Oregon State came into the 2013 season with high expectations, and for good reason. The Beavers finished last year 9-4 and spent the better part of the season ranked among the nation’s top 15 teams.
What’s more, they returned two of their most potent offensive weapons in quarterback Sean Mannion and wide receiver Brandin Cooks. Mannion threw for over 2,400 yards in 2012 and fellow sophomore Cooks racked up 1,151 receiving yards on the season, averaging 17.2 yards per reception. OSU was ranked No. 25 in the first AP poll of this season.
Expectations changed quickly however, after an embarrassing loss to FCS opponent Eastern Washington in week one. The high-profile upset made national headlines and certainly damaged Oregon State’s reputation for the rest of the season.
Even in the loss, the Beavers still scored 46 points. Mannion threw for 422 yards, and Cooks pulled in 13 catches for 196 yards and two touchdowns. Both players’ performances would be considered superb in almost any game.
In reality, Oregon State’s loss was because of poor defense, especially the complete inability to contain Eastern Washington quarterback Vernon Adams. Adams had a field day, finishing with a 411-yard passing performance, 107 rushing yards and six total touchdowns.
In Week 2 against Hawaii, the Beavers’ defense held the Rainbow Warriors to about half of the total offensive yards it gave up the previous week, and Oregon state rolled to a 33-14 bounce-back victory. Not surprisingly, Mannion threw for 372 yards.
But the victory came at a cost, as offensive linemen Roman Sapolu and Grant Enger, as well as linebacker Michael Doctor, sustained injuries that will likely keep them sidelined for the next couple of weeks. Although starting linebacker D.J. Alexander looks to return against Utah on Saturday after missing the season’s first two games with a sprained knee, the new injuries were a major blow.
“It’s always tough to be disrupted by injury, and the issue for us is these are injuries at two positions where we went in [to the season] not having a lot of depth,” said Oregon State head coach Mike Riley this week. “It’s crucial to try not and think of the whole season ahead of you, but to just look at the next week and try to make the best plan for that week.”
As the Beavers prepare to come to Salt Lake City this weekend for their conference opener against the Utes, they can’t help but compare Utah quarterback Travis Wilson and Eastern Washington’s Adams, and the similarities have them worried. Both are strong, fast players who are comfortable running for yardage on designed plays and are also hard to tackle when forced out of the pocket.
Wilson has definitely grown leaps and bounds from the quarterback who threw two interceptions and lost 13 yards running against Oregon State last year.
“[Wilson] has definitely progressed, there’s no doubt about it,” Riley said. “There’s nothing like playing experience for a quarterback. With a good talent like that, there’s going to be natural improvement.”
Wilson will look to take advantage of an OSU secondary that has already had major weaknesses exposed. Mannion will look to do the same thing against a Ute secondary that looked less than impressive in giving up 314 passing yards to Utah State’s Chuckie Keeton just two weeks ago.
As Saturday’s game unfolds, it’s likely the win will go to whichever team’s quarterback puts up a better performance.