Staff Predictions: Oregon State vs Purdue

With the Beavers set to open the 2021 season on the road against Purdue, Publisher Brenden Slaughter and Recruiting Analyst Jared Halus give their two cents on the matchup and who's going to come out on top.

MORE: Insider Injury Report: Week 1 | EDGE POD: Previewing OSU/Purdue

BRENDEN SLAUGHTER'S PICK

Oregon State is starting the season off with a win...

Despite the Beavers entering this contest against the Boilermakers as a slight underdog (+7), I see this as a contest between two very evenly matched teams.

With the Beavers going with Sam Noyer under center, I've got all the confidence in the world that he'll be able to execute the offense, limit mistakes, and put the team in a position to win the game on the offensive side. He's got ample talent around him on the offensive line, in the backfield, and within the receiving corps to spread the ball around and keep the defense guessing.

On the defensive side, this really feels like a game where Tim Tibesar's defense could be the difference between a win and a loss. I'm not expecting a shutout, but having the defense have a couple of tangible moments where they stop Purdue's offense in its tracks could go a long way toward getting the win and building confidence throughout the season.

With all that being said, I expect Jonathan Smith and Co. to get the job done. The Beavers need this game to set themselves up in a good position to reach the postseason for the first time since 2013 and I think we'll see that urgency on the field.

Beavers win a close one in West Lafayette...

Prediction: Oregon State 28, Purdue 24

JARED HALUS' PICK

I'm not going to lie, I changed this prediction multiple times and went through multiple different scenarios in my head about how this game could actually go. My final prediction is the one I truly believe is the most likely.

Noyer gets rolling early, the first-half hype from the fans dies down, and the Beavs play a better second half than Purdue for the win.

Purdue lost a lot of talent to the portal and NFL after last season, and I think if Oregon State executes then they will be able to pull out a win here.