Fresh off a 41-38 upset over then-No. 9 Oregon last Friday, snapping a three-game losing streak to its archrival, Oregon State is riding high.
Are the Beavers heading for a letdown when they visit Utah Saturday (8:30 p.m. MST, ESPN)? Or are they going to let the momentum carry them against the 0-2 Utes, who are coming off a heartbreaking loss at Washington?
“Oregon State is a team that’s feeling very good about themselves and they should be after beating the Ducks,” said Utah coach Kyle Whittingham. “That was a big win for them. ... They’re a good football team, as evidenced by their win at Oregon last week.”
It marked OSU’s first win over a ranked team since 2014, when it knocked off No. 7 Arizona State.
Oregon State (2-2) boasts one of the nation’s top running backs, 5-foot-10 junior Jermar Jefferson, who rushed for 226 yards and two touchdowns against Oregon. He’s on pace to reach the 1,000-yard rushing milestone in 2020 despite the shortened season.
Saturday’s matchup pits Jefferson against Utah’s run defense, which is allowing opponents 90.5 rushing yards per game — ranking No. 1 in the Pac-12 and No. 7 in the FBS.
After the Oregon game, Jefferson said beating the Ducks meant “everything” to him and his teammates. He added that he deserves more respect.
“I really don’t feel like I get the recognition I deserve,” Jefferson said. “I’ve just got to put my head down and keep working hard. I’ve been underrated my whole life, so I’m used to it.”
Jefferson ran 239 times for 1,380 yards, averaging 5.8 yards per carry, and 12 touchdowns as a freshman in 2018. In an injury-shortened sophomore season, he had 142 carries for 685 yards and eight touchdowns.
In four games this season, Jefferson has run 91 times for 675 yards, averaging 7.4 yards per carry, and seven TDs.
Whittingham said Jefferson is a talented back who runs behind a “nasty” offensive line.
“He’s got size, speed, quickness. He’s a terrific player. He’s productive, he’s got vision. He seems to have excellent vision, which all excellent backs have,” Whittingham said. “He’s 220 pounds and a shade under six feet. So he’s powerful. He runs hard.
“Their offensive line does a nice job. They’re not exceptionally big up front. They’re a little bit undersized for Pac-12 and Power Five standards but you’d never know it by the way they play. They’re physical and they’ve got a nasty streak to them. All really good offensive lines have that nasty mentality. That’s what they’ve got up front.”
When Jefferson has rushed for more than 150 yards this season, Oregon State has won. When he has rushed for fewer than 150 yards, OSU has lost.
Meanwhile, there are some questions about who will start at quarterback for the Beavers.
Starter Tristan Gebbia, who threw for 263 yards and one touchdown against Oregon, left the game with 33 seconds remaining due to a leg injury.
“They’ve got a running back that’s in high gear right now. He’s doing a good job for them. We’ve got our work cut out for us again this week.” — Kyle Whittingham
Gebbia’s backup, Chance Nolan, replaced him and on his first college snap, Nolan scored on a 1-yard touchdown sneak up the middle to propel OSU past Oregon.
Gebbia suffered a hyperextension of his leg on the play. But he has been practicing this week.
“I felt good out there ... I’m optimistic that I’ll be able to go,” Gebbia told Oregonlive.com. “It was nice to be on the field, throwing it, but we’ll see. We’ll see how the week plays out.”
If Gebbia can’t play, Nolan will take the snaps for OSU.
“Whoever is going to be out there is going to have a tremendous O-line, wide receivers and coaches behind them,” Gebbia said.
Whittingham’s defensive philosophy is almost always based around stopping the run and that’s the plan this week, as well.
“They’ve got a running back that’s in high gear right now. He’s doing a good job for them,” Whittingham said. “We’ve got our work cut out for us again this week.”
Defensive tackle Hauati Pututau said Utah is ready for the opportunity to take on a running back like Jefferson.
“We look at as another challenge for us to overcome. It’s another week for us to show our dominance in stopping the run. We pride ourselves in stopping the run. We’ll do all we can to prepare the best we can this week for them,” he said. “They’re a good-coached O-line. We have to make sure we’re doing our job and being that physical team that we pride ourselves in. … The game plan is to be able to dominate the offensive line and stop the run. We’re preparing this week to do our best to be physical.”