Opponent Breakdown: Idaho State
At a Glance Idaho State at Oregon State
When: 2 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 17
Where: Reser Stadium, Corvallis.
TV/Radio: TBD/Beaver Sports Network
Series history: Oregon State leads 1-0.
Last meeting: 2007. Oregon State routed the Bengals, 61-10, at Reser Stadium. Sean Canfield completed 11-of-14 passes for 198 yards in the first quarter to set the pace for the Beavers, who never looked back. In one of the finest performances of his career, he finished with 353 yards and three TDs, two of which were hauled in by Sammie Stroughter.
2015 in Review
Record: 2-9 overall, 1-7 Big Sky (1-4 home, 1-5 away)
Bowl game: None.
Quick numbers: Points per game — 22.0, Opponents’ points per game — 40.9; Rushing yards per game — 124.3, Opponents’ — 268.8; Passing yards per game — 273.5, Opponents’ — 187.7; Time of possession — 27:00, Opponents’ — 33:01; Red-zone scoring percentage — 74 percent, Opponents’ — 77 percent.
Top performers: Passing: Michael Sanders — 2,131 yards, 20 TDs, 10 INT, 54.9 percent completion rate; Rushing: Xavier Finney — 891 yards, 4 TDs, 4.5 YPC; Receiving: Madison Mangum — 70 catches, 894 yards, 9 TDs; Tackles — Hayden Stout — 113 tackles, 8 for loss.
Notable games: Won first game of season, 55-0, against Black Hills State University; lost 80-8 to UNLV, a week after losing to Boise State, 52-0. Other win in 2015 was over University of North Dakota, 37-31.
Sept. 4 Outlook
Key returners: Sanders (QB); Finney (RB); Mangum (WR); Stout (LB); Tyler Kuder (DL) — 92 tackles, 11 for loss, 3.5 sacks; Jake Pettit (DL) — 91 tackles, 3.5 for loss.
Key losses: None. The Bengals return their marquee players, and backups at most of those positions.
Key strength: Experience. Idaho State figures to be overmatched against OSU, but on the bright side they return all their top playmakers from last season, which is always a plus. If they can get into a rhythm against the Beavers, it could be a closer game than many anticipate.
Key question: How long, if at all, can they hang with OSU? The Bengals will have two games under their belt when they play OSU, but it might not be much help. While the Beavers have plenty of questions on both sides of the ball, they should win this game handily based on size and skill.
Raju’s Take
This will be short, as the Beavers should roll against the Bengals. But don’t be surprised if the Beavers take a quarter to get going. That said, OSU must avoid silly mistakes and giving Idaho State short fields to work with, or even worse, red-zone opportunities — as the Bengals have enough weapons to make noise.
Teams were able to run the ball with success against Idaho State last season, so the Beavers should follow suit. Expect a healthy dose of Nall, Cook, etc. If all goes to plan, that should lead to some big plays through the air. Bottom line is that OSU needs to strike early and hard. If the Bengals are able to hang around and get a spark, you never know what will happen.
Ultimately, this is one of those games where anything but an OSU rout will be disappointing. The Beavers need a big win in their home opener to help ensure a good turnout for the Boise State game the following week. If they come out sluggish, barely hold on, or somehow lose this game, it could have repercussions for the rest of the season. That said, this one should be a Beavers victory.