Colorado and Oregon State are both coming off victories but with different perspectives on those triumphs.
The Beavers’ 24-10 win over Washington State moved them one win away from becoming bowl eligible, while the Buffaloes were happy to get rid of the donut at the front of their record.
Colorado (1-5, 1-2 Pac-12) can make it two straight and show its 20-13 overtime win against Cal last week wasn’t a fluke when it travels to Corvallis, Ore., to take on Oregon State on Saturday night.
The Buffaloes were headed to a winless season before upending the Bears in Boulder last week behind backup quarterback J.T. Shrout, who took over for freshman Owen McCown late in the third quarter.
Interim head coach Mike Sanford said that despite Shrout leading the comeback, McCown is the starter against the Beavers.
“Owen was dinged up. That’s what we felt, that’s what we saw,” Sanford said.
McCown took over as starter after the offense struggled to score in the first three games. Brendon Lewis, who started all 12 games in 2021 and the 2022 opener, has entered the transfer portal.
Oregon State (5-2, 2-2) also has a freshman starting quarterback — at least for now. Ben Gulbranson will likely make his third straight start while the Beavers’ No. 1 quarterback, Chance Nolan, remains in concussion protocol.
Gulbranson has led Oregon State to wins in the last two games, in part to a strong running game. The Beavers have used a committee approach in the backfield, but Damien Martinez has emerged as the workhorse.
Martinez ran for 111 yards against the Cougars and has 194 yards rushing in the past two games. But coach Jonathan Smith will still rotate the Beavers’ backs.
“I still think we get into games and kind of see who has the hot hand,” Smith said.
Oregon State could have placekicker Everett Hayes back against Colorado. He has missed three games with a groin injury but was close to returning against Washington State.
–Field Level Media