Revision Oregon State wins 30-3 Las Vegas Bowl over Floridaas well as a brief overview of the 2022 season and what awaits us with xx takeaways:
1. Where do the 2022 Beavers rank in OSU history?
It’s too simple to say that the three best teams in Oregon State history are the teams with 10 or 11 wins. Others need to be included in the discussion, given that most Oregon State teams haven’t played 12 or 13 games. The 1956, 1964 and 1967 Castors finished the season in the final national top 10. The 1956 and 1964 teams won conference championships and played in the Rose Bowl. The OSU Giant Killers in 1967 went 2-0-1 against the nation’s No. 1 Giant Killers. 1 and 2 ranked teams (Purdue, UCLA, USC). In 1962, Oregon State was 9-2, won the Heisman Trophy, defeated two top-20 teams and won its bowling game.
If we agree that the 2000 Beavers are the best team in the school, given performance and talent firepower, then where does 2022 fit? This year’s team did not win a championship or win a game in which they were an underdog (OSU was 10-0 as a favorite, 0-3 as an underdog). But the Beavers finished the season winning seven of their last eight, including a victory over top-10 Oregon. Winning a championship should mean something, which makes 1956 and 1964 relevant. The 1967 team, despite not winning a league title, was special. How I would rank them:
2000
1964
1967
1956
1962
2022
2006 (a team with 10 wins)
2. Final Oregon State Rankings Beavers are no. 14 in College Football Playoff Poll, No. 14 in College Football Playoff Poll. 16 in coaches and No. 17 in PA. The CFP poll is complete, while the coaches and AP polls will produce the final standings after the bowl season.
How high could the Beavers finish? Let’s stick to the coaches’ poll, since OSU is 16 years old. Obviously, it depends on the number of teams in front of the Beavers who lose. In their favor, many one-on-one battles in the top 20. Oregon State would have to outrun any No. 1. 8-15 ranked team — USC, Kansas State, Utah, Clemson, Washington, Florida State, Oregon, LSU — if they lose their bowl game. Even no. 7 Penn State is within reach if Utah defeats the Nittany Lions in the Rose Bowl. I think at least three teams are losing. Oregon State finishes No. 13 in the latest poll.
3. Where does this bowl performance rank in Oregon State history
Do you sense a theme here with the leaderboard? OK, we’ll stop after that. It was the 19th bowl in OSU history. If we remove the losses, then it’s top 12. But it’s much higher than that. Oregon State completely dominated Florida, beating an SEC team for the first time in school history. It is one of the five best performances in OSU bowl history. Where in the top five is debatable. No. The number one in the hearts of many is the Beavers’ 41-9 victory over the number one in the hearts of many. 10 Notre Dame at the 2001 Fiesta Bowl. No. 2? Probably the 20-16 OSU Rose Bowl victory in 1942 over previously undefeated Duke. The 1962 Liberty, played in horribly cold weather conditions, was a 6-0 OSU win where the only score was a 99-yard touchdown by Baker, the Heisman winner. It’s probably no. 3, just because of the record run. No. 4 is either Saturday’s victory over Florida or the Beavers’ performance in the Insight Bowl in 2004, resulting in a 38-21 win over Notre Dame.
4. Florida’s decision to kick the field goal
Received some criticism on social media, mostly from Florida fans, for questioning Gators coach Billy Napier’s decision to throw a 40-yard field goal with 37 seconds left and ruin the Oregon State shutout. Here’s what they’re missing: what it means in historical terms.
The Beavers get a shutout? Great, but 30-3 or 30-0 is a rump roast, whatever. And maybe the Gators feel a little better on the plane without having played in a shutout. OKAY. None of this matters. What is Florida’s NCAA record with a streak of 436 games in a row. It devalues the disc. Hit that basket in the middle of the third quarter? Not serious. Maybe that gives some momentum. But 37 seconds left? It’s a pathetic attempt to keep a record alive. Hopefully when Napier met OSU coach Jonathan Smith in midfield after the game, he apologized for the lame decision. But probably not.
5. What will this team look like next year?
This is probably a daredevil exercise, given the rotation of college football teams from year to year. But many readers have asked, so I’ll give it a try. Offensively, the good news is that four of the five starting offensive linemen are returning, and there’s decent depth to the position. The top five running backs, led by Damien Martinez, are back, although it wouldn’t be surprising if someone in that position looked the other way. The tight end, where headliner Jack Velling returns, is promising. The most changeable position is receiver, as seniors Tre’Shaun Harrison and Tyjon Lindsey depart. Anthony Gould and Silas Bolden are back, as is John Dunmore Jr., who emerged late in the season. OSU will need to access the transfer portal to find replacements. Strategist? We know where it starts, in Ben Gulbranson. But incoming freshman Aidan Chiles will be here in the spring, and possibly a transfer as well. Prediction: If Oregon State brings in a difference maker at receiver and figures out how to make up for the loss of Jack Colletto, this offense will be better.
