Oregon State’s defense gets a stiff challenge going from Hawaii run-and-shoot to Cal Poly triple option

Oregon State Beavers vs Oklahoma State Cowboys

The Oregon State Beavers face the Oklahoma State Cowboys at Reser Stadium in Corvallis, Oregon on Friday, Aug. 30, 2019. Sean Meagher/Staff

CORVALLIS – As if Oregon State’s defense hasn’t been stressed enough by playing two opponents currently among the nation’s top 15 in total offense, now the Beavers face an offensive outlier in Cal Poly.

The Mustangs are among the few schools in FBS and FCS running the triple option, an old-school run-heavy offense that keeps defenses guessing with the use of the fullback, tailback and quarterback.

Hawaii ran 25 times last week against Oregon State. Cal Poly may have that many running plays by halftime.

“This is the polar opposite of what we had last week, from defending the run-and-shoot to the inverted bone/triple option,” OSU defensive coordinator Tim Tibesar said. “One of the things that’s fun about college football and unique in coaching defense is how much things can change from week to week.”

Defensive tackle Elu Aydon says the Beaver defenders are likely to spend an inordinate amount of time watching video this week.

“The triple option is something we haven’t seen since I’ve been here,” Aydon said.

Some of what Oregon State has developed this season goes on the shelf this week. The Beavers won’t see four wides, trips sets and bubble screens.

“We have to do a great job in the next six days to prepare our guys,” Tibesar said.

It won’t be enough to concentrate on Cal Poly quarterback Jalen Hamler, the fullback, tailback/pitch man. The Mustangs have an effective passing game. Through two games, Cal Poly has completed 20 of 27 passes for 403 yards and three touchdowns.

“You have more guys closer to the box to defend all the running, so they have a lot of one-on-ones in the passing game,” Tibesar said.

Green secondary: Through two games, Oregon State has deployed one of the youngest defensive backfields in the country. Against Hawaii, OSU started two true freshmen in cornerback Jojo Forest and safety Akili Arnold, while sophomore cornerback Nahshon Wright played in just his second FBS game.

The Beavers hope to add some experience soon, and particularly at safety, where senior Jalen Moore and sophomores Jeffrey Manning Jr. and David Morris are expected back. But until they return, the Beavers must live with the inexperience.

Wright had six tackles and an interception, Forest five tackles and Arnold two. But they also had a hand in allowing Hawaii receiver JoJo Ward to catch four touchdown passes and rack up 189 receiving yards.

“It’s going to take time,” Tibesar said. “Unfortunately a lot of times when you’re a young player, the only way you learn is in the games. You make a mistake and learn and grow from it.”

Heavy load: Sophomore John McCartan made his first career start against Hawaii at outside linebacker. McCartan had better get used to action, as he’s not only a starter for the foreseeable future, but probably someone who isn’t coming off the field much.

Outside linebacker, once a position of wealth for OSU, is now desperately thin with Addison Gumbs, Andrzej Hughes-Murray and Matthew Tago out with injuries. Tibesar said Tuesday true freshman Ryan Franke was moved into more of an active role because of depth issues.

McCartan and Hamilcar Rashed Jr. played all but about 15 snaps during the Hawaii game, and each had a sack. They’ll likely shoulder similar loads in upcoming games, with Isaac Garcia and Riley Sharp backing them up.

“It’s a bummer seeing our guys go down,” McCartan said. “I mean, I do a lot of recovery. It’s hard on our body, but it’s football and what I signed up for.”

PSU added in 2025, 2027: Oregon State has agreed to two non-conference home games against Portland State during the 2025 and 2027 seasons. The Beavers and Vikings also play next season on Sept. 19.

The 2025 game is Aug. 30, and is the second contracted non-conference game that season. The Beavers play Texas Tech on Sept. 13.

OSU plays Portland State on Sept. 4 in 2027, currently the only non-conference contracted game for that season. The game guarantees are $400,000 for 2020, $450,000 in 2025 and $500,000 in 2027 according to fbschedules.com.

He said it: Tibesar, on where the defensive performance against Hawaii rated during his two-year OSU tenure: “I thought it was one of our better games against an explosive offense. But at the end of the day, we have to find a way to get another takeaway, a fourth-down stop, and find a way to get another offensive possession to help us win the game.”

--Nick Daschel | ndaschel@oregonian.com | @nickdaschel

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