Some may have considered a Mountain West conference slate a cakewalk for the two remaining Pac-12 members this season, but that has not been the case. As WSU and Oregon State get set for the only Pac-12 game of 2024, both teams come in having been demoralized on the road.
Formerly No. 18 WSU went to New Mexico to face the 4-6 Lobos, a team that had not won a ranked game since 2003, had no more than four wins in a season since 2016 and lost to FCS Montana State earlier this season.
OSU, on the other hand, has lost five games in a row since starting 4-1 with a Big 10 win. They have lost four straight MWC games and lost 44-7 to California. Last Saturday the Beavs fell 28-0 on the road to then 2-7 Air Force, accumulating just 175 total yards.
This Saturday’s game presents both teams with a unique opportunity. For OSU (4-6), it is a chance to keep bowl hopes alive. For WSU (8-2), it is a chance to bounce back after falling out of the College Football Playoff poll, but still being ranked No. 25 in the AP Poll.
A season ago these two teams met in week four when both were ranked, and next season they will face each other twice.
Since the first-ever WSU vs. OSU matchup in 1903, WSU leads the all-time series 57-48, with three ties. The Cougs have also won nine out of the last 10 contests in 2014.
The rivalry is one that has stood since the early days of college football, and with the two ushering in the new Pac-12, it will continue for the foreseeable future. Despite being the only two teams in the conference, the friendship some fans may have with each other on both sides is not shared by the administrations.
“I’ve never gotten into, ‘They’re our buddy.’ Oregon State is not our buddy. They would have left us as fast as we would have left them,” WSU head coach Jake Dickert said.
That comment by Dickert has left Cougar and Beaver fans split on social media, with many backing the comments, and many taking offense on both sides. If the atmosphere in the game this Saturday is anything like the war happening on social media, it is sure to be another ‘Pac-2′ classic.
OSU is currently going through its own turmoil, not just losing five games in a row, but currently sitting amid a quarterback crisis.
The Beavs started the season with Idaho transfer and former FCS Freshman of the Year Gevani McCoy at quarterback, getting off to the aforementioned 4-1 start. After beating Colorado State in double overtime in week six, McCoy began to struggle mightily, eventually being benched.
He would be replaced by junior Ben Gulbranson. Gulbranson has made two starts this season, losing both and throwing more interceptions than touchdowns (2-1). In the Beavers’ last game vs Air Force, their first-year head coach went to the bench again, this time for redshirt freshman Gabarri Johnson, a 3-star transfer from Missouri, and former 4-star recruit from Tacoma, Wash.
In his first start, Johnson found no more success than any of his predecessors, going 9-for-19 with 106 yards, no touchdowns and an interception. He finished the game with an 11.1 quarterback rating.
It is yet to be announced who will start this week vs WSU, but regardless, the Beavs are likely to look to support their QB with their normally reliable rushing attack.
Led by junior Colorado transfer Anthony Hankerson and senior Jam Griffin at tailback, OSU has had a strong season on the ground. Hankerson has 889 rushing yards and 14 touchdowns, averaging 4.5 yards per carry, while Griffin has 450 yards and four touchdowns onto the ground, averaging 6.2 yards per carry.
Griffin did not play vs Air Force, and Hankerson only had six carries with OSU falling down early, and trying to pass its way out of an early hole. WSU will need to be ready, however, having allowed 361 rushing yards to UNM last Saturday, with the Lobos averaging a staggering 7.1 yards per carry.
The Cougs’ best defense vs OSU will likely be their offense. Despite the defensive struggles, the Cougar offense totaled 547 yards, outgaining the Lobos, passing for 375 and rushing for 172.
WSU QB John Mateer again led the charge for the Cougar offense against UNM, throwing for 375 yards, four touchdowns and no interceptions and rushing for 65 yards and a touchdown. He was sacked just once and completed 25-of-36 passes, starting the game 11-for-11.
OSU is allowing just 212 passing yards per game. If WSU is to break through a stingy Beaver air defense, Mateer will likely need to look the way of senior wide receiver Kyle Williams early and often.
Williams has hauled in three touchdown passes in back-to-back contests and had nine receptions for 181 yards against UNM. Williams now has 51 receptions, 872 yards and 11 touchdowns this year.
After recording just five touchdown catches through the first eight games of the season, Williams seems to have found a liking for the endzone.
“You get that piece of cake and it’s like, let me get some more. I’m craving them sweets. I got a sweet tooth for the end zone,” Williams said.
WSU has struggled on the road this year, going 2-2 there compared to 5-0 at home. Now the Cougs have a chance to break even on the road once more in one of the highest anticipated matchups of the 2024 college football season, regardless of record or recent success.
All roads have led to this for the two conference foes in their first respective seasons without a conference schedule. The twin Pac-12 pillars will clash at 4 p.m. Saturday in Reser Stadium in Corvallis, Oregon on The CW Network.
