Oregon State's Keys to Victory Versus App State
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Following a tough loss against Houston last Friday night, the Beavers have an opportunity to respond tomorrow when they visit Kidd Brewer Stadium in Boone, NC. Although the Mountaineers have given up 85 points in their last two games, they have been solid against the run, meaning the Beavers will need to have a dynamic offense to win.
Need more through the air
Last week against Houston the Beavers were pretty reliant on the run, and this made it difficult for them to move the ball when Houston started stacking the box in the second half. Although the Mountaineers have surrendered a lot of points in their last two games, they don't allow all that much on the ground. To get a win on the road tomorrow, OSU will have to throw the ball more effectively. App State will likely give significant attention to star wideout Trent Walker, meaning that the performances of guys like David Wells Jr. and Taz Reddicks could be a critical factor in this one. The Beavers should also look to run more bootleg action, as this resulted in a couple of first downs for TE Bryce Caufield in the first half last week.
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Don't over-complicate the offense
Appalachian State's secondary is weak, and the Beavers will probably want to attack it straight on rather than getting too fancy. While Oregon State has not been good at throwing the deep ball this season, they've found success at times running short-mid depth route combinations with Walker and Reddicks, especially in the second half against Fresno State. It's crucial that the Beavers are able to consistenly complete these types of routes tomorrow, as it will force App State to respect the passing ability rather than allow them to stack the box. So while OSU needs to have a balanced offense tomorrow, this doesn't mean that it has to be fancy.
Keep Jaden Barnes in check
App State's leading receiver has gone over 100 yards twice already, and has a total of 24 catches with three TD receptions so far on the season. Last weekend againt Boise State the Broncos held him without a single reception, and the Mountaineers couldn't get anything going through the air. This is not to say that App State doesn't have other receiving threats, but Barnes is the guy that the Beavers should be most concerned about.
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Ben Pahl is a sportswriter and broadcaster based in Portland, Oregon. His work covering college and professional sports has been featured by the Orange Media Network at Oregon State University as well as KBVR.fm. His other career stops in sports include the Portland Pickles baseball club and the NBA G-League's Rip City Remix.