No bowl for Oregon State could be beneficial as the Beavers can fully concentrate on getting back on track

BOISE – State of Oregon football is preparing for a busy December month.

It starts Monday when Beaver coaches hold exit meetings with players. The discussions include the 2024 season, which ended on Friday with a 34-18 loss to Boise State. They will talk about what’s next for the player, whether it’s a future at OSU or elsewhere, and an offseason plan of attack.

A few days later it’s early signing day, when about 16 to 20 high school players agree to become Beavers. Up next is the transfer portal (Dec. 9-28) and weeks assessing the state of the OSU program, which posted a losing season for the first time since 2020 at 5-7.

After hosting LA, Las Vegas and Sun Bowl appearances in consecutive years, Oregon State will be home for the holidays. In one respect, that could be seen as a good thing, as the Beavers need a month to reset, reflect, recharge and fully focus on an important offseason.

OSU coach Trent Bray was quick to smile when asked if missing a bowl could be the medicine the program needs. “I think it’s always good to make it to the postseason, then there are more opportunities for more training. But yeah, I’m not sure which way to go as a coach,” Bray said.

There’s some things to like and a lot to fix after a 5-7 campaign.

The offense produced two historic individual seasons from receiver Trent Walker (82 receptions) and running back Anthony Hankerson (1,082 yards). But it fired blanks too often, especially on the road. The quarterback play was inconsistent, and outside of Walker, it wasn’t until Friday, when Darrius Clemons had eight catches for 123 yards, that a second receiver really stepped up.

Hankerson pointed to Friday’s first two drives where Oregon State found themselves in hopeless offensive situations due to penalties and poor first and second down plays.

“That’s kind of how the whole season goes,” Hankerson said. “We weren’t all on the same page. These are the little things we can repair, the self-inflicted wounds. We’re getting those down and fixing them, and we’ve got a damn good team.

Oregon State’s defense posted San Diego State’s first road shutout in four decades, but overall fell short of recent standards. Some of that can be attributed to injuries, but inexperience played a bigger role. The Beavers committed some run-of-the-mill fouls this season and consistently failed to stop the run. OSU had one of the nation’s worst defenses against rushing and rushing the passer. That was evident Friday when Ashton Jeanty ran 37 times for 226 yards, and the Beavers failed to effectively pressure quarterback Maddux Madsen.

Junior safety Skyler Thomas, who forced a fumble that led to Oregon State’s first touchdown, had few details on what was holding the 2024 defense back.

“It was just about getting the job done,” Thomas said. “I feel like anyone who is on the field can do the same thing our starters do, as someone who is injured. It really is about getting the job done.”

When asked if he is positive about the future, Thomas said “very definitely.”

When Oregon State’s leading tackler in 2024 was asked if he would return next season, Thomas said “most definitely.”

Furthermore, during the name, image and likeness (NIL) era, it is folly to speculate about those who plan to remain at Oregon State next year. Minutes after Friday’s match ended, transfer rumors were already flying on social media. Aside from Thomas, Hankerson said he will be back in Corvallis next season.

Friday’s game looked a lot like the season. A good fight, but too much empty play during crucial moments in the match.

The Beavers trailed by as many as 17 points in the second half, but had the ball nine points behind with plenty of time remaining before the Broncos put the game away. Boise State built a big lead as Oregon State’s offense was stuck in neutral for most of the first half.

“Boise made the plays in those crucial moments. That’s why they are where they are, and where we are,” Bray said.

The Broncos are one win away from securing a spot in the College Football Playoff. The Beavers are looking at games in December.

In his quick post-match assessment of the 2024 season, Bray said: “It’s really about lessons learned. Learned many things. There were a lot of close games that we have to learn from, both coaches and players, so that will change in the future. If they do, it will look and feel the way we want it to.”

—Nick Daschel can be reached at 360-607-4824, [email protected] or @nickdaschel.

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