2014-15 Football Previews – (Pac-12) – Beavers
The Oregon State Beavers are coming off of a 2013 college football season that saw them go 4-5 in conference play, while posting a 7-6 record overall. Recapping the year that was, simply put: It was a roller coaster.
Pac-12 Conference 2014-15 College Football Previews: OSU (link)
Head Coach: Mike Riley
2013 Record: 7-6
Oregon State Gambling Odds to win BCS Championship: 200/1
Oregon State Gambling Odds to win: Pac-12 North Division: 14/1
Oregon State Gambling Odds to win Pac-12 Conference: 33/1
After dropping a shocking contest to FCS Eastern Washington in the season opener at home, the Beavers went on to win six straight en route to a 6-1 record. Unfortunately for Oregon State, the team lost its next five, and the year was only salvaged by a 38-23 win over Boise State in the Sheraton Hawai’i Bowl.
Team Strengths:
If the Beavers are going to surprise some people, it’s going to take a much better effort on defense than they showed in 2013. What won’t be surprising, though, is if (and more likely when) Sean Mannion goes to the air for a ton of success against opposing defenses.
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When Mannion opted to return for his senior year, the Beavers knew they had their key playmaker for 2014. Brandin Cooks is gone, which means the team will have to establish a new No. 1 option, but with Mannion behind center, the team returns its quarterback that led the team to third in the nation in passing yards per game last season.
Finding that next receive won’t be easy (although Richard Mullaney will likely be the primary target), but this group does have a strong core of tight ends. Last season, Connor Hamlett had 40 catches with five touchdowns, while Caleb Smith had 25 catches for four touchdowns.
Defensively, this team returns a lot of talent at linebacker. There’s also talent at cornerback, as Steven Nelson and Ryan Murphy received honorable mentions in 2013 when it comes to All-Pac-12.
Team Weaknesses:
Although we’ve already hit on it, here it is again. The potential at wide receiver is high, but the production at this point is low. Getting these guys to put up numbers could be a challenge, but if anyone can do it, it’s going to be Mannion.
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The biggest concern, however, on offense is going to be finding a balance. Despite being a top-three passing team last season and scoring 34.8 points per contest in the process, Oregon State ran for just 94.4 yards per game in 2013 – a number that was good enough for 118th in the nation.
Defensively, this team has to improve on the line. Scott Crichton has left for the pros, meaning there is only one returning starter.
Defense as a whole is going to be a concern if the team allows as many points as it did last season. It gave up 31.4 points per contest, which was only good enough for 91st in the country.
2014-15 Oregon State Football Prediction: 5-7
Don’t expect the Beavers to compete for a Pac-12 title this season. It would take a strange turn of events for them to compete for a Pac-12 North title over the Oregon Ducks and Stanford Cardinal, lending little hope that for any major competition late in the year.
What you can expect is a decent start. With a home contest against Portland State and a road battle against Hawaii to start the season, Oregon State could likely go 2-0 in the first two weeks. The next two against San Diego State and USC aren’t as promising, but then contests against Colorado and Utah will help sway the record in their favor.
Unfortunately, a tough three-game stretch to close out the regular season won’t be in the Beavers’ favor, and we’re likely looking at a sub-.500 record when it’s all said and done.
2014 Beavers Schedule
- Sat., Aug. 30 vs. Portland State
- Sat. Sept. 6 @ Hawaii
- Sat., Sept. 20 vs. San Diego State
- Sat., Sept. 27 @ USC
- Sat., Oct. 4 @ Colorado
- Thursday, Oct. 16 vs. Utah
- Sat., Oct. 25 @ Stanford
- Sat., Nov. 1 vs. California
- Sat., Nov. 8 vs. Washington State
- Sat., Nov. 15 vs. Arizona State
- Sat., Nov. 22 @ Washington
- Sat., Nov. 29 vs. Oregon