Defensively, there are significant losses, especially in the secondary. Safety Jaydon Grant and cornerback Rejzohn Wright are gone. If cornerback Alex Austin and safety Kitan Oladapo decide to test the NFL Draft, that means four of the five secondary starters are gone. The defensive backfield isn’t hopeless though, as safety Alton Julian and Ryan Cooper Jr. take the lead. return, as did cornerbacks Jaden Robinson and Skyler Thomas. OSU is likely to land a transfer or two as well. The situation is less fluid among the top seven. The only certain losses are defensive end Simon Sandberg and linebacker Kyrei Fisher-Morris, both seniors. Linebacker Omar Speights and defensive end Isaac Hodgins are considering a return. There are opportunities for promising youngsters like linebackers Easton Mascarenas-Arnold, John Miller and Mathias Malaki-Donaldson. Prediction: Leaving room for defense next year could approach 2022 levels, but that depends on leadership and the infusion of talent into the secondary.
6. Is Ben Gulbranson the solution at quarterback?
As O columnist Bill Oram said after the Las Vegas Bowl, the response to Oregon State quarterback issues could be the guy currently playing the position. Gulbranson stepped into a starting role midway through this season and had the ups and downs one would expect of a rookie. He was fine in 2022. Could Gulbranson take a significant step forward next season? I think he can. The arm strength that so many like to rip on social media/message boards is overkill. Gulbranson had the best arm on the team during preseason camp. He showed some mobility on the stretch. Given a full offseason to fill the job, Gulbranson could be the answer. But the State of Oregon cannot afford to take that risk. The Beavers need to add a portal quarterback who is just as good, if not better than Gulbranson. The hope is that one of the two improves the position, and the Chilis can sit back and learn.
7. The defense argued for MVP honors
Gulbranson earned Las Vegas Bowl MVP honors, as is often the case when a team wins by a convincing margin. It’s the quarterback, silly. I thought at least five others were legitimate MVP contenders. In fact, I voted for Colletto, which was perhaps a nod to his impact throughout the season more than his fingerprints on the game. Which were considerable: Colletto was a catalyst during OSU’s third quarter uprising that ended the game with a successful fake punt and a blocked punt.
Fisher-Morris was just as hard-hitting as any beaver. The senior linebacker had 11 tackles, including three for a loss, and a sack. Jaden Robinson, making his first start as a cornerback with Wright’s sideline, was second in tackles with seven. Defensive end Sione Lolohea was dominant up front. Running back Deshaun Fenwick spelled an injured Martinez while running for 107 yards.
8. Andrew Chatfield Jr. remembers
Of Oregon State’s 11 tackles behind the line of scrimmage, the most notable was Andrew Chatfield’s sack of Florida quarterback Jack Miller III. Chatfield said he was motivated on Saturday, facing the school which got him out of his high school. Chatfield, who transferred from Florida to OSU in 2021, came from behind to drop Miller. He immediately popped up and celebrated giving a Gator “chomp” sign toward the Florida sideline.
9. Allegiant Stadium is not a good place for a college game
Heading into Saturday’s game, Oregon State coach Jonathan Smith called Allegiant Stadium “a great venue.” What he is. But he’s better suited for an NFL game, not college. Unless the Las Vegas Bowl finds a way to attract 60,000 spectators to its game, it’s too antiseptic and lacking in atmosphere for a college game. It was particularly striking when the bands were playing. It sounded like recorded music rather than real music. That’s where we are with bowls in the West, though. Outside of the Rose Bowl, bowling games in the western United States simply don’t draw large crowds. Oregon State probably had 8-10,000 fans in Las Vegas, and Florida a little less, which isn’t bad. But Las Vegas residents have little interest in attending a game that doesn’t include their own.
10. Purchase and sale, Castors and Cougars edition
Remember not too long ago it seemed like Oregon State and Washington State were about evenly matched in ability and earning potential? Those days feel like they’re in the rearview mirror. The future is bullish on Oregon State. The Beavers return a good number of important performers in 2023, have several newcomers to the roster, a strong recruiting class and only need a few wins in the transfer portal to make a run for another 10-year season. victories. Washington State, which lost Saturday to Fresno State 29-6 in the LA Bowl, looks like the next Colorado. The Cougars have lost a ton of talent to the transfer portal or NFL draft denials. The recruitment class is less than meh, and there are many holes to fill. Maybe Jake Dickert is up for the challenge, but he has no track record. The Cougars are my too-early choice for the Pac-12 cellar in 2023.
–Nick Daschel | ndaschel@oregonian.com | @nickdaschel
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