Tuesday Notebook: Oregon State excited for challenge in Columbus

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With Oregon State’s opener against Ohio State just four days away, the Beavers are putting their final touches on their gameplan with the hope that they’ll be able to go out and execute against the No. 5 team in the country.

Look for the Beavers to try and establish the run early against Ohio State with Artavis Pierce, who has been impressed with where his offensive line sits heading into the first week.

“The offensive line is getting better and better at opening holes for us everyday,” Pierce said. “As running backs, we just have to execute and the holes are going to be there. If we play Oregon State football and don’t worry about who we’re playing, we’re going to be great.”

With OSU announcing on Monday that quarterback Jake Luton would get the starting nod against Ohio State, Luton feels that he’s ready to go and is excited to see the field.

“I’m excited to play,” Luton said. “I’m ready to get out there on Saturday and put on the field everything that we’ve been working towards all year.”

One small thing working in the Beavers’ favor is that offensive coordinator Brian Lindgren is no stranger to big games in big time environments with a team that had very little expectations. As Colorado’s OC in 2016, the Buffs were coming off a 4-9 season in 2015 and no one gave them a chance to beat Michigan in the Big House in week three, but Colorado nearly achieved the feat by going out and playing loose.

“We went in with a mindset that we were loose and playing with nothing to lose,” Lindgren said of the Michigan game in 2016. “Let’s go play hard and loose and leave it all on the field and see what happens. Our kids came out, competed and had some success early in the game and got some confidence.”

A strong start and gaining an early confidence boost in the form of an early score or turnover could be the spark that the Beavers need to keep them in the game for longer than most might expect. Expect a balanced attack from OSU where they consistently try to mix up the run and the pass to keep the Buckeyes’ dominant defense on their toes.

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As the Beavers prepare to face Ohio State, one of the most daunting aspects of playing the Buckeyes is going against one of the top defenses in the country. The scarlet and grey feature the likes of presumed 2018 NFL Draft No. 1 pick Nick Bosa and fellow potential first rounder Dre’Mont Jones who combine to be two of the nastiest edge rushers in college football.

“As if it were tough enough just to block him, you gotta do it in the horseshoe with 100,000 yelling fans,” Lindgren said of Bosa. “It’s going to be a tough environment to play, one of the toughest in all college football and it’s also game one. It’s going to be an enormous challenge for all of us and I look forward to watching our kids go and compete in that venue.”

Offensive line coach Jim Michalczik has the daunting task of preparing his offensive line against such a dynamic group and knows just how good of a player Bosa is. The Beavers will have be sound fundamentally to keep their quarterback upright.

“They have a lot of good guys,” Michalczik said with a smile. “Nick (Bosa) is a complete player. When you watch guys, you see their moves and how they rush the passer. He’s got a lot of different things and he can expose you very quick. He’s a good challenge for us.”

Since Urban Meyer arrived at Ohio State in 2012, the Buckeyes have featured some of the best overall defenses in country and this year is no different.

“I’m very impressed,” Lindgren said of Ohio State’s defense. “They are probably one of the best defenses I’ve ever seen on tape. They’re really active up front with a couple first round draft picks and overall they’re just a really really impressive group with a lot of experience. It will be a challenge for our offense.”

As the relatively young Beavers prepare to travel to one of the nations most hostile venues in Ohio Stadium, it’s important to remember that experience in a stadium of that magnitude and size isn’t something you can replicate in practice.

While the Beavers have been piping in crowd noise during practice and combining it with music, it’s not the same as entering and playing in one of college football’s cathedrals.

A few players remain from the 2015 squad that played in front of 109,651 against Michigan in 2015, but for most of these players, last seasons trip to USC (60,314) was highest attendance and biggest stadium that the majority of the team had played in.

Given that OSU will also be relying heavily on several touted true-freshman like Isaac Hodgins and Jermar Jefferson who’ve never played in a college game, let alone Ohio State, there’s bound to be some nerves.

“I’m ready and excited for team and the coaches to go out there and show what we got,” Pierce said. “Everybody has jitters, but after the first carry, I’m good, I’m loose, and I’m ready to carry the football. It’s a big stadium, but once I get my first carry, I’ll be good.”