Sun Devils eager to face No. 25 Beavers
The Arizona State Sun Devils will play on their own field for the last time this season at 12:15 p.m. Saturday when No. 25 Oregon State stops in. This will be the sixth nationally ranked opponent ASU has faced and the third at home.
ASU is 1-5 against ranked teams, the win coming 45-38 against then No. 21 Washington five weeks ago.
“They do a great job not getting hit with big plays. They do bring exotic pressures very similar to Washington State, but they play disciplined football,” ASU interim coach Shaun Aguano said. “On the offensive side, you know, they’re a multiple group that likes to run the football. I love their toughness. I think Coach (Jonathan) Smith does a great job in bringing out the toughness with that group. I know (offensive coordinator) (Brian) Lindgren and (defensive coordinator) (Trent) Bray do a great job as coordinators. I know them personally, and it will be a fight for us and we need to match the intensity that they have.”
The game Saturday marks the 47th meeting between the teams dating back to 1961. Arizona State holds a 30-15-1 advantage and a 20-4 mark in games played in Tempe. But in odd scheduling, due largely to the COVID-19 pandemic, four of the last five games have been played in Corvallis.
The game will air on ESPN2.
3 things to look for
1. Backup quarterbacks turned starters: One of the compelling story angles here is that the game will feature two quarterbacks who started the season as the backup for their respective teams. OSU is going with red-shirt Ben Gulbranson, who took over four games ago when junior starter Chance Nolan went down with a neck/concussion issue on Oct. 1 vs. Utah. Gulbranson is 88for-141 for 1,042 yards and seven touchdowns and has the luxury of a strong running game to rely upon. ASU goes with redshirt junior Trenton Bourguet (88-for-123, 992 yards, 8 TDs), who has started the last three games after Emory Jones started the first seven. Bourguet injured his leg last week and gave way to Jones in the second quarter but is expected back this week.
2. Can the Sun Devils get off to a good start? The Sun Devils fell behind last week at Washington State 28-0, then came back in the second half to make the contest more respectable. The previous week against UCLA, in a home game, the Sun Devils trailed 28-10 at the half. That deficit is particularly deflating at home because it takes the crowd out of the game. The Sun Devils would benefit by doing some good things early so they could feed off the energy of the crowd.
3. Can the Sun Devils overcome injuries on the offensive line? This unit has been a work in progress all season from the start because it had three new starters but injuries have complicated matters. C Ben Scott was injured in the first quarter later week and is questionable. Veteran Joey Ramos was lost for the season in the first game and LG LaDarius Henderson (hand) went down four games ago and his status for the next two is unknown.
About Oregon State
The Beavers have already equaled their win total of last year and one win in the last two games will guarantee the best record since 2012. The resurgence has been led by coach Jonathan Smith, a former quarterback at the school now in his fifth season as head coach. The team was 1-11 the year before he arrived, then improved to 2-10, 5-7, 2-5 (COVID year) and 7-6 last season. The defense has been much improved, going from an average of 25.77 points and 387.4 yards per game to 21.6 points and 336.1 this season, bolstered by nine returning starters.
Star power
Omar Speights, Jr., ILB, Oregon State: The 6-foot-1, 233-pounder is the spirited leader of the Beaver defense. He has played in 32 games, starting 25 and has a career total of 225 tackles, with 17.5 tackles for a loss and 5.5 sacks. This season he has a team-high 57 tackles, 5.5 tackles for a loss and three quarterback hurries with a season-high of nine tackles coming against Washington. The Philadelphia native was a four-star recruit coming out of high school and moved from Philadelphia to Corvallis for his senior year of high school before moving on to Oregon State.
Chris Edmonds: Sr., S, Arizona State: Edmonds (6-foot-2, 215 lbs.) has started every game for the Sun Devils, registering 43 tackles, three break-ups and a team-high three interceptions. His best game came in the 15-14 loss to Stanford, chalking up nine tackles. He is rounding out his first season at the school after transferring from FCS Samford where he was a finalist for the Buck Buchanon Award which goes annually to the top defensive player in all of FCS football.
Injury Report
Oregon State: RB Deshaun Fenwick (leg), RB Jam Griffin, OT Taliese Fuaga and questionable. QB Chance Nolan (neck/concussion), TE Luke Musgrave, S Jayden Grant, and CB Alex Austin are doubtful.
Arizona State: OL LaDarius Henderson (hand) is out. DE Michael Matus (knee), TE Jacob Newell (leg), OL Joey Ramos (ankle), and WR Zeek Freeman (foot) are out for the season. C Ben Scott and WR Giovanni Sanders are questionable.
Trending
4— Consecutive games in which OSU’s Damien Martinez has rushed for more than 100 yards. He had 105 yards in the win over California to become the first true freshman to do so since Jacquizz Rodgers in 2008. Martinez is looking to become the first OSU back with five straight 100-yard efforts since Steven Jackson had six in 2003.
9 — Yards the Oregon State defense held California to last week, the fewest since Arizona tallied 9 in 2007. The Beavers boast the top rushing defense in the conference, giving u an average of just 107.1 per game. OSU also held Cal to 156 yards overall, the fewest allowed by an OSU defense in Smith’s tenure.
14 — Yards needed for grad transfer Xazavian Valladay to reach 1,000 yards on the season. He is at 986 yards on 178 tries (5.5 ypc) with 13 touchdowns. In recent games he has also been used in the passing game, now with 31 receptions for 264 yards and another two touchdowns. It would be the third time he rushed for 1,000 yards in a season after doing so twice in his four seasons at Wyoming.
27 — Number of consecutive starts by ASU center Ben Scott. That is the longest active streak on the team, but it is in jeopardy because Scott injured his elbow in last week’s game. He practiced this week but in a very limited capacity.
Prediction
Oregon State 34, Arizona State 28:
The Sun Devils have a lot of issues on the offensive line which doesn’t bode well for the running game or the protection of the quarterback, whichever one gets the call. The Beavers are perhaps the bestcoached team in the conference and aren’t going to beat themselves so the Sun Devils can’t afford mistakes.