
Photo by: Mark Hoffman
Beavers to Face Wildcats in Desert Duel
October 06, 2015 | Football
UNIFIED FOR UCC
For the rest of the season, the Beavers will wear a black UCC ribbon on their helmets to honor the fallen from the tragic events of Oct. 1 at Umpqua Community College in Roseburg, Ore. (115 miles south of Corvallis).
THE SERIES/GAME FACTS
• 37th meeting between the two programs.
• The game marks the first Pac-12 road game for the Beavers under head coach Gary Andersen.
• The last Beaver head coach to win his conference road opener was R.B. Rutherford in 1920, 3-0 over Washington in a game played in Seattle. At the time, what is now known as the Pac-12 Conference was the Pacific Coast Conference. Mike Riley won his first league road game of his second tenure in 2003 at California, 35-21.
• Arizona holds a 21-14-1 advantage but Oregon State has a three-game win streak in the series. Arizona won 12 of the first 13 games and 19 of the first 22 to start the series. However, OSU has dominated the series in this century 11-2.
• Oregon State's six-game win streak in Tucson ties for the longest current streak in the Pac-12 on a single opponent's home field. The other six-game streak is OSU's current streak at California's Memorial Stadium.
• The last time OSU faced Arizona was a 38-35 win in Tucson in 2012, Storm Barrs-Woods had the best game of his career rushing 29 times for 161 yards and a touchdown. Barrs-Woods added four receptions for 42 yards.
• The Beavers rallied in the fourth quarter of the 2012 game to score the winning touchdown on a 9-yard strike from Sean Mannion to Connor Hamlett with 1:09 left in the game. Mannion threw for 433 yards and three touchdowns and Markus Wheaton and Brandin Cooks each recorded 100+ yards receiving.
PUTTING ON THE REDSHIRTS: OSU head coach Gary Andersen announced last week that senior tight end Caleb Smith and freshman running back Deltron Sands will miss the rest of the 2015 season and will use their redshirt years.
SOMETHING'S GOT TO GIVE: This week's match-up with the Wildcats features one of the conference's most prolific offenses in Arizona against one of the league's stingiest defenses in Oregon State. So far this season, Arizona is racking up an average of 507 yards per game, while the Beavers' defense is allowing just 331 yards per game.
LOOK AT THOSE QBS RUN: The OSU and Arizona quarterbacks have shown a penchant to run the ball so far this season. OSU's Seth Collins leads the Beavers with 306 rushing yards (76.5 ypg) while Arizona's Jerrard Randall has run for 404 yards (101 ypg) and UA starter Anu Solomon has added 90 yards on the ground.
GIVE THE GUY AN EXTRA WEEK: Beaver head coach Gary Andersen has won his last six games when his teams (Wisconsin & Utah State) have come off bye weeks. Overall in his 7-plus years as a head coach he is 7-3 following bye weeks (also includes 1 year at Southern Utah).
BEST COACH: According to a recent ESPN.com survey, 99 college football players were asked who (other than their own coach) is the best coach in the country? Gary Andersen tied for third behind the likes of Nick Saban and Urban Meyer.
3-4: During the spring practice session, head coach Gary Andersen, assistant head coach/defensive coordinator Kalani Sitake and staff made the decision to shift to a primary defensive alignment with three down linemen and four linebackers. It marks the first time the Beavers have lined up in a primary 3-4 since the Jerry Pettibone era when Bronco Mendenhall, current BYU head coach, directed the defense in 1996.
GET OFF MY LAWN: The Oregon State defense has been stingy about letting opposing offenses get comfortable on the field. Opponents having taken the field on offense 50 times this season and have been turned away with a 3-and-out 46% of the time (23 times). That's an average 5.75 three-and-outs ranking 13th in the nation.
IT AIN'T EASY ON THIRD DOWN: The Beavers have stifled their opposition this season. Through three games, OSU has allowed opponents to convert 14 out of 51 (27%) third downs ranking first in the Pac-12 Conference and 16th in the nation. Further, opponents have converted only twice on 3rd and 3 or more in 35 tries. For more information go to page 13 of these notes.
WIN THE TURNOVER BATTLE, WIN THE GAME: Over the last 141 games, Oregon State is 51-13 when committing fewer turnovers than its opponent, 11-36 when committing more and 16-14 when even.
2x1: In the Beavers' last game, senior tailback Storm Barrs-Woods became the second player in Oregon State history to achieve 2,000 yards rushing and 1,000 yards receiving during his career. Barrs-Woods has rushed for 2,445 career yards, sixth in OSU history, and 1,046 receiving yards. He joins Jacquizz Rodgers (2008-10) as the only other 2,000 x 1,000 player in OSU history. Further, Barrs-Woods became just the fourth player with 1,000 rushing yards and 1,000 receiving yards joining Pat Chaffey (1986, 88-89) and James Rodgers (2007-11).
