Oregon State Opens 2018 Saturday In Columbus

GAME 1: OREGON STATE AT OHIO STATE

Gameday Information
Date: Sept. 1, 2018
Time: 9:07 a.m. PT
Location: Columbus, Ohio
Stadium: Ohio Stadium
Television: ABC
Play-By-Play: Dave Pasch
Analyst: Greg McElroy
Analyst: Tom Luginbill
Radio: Beaver Sports Network (TuneIn)
Play-By-Play: Mike Parker
Analyst: Jim Wilson
Sideline: Ron Callan
Pre-Game: Steve Preece
Satellite Radio: XM Channel 195, Sirius Channel 78
Series History: Ohio State leads, 2-0
Last Meeting: 1984 (L, 14-22)
Live Stats: OSUBeavers.com

The Game —
- Oregon State opens the 2018 season when visiting Ohio State in Columbus, on Saturday, September 1. Kickoff is scheduled for 9:07 a.m. PT (12:07 p.m. in Ohio).
- The game is slated to air on ABC.
- 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."
- The game is the first for Jonathan Smith as Oregon State's head coach. He last wore the Orange & Black in 2003 as a graduate assistant. - The team's last game that year was a 55-14 win over New Mexico in the Las Vegas Bowl.
Smith was 3-1 against Big Ten teams while offensive coordinator at Washington. The Huskies defeated Illinois in 2014, and Rutgers in 2016 and 2017. They lost to Penn State at the 2017 Fiesta Bowl.
- The game is the first between the teams since 1984, a 22-14 win by No. 6 Ohio State in Columbus. Oregon State held a 14-3 lead at halftime in that game.
- The first game played between the Beavers and Buckeyes came in 1974, also in Columbus. Ohio State won that game, 51-10.
- Ohio State marks the 16th time Oregon State will open versus a top-25 opponent.
- The game marks the farthest east for a Beaver football game since traveling to Penn State in game two of the 2008 season.
- OSU is flying to Canton Thursday and will visit the Pro Football Hall of Fame before bussing to Columbus that night.
- It is the first season opener for the Beavers vs. a top-10 team (Ohio State is No. 5 per the Associated Press) since 2010 against No. 7 TCU in Dallas, Texas, a 30-21 loss.
- Ohio Stadium (capacity 104,944) could prove to be the fifth 100,000-plus crowd in Oregon State history, following 2015 at Michigan (109,651), 2008 at Penn State (108,159). 1986 at Michigan (104,748) and the 1956 Rose Bowl (100,000).

Jonathan Smith's Debut —
- Jonathan Smith is making his debut as a collegiate head coach when the Beavers open the season Saturday. He is the first OSU coach to make his collegiate debut for the Beavers since Mike Riley in 1997.
- Smith arrived in Corvallis in December after four seasons as the offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach at Washington. He had also served as the QB coach at Boise State from 2012-13, the OC/QB coach at Montana from 2010-11 and the quarterbacks coach at Idaho from 2004-09.
- Smith, who lettered for the Beavers from 1998-2001, got started in the collegiate ranks as a grad assistant at Oregon State from 2002-03.
- Under Smith, Washington nearly set a school record and was ranked eighth nationally averaging 41.8 points per game in 2016. The Huskies made an appearance in the College Football Playoff that season and finished fourth nationally.
- Washington played in the Fiesta Bowl in 2017 and earned a share of the Pac-12 North title.
- Smith has played in or coached in 10 bowl games, and in six dating back to the 2012 season.

More Vs. Ohio State —
- Oregon State University President Dr. Ed Ray served as a member of the economics faculty at Ohio State from 1970-2003. He was the economics chair from 1976 to 1992, associate provost from May 1992 until May 1993 and was the senior vice provost and chief information officer from 1993-1998. He ended his tenure in Columbus as executive vice president and provost from 1998-2003.
- Defensive Coordinator Tim Tibesar served as the outside linebackers coach at Wisconsin from 2015-17, and defensive coordinator at Purdue in 2012. His teams went 0-3 versus Ohio State, but lost each game by seven points or less.
- Tight ends coach Brian Wozniak hails from Loveland, Ohio, located approximately 90 minutes from Columbus. Wozniak finished his eligibility with Wisconsin in 2013, and the Badgers went 1-3 versus the Buckeyes.
- Greg Burns coached the defensive backs for Purdue in 2012, and the Boilermakers lost 29-22 in overtime. Burns' secondary held the Buckeyes to just 190 passing yards while picking off two passes.

That's Early (On The West Coast) —
- Saturday's game against the Buckeyes marks the fourth time the Beavers will have a game start at 9 a.m. on the West Coast since 2005.
Oregon State also played at 9 a.m. PT in 2015 at Michigan, 2011 at Wisconsin and 2005 at Louisville.

