BYE weeks are never fun for the fans and they always drag, yet for the players, they can also come at a perfect time. The University of Utah had been battling numerous minor injuries going into their extended break, but now they’ll look to be refreshed and continue their push for the Pac-12 title, as they travel to Corvallis, Oregon to take on the Oregon State Beavers. One of the best parts of football coverage is when two sites can work together, so this week Ute Nation linked up with Beavers Edge Managing Editor, Brenden Slaughter, and he was kind enough to share his inside knowledge on a much improved Oregon State squad.
The Beavers have definitely improved in 2019, but what do they ultimately need to do to take the next step to contention? How close would you say the program truly feels they are to competing for the North title?
That’s a really good question… The biggest thing in terms of the future outlook for the Beavers is to be patient in their process and not cut corners trying to build the program up. When Jonathan Smith was hired in late-November of 2017, the Oregon State was rock bottom in more ways than one. Simply put, it’s going to take time for the program to work its way out of the massive hole that former head coach Gary Andersen dug.
By the time that the dreadful 1-11 ’17 season was concluded, Oregon State hired Smith, knowing that this was going to be a long-term move that was gambled on experience, and patience in building the right way. With all that being said, it’s going to be a year or two before the coaching staff believes they’ve got the talent and experience to compete in the north. While offensively, the Beavers are pretty much there, the defense is still a work in progress and likely will be until another full recruiting cycle or two. If the Beavers could land a couple JC CB’s and add some more depth on the defensive line through the JC ranks as well, they could be primed to be a sleeper team next season.
How important was it for the Beavers, getting Luton to earn the sixth year?
Huge. Not to say that the Beavers wouldn’t have been fine with backup QB Tristan Gebbia running the show, as he pushed Luton in fall camp, but Luton is a seasoned veteran who simply has more experience. While it hasn’t been a perfect start to the season by any means for the 6-foot-7, cannon-armed QB, he has unmatchable chemistry with Isaiah Hodgins, and it speaks volumes to why the Beavers have found success through the air with much more consistency this season.
Gebbia is the quarterback of the future, but having Luton around for year two of the Jonathan Smith era will be looked back as one of the reasons the Beavers were able to speed up the rebuild. From fighting through a quarterback competition all three years, working his way back from a traumatic thoracic spine injury that very nearly ended his playing career in 2017, or missing nearly half of his then-senior season in 2018 with the worst high-ankle sprain he’s ever suffered, Luton is no stranger to adversity, yet he’s off to the best start of his college career this season. For the team to see a guy like Luton, who embodies the leadership traits that Smith wants all his players to have, overcome all that adversity and be rewarded after years of hard work and dedication, it really sets the standard for the type of player that the Beavers want to have in their program.
Who are the names for Ute fans to watch on Saturday and outside of the usual cast of characters, who is maybe someone under the radar?
Offensively, keep an eye on receiver Champ Flemings… While he’s listed at just 5-foot-5, 141 pounds, he’s Oregon State’s best pure deep threat as he’s one of the fastest guys on the team and has freaky-impressive athleticism. He’s been a bit of a boom-or-bust receiver for the Beavers, notching solid performances against Cal Poly and Stanford (combined 10 catches, 206 yards, 2 TD’s), but struggled with Oklahoma State, Hawaii, and UCLA (3 catches, 21 yards). If he’s able to break off a big play or two against the stout Utah defense, it would certainly ease the burden on Isaiah Hodgins.
Defensively, keep an eye on cornerback Isaiah Dunn… he isn’t the flashiest corner, but he’s been really good the past two weeks and even earned the praise of defensive coordinator Tim Tibesar this week. Additionally, defensive tackle Isaac Hodgins, Isaiah’s younger brother, has also been playing well as of late and is definitely a guy to keep an eye on.
What would you scheme up to stop the Oregon State offense?
Get pressure on Luton… One of the major reasons why the Beavers’ offense has been so successful to start the year has been because they’ve kept Luton upright and healthy. After allowing the most sacks in the country a season ago, the Beavers have flipped the script, ranking in the top-25 in sacks allowed this season with just seven. Utah’s front-seven has been drawing praise from the OSU coaching staff this week as they’re an extremely talented and fundamentally sound group that thrives on physicality, so I’m excited to see the matchup unfold between the Oregon State offense and the Utah defense.
How would you attack the Beavers’ defense?
A balanced, fluid attack that pinpoints the Beavers’ weaknesses as the game progresses. While the Beavers have improved leaps and bounds from where they were a year ago defensively, they still don’t have ideal size, depth, or experience to be a great defense. Outside of linebacker, where the Beavers are littered with talent and impressive youngsters, the defense still needs more. On the line, the Beavers have a strong starting unit but lack the depth to be consistent on a regular basis. In the secondary, there’s ample talent, but far too much inconsistent play. The key for Utah would be to get a nice blend of the run and pass going early so they can then pick and choose what’s going to be more effective as the game progresses to expose OSU’s weaknesses.
What’s your prediction and why?
Utah 31, Oregon State 21. While I believe that the Beavers and Utes will be neck and neck for a good portion of the contest, Utah’s defense is legit and is loaded with future NFL talent. No doubt, the Utes will get Oregon State’s best shot as it’s homecoming and the Beavers are coming off a strong performance against UCLA, but Utah is too talented and consistent on both sides of the ball for the Beavers to come away with the win. I like Utah in a 10 point game.
