Beavers Return From Bye, Host Cal

GAME 7: OREGON STATE VS. CALIFORNIA

Gameday Information

Date: Oct. 20, 2018
Time: 1:10 p.m. PT
Location: Corvallis, Ore.
Stadium: Reser Stadium
Television: Pac-12 Networks
Play-By-Play: Ted Robinson
Analyst: Yogi Roth
Sideline: Jill Savage
Radio: Beaver Sports Network (TuneIn)
Play-By-Play: Mike Parker
Analyst: Jim Wilson
Sideline: Ron Callan
Pre-Game: Steve Preece
Satellite Radio: XM Channel 198, Sirius Channel 125
Series History: CAL leads, 37-33
Last Meeting: 2017 (L, 23-37)
Live Stats: OSUBeavers.com

The Game —
- Oregon State hosts California in its annual Homecoming Game Saturday. Kickoff at Reser Stadium is scheduled for 1:10 p.m. PT.
- The game is slated to air on the Pac-12 Networks.
- Every game this season can be heard live via the TuneIn application, which is available online and on smartphones and tablets. To find the game, once the app has been downloaded, search "Beaver Sports Network."
- Oregon State and California are meeting for the 71st time, with the Golden Bears holding a slight 37-33 advantage in the all-time series. - Saturday's game is the 28th in Corvallis, with the Beavers posting a 15-12 mark.
- The Beavers have won seven of the last 10 meetings between the teams at Reser Stadium.
- Retro Benny makes an official return Saturday as the Beavers will wear a specially designed Nike uniform when they host Cal.
- Retro Benny will appear on the team's helmets for only the second time in history; initially was part of the 1973 team's helmets under the leadership of OSU Hall of Fame coach, the late Dee Andros.
- Benny Beaver (Retro Benny) was an official active mark of OSU's intercollegiate sport teams from 1951-98.
- The Pac-12 Pre-Game Show will originate from Reser Stadium at noon.
- A statue honoring Oregon State's Dick Fosbury will be unveiled Friday at 4 p.m. PT at the Dixon Recreation Center. Fosbury will be at Parker Plaza Saturday before the game for photos and autographs.

Versus The Golden Bears —
- Run game coordinator/offensive line coach/associate head coach Jim Michalczik was the assistant head coach/offensive line coach at California from 2002-08 and the offensive coordinator/offensive line coach with the Golden Bears from 2011-12. California played in nine bowl games during his tenure.
- Secondary coach Greg Burns served as the defensive backs coach (2014) and safeties coach (2015-16) at California.
- Steven Jackson and Brandin Cooks posted two of the more significant individual accomplishments in OSU history versus California.
- Jackson ran for 239 yards in 2002's 24-13 win at Reser, the most ever by an OSU running back at the stadium. That rushing total was second in school history - until Sept. 29 versus Arizona State - and one more yard more than Jermar Jefferson's 238 against Southern Utah earlier this season.
- Cooks, meanwhile, toaled 232 receiving yards in 2013 against the Golden Bears. That total is second-most in school history behind Mike - Hass' 293 versus Boise State in 2004. OSU won the 2013 game against Cal 49-17 in Berkeley.
- Alexis Serna, director of Beyond Football, tied a Reser Stadium record with a 58-yard field goal against Cal in 2006.
- Oregon State's last win in the series a 47-44 overtime victory in 2016. Darell Garretson scored from 16 yards out in Oregon State's first OT drive after California had scored on a 39-yard field goal. Garretson and Ryan Nall became the 16th duo in OSU history to rush for 100 yards in the same game.
- The two head coaches at Saturday's game squared off twice during their collegiate careers. Jonathan Smith passed for 303 yards and two touchdowns in a 44-41 OT win over Justin Wilcox's (two tackles) Oregon Ducks in 1998. Smith threw for 248 yards the next season, but Wilcox made nine tackles and UO won 25-14.

