELATED: Oregon State Lands 2025 Athlete Skyler Jackson, Son of Steven Jackson
Storylines
Is Oregon finally tuned up?
The Ducks entered the season at #3 in the AP Poll with aspirations to reach the national championship. Despite two wins to start the season, the Ducks are down to #9 in those rankings, likely because of the narrow margins in those wins against unranked opponents (one of which was an FCS team). Dan Lanning gave a laundry list of things that his team needs to focus on in the new year, namely keeping star quarterback Dillon Gabriel protected. Gabriel has been sacked seven times through the first two weeks.
New faces, old rivalry
While this rivalry has an extensive history, lots of members of both teams are completely new to it thanks to the transfer portal. Oregon returned 69% of their production from last year, while Oregon State returned just 34%. It may not affect the quality of the game, but does it affect how either team perceives the importance of the game?
Trent Bray commented on that this week:
"Guys aren't staying at places for 3-4 years anymore they're moving around to three or four different colleges sometimes. So that definitely can play a part of it because I know just as a player the way I felt about the game as a freshman versus how I felt about the game as a senior was quite different. So that might be something."
Will the same strategy work for Oregon State?
The Beavers have made a habit of winning through the first two weeks by maintaining possession. OSU leads the nation in time of possession per game with 39 minutes per game. Given the skill of a quarterback like Gabriel, slowing the game down and keeping him off the field is in the Beavers' best interest. Conversely, Oregon can take advantage of that by adopting a more aggressive run defense and forcing/capitalizing on turnovers.
Other Reading Material from On SI
WATCH: Oregon State Football Coach Trent Bray Talks Rivalry Game Against Oregon Ducks
3 Things We Learned From Oregon State's Week Two Win Over San Diego State
Oregon State Broke A 48-Year-Old Program Record In Week 2 Win at San Diego State
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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.