QB ON THE MOVE: It didn't take freshman Seth Collins long to show his mobility and a very different skill set than Beaver fans are used to seeing at the position. Collins dodged, dipped, ducked, dived and dodged his way to 152 rushing yards against Weber State. It is the most yards an OSU quarterback has ran for since Tim Alexander set the school-record of 205 rushing yards against Northern Illinois in 1996 ... Through four games, Collins is averaging 98.0 rushing yards per game. At his current pace, Collins would finish the regular season with 918 rushing yards. Collins, who has rushed for 306 yards thus far in 2015, is nearly half way to the Oregon State single season record for rushing yards by a quarterback which is held by Don Shanklin with 630 in 1994 ... Collins' start is especially impressive as he is the sixth leading rusher in the nation among quarterbacks ... Collins is also the fourth leading rusher in the nation among true freshmen (Saquon Barkley, Penn State; Lamar Jackson, Louisville & Markell Jones, Purdue).
THIS 4 AND THAT 4: 2015 marks the fifth consecutive season that the Beavers' primary starting quarterback has worn No. 4. From 2011-14 it was Sean Mannion who was under center for the first snap 43 out of 50 games. This year, it has been Seth Collins who has started the first four games. Through four starts both quarterbacks had a record of 2-2. Take a look at the stats to see how they got their teams to 2-2: Collins has rushed for 306 yards and four TDs while throwing for 581 yards (52-95), five TDs and a single interception. Mannion through four starts had thrown for 1,201 yards (123-190) with five TDs and nine interceptions and had lost 32 yards via the rush.
FRESHMEN QUARTERBACKS: Per a recent survey, Oregon State entered the season as the only team in the nation that has no quarterbacks with playing experience and has only eligible freshmen signal callers. Prior to Seth Collins starting the season-opener against Weber State, the last Beaver freshman quarterback to start for the Beavers was David Moran in 1996. Moran started three games in then a wishbone system, switched to cornerback prior to 1997 and before that season transferred to Northern Arizona.
NEW LOOK LINEBACKERS: Entering the season Oregon State needed to replace all three starting linebackers from 2014 - a group that had combined to start 91 games and make 628 tackles. The Beavers returned two players with starting experience, Rommel Mageo and Caleb Saulo, who combined to start 10 games in 2013. According to a recent survey, those 10 returning starts ranks as the sixth-fewest in the nation. Those two juniors plus sophomore Manase Hungalu have formed a new triumverate combining for 84 tackles, 3.0 tackles-for-loss, 2.0 sacks, three interceptions, three forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries. Add Ricky Ortiz, who recently converted from H-Back to linebacker, and the linebacker corps has accounted for all six of the seven turnovers the Beavers have forced this year.
SENIOR CLASS: The Beavers are one of the most inexperienced teams in the country entering the season. OSU possesses 13 seniors on the active roster, which ranks as the youngest team in the Pac-12 and is tied as the ninth-youngest team in the nation.
RETURNING O-LINEMEN: Oregon State returns all five starters on the offensive line for the first time since 2003 when Matt Brock, Brian Kilkenny, David Lose, Doug Nienhuis and Kanan Sanchez manned the trenches. This season, the Beavers have a group of linemen that started the final four games of 2014 together – Sean Harlow (LT), Fred Lauina (LG), Josh Mitchell (C), Gavin Andrews (RG) and Dustin Stanton (RT). In addition, Isaac Seumalo, who entered the season with 25 starts for the Beavers, returns from injury after missing the entire 2014 season and will fill in at right guard while Andrews will redshirt this season due to injury bringing about the possibility that the 2016 team could return five current or former starters on the line for the second consecutive season.
FRESH FACES: Oregon State has had 18 freshmen (true and redshirt combined) play already this season. Among those new guys are four true freshmen– QB Seth Collins, WR Paul Lucas, RB Deltron Sands and TE Noah Togiai. as well as redshirt freshmen OL Drew Clarkson, OL Kammy Delp, WR Datrin Guyton, DE Sumner Houston, WR Drew Kell, QB Marcus McMaryion, RB/TE Ryan Nall, S Gabe Ovgard, S Adam Soesman, LB Bright Ugwoegbu, NT Kalani Vakameilalo, CB Dwayne Williams, DE LaMone Williams and LB Jonathan Willis. In addition, nine others have played for the first time with the Beavers including transfers CB Devin Chappell, CB Treston Decoud, LS Ryan Navarro, NT Kyle Peko, and P Nick Porebski. Juniors K Ian Crist and TE Brent VanderVeen and sophomore LB Manase Hungalu and CB Charles Okonkwo also have made their OSU debuts.
