Wake Forest Football Opponent Preview: Oregon State Beavers
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To summarize just about everything you'll read below in one succinct sentence: the Oregon State Beavers come off an atrocious 2024 and are going to improve in 2025. But if you weigh a 5-7 record from last year (not really that bad, given the circumstance) and a possible 5-7 record this year, that preceding sentence might be nonsense. So, I encourage you to read the next 1,000 words or so as context into why last year's 5-7 couldn't have been worse and why this year's 5-7 might be a significant improvement. (Note: 5-7 is not the only, nor the most likely, outcome for 2025.)
So, let's break down Wake Forest's Week 7 opponent in Oregon State. As game day approaches, we'll have a full matchup preview. But for now, let's take an in-depth look at the Beavers and how they may fare for the 2025 season.
We're nearing kickoff for the 2025 college football season and that means tune in every week with Wake Forest on SI for an extensive preview on every foe the Demon Deacons will play this season.
2025 Oregon State Football At A Glance
- Name: Oregon State Beavers
- Stadium: Reser Stadium, Corvallis, OR (capacity: 35,548)
- Head coach: Trent Bray (2nd season)
- Offensive coordinator: Ryan Gunderson
- Defensive coordinator: Rod Chance (head coach Bray takes over play calling)
- 2024 record: 5-7
Oregon State Football In 2024: Into the Abyss
In the wake of the most major conference realignment in modern college football, fears ran rampant of programs being "left behind." That resulted in even more realignment, some in really silly ways (like Cal and Stanford joining the ACC). But when the music stopped and everyone in college football found their seats, two programs were left standing: Oregon State and Washington State.
To make matters worse, Jonathan Smith–who essentially rebuilt Oregon State into a stable program–bolted for the Big Ten and took just about everybody and everything with him. Defensive coordinator and Oregon State alum Trent Bray decided to stay put and took the reins. For being completely gutted, scrambling, and left for dead, Oregon State turned in a midly successful 2024 season.
The Beavers only finished 5-7, with four of those wins coming in the first five weeks, but the path for success in the near future was paved. Bray dealt with a quarterback carousel of underwhelmers, from a big swing in Gevani McCoy to a how-does-he-have-eligibility-left backup on Ben Gulbranson, to a last ditch effort in redshirt freshman Gabarri Johnson.
He also saw the emergence of three weapons: RB Anthony Hankerson (1,082 yards, 15 TDs) and receivers Trent Walker (901 yards) and Darrius Clemons (292 yards). Despite accruing one-fourth the yardage and catches of Walker, Clemons matched his touchdown output (just two).
Oregon State Beavers Offense Preview
The good news is: the quarterback situation simply cannot be worse than it was. During the reshuffling, the Beavers scored 7, 13, and 0 points in consecutive games before hanging 41 on Oregon State. Duke transfer Maalik Murphy takes over as QB1 this season. He presents a strong upside (as well as phenomenal physical traits, standing 6-foot-5 and a cut 235 pounds) and only transferred because Duke took on a massive NIL contract for another QB.
Hankerson returns, a massive win for Bray and crew, as does Walker, Clemons, and WR Taz Reddicks (222 yards). This quintet should assuredly move the offense forward so long as Murphy provides stability as the signal caller.
The concern comes up front, as just 12 total starts return along the offensive line. Center Van Wells is the lone returner from last year's group that featured significant talent (All-America selection Joshua Gray) but also one that collapsed down the back half of the year. There's the potential for a significant step back without a bonafide star and it's a distant cry from the Joe Moore Award-contending units under Smith from recent years.
Luckily, Oregon State plays a pretty middling group of opposing defenses. Washington State–who the Beavs play twice this year–turn just about everything over, as does Sam Houston State, and teams like Appalachian State, Tulsa, and Wake Forest (sorry, everyone) project to be bottom-third defenses this coming season.
Oregon State Beavers Defense Preview
The other good news is: this unit also can't be much worse than it was last year... right? Bray, the previous defensive coordinator, had his hands full with plenty of other business and, under the acting DC Keith Heyward, the Beavers surrendered 30 seven points and 40 points three times. Even when the offense gave the team rare opportunities to win, like in a 37-point outing against (*checks notes*) Nevada, the defense often failed (it surrendered 42 in that same outing).