On To The Second Half —
- The game Saturday moves the Beavers into the second half of the season. An expected tough stretch of action awaits Oregon State.
- Four of Oregon State's remaining opponents are ranked in at least one poll. They include: Oregon (11th by coaches, 12th by AP), Washington (14th by coaches, 15th by AP), Stanford (23rd by coaches, receiving votes by AP) and Colorado (25th by coaches and receiving votes by AP). USC is receiving votes in both polls.
- The Beavers' have the 12th-toughest schedule the rest of the way by winning percentage; first among Pac-12 teams. OSU's last six opponents have a .703 winning percentage this year, going 26-11. The 26 wins is tied for sixth.

A True Freshmen "Quizz" —
- Running back Jermar Jefferson has posted four 100-yard plus rushing games already this season, which ranks second among all-time OSU greats for true freshmen in a season.
- Jacquizz Rodgers had seven such games during the 2008 season. He holds the single-season record for true freshman at OSU with 1,253 yards on the ground that year.
- Jefferson has 865 rushing yards and 12 touchdowns this year. Rodgers, meanwhile, had 718 yards and eight touchdowns in his first six games in 2008.

More On Jefferson —
- Jermar Jefferson's 865 yards rushing puts him squarely on target for 1,000 yards - and more - on the ground this season. He is aiming to become just the eighth different player to hit the century mark at OSU in a single season.
- Seven players have done it a total of 15 times entering the 2018 season. The last to do so was Jacquizz Rodgers with 1,184 yards in 2010.
- Jefferson is on pace for 1,730 yards this season, which would surpass Steven Jackson's school-record of 1,690 in 2002.
- Reaching 1,000 yards would also make Jefferson the 35th player in OSU history with 1,000 or more for a career, joining teammate Artavis Pierce, who hit the milestone earlier this year.
- The Harbor City, Calif., native has two four-touchdown games this season, joining Ken Simonton as the only Oregon State running backs to accomplish the feat twice. Jefferson is the only player to do it twice in the same season; Simonton's came once in 1998 and once in 1999.
- He was recently named as a candidate for the Doak Walker Award and is one of just two freshman nationally on the list.

Going For It On Fourth —
- Oregon State was successful on all five of its fourth-down attempts against Washington State in the team's last game.
- The Beavers last attempted five offensive plays on fourth down on Oct. 26, 2013 in a 20-12 loss to No. 8 Stanford. OSU was 1-for-5 in that game.
- Oregon State is 13-of-16 this season on fourth down, and ranks second in the Pac-12 and seventh nationally with an .813 success rate.
- The 16 attempts are the most by the Beavers since the 2015 team was 3-for-17 on fourth.
- Oregon State last had a 50-percent success rate on fourth down in 2013, when the Beavers were 14-for-26 (54 pct.).

In The Classroom —
- Junior linebacker Andrzej Hughes-Murray was named the male Oregon State student-athlete of the month last week. He was joined by volleyball's Haylie Bennett.
- Hughes-Murray, a junior studying psychology, has started all six games at linebacker for the OSU football team this season. He has recorded 13 tackles and a quarterback hurry in 2018.
- Hughes-Murray is planning a career as a psychologist after his football days are done. He was a Pac-12 All-Academic honorable mention selection as a sophomore in 2017.

Chewing Up Big Yards —
- Oregon State's offense has already racked up 31 plays of 25 or more yards from scrimmage this season.
- That surpasses the 2017 Beavers, who finished with 25 total over 12 games.
- Thirteen of the 2018 team's 31 long plays have come on the ground, with Jermar Jefferson totaling eight and Artavis Pierce posting four.
Jefferson's eight surpasses the 2017 Beavers on the ground, who finished with five.
- The 2018 Beavers are on pace for 62 plays of 25 or more yards, which would be the most since the 2013 team finished with 83 - 73 through the air.

Going For 1K —
- Timmy Hernandez has 969 receiving yards for his career after tallying 92 versus Washington State and is now 31 shy of becoming the 31st player in school history to reach 1,000.
- Hernandez has 81 catches for his career, averaging almost 12 yards per catch.

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Players Mentioned

Darell Garretson

Timmy Hernandez

Andrzej Hughes-Murray

Jermar Jefferson

Ryan Nall

Artavis Pierce