TRUE STUDENT-ATHLETES: Twelve of the Beavers' 13 seniors are on track to graduate this academic year: Gavin Andrews (June/economics), Lavonte Barnett (March/sociology), Storm Barrs-Woods (December/human development & family sciences), Kellen Clute (March/digital communications), Jalen Grimble (December/economics), Jaswha James (December/sociology), Josh Mitchell (December/sociology), Naji Patrick (December/human development family studies/public health), Ali'i Robins (December/sociology), Larry Scott (December/human development & family studies), Caleb Smith (March/liberal studies), Shane Wallen (March/exercise & sport science).
PLUS .500 NON-CONFERENCE SEASONS: Oregon State achieved its fourth straight non-conference slate with a winning record. The Beavers won all three non-conference (non-bowl) games in 2012 and again in 2014 while they posted a 2-1 record in 2013 and this season.
BEAVS AT 111: Oregon owns the most victories in the Pac-12 Conference this century with 149, followed by USC (145/121 with vacated wins), OSU (111), Arizona State (107), UCLA (106), Stanford (104), Cal (96), Arizona (90), Washington (89), WSU (77). Non-traditional Pac-12 teams Utah has 127 victories this century and Colorado has 75. The Beavers hit the 100-win plateau this century in the Sept, 21, 2013 win at San Diego State. The previous 100-win stretch started during the 1966 season, ending with 1999 – nearly 34 seasons (365 games). This century's 100 victories were achieved in just over 13 seasons (168 games).
UNDAUNTED BY RANKINGS: Since 2005, Oregon State is tied with North Carolina State for the most wins by an unranked team against an FBS ranked team with 12.
THE DRIVE: The Oregon State and Utah football programs will be featured in the Pac-12 Networks' The Drive: Pac-12 Football this fall. Episode 1 airs Sept. 23 and covers training camp through the San Jose State game. Other episodes are scheduled for initial air dates as Sept. 30, Oct. 14, Oct. 21, Oct. 28, Nov. 4, Nov. 11, Nov. 18, Nov. 25 and Dec. 2. There will not be a new episode on Oct. 7 due to OSU's bye week.
For the rest of the season, the Beavers will wear a black UCC ribbon on their helmets to honor the fallen from the tragic events of Oct. 1 at Umpqua Community College in Roseburg, Ore. (115 miles south of Corvallis).
THE SERIES/GAME FACTS
• 37th meeting between the two programs.
• The game marks the first Pac-12 road game for the Beavers under head coach Gary Andersen.
• The last Beaver head coach to win his conference road opener was R.B. Rutherford in 1920, 3-0 over Washington in a game played in Seattle. At the time, what is now known as the Pac-12 Conference was the Pacific Coast Conference. Mike Riley won his first league road game of his second tenure in 2003 at California, 35-21.
• Arizona holds a 21-14-1 advantage but Oregon State has a three-game win streak in the series. Arizona won 12 of the first 13 games and 19 of the first 22 to start the series. However, OSU has dominated the series in this century 11-2.
• Oregon State's six-game win streak in Tucson ties for the longest current streak in the Pac-12 on a single opponent's home field. The other six-game streak is OSU's current streak at California's Memorial Stadium.
• The last time OSU faced Arizona was a 38-35 win in Tucson in 2012, Storm Barrs-Woods had the best game of his career rushing 29 times for 161 yards and a touchdown. Barrs-Woods added four receptions for 42 yards.
• The Beavers rallied in the fourth quarter of the 2012 game to score the winning touchdown on a 9-yard strike from Sean Mannion to Connor Hamlett with 1:09 left in the game. Mannion threw for 433 yards and three touchdowns and Markus Wheaton and Brandin Cooks each recorded 100+ yards receiving.
PUTTING ON THE REDSHIRTS: OSU head coach Gary Andersen announced last week that senior tight end Caleb Smith and freshman running back Deltron Sands will miss the rest of the 2015 season and will use their redshirt years.
SOMETHING'S GOT TO GIVE: This week's match-up with the Wildcats features one of the conference's most prolific offenses in Arizona against one of the league's stingiest defenses in Oregon State. So far this season, Arizona is racking up an average of 507 yards per game, while the Beavers' defense is allowing just 331 yards per game.
