5 Burning Questions
BeaversEdge.com offers five burning questions for Oregon State headed into the Washington game at 3:30 P.M.
1. Who will be healthy?
This team is banged up at multiple positions. At quarterback, backup Conor Blount is probable and could be inserted in the game if Marcus McMaryion would go down. Artavis Pierce and Ryan Nall are both injured and missed last week's game. The biggest injury to watch, in my opinion, is Treston Decoud. I expect him to play, but if he has to come out, then that will be a big, big loss for the Beavers. I don't even know who else they can run out at cornerback at this point.
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2. Will McMaryion improve from last week?
12-of-26 for 148 yards and two interceptions, which was McMaryion's stats last week against Washington, won't make Oregon State fans giddy with excitement, but it was actually an improvement from what the Beavers had throughout the season. McMaryion has had two weeks now to practice as the team's starting quarterback, and whether or not he can take the next step to be a productive quarterback will be a big factor for the Beavers' chances of defeating Washington State. The Cougs will stack the box and make McMaryion beat them - a simple but smart strategy.
3. Can McGiven keep the Cougars off-balanced?
Oregon State offensive coordinator Kevin McGiven needs to call one heck of a game on Saturday night. Something that head coach Gary Andersen talked a lot about in the beginning of the year was the importance of getting the ball into the hands of their best players. Well, this is something that the Beavers are not doing. Seth Collins, arguably the most talented player on the team, touched the ball just once last week. The Oregon State offense should be a run first offense that sets up the play action, but they still need to get the ball in the hands of a guy like Collins.
4. Who will Oregon State utilize on offense?
This is a follow-up question to our last question. Yes, Seth Collins needs the ball in his hands, but what about Jordan Villamin? Timmy Hernandez is a good receiver, but Villamin is the bigger target with a higher ceiling. Hernandez and Villamin are listed as an "or" as the No. 1 X-wide receiver. Victor Bolden has been very effective in the fly sweep game, so there's no reason for the Beavers not to run him 5-6 times. I also think that Hunter Jarmon should be utilized in the short passing game as well. But once again, this should be a run first team, but when they do throw the ball, they need to get the ball in the hands of their playmakers on easy reads for McMaryion.
5. Can the defensive line make Falk feel uncomfortable?
This Oregon State defense has forced just ten sacks this year, while their opponents have sacked the Beavers' quarterbacks 20 times. Bright Ugwoegbu, the team leader in sacks with 3.5, is always the X-factor on the defense. If he and the other OSU pass rushers cannot sack Wazzu quarterback Luke Falk, they need to at least make their presence felt and get their arms up to knock down passes.