GoCoogs and Beavers Edge, the On3 site covering Oregon State, coordinated to ask and answer questions about the opposing team. Our Recruiting+ football editor, Martin Marroquin, answered for us while Brenden Slaughter, publisher of Beavers Edge, answered from the Oregon State point of view:
Brenden Slaughter: Houston is off to a strong start this season at 3-0. How impactful has quarterback Conner Weigman been in his first season after beginning his career at Texas A&M? How much of an X-Factor is he for this Houston offensive attack?
Martin Marroquin: I think Weigman’s athletic ability and poise have been a massive factor for the Coogs. I wrote that I thought he was underutilized as a runner when he entered the portal. However, his ability to extend plays and avoid pressure has enabled some big plays early on.
Marroquin: After a 4-1 start to the Trent Bray era, the Beavers are struggling, having lost 10/11 games going back to last season against Nevada. What do you think is the reason for losing? Do you think Bray’s seat is heating up yet?
Slaughter: It’s certainly beginning to warm, and the outside chatter is getting louder. Going back to last season, the upset win over No. 25 Washington State somewhat alleviated any frustrations from the previous year, considering it was year one of the Trent Bray era, with him being a first-time head coach and largely a new roster. This year, with significant upgrades, including a pretty expensive one in QB Maalik Murphy, there was a sizable expectation that Oregon State could compete for eight or nine wins entering the year.
As we all know, that didn’t happen, and it’s been for a variety of reasons. The opener against Cal was simply a case of not being prepared and wholly out-coached. Fresno State, the Beavers should have won, but were given away by a comedy of special teams blunders. Then Tech and Oregon were freight trains rolling downhill, and expected losses. If this team had beaten Fresno as they were supposed to, I think the narrative would be a lot different. The back half of the schedule eases up as well, so I think there’s pressure on Bray, but they’re likely to wait out the year.
Slaughter: Fritz didn’t have longtime Tulane assistant Slade Nagle during his first season, now he does, as he’s settled in as the OC after a year at LSU. They put together some strong offenses at Tulane. What have you seen as the biggest offensive differences under his guidance this season, after Fritz had to make an OC change near the end of last season.
Marroquin: As much as any schematic change, I think personnel has been a big reason for success early. Alongside Weigman, newcomers Amare Thomas (UAB) and Tanner Koziol (Ball State/Wisconsin) have provided steady targets in the MOF. Dean Connors (Rice) has made plays as well. An experienced and bigger OL has also improved things. Ultimately, Weigman has provided an improvement at QB and allowed Nagle to utilize offensive players to their strengths.
Marroquin: Despite the rough start, what has been a bright spot for the Beavers? Who has played well on offense? Defense?
Slaughter: Good question… On offense, minus the Oregon game, Maalik Murphy had shown some nice things in the passing game, as before that matchup, they boasted a top-25 passing offense at 300+ yards per game. They’ve also had a variety of receivers prove capable of big games, including Trent Walker, Taz Reddicks, and David Wells. Defensively, it’s been tougher, but I’ll go with safety Skyler Thomas and linebacker Dexter Foster. Thomas is the senior leader of the back end, and Foster has shown good instincts in his first year, starting with a team-high 31 tackles.
Slaughter: Despite the loss of DC Shiel Wood to Texas Tech, Houston’s defense has remained strong under former Florida DC Austin Armstrong. What have your impressions been of Armstrong, and who are some of the defensive playmakers who make this unit so effective?
Marroquin: I think as a staff, Willie Fritz and his assistants have done a good job of getting “their” guys. So, as much as anything, they have players who are committed to what they want to do. That is especially evident in how players in the secondary are willing to tackle and attack the ball. Coach Armstrong is utilizing the depth they brought in, and they are making plays. Will James and Latrell McCutchin have stood out on the outside. But the heart of this defense is up the middle with Carlos Allen controlling the trenches.
Marroquin: Will competing in the new version of the Pac-12 next season be good for the program? How has the shift in conferences and realignment affected Oregon State?
Slaughter: It will be better than being quasi-independent like this year and last, that’s for sure, but I wonder aloud if the damage has already been done to what Oregon State’s program used to be in the old Pac-12. However, getting back into a conference with Boise State, Fresno State, Texas State, Washington State, and others, I think, puts the Beavers in a more appropriate playing field in today’s new era of college football. All the new Pac-12 teams have access to comparable program resources and NIL dollars, creating a more competitive situation.
Simply put, I’m not one of those people who see the benefit in continuing to play Oregon, for example, the two teams are just on different wavelengths now. But overall, yeah, the Pac-12 imploding the way it did was tragic for OSU and WSU. They came out of it about as good as you could have hoped, but OSU lost a ton of players and coaches in the process, and had to rebuild on the fly, as did WSU. So it’s been rough waters, but smoother times should be ahead.
Slaughter: If you’re Oregon State, how would you go about attacking this Houston defense, and on the flip side, how would you go about slowing down the Houston offense?
Marroquin: The defense has been tough for teams to deal with early in the season. The best thing to do is try to go uptempo and get Carlos Allen off the field. Colorado saw a lot of success running the ball with him off the field in that game. Maybe testing the secondary deep a few times as well. The CBs play anything short or at the LOS really well.
I think testing the OL with extra pressure is your best shot. The Coogs brought in a lot of experience, but they don’t have many snaps as a unit. As well as having their RT learn on the fly this season. Rice tried to clog the MOF and force Weigman to throw outside. That led to a career day for Boogie Johnson.
Marroquin: I watched Deagan Rose as a sophomore in HS and came away impressed. His 3-star rating is somewhat deceptive, considering the talent he possesses. What do you think of his ability and could he help lead the Beavers in the right direction?
Slaughter: A lot of Oregon State fans are really hoping they can hang onto the talented young quarterback in the recruiting process. Everything I’ve heard says he’s pretty firm, but yeah to your point, there’s a lot of excitement for what he can bring to the table. There’s always hope for a program when you’ve got a marquee quarterback coming in, and yeah, I think in a couple of years he certainly could be the guy for the Beavers. You never know how things ultimatley shake out with player movement and whatnot, but I think he’ll be a guy who turns some heads when he gets to Corvallis.
What’s your score prediction and why?
Marroquin: 27-13
It’ll be a two-score game in favor of the Coogs. Oregon State’s defense is struggling against the run. Giving up 180 yds/game while the Coogs are running for over 200 a contest. Their ability to run the ball opens up things for the offense and makes it a tough night for the Beavers.
The Oregon State offense is reliant on the passing game, and has already thrown 5 INTs. That feeds into an aggressive, ball-hawking defense, especially if the Coogs build an early lead.
Slaughter: Oregon State 31, Houston 28
Call me crazy, but if Oregon State is to salvage anything from this season, it has to start on Friday night, so I’m going with the Beavers to pull off the upset. I think Oregon State is backed into a corner, and sometimes when that happens, you find a way to play some of your best ball.
However, simply put, Houston is likely the better team. The 13.5-point spread in their favor would say as much, and all things considered, with what we’ve seen from the Beavers, it’s a fair spread. However, they’ve been idle since a big win over Colorado, and they’ll be traveling cross-country to face the Beavers in a nationally televised, high-energy Friday night atmosphere.
Peculiar things happen at Reser Stadium on weeknights, and I think the Beavers and Bray find a way to quiet the noise with an upset win over Houston. It will by no means be an easy task, but if the Beavers truly can build on some of the first-half positives we saw against Oregon, they’ll be in the fight.
