CORVALLIS, Ore. – After an emotional 31-28 loss at Hawaii last Saturday night, Oregon State begins a two-game homestand starting with Cal Poly on Saturday afternoon. The Beavers, who are 3-23 since the start of the 2017 season and blew a 28-14 lead in Honolulu, hope to take out their frustrations out on the FCS Mustangs of the Big Sky Conference.
TV: 4:15 p.m. ET, Pac-12 Network. LINE: None
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"There were some guys that were emotionally drained after that game," Oregon State coach Jonathan Smith told the Corvallis Gazette Times. "Because they did, they put a lot into it and then to come out on the wrong end of it, it was tough. And that was a long trip back." That emotion will cost the Beavers the loss of senior right guard Gus Lavaka, who took a swing at a Hawaii player at the conclusion of the game, and sophomore defensive back Kaleb Hayes, who received an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty, for the first half of Saturday's contest. "You've got to play this game with emotion, but at the same time there's a line and we can't cross that," Smith said. "I'm expecting the whole team to learn from it."
ABOUT CAL POLY (1-1)
The Mustangs come in off a 41-24 setback at Weber State after opening the season with a 52-34 win over San Diego. Redshirt freshman Jalen Hamler quarterbacks the team's triple-option attack which rolled up 607 yards in the win over San Diego, and has rushed for 149 yards and three touchdowns while also completing 19-of-25 passes for 403 yards and three TDs. Junior linebacker Matt Shotwell, an honorable mention Big Sky selection in 2018, led the Mustangs, who are coached by former Portland State head coach Tim Walsh (90-68 from 1993-2006), with 10 tackles at Weber State.
ABOUT OREGON STATE (0-2)
Sophomore running back Jermar Jefferson, who finished ninth in the nation in rushing last season with 1,380 yards and 12 touchdowns, is off to a good start with 270 yards on 47 carries in two games including 183 yards and a touchdown in the loss at Hawaii. Junior wide receiver Isaiah Hodgins leads the Pac-12 and ranks sixth nationally with 266 receiving yards and is tied for first in the Pac-12 with 16 receptions while 6-foot-7 Jake Luton, a sixth-year senior, is back at quarterback and has completed 38-of-74 passes for 420 yards, four touchdowns and no interceptions. Senior corner Shawn Wilson leads the defense with 16 tackles, including two for loss, while linebacker Avery Roberts, a transfer from Nebraska, is second with 14 tackles and also has one of Oregon State's four sacks.
EXTRA POINTS
1. This is the first meeting between the Beavers and Cal Poly.
2. Oregon State leads the Pac-12 in third down conversion rate (18-of-35, 51.4 percent).
3. Fourteen of Hodgins' 16 receptions this season have gone for either a first down or a touchdown.
PREDICTION: Oregon State 48, Cal Poly 27