Oregon State is trying to climb out of the bottomless abyss of awfulness. They have won nine total games over the last four years. This isn’t great. So how are they going to get better? That’s a loaded question, but having a lot starters comeback could be a part of that solution. Despite going 2-10 last year, there are some young players that could get the fans excited for this season, mixed with a relatively weaker P5 conference could slightly crack the door for Oregon State.
Prestige Ranking (If NCAA Football 20 Existed): 2 Stars
2018 Record: 2-10 (1-8 PAC 12)
Returning Offensive Starters: 7
- Jake Luton, QB
- Jemar Jefferson, RB
- Trevon Bradford, WR
- Isaiah Hodgins, WR
- Noah Togiai, TE
- Blake Brandel, OL
- Gus Lavaka, OL
The offense isn’t really that bad when you look at who’s coming back. Jemar Jefferson as a true freshman came in and rushed for nearly 1,400 yards and scored 12 touchdowns. Every team needs a centerpiece to build around, and Jefferson is that guy. Having Jefferson coming back–and maybe better than before–will definitely take a lot off the passing game. Jake Luton didn’t light it up last year, but he showed signs of a better-than-ok quarterback. Having returning outside weapons such as Bradford and Hodgins is just another step in the right direction for the offense.
Returning Defensive Starters: 9
- Miki Fifita, DL
- Isaac Hodgins, DL
- Andrzej Hughes-Murray, LB
- Hamilcar Rashed Jr, LB
- Shemar Smith, LB
- Isaiah Dunn, DB
- Kaleb Hayes, DB
- Jalen Moore, DB
- Shawn Wilson, DB
My expectations are pretty low for defenses in the Big 12 and the Pac-12, so while they do have a lot of experience coming back the best I could say about this unit is that they’ll be an average “Pac-12” defense, which isn’t much. On a positive note, they do have a lot of talent in the secondary which includes their four starters from last year which includes three of their top six tacklers, David Morris (a starter that had his season end on an injury), and their “sixth man” stud Kee Whetzel.
Returning Special Team Starters: 2
I mean, they have their kicker coming back, but a career average of 62.5% and kicking 7-19 beyond 40 yards doesn’t help the stereotype that college kickers are bad. And their punter, Daniel Rodriguez, is back as well and was named as a Pac-12 honorable mention. Which is good…I guess. So special teams will be…something.
Key Losses:
Really the only guy of note that will be gone was their second leading receiver, Timmy Hernandez. As mentioned, they do have a lot of skilled players coming back, and their offensive line wasn’t doing them any favors. So really looking up knowing they didn’t lose anything of significance.
Key Newcomer: Omar Speights
Omar is an ILB who could definitely provide a much needed spark in the front seven for sure. He possesses the size and speed to match what they do in the Pac-12.
Wins Conference If:
If they try their best…
But in reality, it would have to be a ton of upsets left and right. Because they have to play Stanford, Oregon, Washington, Washington State, and Utah. So they really have to be on their “A game” a lot and hope a lot of these teams are having off-weeks. Overall I think they will be better than most will think, but this is a pipe-dream.
Circle This Game On The Calendar: vs Oklahoma State, August 30th
With a team like Oregon State, you can judge their season by the first game. It’s only fair to yourself. But, if they can stick with Oklahoma State, or even win that game, we can keep an eye on them. If they get blown out of the…damn water…then there’s no need to pay attention to them til next year.
Alcohol Prediction: A Full Keg
That’s kind of what you need to watch an Oregon State game from start to finish.
2019 Outlook:
vs Oklahoma State L
at Hawaii W
vs Cal Poly W
vs Stanford L
at UCLA W
vs Utah L
at California W
at Arizona W
vs Washington L
vs Arizona State L
at Washington State L
at Oregon L
Overall 5-7 (3-6)