Oregon State Football Opponent Preview: Washington State
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With the start of the 2023 season just around the corner, BeaversEdge kicks off the first in an opponent preview series diving into all 12 of Oregon State's opponents in 2023...
Up next is the Beavers' Pac-12 opener, a road matchup on the Palouse against Washington State...
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THE GAME
Date: Saturday, September 23rd
Time: TBA
Location: Martin Stadium - Pullman, WA
TV: TBA
Oregon State 2022 record: 10-3 (6-3 Pac-12)
Washington State 2022 record: 7-6 (4-5 Pac-12)
WSU Head coach: Jake Dickert (second full season, 10-9 overall)
WSU 2022 Recap
Washington State's first full season under head coach Jake Dickert in 2022 saw the program fully shift to his background and focus, emphasizing a tough, physical defense.
The Cougars, known for their high-powered offenses under Mike Leach and to an extent Nick Rolovich, placed a bigger priority on defense under Dickert and finished third in the Pac-12 in scoring defense in 2022, allowing just 22.9 points per game.
WSU's 2022 season was solid overall, but there has to be a big what-if sense after letting several winnable games slip away. The Cougars' defense was going to keep them in most games this past season, but often times their offense couldn't keep up the pace.
The Cougars arguably peaked too early in '22 as they opened the season 3-0, including an impressive road win over Wisconsin entering their Pac-12 opener against Oregon. WSU all but had the contest in hand before watching it slip through their fingers in a 44-41 loss where they surrendered a 12-point lead over the final six minutes.
WSU responded with a win over Cal the following week, but then dropped three straight to USC, Oregon State, and Utah. WSU's defense made it tough on some of the better offenses in the P12, holding USC to 30, Oregon State to 24, and Utah to 21, but the offense just couldn't provide enough support to pull a big upset.
The Cougars then won three straight with wins over Stanford, Arizona State, and Arizona before dropping the Apple Cup to Washington and the LA Bowl to Fresno State to finish at 7-6 on the season.
Quarterback Cam Ward flashed moments of being a really effective quarterback in the league, but the offensive inconsistency was too much for even a strong WSU defense to overcome.
Best Win: vs Wisconsin (17-14)
Worst Loss: vs Oregon (44-41)
WSU 2023 Outlook
Heading into the 2023 campaign, Washington State figures to be in about the same spot they were last season, looking for bowl eligibility and perhaps a bit more in Jake Dickert's second full season as the head man of the program.
Cam Ward figures to be much better in his second year in the system after throwing for 3,231 yards and 23 touchdowns (nine interceptions) while Nakia Watson returning in the backfield adds speed and playmaking after a near 800-yard and nine-rushing touchdown campaign this past season.
WSU will need to be better at protecting Ward as the Cougars ranked near the bottom nationally in sacks allowed with 46 on the season.
Defensively, the Cougars will be replacing leading tackler Daiyan Heneley, but return EDGE Brennan Jackson after tallying 12 tackles for loss and six sacks a season ago. Given that the Cougars pride themselves on defense under Dickert, they're likely to be tough on that side of the ball once again this season.
Key Returnees: QB Cam Ward, RB Nakia Watson, EDGE Brennan Jackson, EDGE Ron Stone Jr.
Season Projection: 6-6
Early Prediction
I anticipate this will be Oregon State's big first test of the season as the nonconference schedule is quite favorable compared to opening the Pac-12 season in a place that's been tough for the Beavers to win at in Pullman.
OSU's last win on the Palouse came back in 2013 and overall the Beavers have lost four of their last five trips.
The last two losses were particularly tough as both were single-digit defeats. In 2019 the Beavers fell 54-53 in an offensive shootout that cost the Beavers a chance at bowl eligibility, while in 2021 the Beavers dropped a 31-24 contest where they led 10-3 at the half.
However, if Oregon State is the team we think they will be this season, this is a game they should win. I expect this to be a close, physical contest where Washington State gives the Beavers a tough conference opener, but ultimately OSU proves they're the better and more complete team.
Look for this one to be neck and neck early on with some good defensive back and forth, with Oregon State finding more offensive consistency and pulling away in the second half for a 13-point victory.
Oregon State 27, Washington State 14
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