Photo by James Snook, USA Today
Cal Football: 5 Questions for Oregon State Beat Writer
Cal returns to action Saturday after a bye week to face visiting Oregon State.
The Beavers are 2-4 overall, 1-2 in the Pac-12.
For a closer look at OSU, we asked Oregonian beat writer Nick Daschel five questions about Cal’s next opponent:
1. After coming close against Stanford then crushing UCLA on the road, how disheartening for Oregon State was the 52-7 loss vs. Utah?
Disappointing? Sure. It’s one of the six worst home losses since Reser (formerly Parker Stadium) was built in 1953. But this was the first time in six games this season where you could say the Beavers weren’t competitive. That happened at least a half-dozen times in 2018. If OSU gets rolled at California, then again at Arizona (Nov. 2), then there’s a problem. For now, the sky is falling rhetoric is a little premature.
2. Do you expect running back Jermar Jefferson, who sat out the Utah game with an ankle injury, to play against Cal? How much different is the Oregon State offense when he’s available?
Jonathan Smith has said Jefferson is likely to play the past three weeks, only to have him play a few snaps or not at all. He has a lingering ankle injury from Hawaii, and hasn’t been able to cut. My suspicion is that Jefferson will sit for California, take the bye week to rest, then see how his ankle feels for the Nov. 2 game against Arizona. OSU needs a healthy Jefferson for a tough five-game November stretch.
3. What has been the area where quarterback Jake Luton has shown the most improvement this season? How much, if at all, have you been surprised by his performance this season?
The combination of increased mobility by Luton and better pass blocking has made a big difference. Oregon State sacks are way down, and Luton has only one interception – a second-quarter pick against Utah ended a streak of 181 consecutive passes without an interception. Not really that surprised by Luton’s season, because for the first time in three years, he’s healthy. He’s shown flashes of being an above-average college quarterback during August practices, but injuries in 2017 and 2018 derailed his season. It also helps that Luton has great chemistry with Isaiah Hodgins, who is proving to be the conference’s best receiver in 2019.
4. Oregon State’s primary problems appear to be on defense. Why haven’t they been able to take the next step in their development on that side of the ball?
The defense is better than a year ago, when they couldn’t stop the most pedestrian of running games. Outside of Oklahoma State (Chuba Hubbard) and Utah (Zack Moss), the Beavers held the other four opponents to a respectable 3.8 yards per rush. Several transfers and a year in the system have made a difference in 2019, but only to the extent that they’re a below average defense. They’re a couple recruiting classes away from getting to average, because they need major help up front.
5. It doesn’t appear that Oregon State’s recruiting this year has been particularly special. In your opinion, what’s necessary for Jonathan Smith to get his program pointed in the right direction and how far away are they?
We have a reporter who strictly follows Oregon State and Oregon recruiting, so I don’t follow it as close as he does. I do know they have commitments from a couple top-rated JC defensive linemen, with shots at a few more. Oregon State is never going to attract top-rated classes; it didn’t even when Mike Riley had it rolling during the late 2000s. OSU’s hope is that its program culture, college town vibe and opportunity to play right away will win some recruits. It also shouldn’t hurt in years to come to attract top offensive talent if players like Hodgins develop into prominent NFL draft picks.