LOOK AT THOSE QBS RUN: The OSU and Arizona quarterbacks have shown a penchant to run the ball so far this season. OSU's Seth Collins leads the Beavers with 306 rushing yards (76.5 ypg) while Arizona's Jerrard Randall has run for 404 yards (101 ypg) and UA starter Anu Solomon has added 90 yards on the ground.
GIVE THE GUY AN EXTRA WEEK: Beaver head coach Gary Andersen has won his last six games when his teams (Wisconsin & Utah State) have come off bye weeks. Overall in his 7-plus years as a head coach he is 7-3 following bye weeks (also includes 1 year at Southern Utah).
BEST COACH: According to a recent ESPN.com survey, 99 college football players were asked who (other than their own coach) is the best coach in the country? Gary Andersen tied for third behind the likes of Nick Saban and Urban Meyer.
3-4: During the spring practice session, head coach Gary Andersen, assistant head coach/defensive coordinator Kalani Sitake and staff made the decision to shift to a primary defensive alignment with three down linemen and four linebackers. It marks the first time the Beavers have lined up in a primary 3-4 since the Jerry Pettibone era when Bronco Mendenhall, current BYU head coach, directed the defense in 1996.
GET OFF MY LAWN: The Oregon State defense has been stingy about letting opposing offenses get comfortable on the field. Opponents having taken the field on offense 50 times this season and have been turned away with a 3-and-out 46% of the time (23 times). That's an average 5.75 three-and-outs ranking 13th in the nation.
IT AIN'T EASY ON THIRD DOWN: The Beavers have stifled their opposition this season. Through three games, OSU has allowed opponents to convert 14 out of 51 (27%) third downs ranking first in the Pac-12 Conference and 16th in the nation. Further, opponents have converted only twice on 3rd and 3 or more in 35 tries. For more information go to page 13 of these notes.
WIN THE TURNOVER BATTLE, WIN THE GAME: Over the last 141 games, Oregon State is 51-13 when committing fewer turnovers than its opponent, 11-36 when committing more and 16-14 when even.
2x1: In the Beavers' last game, senior tailback Storm Barrs-Woods became the second player in Oregon State history to achieve 2,000 yards rushing and 1,000 yards receiving during his career. Barrs-Woods has rushed for 2,445 career yards, sixth in OSU history, and 1,046 receiving yards. He joins Jacquizz Rodgers (2008-10) as the only other 2,000 x 1,000 player in OSU history. Further, Barrs-Woods became just the fourth player with 1,000 rushing yards and 1,000 receiving yards joining Pat Chaffey (1986, 88-89) and James Rodgers (2007-11).
QB ON THE MOVE: It didn't take freshman Seth Collins long to show his mobility and a very different skill set than Beaver fans are used to seeing at the position. Collins dodged, dipped, ducked, dived and dodged his way to 152 rushing yards against Weber State. It is the most yards an OSU quarterback has ran for since Tim Alexander set the school-record of 205 rushing yards against Northern Illinois in 1996 ... Through four games, Collins is averaging 98.0 rushing yards per game. At his current pace, Collins would finish the regular season with 918 rushing yards. Collins, who has rushed for 306 yards thus far in 2015, is nearly half way to the Oregon State single season record for rushing yards by a quarterback which is held by Don Shanklin with 630 in 1994 ... Collins' start is especially impressive as he is the sixth leading rusher in the nation among quarterbacks ... Collins is also the fourth leading rusher in the nation among true freshmen (Saquon Barkley, Penn State; Lamar Jackson, Louisville & Markell Jones, Purdue).
THIS 4 AND THAT 4: 2015 marks the fifth consecutive season that the Beavers' primary starting quarterback has worn No. 4. From 2011-14 it was Sean Mannion who was under center for the first snap 43 out of 50 games. This year, it has been Seth Collins who has started the first four games. Through four starts both quarterbacks had a record of 2-2. Take a look at the stats to see how they got their teams to 2-2: Collins has rushed for 306 yards and four TDs while throwing for 581 yards (52-95), five TDs and a single interception. Mannion through four starts had thrown for 1,201 yards (123-190) with five TDs and nine interceptions and had lost 32 yards via the rush.
FRESHMEN QUARTERBACKS: Per a recent survey, Oregon State entered the season as the only team in the nation that has no quarterbacks with playing experience and has only eligible freshmen signal callers. Prior to Seth Collins starting the season-opener against Weber State, the last Beaver freshman quarterback to start for the Beavers was David Moran in 1996. Moran started three games in then a wishbone system, switched to cornerback prior to 1997 and before that season transferred to Northern Arizona.
