Washington football will face another tough opponent when they visit the Oregon State Beavers in Week 5.
The Oregon State Beavers are not a team for Washington football to sleep on. They are 3-1 and lost their only game to Purdue by nine points in Week 1.
The Beavers’ outlook on the 2021 season looks good. They haven’t finished with a win-loss percentage better than .500 since 2013.
Right now, Oregon State has the number one offense in the Pac-12 with the most yards per game and the number one rushing offense in with 226 yards per game.
Other notes on the Beavers:
- Has outscored opponents by 69 points total
- Has limited opponents to 90 average rushing yards a game
- Averages 30 fewer passing yards a game than opponents
- Have outscored opponents by 11 touchdowns total
- Three-times as many sacks as opponents
Player to watch: RB B.J. Baylor
Stats: 61 att, 422 yards, 6.9 avg, 7 TD
Running B.J. Baylor is a large part of why the Beavers are having themselves a season.
In Oregon State’s first game against Purdue, Baylor was limited to 9 attempts for 24 yards but still managed to rush for two touchdowns.
In last week’s historic match-up against USC, Baylor rushed for 158 yards on 23 attempts, and despite zero touchdowns, he helped put his team into a winning position.
Baylor is a speedy back who immediately finds an opening and pounds through it. The Huskies can’t afford to approach Baylor at a bad angle because he will simply blow right past them.
Containing Baylor starts with the defensive line, who must do better at stopping the run this week than they have the rest of the season.
Player to watch: QB Chance Nolan
Stats: 60/83, 847 yards, 9 TD, 2 INT
Chance Nolan looks comfortable and poised as he continues to gain experience as Oregon State’s starting quarterback. He’s presented to not be as flustered in the pocket as he was last season and has improved with his progressions.
Nolan has a 72.3 percent completion rate compared to 50.5 percent in three games last year. He has only been sacked two times in four games in due credit to his offensive line, who are first in the Pac-12 with the fewest tackles for loss allowed and sacks allowed.
Nolan is currently second in the Pac-12 behind UCLA’s Dorian Thompson-Robinson in terms of passing yards per attempt (10.2) and touchdown-to-interception ratio (9-to-2).