Heyward resigned and Bray re-assumes the defensive play calling duties for 2025.
Three of the top five tacklers return, led by safety Skyler Thomas, who logged 81 tackles and nine passes defended (one interception). Four staters from that defense return in total, but the turnover is likely needed for a unit that did precisely nothing well. (For those of you that like looking at charts, Oregon State's defense truly needs your eyes.)
For a unit as dreadful as last year's, you'd expect Bray to have hit the transfer portal like he did on offense. But he didn't, indicating that he sees last year's depths as poor scheme, poor coaching, untimely turnover, or a combination of them all.
Best Case Scenario For Oregon State
With an actual FBS-level starter in the building, I'm positive Oregon State improves offensively. Retaining potential transfer targets like Hankerson and Walker speaks positively on where the in-house players stand on the future of Oregon State football. Both reasons paint an optimistic picture of where this team is headed in 2025.
There's some real hurdles on the schedule, namely a back-to-back road sint at Texas Tech and Oregon, but there's really manageable parts. Opening with Cal (a program many see as on a rapid decline) and Fresno State (breaking in a new coaching staff) is a bonus and after Week 6, Oregon State doesn't play a team I project in a bowl (Wake Forest, FCS Lafayette, Washington State twice, Sam Houston State, and Tulsa).
The Beavers' biggest Achilles heel last year was allowing far too many explosive passes while generating next to none of their own. Both problems are addressed this year by bringing in Murphy, holding onto the best pass catchers on the team, and Bray assuming the play calling on defense.
There's improvement coming this year. Oregon State is likely a bowl team, though with its schedule, a few bounces will be necessary to go 8-4.
Worst Case Scenario For Oregon State
For the sake of framing, I really did underplay the start of this schedule. While I do agree that Cal and Fresno State (both at home) is an agreeable start, the next four weeks are truly a hellscape. Texas Tech and Oregon are two CFP contenders–the latter of which is a legitimate national championship contender and arch rival that's taken 14 of the last 17 meetings–and then Oregon State returns home to play Houston, who comes off a bye. That back-to-back road stretch followed by playing a team with (a) a good defense and (b) rest advantage might result in something ugly.
And then Oregon State hits the road all the way to Boone, North Carolina, to play Appalachian State.
Oregon State doesn't get its first bye week until Week 9 (darn near Halloween), among the longest opening stretches in the country. It can thank being left behind and needing to scramble to schedule opponents for this year for that.
The offensive line is forecast to regress this season and the defense didn't really add anyone to patch up the atrocity that was last year's group. Good news, there's five exceedingly winnable games on the schedule (Wake Forest, Lafayette, Sam Houston, Tulsa) and you can point to at least two between Cal, Fresno State, and two cracks at Washington State.
Last year's 5-7 was worse than it looked but this year's 6-6 may be better than it looks. The range of outcomes is (probably) pretty small. Another 5-7 at worst, likely 7-5 at best.
2025 Oregon State Beavers Schedule
Date | Opponent |
|---|---|
Aug. 30 | Cal |
Sept. 6 | Fresno State |
Sept. 13 | at Texas Tech |
Sept. 20 | at Oregon |
Sept. 26 (FRI) | Houston |
Oct. 4 | at Appalachian State |
Oct. 11 | Wake Forest |
Oct. 18 | Lafayette (FCS) |
Oct. 25 | BYE |
Nov. 1 | Washington State |
Nov. 8 | Sam Houston State |
Nov. 15 | at Tulsa |
Nov. 22 | BYE |
Nov. 29 | at Washington State |
Wake Forest Opponent Previews
- Week One - Kennesaw State
- Week Three - NC State
- Week Five - Georgia Tech
- Week Six - Virginia Tech
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Brett is the ultimate college football traveler, currently en route to experience a game day at every FBS stadium. He is a former Division I recruiter at Bowling Green and Texas State, and his writing background includes analyzing NCAA betting markets. Also a high school football coach, Brett lives and dies by the gridiron. Follow along on all socials: @ roadtocfb.