Oregon State hurt itself more than Fresno State did. The Beavers lost 2 fumbles, came up empty on 3 fourth downs, took 5 sacks and scored their fewest points of the season. Before that, they had won 5 straight. The defense was just as bad. Fresno ran for 191 yards, including a 65-yard touchdown from Bryson Donelson. Coming home to Reser should help, but the Beavers have a week of film to fix.
Texas State's loss was stranger. The Bobcats trailed 28-3 at halftime on the blue turf, then scored 36 straight points, 22 of them in the third quarter, and still lost 46-45 after Boise's backup quarterback threw 3 touchdown passes in the last 7 minutes. That tells you 2 things. The offense can score in a hurry against anyone, and the defense can give it right back.
Incarnate Word63-10
These 2 have played 2 common opponents, and the results don't line up. Both beat Colorado State easily: Texas State won 66-27 at home and Oregon State won 56-26 on the road. San Diego State is where they split. The Bobcats lost 29-31 out there, and the Beavers beat the Aztecs 66-14 in Corvallis. Oregon State has looked more complete over the full season, while Texas State has played a lot of close games.
Texas State's injury report is mostly tight ends, carried over from mid-October. Oregon State's isn't clean anymore. Defensive tackle Tevita Pome'e and receiver Eddie Freauff were both questionable on the Beavers' first availability report of the week, and losing an interior lineman is a real problem against an offense that just put 45 on Boise. The forecast changed too. It's now 57 degrees with rain, an 82% chance of precipitation and a 5 mph wind, so 2 offenses that like to throw will be doing it with a wet ball. Both teams want to get the taste of Halloween out of their mouths, and in a game with offenses this explosive, the defense that holds up a little better probably wins it.
