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With the Oregon State football team improving to 2-0 with a 35-32 victory over Fresno State (1-1) on Saturday evening, BeaversEdge gives five important takeaways from the win...
MORE: Highlights + Social Media Reaction From OSU's Win | RECAP: Beavers Rally Past Fresno 35-32
1. Jonathan Smith And The Beavers Have Guts
Guts...
That's what Oregon State and head coach Jonathan Smith showed in Fresno on Saturday night as the Beavers snatched victory from the jaws of defeat en route to a 35-32 victory (OSU's first ever in Fresno).
With the ball on the Fresno two-yard line with three seconds remaining, Smith and the Beavers had a decision to make trailing the Bulldogs by three.
Either go for the win and have one play to do so or attempt a chip-shot field goal with Everett Hayes and in all likelihood head to overtime.
Smith elected to call his final timeout and the Beavers first ran out Hayes with the intention of sending the contest to overtime. But, FSU head coach Jeff Tedford elected to call timeout to ice Hayes, giving Smith and the Beavers more time to think about the decision.
Following the break, the Beavers ran out Jack Colletto and the goal-line package, only to have the Bulldogs use their final timeout to reset their defense.
With the decks clear and no team having any timeouts and it all coming down to one play, Smith decided to go with the gutsy move of sending Colletto and the goal-line package out there once more in a win-or-go-home scenario.
Despite Fresno State knowing full well who and what was coming their way, they never stood a chance as Colletto took the direct snap to the right side and dove into the endzone from two yards out. "The Hammer" was hit at the one-yard line by a Bulldog defender, but re-watching the sequence, the play was very well-blocked and Colletto made the perfect read going to the right side.
If Colletto hadn't scored would we be looking back at this decision with a different perspective? Absolutely. But football is a game of inches and sometimes you've gotta risk it for the biscuit and Smith showed us just how much faith he has in his squad when the game is on the line.
A play like that, a win like that, and a call like that have the ability to energize this team in a way we haven't yet seen under Smith and that's an exciting development for weeks to come...
2. The Defense Bent, But Didn't Break
While the final stat sheet will show that Oregon State allowed 492 yards of total offense to Fresno, the defense managed to come up with the stops when it mattered most.
For starters, let's begin with the fact that Bulldog quarterback Jake Haener is really good. He made some impressive plays tonight and the Beavers were lucky to overcome the fact that he played a really good football game, finishing with 360 passing yards and one touchdown.
While Haener was able to rack up a lot of yards between the 20s, Oregon State's defense stiffening when it mattered most is a huge reason why they were able to steal the victory.
Fresno State punted just twice on the evening, but it was the six field goal attempts that the Beaver defense forced that allowed them to remain in striking distance even when the offense couldn't find a consistent rhythm.
While Haener was most efficient in the first half, completing 18-of-25 (72%) of his throws and looking quite comfortable in the pocket, the Beavers made adjustments and got after him a bit more in the second half. He was 12-of-22 (54%) on throws in the second half and that's a credit to defensive coordinator Trent Bray and the Beaver defense for making adjustments and dialing up the pressure.
It wasn't a perfect defensive effort by any means and there's certainly a lot to improve upon as Fresno State averaged 4.6 yards per carry and 6.5 yards per play and the Beavers only tallied one quarterback sack. Additionally, after forcing five Boise State turnovers a week ago, the Beavers didn't record one against the Bulldogs...
Haener and Tedford had a great offensive gameplan dialed up for this one and credit to Fresno for making some plays, but Oregon State's defense clamped down when it mattered most and that's a big reason why they're headed back to Corvallis 2-0.
3. Offense Finds Life In The Second Half
While Oregon State found itself ahead of Fresno State 14-13 at the halftime break, the offense hadn't really found a consistent rhythm as the Beavers had just 119 yards (33 passing and 89 rushing) to FSU's 226 (149 passing and 77 rushing).
Of the Beavers' five drives in the first half, only two ended in scores while three ended in punts and two of the three were three and outs. The rushing attack had found a bit of a groove, but the Beavers needed Chance Nolan and the receiving corps to hit some big plays in the second half to open up the run game for Deshaun Fenwick and the backfield.
With no Trey Lowe in the contest (undisclosed), Fenwick took the load of the carries, finishing with 102 yards and a score on 19 attempts. Damien Martinez (four carries, 18 yards) and Jam Griffin (three for 13) also factored into the mix while Jesiah Irish (2 for 13) and Silas Bolden (36-yard touchdown rush) found success in the fly sweep/reverse running game action.
Nolan rebounded from the slow first half to finish with 219 passing yards and one touchdown and more importantly, led the Beavers to touchdowns on three of the final five drives of the contest. Two of those three touchdown drives came with under 4:19 seconds left in the fourth quarter and the final came with just :58 seconds remaining.
