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Friday Fast Facts – Oregon State Week
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… “T.I.P.S” – Our weekly preview postings, are available for your review and comment. The written preview and predictions for the CU/Oregon State game can be found here, while the CU at the Game podcast preview for the game (which includes a discussion of Oregon’s controversial final touchdown) can be found here …
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Big Picture …
— Bring a light jacket … The forecast for Saturday in Boulder is for a marvelous fall day, with a high of 72-degrees. Sunset, though, will come about midway through the second quarter (5:52 p.m.), so a jacket for the second half is certainly recommended;
— Colorado is 64-36-5 all-time in Homecoming games, winning the last three of the last four, with the lone loss coming against Oregon State in 2018. That’s the good news. The bad news: since winning 16 straight homecoming games between 1984 through 1999, the Buffs are 7-13 on Homecoming, and are only 3-6 since joining the Pac-12;
— The naming of Folsom Field (previously Colorado Stadium) was announced at a Homecoming game … in 1946. The Buffs went on to defeat New Mexico that afternoon, 14-13, before a crowd of 17,000;
— Oregon State has an all-time record of 549-618-50. The Beavers are one of 13 Power Five teams with at least 600 all-time losses (and the only team west of the Mississippi other than the two Kansas schools). Oregon State (.472) and Washington State (.498) are the only Pac-12 schools with a losing record all-time;
— When the Buffs played Oregon State in Boulder in 2016, the result was a 47-6 Buff win – the largest margin of victory for CU in a conference game since joining the Pac-12. You have to go back to 1992, a 54-7 win over Kansas State, to find a larger margin of victory for CU in a conference game;
— Colorado and Oregon State have played only 11 times (Oregon State leads the series, 6-5). The eleven total games is tied with CU’s series with Cal for the fewest games played against a Pac-12 “rival”;
— Think CU fans would be (are?) this patient? … Oregon State is 5-3 this season under head coach Jonathan Smith, and Buff fans are lamenting why CU can’t be more like the OSU program. Well … while the Beavers are 5-3 this fall, that record gives Smith an overall four year record of … 14-25. So, yes, the Beavers were 9-22 in Smith’s first three seasons (Karl Dorrell is currently 6-8);
— The game will be telecast nationally on the Pac-12 Networks (Saturday, 5:10 p.m., MT), with Ted Robinson on the play-by-play, and Yogi Roth with the commentary. KOA radio will have Mark Johnson, in his 18th year, with the play-by-play, and former CU head coach Gary Barnett in his sixth year as the full-time analyst.
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Statistically speaking …
— Something has got to give Department … Watch the Beavers’ tackles for loss totals … The Colorado offense is allowing 5.8 tackles for loss per game (96th nationally), and 2.9 sacks per game (104th) … The Oregon State defense, though, is only averaging only 1.1 sacks per game (123rd nationally). Translation: if the Beavers are sacking Brendon Lewis, things are going south for the Buff offense …
— Something has got to give Department II … Can the Buffs hang onto the ball? … CU is 118th in the nation in third down conversions (32.3%), while Oregon State is 127th in the nation in allowing third down conversions (51.6%). The team which correct this deficiency will have the best chance at winning;
— Bring on the points (Please!) … Oregon State is giving up more points per game than is Colorado (26.5 ppg by the Beavers; 24.6 ppg by the Buffs) … But … That’s largely because the Beavers are playing games where points are actually being scored. Oregon State has scored at least 21 points in every game this season, while Colorado has scored over 21 points in only three games this fall;
— It hasn’t been of much help so far … but Colorado is doing well in hanging onto the ball. The Buffs have only eight turnovers in six games – the fifth-lowest total in the nation. Overall, CU has had five turnover-free games in 14 outings under Karl Dorrell. A small sample size, but so far that’s the best percentage of any CU coach in the recent memory (sad stat: CU had zero turnover-free games in 33 games under Chuck Fairbanks);
— National attention? Not so much … This is the 12th game in the series between the two teams. In none of those games has either team been ranked, and this weekend will mark the seventh straight season in which the game will be televised on the Pac-12 Networks (none of first four games were televised);
— How bad is the CU offense? … The only major offensive category in which the Buffs is not in the bottom ten in the nation (between 120th and 130th nationally) is rushing offense – 103rdth (120.6 yards/game).
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CU Player Notes …
— Punter Josh Watts is making a push for first-team All-Pac-12 honors. Watts leads the Pac-12, and fifth in the nation, with a 48.3 yards/punt average; 19 of his last 39 punts have carried over 50 yards;
— After having different sets of captains for each of the first five games of the season, the Buffs have had the same four captains for the past three games: cornerback Mekhi Blackmon; linebacker Nate Landman; quarterback Brendon Lewis; and tight end Brady Russell;
— In scoring two touchdowns against Oregon, running back Alex Fontenot may have set an unlikely school record. Fontenot scored on a two-yard reception in the second quarter, and on a one-yard run in the fourth quarter. Both scores came on fourth down, perhaps the first Buff to have two scores on fourth down in the same game;
— Injury list … is no longer issuing the injury status for its players (do you miss “doubtful”, “questionable”, and “probable”? So do I). Wide receiver Dimitri Stanley, who missed the last two games, is still listed as “injured” for this week. The list of other injured players include linebacker Nate Landman (described as “doubtful” earlier this week by Karl Dorrell) and running back Ashaad Clayton;
— The list of players who have been lost for the season … Marcus Bell, WR; Jeremiah Doss, DT; Chris Miller, S/OLB; J.T. Shrout, QB; Jaylen Striker, CB; and Nigel Bethel, CB.
