Friday Fast Facts

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Friday Fast Facts – Colorado at Oregon State

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Getting to Know … Oregon State

Oregon State seemingly won the lottery when Wisconsin coach Gary Andersen decided to come to Corvallis. While in Madison, Andersen led the Badgers to a 20-7 record in two seasons. Oregon State fans were hopeful that their new coach, who had turned around Utah State before being hired to coach at Wisconsin, could work the same magic for the Beavers.

Two-and-one-half seasons into his tenure at Oregon State, however, Gary Andersen is now the former head coach, leaving with a 7-23 overall record. Cornerback coach Cory Hall has taken over as the interim head coach, and will take on the challenge of trying to keep a 1-5 team motivated for its final six games.

Hall couldn’t have asked for a much better opportunity than getting Colorado (3-3, 0-3) for his first game. The Buffs have issues of their own, heading to Corvallis on the heels of a three-game losing streak.

“It’s big,” defensive coordinator D.J. Eliot said. “We have to get fired up, get our mindset back, go on another road game and try to get a W. It’s a big time week for us.”

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Oregon State players to watch:

— Darell Garretson, QB … When the Beavers run out on offense for the first time this Saturday, check to see if the quarterback is wearing No. 10. That’s Garretson, who has been less than impressive in his two starts replacing Jake Luton. Luton wears No. 6, and is listed as “out” for this game with a spine injury suffered against Washington State several weeks ago. If Luton trots out onto the field, all bets are off for what the Beavers might try and pull on offense to try and get a win.

— Seth Collins, WR … Or quarterback … Collins (No. 22) began his career at quarterback, but has played wide receiver the past two seasons. Collins led the Beavers in receptions last year (with a grand total of 36). So far in 2017, Collins has 12 catches for 130 yards.

— Ryan Nall, RB … Nall is the 6’2″, 234-pound “Wrecking Nall”, who is to Oregon State what Phillip Lindsay is to Colorado. Nall sat out last week’s game against USC, and is listed as “questionable” for the game against Colorado. If No. 34 plays, it will be an emotional lift for the Beavers.

— Defensive backfield … No fewer than five – count ’em, five – defensive backs are listed as “out” on the Oregon State injury list (with a six defensive back listed as “questionable”). The biggest loss is senior cornerback Xavier Crawford, who had started five games this season. Oregon State is 120th in the nation in pass defense … it’s cornerbacks coach is now busy playing the role of head coach … and at least five contributors are listed as spectators for the CU game.

Simply put – If Steven Montez and the “Blackout Boyz” can’t be successful against this group, they won’t be successful the rest of the 2017 season.

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Colorado and Oregon State – historical

Oregon State is not just having a tough time of it this year. The Beavers are historically the worst team in the Pac-12, one of only two teams in the conference (Washington State being the other) with an all-time record below .500 (535-587-50, .478).

Of the 12 categories tracked by Winsipedia, the Beavers lead the Buffs in exactly one … bowl record. Oregon State has a winning record all-time in bowl games (9-6), while Colorado has a losing record (12-17).

Some other categories:

— All-time wins … Colorado – 698, 25th all-time … Oregon State – 535, 80th

— Conference championships … Colorado – 26, 10th all-time … Oregon State – 5, 93rd

— Weeks in the Associated Press poll … Colorado – 302, 26th all-time … Oregon State – 95, 65th

— First round NFL draft picks … Colorado – 24, 24th all-time … Oregon State – 6, 66th

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Colorado and Oregon State …  head-to-head

— Oregon State leads the all-time series with Colorado, 5-4, with the teams tied at 2-2 in games played as members of the Pac-12.

— The series dates back to 1931, when Oregon State handled Colorado, 16-0, in a game played in Portland. The second match between the two schools was also played in Portland, with the Beavers coming away with a 41-6 victory in 1963. When the Buffs got a rematch the following year in Boulder, Oregon State made it 3-0 in the series, with a 14-7 victory.

— Colorado got Oregon State at home twice in the 1980’s, posting a 38-14 victory in 1983 (“Here we go, CU! Here we go!“) and a 28-21 win in 1988 (“Eric Bieniemy goes for 211 yards and three scores“).

— Since the Buffs joined the Pac-12, the teams have played four times, with Oregon State winning the first two (44-17 in 2013; 36-31 in 2014). The Buffs finally broke through with a 17-13 win in Corvallis in 2015 (“We’re No. 1(1)!“) before posting a lopsided 47-6 win in Boulder last fall (“A let down? Not so much“).

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Colorado and Oregon State … By the Numbers

It’s refreshing to be able to look at the stats sheets and not see nearly as many 100’s next to Colorado in comparison to its opponent (we should enjoy it, though, as this will be the most lopsided stats sheet in the second half of the 2017 season).

Midway through the season, Colorado is in the 100’s nationally in only three major categories … Quarterback sacks allowed: 110th (3.0 per game); penalties per game, 111th (7.83); and penalty yards per game, 101st (67.67 ypg.).

Conversely, Oregon State is 100th or worse nationally in so many categories, it helps to break it down by unit:

— Offense:

– Rushing offense, 101st (128.8 ypg.) … Total offense, 116th (321.2 ypg.) … Scoring offense, 114th (19.3 ppg.)

— Defense:

– Passing defense, 120th (294.7 ypg.) … Total defense, 121st (493.8 ypg.) … Scoring defense, 127th (45.0 ppg.) … Third conversion defense, 128th (53.2%) … Fourth down conversion defense, 107th (70%) … Quarterback sacks by, 110th (1.17 per game)

— Miscellaneous:

– Turnovers lost, 128th (17) … Turnover margin, 115th (-1.17) … Time of possession, 118th (26.07)

One number does favor the Beavers, however, and it bears noting. Oregon State, according to the USA Today/Sagarin ratings, has faced the second strongest schedule in the nation to date. While both teams have lost to Washington, Oregon State’s other two Pac-12 foes have been Washington State and USC, while the Buffs have faced UCLA and Arizona.

While the Buffs still have to face USC and Washington State, the Beavers only have one game remaining (Stanford, at home) against a Pac-12 team with a winning record in conference play.

Most of the nation doesn’t believe the Beavers can go 5-1 the rest of the season, and salvage a bowl game …

… but the Beavers just might.

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Pac-12 Notes … 

— Washington and Washington State are both off to 6-0 starts. The Huskies and Cougars are ranked in the top 10 for just the third time ever (both were ranked in the top ten for two weeks in October, 1997)

— Pac-12 national leaders/Individuals … Bryce Love, Stanford, rushing (206.7 yards per game) … Josh Rosen, UCLA, passing yards per game (427.0 ypg.), total offense (431.6 ypg.), passing touchdowns (17) … Dante Pettis, Washington, punt returns (31.8 ypr., three touchdowns) … Matt Gay, Utah, field goals (3.2 field goals per game);

— There have been only ten players who have rushed for over 300 yards in a game, with two of those coming this year (Khalil Tate, 327 yards v. Colorado … and Bryce Love, 301 yards v. Arizona State)

— Tate’s 327 yards, combined with Phillip Lindsay’s 281, marked the first time in Pac-12 history in which two opposing players went for over 600 yards rushing in a single game.

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This post, about the Oregon State game, from the 2017 Season, is filed under Article.
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