Beavers can’t overcome 31-point deficit in first half

Pulling the upset against No. 5 Washington proved to be too big of a task for the Oregon State Beavers on Saturday night, as the Beavers fell 41-17. Despite gaining 325 total yards of offense, the Huskies were able to easily handle Oregon State, who gained the lead in the first 86 seconds of the game.

Coming into the game, Oregon State (2-5, 1-3 Pac-12) was a 36.5-point underdog against the Huskies (7-0, 4-0). Plagued with injuries, the Beavers played the game missing players who had accounted for 74 percent of the team’s total rushing yards and 91 percent of the team’s total passing yards.

Starting only his second game at quarterback, sophomore Marcus McMaryion finished his night 12-of-26 for 148 yards and two interceptions. McMaryion was tasked with taking on the best pass defense in the Pac-12, and the fifth ranked team in the country.  

Following the game, McMaryion was critical of himself and deflected praise.

“There was a lot of hype going into the game today with me starting, but personally I think I could have done much better,” said McMaryion. “Our coaching staff had a great game plan going in, and it was on me to execute it.”

While McMaryion struggled to find positives within his game, his teammates saw a different player on the field entirely. Senior wide receiver Victor Bolen, who caught a team-high five catches in the game, sang a different tune of praise towards his quarterback.

“I think Marcus did a great job,” said Bolden. “He (McMaryion) gets thrown into the fire against the #5 team in the country, and he was able to make plays for us. When you are playing with your brothers, for the same cause, it makes you want to play that much harder for your team.”

The OSU passing game failed to produce a single passing TD for the fifth time in seven games. Following the game, head coach Gary Andersen spoke to McMaryion’s performance as well on how to improve the passing game.

“Marcus was solid,” Anderson said. “I thought he got rid of the ball, had some drops that I thought were significant and he’ll continue to progress and continue to work, and so will the offense.”

Despite not getting  much from the passing game, senior running back Tim Cook, who also received his first extended action of the season, was able to run for 108 yards on 18 carries and one TD.

The Beavers lost this game comfortably, but the team showed once again that they are striving for improvement and are doing so on a consistent basis week by week.

Anderson spoke to his rebuilding success as well as reminded us once again about how important it is to keep fighting.  

“These kids keep working to get better within the situation, Anderson said. “I can’t emphasize how important that is. They’re working to get better every game, every snap, every drive. They keep battling. That is a good place for us to be right now. Let’s battle and see what happens.”