Beavers eager to rebound
Oregon State sets new course under Smith
Oregon State suffered through one of its worst seasons in more than two decades as the Beavers continued a recent downward slide.
However, there’s hope for the program and it comes in the form of new coach Jonathan Smith, the former Oregon State quarterback who is looking to return the program to its winning ways.
But the transformation is going to take time and patience, which is why the Beavers are ranked No. 112 in Orlando Sentinel college insider Matt Murschel’s preseason 2018 college football rankings. Murschel ranked all 129 Football Bowl Subdivision teams in the country. The Sentinel staff takes a closer look at a new team daily, counting backward from No. 129 to our projected No. 1 team.
State
7 Oregon
Jonathan Smith (0-0, entering first season; 0-0 overall)
1-11 overall, 0-9 in the Pac-12 conference; last in the North Division
The program appeared to be making headway following a four-win season in 2016. But after a 1-5 start, Gary Andersen announced he was leaving the program, forgoing the $12 million owed to him on his contract and leaving interim coach Corey Hall to suffer through the remainder of the season.
The school moved quickly to hire Smith in the offseason. Smith spent the previous three seasons as the offensive coordinator under Chris Petersen at Washington. 4
OL Fred Lauina, WR Jordan Villamin, RB Ryan Nall, QB Darell Garretson, DE Baker Pritchard, DE Titus Failauga, LB Manase Hungalu, CB Kyle White
TE Noah Togiai, WR Isaiah Hodgins, QB Jake Luton, DT Kalani Vakameilalo, LB Bright Ugwoegbu, LB Jonathan Willis, LB Andrzej Hughes-Murray
The Beavers are making the switch from a spread offense to a more pro-style look that will include a quicker tempo Smith and offensive coordinator Brian Lindgren implemented during spring practices. Quarterback Jake Luton started the first four games of last season before suffering a season-ending injury against Washington State on Sept. 16. He finished with a 1-3 record and 880 yards of total offense. He joins junior-college transfer Jack Colletto and Conor Blount competing to run the offense this season for Oregon State.
The Beavers featured one of the best pass protections in the Pac-12 last season, allowing just 18.0 sacks in 2017. Juniors Blake Brendal and Gus Lavaka along with seniors Sumner Houston and Trent Moore return to one of the most experienced units on the team. The group has more than 70 combined career starts.
Oregon State finished near the bottom of the conference in total defense in two of the past three seasons under Andersen, allowing 43 points per game in 2017. Smith brought in Tim Tibesar to turn the unit around and has emphasized the need to create more turnovers. The Beavers were next to last in the league in forced turnovers (14).
Defensive back David Morris earned All-Pac-12 honorable-mention honors last season and his return bolsters a secondary that had a league-worst seven interceptions.
In three seasons, Ryan Nall amassed more than 2,200 yards on the ground for the Beavers with 24 touchdowns. His decision to leave school early leaves junior Artavis Pierce (323 yards) leading a unit that also includes redshirt freshman B.J. Baylor and sophomore Calvin Tyler Jr. as possible backups.
Tight end Noah Togiai (461 yards) was the top receiver for the Beavers in 2017 and his return along with Timmy Hernandez (357 yards) and Isaiah Hodgins (275 yards) gives the unit three of its top four playmakers back from last season.
The Oregon State program has been on a steady decline since 2012 when the Beavers won nine games. In the five ensuing seasons, the program has a Pac-12-worst 19 wins. Smith’s arrival has injected some much-needed optimism into the fan base. It will take some time for that translate into wins as the staff continues to work to build depth at key positions.