The Oregon State defense faces a potent passing attack on Saturday against Cal

After being beat by 41 points and giving up 563 yards of offense against Colorado last weekend, the Oregon State football team is now set to host the one of the top offenses in the Pac-12 – the California Golden Bears.

Cal’s (3-2, 1-1 Pac-12) offense is a big threat to Oregon State (1-3, 0-1); ranking eighth in the nation for total offense last season, and averaging 530 yards a game.  In their last game against Utah, Cal possessed the ball for fewer than eighteen minutes, yet came out on top with the victory.

“Watching film, I was extremely surprised,” said junior defensive back Devin Chappell.  “They know how to execute.  (Webb) is a very good quarterback.  He goes through his reads, and he really trusts his receivers.  So, it will be a challenge for us; but as DBs, that’s what we play for.”

Davis Webb, quarterback for the Bears, is a graduate transfer student from Texas Tech and currently leads the nation in almost all passing categories.  He threw 306 yards against Utah, and totaled four touchdowns.

“He likes to throw the ball,” said senior cornerback Treston Decoud.  “And Cal has weapons as receivers. But, I think we’re ready for it.”

Receiver for the Bears, Chad Hansen, is currently ranked as the nation’s second-leading receiver.  He had five catches for ninety-eight yards, and two touchdowns in Cal’s 28-24 victory against Utah.

“He is a great player who finds a way to get open, and get around people,” said defensive coordinator Kevin Clune. “He wins the one-on-one battles, so we need to find a way to win our battles, and just keep the offense from executing successful plays.”

“(Hansen) is a great possession receiver,” said Decoud.  “He has good hands, and he’s very smart.  I’m just going to take it play-by-play, and do what I have to do to be successful.”

Oregon State will have some changes in Saturday’s depth chart.  True freshmen linebackers Hamilcar Rashed and Joah Robinett could see the field for their first time in their careers.

“Our defense needs to be playing with two outside backers, so Rashed and Robinett have had to step up,” said linebacker coach Chad Kauha’aha’a.  “And I believe they have. I’m excited to see them play; they seem to be there mentally.  Sometimes it can be hectic for freshman, never having experienced playing at the collegiate level yet, but they’ve handled it very well.”

The loss against Colorado was the 12th loss in a row in conference play for the Beavers.  Facing Cal this weekend will give them an opportunity to break that losing streak.

“Actions speak a lot louder than words,” said Chappell.  “We just have to get out there, play our game, and stop getting distracted by all of the outside stuff.  But most importantly, we just have to get a win.”