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Every Friday of each game week, the BeaversEdge.com staff will give its predictions for Oregon State's matchup!
With the Oregon State Beavers set to face San Diego State on the road, BeaversEdge Publisher Brenden Slaughter, recruiting analyst Dylan Callaghan-Croley, and writers T.J. Mathewson and Ryan Harlan give their two cents on the matchup and who's going to come out on top!
MORE: Injury Report vs SDSU | EDGE POD: Previewing OSU vs SDSU | OSU vs SDSU: Starters as Recruits | WATCH: Defense Previews SDSU | Beavers In The NFL: Season Preview | WATCH: Offense Previews SDSU | OSU Commits In Action | OSU vs SDSU Odds | A Closer Look At SDSU
T.J. MATHEWSON'S PICK
I'm chalking the Beavers to take their first loss of the season on Saturday, and there are a couple of different reasons I'm going this way.
Before that, I will note that Vegas and the public don't lean the same way I do, the spread in this game has grown to -6, pushing the Beavers to more and more of a road favorite.
The Aztecs are going to be a different level of athlete than what the Beavers saw against Idaho State a week earlier, the margin of error will be significantly smaller.
This will also be the first road trip for Trent Bray as head coach, and many of these players as well. They'll have to wait around all day for a 7:30 PM kickoff. Will the energy be there for a late-night game?
While both teams played poor FCS opponents a week ago, SDSU controlled the LOS significantly more than Oregon State did, all while the Beavers will be the ones facing the nation's active leader in all-purpose yards... Can they tackle Marquez Cooper?
I'm going to say no.
PREDICTION: San Diego State 28, Oregon State 24
TJ's season record: 1-0
BRENDEN SLAUGHTER'S PICK
After shaking off the offseason rust of week one, the Oregon State football team and head coach Trent Bray will be taking the Beavers down to San Diego for a matchup with the Aztecs on Saturday night...
A 7:30 kickoff, this will be a Pac/Mountain West After Dark and I think this game has the potential to be a really good one...
Offensively, it's going to be very interesting to see how offensive coordinator Ryan Gunderson does or does not open up the offense. The Beavers went very vanilla offensively against ISU but will need more variety in playcalling to take this one on the road.
Look for Jam Griffin and Anthony Hankerson to lead the way with the ground game, but I think this might be the game we start to see Gevani McCoy let loose a bit more in the passing game, and potentially as a runner in the zone-read as well.
We may also see the debut of former Michigan wide receiver Darrius Clemons against SDSU, and that will be an elite weapon out wide for McCoy to add to his passing arsenal.
Keeping SDSU's offense on the sidelines will be another key, and the Beavers showcased that ability in a big way last week. The Aztecs present a stiffer challenge defensively than ISU, but if OSU wins the time of possession like they did last week it'll be a recipe for success...
Defensively, slowing down FBS all-time leading rusher Marquez Cooper will be of the utmost importance for defensive coordinator Keith Heyward and Co. ISU didn't run the ball all that much last week, so we'll see how effective the Beavers' run defense is against an elite running back.
The pressure will be on the front seven to not let Cooper reach the second level and beyond, and as we discussed on the podcast this week, making sure-tackles is of the utmost importance.
Additionally, another massive key for the Beaver defense is making life tough on SDSU true-freshman quarterback Danny O'Neil.
The Indianapolis native is the first true freshman to start the season for the Aztecs since the 1960s so that certainly is indicative of his talent. He looked a little nervous early against A&M Commerce last week before settling in during the second half, throwing for 214 yards and two scores.
If the Beavers want to leave no doubt in this matchup, they need to make O'Neil look like the 18-year-old he is. The Beavers have superior pass rushers compared to what the Aztecs saw last week, and the secondary should be able to hold their own against SDSU's receiving corps.
I like the Beavers to win this matchup, beating the six-point spread and moving to 2-0 on the season...
PREDICTION: Oregon State 28, San Diego State 20
Brenden's season record: 1-0
