Beavers look for statement against Broncos
CORVALLIS, Ore. (AP) - Buoyed by a victory that snapped a 10-game losing streak, the Oregon State Beavers are looking forward to the test that Boise State presents.
"Basically it's a statement game," Beavers safety Devin Chappell said. "We've just got to play our game and we'll be fine."
But no one has illusions about the challenge. The Beavers (1-1) are underdogs at home on Saturday, facing a Broncos team that has already defeated Louisiana and Washington State, and is getting votes in the AP Top 25.
Oregon State coach Gay Andersen calls Boise State a team with "all the bells and whistles."
"It will be a tremendous challenge for us, just as it always is when you play Boise," Andersen said. "It's like I told our kids in the team meeting, if you're gonna beat Boise, you're gonna have to beat Boise. They're not going to beat themselves, that's for dang sure."
Oregon State has some reason to be optimistic. The Beavers are coming off a confidence-boosting 37-7 victory at home over Idaho State that ended a losing streak dating to last season. They also challenged Minnesota in the opener, leading 23-17 after three quarters before ultimately falling 30-23 in Minneapolis.
The Beavers are also at home against the Broncos, where they've won all three previous meetings.
But Boise State is rested and coming off a bye after a close home-opening victory over the Pac-12's Cougars, who attempted a Hail Mary in the final moments but fell short 31-28. The Broncos sit at 2-0 at the start of the season for the first time since 2011.
Other things to consider on Saturday when the Beavers host the Broncos:
THE SERIES: It will be Boise State's fourth trip to Reser Stadium. The Broncos have fallen in each of the three previous visits to Corvallis, with the most recent a 30-27 loss in 2005. Overall, the teams have met eight times with the Beavers winning the last one 38-23 in the 2013 Hawaii Bowl.
The Broncos have won their last three games against Pac-12 opponents, including the victory at home over Washington State on Sept. 10.
TURNOVERS KEY?: Boise State sophomore quarterback Brett Rypien threw for 299 yards and a touchdown against the Cougars, but he also threw three interceptions. Senior cornerback Treston Decoud had his first two interceptions of his career at Oregon State in last weekend's victory over Idaho State, including one that he ran back 75 yards for a touchdown. It was the second-longest pick six in school history. He also had a pair of tackles and two pass breakups to earn Pac-12 defensive player of the week honors.
YES, THEY'RE RELATED: Brett Rypien is former NFL quarterback Mark Rypien's nephew.
INJURY LIST: Oregon State won't have starting H-back Noah Togiai and reserve safety Landry Payne because of knee injuries. Inside linebacker Manase Hungalu has a shoulder injury and his status isn't known.
On Boise State's side, tight end Jake Roh and linebacker Joe Martarano should both return from knee injuries.
"Right now, our injury list looks a lot better than it was, those guys were running around last week, the bye week," Broncos coach Bryan Harsin said. "They'll be running around this week. Expect to be at full strength. We have nobody right now that's got an injury that's going to keep them out of the season."
SURPRISE MOVE: Oregon State on Thursday lost athletic director Todd Stansbury to the job at his alma mater, Georgia Tech. Stansbury's move comes just 13 months after he assumed the AD post in Corvallis, replacing Bob De Carolis. The search for Stansbury's replacement has already begun.
That means that Andersen will have his third boss in just two seasons at Oregon State.
"It's a busy time of the year, obviously, but it's an unbelievably important hire for everybody - for every student-athlete here and for every coach and for Beaver Nation - to be able to get the right guy here," Andersen said.