Leave it to Beavers: Boise State vs Oregon State preview

Game facts

• Time: Saturday, 1:30pm MT
  
• Location: Reser Stadium, Corvallis, OR
  
• Weather at kickoff: 65°, partly cloudy
  
• Odds: Boise State by 13
  
• TV: FS1
  
• Radio: KBOI 670 AM
  
• Commentators: Tim "Marlon" Brando, Spencer "Spinster" Tillman, and Bruce "Feldy" Feldman

Other facts

1. Mr. Andersen

Boise State and Oregon State are no strangers on the field...nor are they particularly unacquainted with their headman, Gary Andersen. Before landing in Corvallis, Andersen had a brief stint at Wisconsin, but prior to that was the honcho in Logan and guided Utah State to a pretty big turnaround. Boise State faced the Andersen-led Aggie teams in 2009 and 2010—big wins for the Broncos...but then a fella named Chuckie Keeton came to town and they topped out at 11-2 in 2012 (a year they did not face the Broncos as they remained in the WAC). Andersen is 3-11 since landing in Beavertown.

2. Streak snapped

You wanna get right? Play Idaho State. Oregon State had not won a football game since September 19th, 2015 when they defeated FCS foe Idaho State last weekend 37-7. It wasn't an offensive outburst for the Beavers, but they did force 5 Bengal turnovers en route to a comfortable victory. Remember, it was Idaho State that started the Brett Rypien era in Boise, Idaho. We owe them so much.

3. Reser woes

Does Reser's make mighty fine salsa? Absolutely. Has Reser Stadium treated the Broncos well? Not in the least. The Broncos may be 3-5 all-time against the Beavers, but have never won in the confines ot the stadium built on burrito profits. The Broncos last visit to Corvallis was in 2005, and they blew a 14-point lead en route to a FG loss to the Beavers. Turnabout being fair play and all...the following season it was the Beavers that blew a 14 point early lead in what was to be Ian Johnson's coming out party. The knitting one ran for 240 yards and 5 TDs as Boise State blew the doors off OSU.

4. Marketing geniuses

Streaks

Boise State - Won 4

Oregon State - Won 1

Storks

Best name on their roster

Freshman defensive end Thor Katoa. If his father is not Odin Katoa then everything is a lie.

Best player picture on their roster

The fact that I thought that junior DE Philip Napolean was wearing a fur collar speaks to how strong his hair game really is.

Players to watch

Victor Bolden

The senior WR is sort of Mr. Everything for the Beavers and currently leads the team in both receiving yards and rushing yards through two contests. Bolden isn't terribly big at 5'9" 185 lbs, but he is shifty, fast, and a home-run threat whenever he touches the ball. Bolden has over 1,200 receving yards over the last two seasons, but got the lion's share as a sophomore.

Darell Garretson

Hey, remember shrinky dinks? Also, remember Darell Garretson? Boise State fans have seen him before, but like Gary Andersen...it was in Utah State garb. As a freshman in 2013, Garretson got his feet wet against the Broncos and it didn't go terribly well. Now a junior, Garretson is the starting QB for Oregon State and I'm sure he'd love to wash the bad taste out of his mouth from his first run-in with the Broncos. Thus far this season, Garretson is only connecting on 57% of his passes but you never know when he could get warmed up. As Garretson goes, so goes the Beavers offense, so he'll draw a lot of the focus of the defense.

Treston Decoud

As far as cornerbacks go, Decoud is a giant. The 6'3" senior can cover plenty of ground and he has the size to match up with pretty much any of our wideouts. Whether he has the discipline to is a different story, but he did register two picks last week against the Bengals and one of which his politely returned to the house. If Rypien wants to get back on track, Decoud isn't the man to test.

Jordan Villamin

Speaking of large dudes...junior wide receiver Jordan Villamin is also vertically advantaged. The 6'5" 220 lb. wideout is nearly tight end sized but can move and will definitely give our smaller DBs a test. Between his freshman and sophomore campaigns, Villamin racked up over 1,200 yards and scored 11 TDs, and Bronco defensive backs would be wise not to lose track of this guy. Thankfully, his dimensions will make that nearly impossible.

Players NOT to watch

Oregon State provided this handy-dandy guide to who we won't see, probably won't see, and might see in the Boise State tilt. That sure was nice of them.

Here's the Oregon State injury report. As reported yesterday, no Noah Togiai or Landry Payne. ILB Manase Hungalu (shoulder) is questionable. pic.twitter.com/OMuP5qmFhF

— Danny Moran (@DannyJMoran) September 20, 2016

Keys to victory

• Control the LOS. No, I'm not talking about a "Legion of Squirrels" (although that would be cool), I'm talking about that all important line-of-scrimmage and the Broncos need to own both sides on Saturday afternoon. This would entail pressuring Garretson, closing run lanes, and of course, protecting Rypien and creating space for Jeremy McNichols on the other side.
  
• Foot on the gas. And leave it there. The Broncos started quickly against WSU, but faded down the stretch with too many wasted drives. Boise State needs to jump on OSU and unlike our last trip there—finish.
  
• Make them one-dimensional. As much as they've tried...the Beavers haven't been able to put together a balanced offensive attack so far this year. Through two games, their leading receiver (Bolden) has just 88 yards to his name and the run game hasn't really taken off like a shot either. If the Broncos can take away one or the other, OSU is going to get desperate. Tell you what...how about we just take away both?
  
• DON'T LOSE. Still undefeated when employing this controversial technique.
  

Score prediction

Boise State 38, Oregon State 24