Oregon State Beavers
Overall Rank: #66
#10 Pac-12
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Oregon State gained quite a bit of attention with their coach movement. Mike Riley left the Beavers after 12 years and took the Nebraska job. Then OSU made a smart hire by taking advantage of the situation in Madison. Gary Anderson was never a good fit for the Badgers. He is a better fit at Oregon State. It may take some time for a good fit to turn into wins though.
2014 Record: 5-7, 2-7
2014 Bowl: None
Coach: Gary Anderson (0-0 at Oregon State, 50-38 overall)
Offensive Coordinator: Dave Baldwin
Defensive Coordinator: Kalani Sitake
Returning Leaders:
Rushing: Storm Woods, RB, 766 yards
Passing: None
Receiving: Victor Bolden, WR, 798 yards
Tackles: Justin Strong, S, 56
Sacks: Lavonte Barnett, DE, 4.5
Interceptions: None
Other Key Returnees: WR Jordan Villamin, K Garrett Owens
Key Losses: RB Terron Ward, QB Sean Mannion, QB Luke Del Rio, WR Connor Hamlett, S Ty Zimmerman, LB D.J. Alexander, LB Michael Doctor, S Ryan Murphy, DE Dylan Wynn, DB Steven Nelson
Strengths:
Oregon State has had some good offenses lately, even if they are inconsistent. But the new coaching staff brings a new system which will be an up-tempo spread. In order to have a successful spread, the quarterback needs to play smart and make plays. However, the Beavers have absolutely no experience at quarterback. Sean Mannion was a four-year starter and now it is time to move in another direction. Redshirt freshmen Marcus McMaryion and Nick Mitchell and true freshman Seth Collins are battling it out for the job. Receiver Victor Bolden will make a good target for whoever is under center. He caught 72 passes for 798 yards and two touchdowns. Jordan Villamin is a big target and six of his 35 passes ended in the end zone. The numbers may not be as impressive with inexperience at quarterback though. Meanwhile, Oregon State will look to the ground and running back Storm Woods. He rushed for 766 yards and five touchdowns in 2014, but will not likely have to split carries again this year. With a strong offensive line that returns plenty of experience, Woods could be in for a huge year.
Weaknesses:
Oregon State’s defense allowed quite a few points, but they were solid against the pass. However, there will be a lot of new faces on that side of the ball. The hope is to get more speed on the field by running a 3-4 defense more often. Whether or not the personnel is really there to do that, remains to be seen. The front three is relatively experienced with seniors Kyle Peko, Jaswha James and Jalen Grimble. All three starting linebackers from 2014 are gone, but if the spring taught us anything, it is that OSU has some talent and potential at linebacker. Larry Scott is the lone returning starter in the secondary. The senior cornerback will have quite a bit of inexperience around him though, especially at the other cornerback spot.
The Bottom Line:
Oregon State will need time to get the pieces in place. Even without the coaching change, this would be a rebuilding year for the Beavers. Home games against Weber State and San Jose State should get this team off to a decent start and Washington State and Colorado are winnable games in the middle of October. Winning all of those games and finding two others to reach bowl eligibility will be nearly impossible. But this group can win enough to keep their bowl hopes alive heading into November.
Projected Bowl: None
2014 Team Stats:
Rushing Offense: 118.1 (110th in nation, 11th in conference)
Passing Offense: 275.4 (31, 7)
Total Offense: 393.5 (72, 9)
Scoring Offense: 25.7 (86, 12)
Rushing Defense: 158.2 (51, 9)
Pass Defense: 248.1 (91, 3)
Total Defense: 406.3 (74, 4)
Scoring Defense: 31.6 (96, 9)
Turnover Margin: 0.33 (40, 7)
Sacks: 2.42 (42, 8)
Sacks Allowed: 3.00 (109, 9)
Madness 2016 NFL Draft Rankings:
#76 Isaac Seumalo
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