NEW LOOK LINEBACKERS: Entering the season Oregon State needed to replace all three starting linebackers from 2014 - a group that had combined to start 91 games and make 628 tackles. The Beavers returned two players with starting experience, Rommel Mageo and Caleb Saulo, who combined to start 10 games in 2013. According to a recent survey, those 10 returning starts ranks as the sixth-fewest in the nation. Those two juniors plus sophomore Manase Hungalu have formed a new triumverate combining for 84 tackles, 3.0 tackles-for-loss, 2.0 sacks, three interceptions, three forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries. Add Ricky Ortiz, who recently converted from H-Back to linebacker, and the linebacker corps has accounted for all six of the seven turnovers the Beavers have forced this year.
SENIOR CLASS: The Beavers are one of the most inexperienced teams in the country entering the season. OSU possesses 13 seniors on the active roster, which ranks as the youngest team in the Pac-12 and is tied as the ninth-youngest team in the nation.
RETURNING O-LINEMEN: Oregon State returns all five starters on the offensive line for the first time since 2003 when Matt Brock, Brian Kilkenny, David Lose, Doug Nienhuis and Kanan Sanchez manned the trenches. This season, the Beavers have a group of linemen that started the final four games of 2014 together – Sean Harlow (LT), Fred Lauina (LG), Josh Mitchell (C), Gavin Andrews (RG) and Dustin Stanton (RT). In addition, Isaac Seumalo, who entered the season with 25 starts for the Beavers, returns from injury after missing the entire 2014 season and will fill in at right guard while Andrews will redshirt this season due to injury bringing about the possibility that the 2016 team could return five current or former starters on the line for the second consecutive season.
FRESH FACES: Oregon State has had 18 freshmen (true and redshirt combined) play already this season. Among those new guys are four true freshmen– QB Seth Collins, WR Paul Lucas, RB Deltron Sands and TE Noah Togiai. as well as redshirt freshmen OL Drew Clarkson, OL Kammy Delp, WR Datrin Guyton, DE Sumner Houston, WR Drew Kell, QB Marcus McMaryion, RB/TE Ryan Nall, S Gabe Ovgard, S Adam Soesman, LB Bright Ugwoegbu, NT Kalani Vakameilalo, CB Dwayne Williams, DE LaMone Williams and LB Jonathan Willis. In addition, nine others have played for the first time with the Beavers including transfers CB Devin Chappell, CB Treston Decoud, LS Ryan Navarro, NT Kyle Peko, and P Nick Porebski. Juniors K Ian Crist and TE Brent VanderVeen and sophomore LB Manase Hungalu and CB Charles Okonkwo also have made their OSU debuts.
TRUE STUDENT-ATHLETES: Twelve of the Beavers' 13 seniors are on track to graduate this academic year: Gavin Andrews (June/economics), Lavonte Barnett (March/sociology), Storm Barrs-Woods (December/human development & family sciences), Kellen Clute (March/digital communications), Jalen Grimble (December/economics), Jaswha James (December/sociology), Josh Mitchell (December/sociology), Naji Patrick (December/human development family studies/public health), Ali'i Robins (December/sociology), Larry Scott (December/human development & family studies), Caleb Smith (March/liberal studies), Shane Wallen (March/exercise & sport science).
PLUS .500 NON-CONFERENCE SEASONS: Oregon State achieved its fourth straight non-conference slate with a winning record. The Beavers won all three non-conference (non-bowl) games in 2012 and again in 2014 while they posted a 2-1 record in 2013 and this season.
BEAVS AT 111: Oregon owns the most victories in the Pac-12 Conference this century with 149, followed by USC (145/121 with vacated wins), OSU (111), Arizona State (107), UCLA (106), Stanford (104), Cal (96), Arizona (90), Washington (89), WSU (77). Non-traditional Pac-12 teams Utah has 127 victories this century and Colorado has 75. The Beavers hit the 100-win plateau this century in the Sept, 21, 2013 win at San Diego State. The previous 100-win stretch started during the 1966 season, ending with 1999 – nearly 34 seasons (365 games). This century's 100 victories were achieved in just over 13 seasons (168 games).
UNDAUNTED BY RANKINGS: Since 2005, Oregon State is tied with North Carolina State for the most wins by an unranked team against an FBS ranked team with 12.
THE DRIVE: The Oregon State and Utah football programs will be featured in the Pac-12 Networks' The Drive: Pac-12 Football this fall. Episode 1 airs Sept. 23 and covers training camp through the San Jose State game. Other episodes are scheduled for initial air dates as Sept. 30, Oct. 14, Oct. 21, Oct. 28, Nov. 4, Nov. 11, Nov. 18, Nov. 25 and Dec. 2. There will not be a new episode on Oct. 7 due to OSU's bye week.
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