The Oregon State Beavers were not an exciting team to watch last season, but they made steady and noticeable improvements from previous seasons. The 2015 team went 2-10 and did not win a single Pac-12 game in nine tries. It’s true that the team had nowhere to go but up – it could not have been much worse – but the program still had to put in the hard work of improving and then registering some accomplishments which manifested that progress. The team did just that. Oregon State went 4-8 and won three Pac-12 games. The Beavers were not the worst team in the conference. They are slowly but surely adding depth and toughness and strength under head coach Gary Andersen. They need to keep adding to that process, but they cannot expect everything to happen all at once. This is an incremental build in Corvallis.
How Did They End 2016
The Beavers had just two wins overall and one win in the Pac-12 through 10 games last season, but Arizona and Oregon (two teams which finished the regular season with fewer than five wins) were the last two opponents on the schedule. If Oregon State’s improvements were going to show up in the form of wins, and not just better effort or execution, the Beavers needed to defeat the Wildcats and Ducks.
They did.
Oregon State swarmed Arizona and then used a potent offensive performance to overwhelm Oregon and win the Civil War rivalry game for the first time in several years. The Beavers translated their hard work and development in practice to the thrill of wins on game days. The finish to the season raised hopes that the program can continue to move upward in the standings despite a Pac-12 Conference which got deeper and more difficult in 2016.
Offseason Changes
With Victor Bolden out at wide receiver, Jordan Villamin is in. Running back Ryan Nall needs help from the passing game, and Oregon State’s quarterback situation is uncertain. Therefore, the receivers represent the position group which has to step up on offense and lend a new and more potent identity to this offense, which will in turn take pressure off the defense to have to do most of the work on Saturdays this fall.
Cornerback Treston Decoud and safety Devin Chappell are gone. Xavier Crawford, an All-American as a freshman, will be expected to fill in for them and compensate. There are so many strong passing attacks in the Pac-12 that a secondary has to be above average in order to facilitate a strong season for a team. Crawford will be in the crosshairs.
Team X-Factor
Jay Irvine and Christian Wallace at cornerback are young players who should get their chance to make a difference. They will need to help the aforementioned Crawford in shoring up the Oregon State secondary. If they can, this team could surprise a few opponents.
What To Expect From The Beavers This Year
Oregon State won two games in 2015 and four in 2016, so progress should be expected. Andersen is building the program the right way. However, don’t think the team will make a huge leap to seven or eight wins. A one- or two-game improvement seems like the right standard for 2017.
Record Last 5 Seasons
2016: 4-8
2015: 2-10
2014: 5-7
2013: 7-6
2012: 9-4
Schedule & Outlook
The Beavers first four games might look easy on paper but they will challenge this team. They’ll start at Colorado State, which won’t be easy, and then hose Portland State and Minnesota in back-to-back weeks. They need to be 2-1 or 3-0 after that set if they’re aiming to go bowling, though. Next they’ll go to Washington State, host Washington, go to USC, and then host Colorado and Stanford in back-to-back weeks. It’s hard to see them winning any of those games.
The Beavers won’t be spectacular, but they will go 6-6 and make a bowl game, which would make a fully successful season. That’s the clear goal for this program, and it is developing its defense to the point that it should be able to get there… but it will be a close call.
Regular Season Win Total Prediction: Over 5.5
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