Oregon State opponent report: Arizona

With the Oregon State football team underway in its preparations for Saturday's matchup with Arizona, BeaversEdge.com Managing Editor Brenden Slaughter gives you an inside look at the Wildcats.

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Head coach: Kevin Sumlin (2nd season, 9-11 record, 94-54 overall)

Preseason prediction: 5th (south)

Last week: Loss - 41-31 @ Stanford

Record: 4-4 (2-3, Pac-12) (5th in the south)

FBS Ranks

Total offense: 492 ypg (7th nationally)

Scoring offense: 32.3 ppg (4th in Pac-12

Total defense: 469.9 ypg allowed (119th nationally, last in Pac-12)

Scoring defense: 35.0 ppg allowed (117th nationally, last in Pac-12)

All-time series: Arizona leads 25-15-1

QB's Khalil Tate and Grant Gunnell

It's safe to say that Oregon State defensive coordinator Tim Tibesar will have his work cut out for him in preparations this week. With Sumlin and Co. looking like they're going to move forward with both Khalil Tate and Grant Gunnell at quarterback moving forward, it adds a whole new headache in configuring a gameplan. While it's often said that if you have two quarterbacks, you have none, Sumlin is very confident that the Wildcats will be able to utilize both players' skillsets. With Gunnell getting the start last week and Tate coming in relief, it'll be anyone's guess how Sumlin decides to utilize the duo against Oregon State.

RB JJ Taylor

Oregon State players, coaches, and fans won't soon forget JJ Taylor as he ran wild in Reser Stadium last year, racking up a career-high 284 yards and two touchdowns in the Wildcats' 35-14 romp. While Taylor hasn't been quite as explosive as last year, there's no doubt he'll be one of the focal points on the Beavers' defensive gameplan as he managed 107 yards on the ground against Stanford a week ago.

LB's Colin Schooler and Tony Fields II

If there's strength in Arizona's defense this season, it's in linebackers Colin Schooler and Tony Fields II. With Schooler leading the team with 63 tackles and Fields checking in right behind him with 62, there's very little that these two can't stop on the field. While the Wildcats as a whole have really struggled in terms of allowing a lot of points and a lot of yards, having two linebackers that both boast 60+ tackles is impressive. With the Wildcats having a massive coaching overhaul defensively this week, it's possible we'll see these two dynamic linebackers be even more impactful against Oregon State.

Spin-> With Sumlin announcing on Sunday that defensive coordinator Marcel Yates' and linebackers coach John Rushing's services would no longer be required moving forward, it set the stage for a massive storyline to keep an eye on heading into Saturday.

While Oregon State head coach Jonathan Smith noted in his Monday press conference that there wasn't a whole lot the Beavers were going to do differently in terms of their film prep of the Wildcats with Yates and Rushing gone but admitted that there's a lot of unknowns when a situation like this happens. However, he did add that you really can't make wholesale changes in just a week, so the Beavers are confident in preparing for the schemes and players the Wildcats present.