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Colorado and Oregon State … historical
— 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 (12-18).
Some other categories:
— All-time wins … Colorado – 716, 27th all-time … Oregon State – 549, 85th
— Conference championships … Colorado – 26, 10th all-time … Oregon State – 5, 92nd
— Weeks in the Associated Press poll … Colorado – 305, 29th all-time … Oregon State – 95, 66th
— First round NFL draft picks … Colorado – 24, 28th all-time … Oregon State – 6, 66th
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Colorado and Oregon State – head-to-head
— Oregon State leads the all-time series, 6-5, with the teams tied, 3-3, 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 six 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 in 2016 (“A let down? Not so much“).
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The Last time …
October 27, 2018 … Oregon State 41, Colorado 34 (OT) …
— Game Story … Colorado squandered a 31-3 third quarter lead, falling to Oregon State, 41-34, in overtime. A Travon McMillian 75-yard touchdown run on the first play of the third quarter raised a 24-3 halftime advantage to a four-touchdown lead. From there, however, the Beavers out-scored the Buffs 31-3, forcing overtime. Oregon State scored on its overtime possession, with the Buffs failing to answer as a Steven Montez pass fell incomplete on fourth-and-goal at the OSU seven yard line.
“I guess you’d call this a gut-wrencher,” Colorado coach Mike MacIntyre said after his Buffaloes matched their biggest blown lead in program history. “We were rolling,” MacIntyre said, “and the wheels just rolled right off.”
The loss spoiled a career-day for Buff wide receiver K.D. Nixon, who set a single-game career-high in receptions, receiving yards and touchdowns, finishing with 13 catches for 198 yards and two touchdowns. He also established a career-high in first downs with eight.
“My best game turned into my worst game,” Nixon said.
… Continue reading game story here …
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My Essay for the Game, “Gut Punch” … At just past 5:00 p.m., sunshine was beating down on Folsom Field.
On an otherwise perfect 68-degree fall afternoon, the sun had come out earlier, just as the Oregon State offense caught fire. The Beavers had rallied from a 31-3 deficit to make it a 34-28 game late in the fourth quarter.
As the game neared its four hour mark, the sun hid behind a cloud, giving those of us on the east side of the stadium a bit of relief from the sun’s rays. It had been cloudy as the Buffs build a 28-point lead, so I was hoping that the return of the clouds would also mean the return of order for the Buffs … and somehow the Colorado defense would figure out a way to make a play against an Oregon State team which hadn’t beaten an FBS team in almost two full years.
My wish was not granted.
… Continue reading Essay here …
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The Second to Last time …
October 14, 2017 … Colorado 36, Oregon State 33 …
— Game Story … Steven Montez threw a 13-yard touchdown to Bryce Bobo with 1:34 left and Colorado hung on for a 36-33 victory Saturday over Oregon State, which was playing its first game since the sudden departure of head coach Gary Andersen.
Montez threw for 168 yards and a pair of touchdowns and also caught a scoring pass from Bobo, who finished with nine catches for 126 yards. Phillip Lindsay ran for 185 yards and two touchdowns, falling just 5 yards short of reaching 1,000 yards rushing for the second-straight season.
Jordan Choukair’s 52-yard field goal attempt for the Beavers with 10 seconds left was short, denying Oregon State of the upset. Ryan Nall finished with 172 yards rushing and three touchdowns, but the Beavers, who punted only once all game, could not finish off its final drive of the game.
… Continue reading game story here …
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Pac-12 Notes …
— Oregon State is 5-3, looking for its sixth win of the season for the first time since 2013;
— Oregon State’s version of Nate Landman is linebacker Avery Roberts. Roberts had 12 tackles last Saturday against Cal, and has had at least ten tackles in each of the Beavers’ last five games;
— Pac-12 Lines …
From VegasInsider.com …
- Utah at Stanford … Utah is a 9.0-point road favorite … Friday, 8:30 p.m., MT, FS1 … up from 6.0-points on Sunday
- California at Arizona … California is a 12.0-point road favorite … Saturday, 1:00 p.m., MT, Pac-12 Networks
- Oregon State at Colorado … Oregon State is a 10.5-point road favorite … Saturday, 5:00 p.m., MT, Pac-12 Networks … down from 12.0 points on Sunday
- No. 7 Oregon at Washington … Oregon is a 7.0-point road favorite … Saturday, 5:30 p.m., MT, ABC
- USC at Arizona State … Arizona State is a 10.0 favorite at home … Saturday, 8:30 p.m., MT, ESPN … down from 8.5-points on Sunday
- Idle … UCLA (so yes, UCLA has a bye week before facing the Buffs) and Washington State
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One Reply to “Friday Fast Facts – Oregon State”
MickeyMac had a large gut
Go Buffs beat the “flat tails”