Next Up —
- After the game with Ohio State, the Beavers return to Reser Stadium Sept. 8 for the 2018 home opener versus Southern Utah. The game is slated to start at 5:02 p.m. PT on the Pac-12 Networks.
- Southern Utah posted a 9-3 record in 2017, going 7-1 in the Big Sky Conference. The Thunderbirds advanced to the FCS Playoffs, losing to Weber State in the first round.
- Southern Utah takes on North Alabama in Cedar City, Utah on Saturday to open its season.
- The Beavers and Thunderbirds have never met.

Against The Big Ten —
- Oregon State will play a Big Ten foe for the fourth consecutive season and sixth time in eight years.
- The Beavers visited Wisconsin in 2011, and hosted the Badgers in 2012. OSU visited Michigan in 2015, played at Minnesota in 2016 and matched up with the Golden Gophers at Reser Stadium last season.
- Oregon State is slated to play at Purdue in 2021 and host the Boilermakers in 2024.

Oregon State Experience —
- Despite having a new staff, a portion of head coach Jonathan Smith's assistants have experience at Oregon State.
- Jim Michalczik, who is the Beavers' associate head coach and who oversees the offensive line, was an assistant in Corvallis from 1999-2001. He coached the tight ends, special teams and offensive line during his tenure. He has since coached at California, Arizona and with the Oakland Raiders. He helped Arizona to an average of 309.3 yards per game rushing in 2017, third nationally.
- Trent Bray also coached at OSU for three seasons, from 2012-14, overeeing the linebackers. Bray, who played at Oregon State from 2002-05, has six years as an assistant in the Pac-12 after serving on the staff of Arizona State from 2009-11. was named as a nominee for the Broyles Award (top assistant coach) while at Nebraska in 2016.
- Jake Cookus is in his first year as the special teams coordinator at Oregon State after spending two years as a quality control analyst. He lettered at OSU from 1998-2001, and has been an assistant at Hawai'i, Montana and Weber State. He has led two units to top-20 rankings in net punting - Hawai'i (sixth) in 2015 and Montana (20th) in 2014.
- James Rodgers is the team's director of player development. He played at Oregon State from 2007-11, and is third all-time with 222 catches, and sixth with 2,578 receiving yards. He played in three bowl games and is credited with the emergence of the "fly sweep" at Oregon State.

More On The Staff —
- Secondary Coach Greg Burns has coached in 11 bowl games and won national titles with USC (as secondary coach) in 2003 (Rose Bowl) and 2004 (Orange Bowl).
- Wide Receivers Coach Kefense Hynson has spent 14 years as a collegiate football coach, with three years as co-offensive coordinator at both Yale and Montana.
- Offensive Coordinator/QBs Coach Brian Lindgren helped Colorado signal callers Sefo Liufau and Steven Montez to 110 school records during his tenure with the Buffaloes.
- Running Backs Coach Michael Pitre led Montana State to 249.5 rushing yards per game in 2017, good for first in the Big Sky and seventh nationally at the FCS level.
- Defensive Line Coach Legi Suiaunoa helped Montana to four FCS Playoff appearances during his tenure. He also helped lead Hawai'i to a Hawai'i Bowl appearance in 2016.
- Defensive Coordinator Tim Tibesar was named FootballScoop Co-Linebackers Coach of the Year in 2015. He helped Wisconsin to a 34-7 record in three seasons.
- Tight Ends Coach Brian Wozniak served as a offensive graduate assistant coach at Oregon State from 2015-17. He played in three Rose Bowls as a player at Wisconsin.

Season Openers —
- Oregon State is 64-49-8 (.567) in season-opening games dating back to 1893 when defeating Albany College, 62-0.
- Oregon State has gone 10-8 in season openers dating back to the 2000 season.
- Saturday's game against Ohio State will give the Beavers three consecutive season openers on the road, after debuting 2016 at Minnesota and 2017 at Colorado State. The Beavers last opened on the road in three consecutive seasons from 1982 to 1984, losing to Arizona in two straight (38-12 and 50-6) and Ohio State (22-14).

Sept. 1 —
- The Beavers are opening the season on Sept. 1 for the second time in three years. Oregon State dropped a 30-23 decision to Minnesota in 2016.
- Oregon State is playing just its third game ever on Sept. 1. The Beavers also hosted Montana on Sept. 1 in 1990, losing 22-15.

The Schedule, Part 1 —
- The Seattle Times listed Oregon State's schedule as the third toughest in the Pac-12 this season, behind only Arizona State and UCLA.
- The Beavers, along with Washington, are the only two Pac-12 teams that open the season versus ranked opponents. Oregon State takes on No. 5 Ohio State while Washington plays a neutral-site game with No. 10 Auburn.
- Oregon State is opening the season versus a ranked opponent for the first time since 2012 when the Beavers defeated No. 13 Wisconsin, 10-7, at Reser Stadium.

Next Event

Related Videos