On Nov. 18, 2023, the Oregon State football team was ranked No. 11 in the nation. Going into their game against No. 5 Washington, OSU had suffered two losses: a three point loss to Washington State and another three point loss to Arizona.
When the Huskies moseyed on into Corvallis, they were the underdogs; Oregon State was a 1.5 point favorite according to ESPN bet. Late in the first quarter, an errant snap on a punting play traveled all the way into the endzone and resulted in a safety.
In a game where Washington failed to score in the second half and the final outcome was 22-20, it was the difference. It may further be the play that football historians look back to as a turning point in the Beavers’ football fortunes.
Fast forward 363 days into the future.
Today, Nov. 16, 2024, the Beavers lost to the Air Force Falcons. They didn’t just lose, they were shut out. 28-0. Sporting one of the nation’s lowest scoring offenses at 16.2 points per game, Air Force ranks 130th out of 134 FBS teams. Their defense is middling.
It was not a close game. Bray’s tenure as head coach began with a promising 4-1 start, with their only loss coming at the hands of Oregon. This loss could be excused, as Oregon was the No. 9 team at the time, having risen to No. 1 since their victory over the Beavers.
Since their 39-31 win over Colorado State in early October, the Beavers are 0-5. They have gone from giving up 23.3 points per game in their 4-1 start to giving up 34.2 points per game during their current five game losing streak.
Bray was promoted from being defensive coordinator to head coach after the 2023 season. In his first season as defensive coordinator in 2022, the Beavers gave up 20 points per game. In 2023, they gave up 22.92 points per game.
In 2024? The Beavers are giving up a whopping 28.7 points per game.
Certainly, the loss of running back Jam Griffin to injury has hampered the Beavers. However, it does not seem to be a difference great enough to account for a 28-0 shutout at the hands of one of college football’s worst performing teams.
In their previous three games, the Beavers have been outscored 96-20 and put only one touchdown on the scoreboard.
To highlight the magnitude of the Beavers’ recent defensive ineptitude, let’s take a look at the stats. Air Force completed 6/6 pass attempts for 139 yards. They ran the ball 66 times for 270 yards.
They even beat OSU at their own game; the Beavers entered the game with a noted dedication to time of possession, one the national leaders in the statistic. Air Force held the ball for 41 minutes and 56 seconds, OSU had the ball for 18 minutes and four seconds.
In a season that was expected to be a transition year for the Beavers, many expected a difficult season. If we take a look at Washington State, however, we see a football team that is 8-1 and ranked No. 18 in the country.
Now, the Beavers head into their last home game of the season against Washington State on Nov. 23 at 4 p.m. at Reser Stadium.