The Oregon State football team is coming off a gritty, dominant win over San Diego State and will now turn its attention to arguably its biggest game of the regular season.
The Beavers (2-0) will face off with rival Oregon (2-0) at 12:30 p.m. at Reser Stadium on Saturday.
There will be plenty at stake for both programs; the No. 9 Ducks are looking to put a couple of sluggish early-season performances behind them and prove that they are a bonafide national title contender. Oregon State, which enters the matchup as a 16.5-point underdog, has its sights set on upsetting its in-state rival.
Here are some highlights from OSU coach Trent Bray's weekly press conference Monday afternoon.
OSU coach Trent Bray complimentary of Ducks' offense, defense
Oregon landed at No. 3 in the preseason AP Poll and was expected to notch a couple of lopsided home wins during its Week 1 matchup against Idaho and its Week 2 clash with Boise State.
But the Ducks barely scraped by against both opponents and have fallen to No. 9 in the latest national rankings as a result.
Nonetheless, Bray spoke glowingly of UO's offense and its quarterback, senior Dillon Gabriel.
“They just got a tremendous amount of athletes, obviously, very talented quarterback," Bray said. "There’s athletes everywhere on the field, up front, tight end. So they’re just extremely talented. And so that’s what you got to be able to make sure that you’re sound, you’re in the right spots."
Oregon's defense has received big early-season contributions from its veteran transfer additions. Defensive lineman Derrick Harmon, cornerback Jabbar Muhammad, and nickel corner Brandon Johnson have all looked the part throughout the Ducks' first two contests.
"They've got a collection of talent that is impressive when you look at the physical talent," Bray said of Oregon's defense. "We've gotta do a good job of being very technically sound, playing with great pad level, and using our physicality and toughness to counteract their ability to move around."
Oregon State's injury situation remains murky
During last Saturday's win over San Diego State, the Beavers were rolling without several key contributors on both sides of the ball.
Starting receiver Darrius Clemons, starting edge defender Oluwaseyi Omotosho, and starting nickel corner Noble Thomas Jr. were not available to play during the Week 2 road trip. Midway through the game, starting right guard Tyler Voltin went down with an injury and did not return.
When asked if he had any injury updates on those players, Bray opted not to provide specific details.
“We’ll find out more as we go through the week," Bray said.
Oregon State QB Gabarri Johnson excelling in super-sub role
Bray spoke highly of starting quarterback Gevani McCoy's play during the San Diego State win — specifically, his pocket presence and ability to avoid sacks.
“I think the line’s done a great job blocking for him, but also he does a nice job sliding around and moving and getting out of way of trouble," Bray said. "And then he has just some athletic ability where he can make guys miss when they are free to him. I think we saw that last weekend at San Diego State. He avoided a couple of sacks because of his ability to move around.”
For the second week in a row, the Beavers turned to redshirt freshman signal-caller Gabarri Johnson for the third series of the game. Bray and offensive coordinator Ryan Gunderson both said earlier this year that the Beavers plan to continue utilizing Johnson in a cameo role in order to maximize his athletic talent, much in the same way that last year's OSU team utilized freshman quarterback Aidan Chiles.
“I think it’s going the way we envisioned it," Bray said of Johnson's role with the Beavers. "And then Gevani is great with it, great teammate, great leader. He understands what we’re doing, and when he’s in the game, he’s locked in. When he’s not in the game, he’s focused and helping those guys when they come off the field. So he’s been great through two games.”
How will OSU's revamped squad handle rivalry game?
Only a handful of current Oregon State players have been on the field for a rivalry matchup with the Ducks throughout their careers.
Last season, offensive linemen Grant Starck and Jacob Strand, tight end Jermaine Terry, and receivers Trent Walker and Jeremiah Noga played offensive snaps during the Beavers' 31-7 loss in Eugene. Defensive backs Jack Kane, Andre Jordan Jr., Jaden Robinson, Noble Thomas and Josiah Johnson saw playing time on defense.
One year earlier, when Oregon State upset Oregon in Corvallis, quarterback Ben Gulbranson and offensive lineman Joshua Gray played key offensive roles, while safety Skyler Thomas logged 15 defensive snaps.
Bray doesn't see the relative inexperience of this year's OSU squad in a rivalry setting as an issue.
“I don’t think so, because every game is like that. I know this is rivalry game and all those things, but for players and guys that go out there on the field, once the game starts, it’s football," Bray said. "None of that stuff really matters. So I think their focus and the way they’ve handled themselves the first two weeks, and have stayed focused on what’s important, I expect that this week.”
Jarrid Denney covers high school sports and Oregon State for the Statesman Journal. He can be reached at JDenney@salem.gannett.com or on X@jarrid_denney
