Oregon State Beavers Football: Wednesday Report
With the Oregon State defense having a tall task in front of them this weekend in slowing down Washington State's high-powered offense, BeaversEdge.com gives you the latest from defensive coordinator Tim Tibesar.
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With the Oregon State football team sitting at .500 (5-5 overall, 4-3 Pac-12) heading into its penultimate road game of the season against the Washington State Cougars, there's no doubt that there's a sense of urgency from the Beavers as they continue to fight for bowl eligibility.
Oregon State is on the cusp of securing a bowl-berth for the first time since 2013, but they still need one more win to get there. With a Civil War matchup with CFB Playoff hopeful Oregon on deck following the Cougars, this weekend presents the Beavers with the best chance to secure that sixth win.
However, that won't come easy as Washington State still boasts one of the best offenses in the country despite having a down year (5-5, 2-5 Pac-12) by Mike Leach standards.
"They're an explosive offense and they put up a bunch of points," Oregon State defensive coordinator Tim Tibesar said. "There's a reason they're the No. 1 scoring and total offense in our conference. They're top-six in the country in total offense because they can put up a lot of yards and points.
Quarterback Anthony Gordon has been stellar as the newest quarterback to thrive and put up video-game-like numbers in Pullman, leading the nation in passing yards (4314) and passing touchdowns (39) while also ranking in the top-10 in completion percentage (71.3).
Toss in the fact that the Cougars have one of the best dual-threat running backs in Max Borghi (696 rushing yards, eight TDs - 60 rec, 468 yards four TDs) and the Cougars wield an offense that is capable of putting up points and yards like very few can.
With the Cougars being at their best when Gordon has time to throw and scan the field, Tibesar notes the importance of mixing up various coverage and blitzing schemes to keep the talented quarterback uneasy.
"We have to be able to affect (Gordon)," Tibesar said. "We'll be looking to mix max coverage, max pressure, and trying to get home with three to four guys. If he's got time to set his feet and scan the whole field, it doesn't matter how good your back end plays. We'll have to be stout in our combination of pressures."
In terms of the blueprint that might be able to slow down the WSU offense enough for the Beavers to make some plays and swing the momentum to their offense, Tibesar knows what his group has to do and the challenge that it will be.
"We have to try and do a great job of minimizing their explosive plays, get some takeaways, and make them earn everything. That's going to be the nig neutralizer of their offense...they can drive it all the way down the field, like ASU, if we get a turnover at the one-yard line, it's still a good series for us."