12/11/2020 football Edit

Staff Predictions: Stanford vs Oregon State

Brenden Slaughter & Jared Halus

BeaversEdge Staff

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The BeaversEdge.com has its staff predictions for Stanford v Oregon State!

With the Beavers (2-3) looking to back on track in the win column against the surging Stanford Cardinal (2-2), Managing Editor Brenden Slaughter and Recruiting Analyst Jared Halus give their two cents on the matchup and who's going to come out on top.

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BRENDEN SLAUGHTER'S PICK

How will Oregon State respond following a tough loss to Utah?

That's the million-dollar question.

It was tough-sledding against the Utes as the Beavers were without their starting quarterback, running back, and eventually, their backup running back and one of their starting receivers. Yet, the Beavers still managed to hang around and were oh-so-close to being able to pull off the road win.

Now that they've got Jermar Jefferson back in the fold and the fact that Chance Nolan will likely be much better in his second start, I like the Beavers' chances against the Cardinal.

David Shaw's group always presents one of the most physical challenges in the conference, yet after playing Utah last week, the Beavers should know exactly what to expect in that regard. Stanford has been putting it all together as of late, winners of two straight, but each of those wins has been really close.

The Cardinal beat the Huskies & Cal by a combined six points, so it's not that they've been unstoppable in wins this season. Their worst loss of the season came against the Ducks in week one where starting QB Davis Mills was out due to COVID-19 contact tracing protocols.

Since Mills has returned and the Cardinal have gotten back to what they do best, establishing a physical pro-style offensive attack that often features extra offensive lineman, tight ends, or fullbacks. That'll be the biggest challenge for Oregon State's defense to overcome, simply the fact that the Cardinal will attempt to run right down the Beavers' throats.

If Oregon State can manage to keep the Stanford offense from controlling the clock and wearing them down by keeping them off the field and getting some early three and outs, I like the Beavers' chances in this game as the Cardinal isn't typically a team that can play from behind with much success.

I have a feeling that this will be a great battle against two teams that are fairly evenly-matched on paper and if the Beavers can build off some flashes against the Utes and clean up some of the mistakes, I like them to bounce back at home and get back to .500 on the year.

Prediction: Oregon State 31, Stanford 27

Brenden on the year: (2-3)

JARED HALUS' PICK

After a slow start to the season, Stanford has bounced back with wins over Cal and Washington, and will be looking to extend that against Oregon State. The Beavers, on the other hand, are coming off of a 30-24 loss to Utah after two great wins against Cal and Oregon in the weeks prior.

Can Oregon State bounce back, or will Stanford continue to roll?

The good news for the Beavers is that they will no longer have a quarterback making his first start, and will also be returning their star running back. The Oregon State offense took a step back last week and still scored 24 points, so with experience gaining and talent returning, I think they could put up enough points to win this one. As long as the defense continues to play hard-nosed, I like the Beavs.