Oregon State Football Defensive Preview

Havoc, Havoc, with a side of Havoc

Easton Mascarenas-Arnold’s Pac 12 DPOW award via @beaverfootball on twitter

The Basics

• The Oregon State Beavers are led by DC Trent Bray

  • Bray is in his second season as OSU DC

  • led turnaround for a unit that struggled under former DC Tim Tibesar

  • Cal last played a Bray defense last year in Corvallis (38-10 loss with no offensive touchdowns)

  • runs a mix of 3-3-5 and a bit of odd/even fronts with four down linemen in a 4-2-5 look

2022 Defense in Review

• FEI Ratings, 9th on defense

• Gave up 20 points per game (best in the conference)

• first in the Pac 12 in rushing defense, second in passing defense

The 2022 Oregon State defense was a unit that created havoc on early downs for their opponents, rendering them lifeless as their offense went up and down the field, draining the clock and your chance to win. Teams like Cal, Florida, and USC all were made to look silly among others against the Beavers defense, which was revamped at all three levels when Trent Bray took over. As simple as it sounds, their best quality is how they played as a team. When blitzes were sent, assignments were picked up. When a defensive end like Simon Sandberg forced a running back to the inside, a linebacker like Omar Speights would come down with the tackle. Both of those players have since departed, but their discipline last year was sublime.

Depth Chart

OSU depth chart via ourlads.com

The Provisional Starters

Edge Andrew Chatfield JR, NT James Rawls (suspended for first half for targeting), DT Joe Golden, Edge John McCartan

MLB Calvin Hart JR (suspended for first half for targeting), WLB Easton Mascarenas-Arnold

CB Jaden Robinson, S Kitan Oladapo, S Akili Arnold, Nickel Noble Thomas, CB Ryan Cooper JR

Players to Watch

If I could name most of this defense I would. Oregon State’s ability to stuff the run (giving up 67.2 rush yards per game) sets the template to get their opponents in third and long. James Rawls along the interior is the player to watch, one of the Beaver leaders who can stuff the run and rush the passer. Rawls has .5 sacks and 2.5 tackles for loss this season, but will be suspended for the first half of the game vs Cal. Through five games, the Beavers have racked up 17 sacks, with six players over 1 sack already. Oregon State comes quick and comes in waves of chaos.

In the linebacking core, Easton Mascarenas-Arnold is the player to watch. Arnold leads the Beavers in total tackles, interceptions, and has recorded multiple tackles for loss. He ascended last season, getting a pick six off Michael Penix Jr, and his role has only increased this season. In the backend, there are a lot of new faces. Nevertheless, the name to watch is someone who has staked his claim as an elite Pac 12 defender, Kitan Oladapo. Oladapo hasn’t racked up the stats that people would’ve thought he had, but that’s because teams have had a tough time testing him. Oregon State has a great unit coming together so far this season, and Cal is just another stepping stone as they look to chase a Pac 12 championship. Here’s a look at the Beavers performances vs Utah and Washington State below, so you can see the peaks vs nadirs.

How Cal can win this game

The Bears offense needs to win the early downs against Oregon State, otherwise they are going to be in for a world of hurt. Jaydn Ott last year was held to 20 rushing yards against the Beavers, and Cal was out of the game before you could even crack open a cold one. In 2021, the Bears surprised the Beavers and this game looks to have a lot of similar elements. A Cal team that doesn’t necessarily look ready to take the next step while Oregon State may overlook a team they feel they may not struggle with. If Cal gets behind the chains consistently, you can forget about the rest of the game. The pass rush will get turned loose, the secondary will step up when tested, and as a consequence, the Beavers special teams will also get revved up. If Cal can get Jaydn Ott and the zone read game with Sam Jackson V going……..look out.