It’s a run to victory in Bray’s debut as Beavers head coach

Anthony Hankerson rushed for 155 yards and two scores in the Beavers’ win over Idaho State (courtesy OSU sports communications)

CORVALLIS — What stood out from my observation point in the press box, high above the playing field Saturday at Reser Stadium, where Oregon State opened its 2024 campaign with a 38-15 triumph over Idaho State:

• The Beavers knew they would have a physical advantage against an FCS opponent from the Big Sky Conference, one that went 4-8 overall a year ago. Offensive coordinator Ryan Gunderson’s plan on offense was to keep the ball on the ground, run right at the Bengals and make them stop the Beavers.

The stopping part never happened. Oregon State rushed the ball 58 times for 379 yards, 25 first downs and four touchdowns. Running backs Jam Griffin and Anthony Hankerson both had a day, Griffin collecting 160 yards and two TDs on 20 carries and Hankerson picking up 155 yards and a pair of scores on 24 totes. It was the first time two OSU backs have run for 150 yards or more since JJ Young and quarterback Don Shanklin did it as part of Jerry Pettibone’s Wishbone offense in 1994.

“Better give Kyle (Devan, the offensive line coach) a raise,” quipped Trent Bray as he met with the media following his first victory as a head coach.

Bray intends for the Beavers to feature a run-first offense this season. This one got them off to a good start toward those intentions.

“From an identity standpoint and establishing the run game and getting that going, it was very important to us,” Bray said. “As the game went on, we kept leaning on (the run game). We just kept doing it.”

Devan’s O-line simply overpowered Idaho State’s smaller defensive front. Tackles Gerad Christian-Lichtenhan (6-10, 330) and Grant Stark (6-4, 290), guards Josh Gray (6-4, 310) and Tyler Voltin (6-4, 370) and center Van Wells (6-2, 315) opened holes —  some of them smallish, others gaping — and Griffin and Hankerson did the rest.

“The O-line did a great job of doubling up and sealing off the ‘backers and giving us creases to hit,” Hankerson said.

Devan also used guard Flavio Gonzalez and tackle Jacob Strand (both 6-5 and 295) for good portions of the game, pushing toward what Devan told me during the summer he was going for with “an eight-man rotation of guys we can use at any time.”

• Oregon State’s pass offense was much less evident. Quarterbacks Gevani McCoy and Gabarri Johnson threw only 14 times, completing 11 for 148 yards and a TD.

Most of that came from the 6-foot, 180-pound McCoy, the junior transfer from Idaho who was making his first start as a Beaver. He was 9 for 10 — the only miss was a catchable deep ball by Trent Walker — for 114 yards, including a perfect deep ball to a diving David Wells for 55 yards and a score in the third quarter.

“Gevani did a great job,” Bray said. “He made good decisions and a heckuva throw (that led to) a great catch by David Wells. We were happy with (McCoy’s) operation of the offense and the way he protected the football. Gabarri displayed some of the skills of why we’re so excited about his future.”

Backup Johnson — 5-11 and 185, a Tacoma native who transferred to OSU from Missouri — got some time in the second and fourth quarters and was 2 for 4 passing for 34 yards, including one that redshirt freshman Taz Reddicks turned into a 23-yard gain. The shifty Johnson can run more than a little; witness his 11-yard scramble that saw him spin 360 a couple of times on the way to first-down yardage.

“He does that every day in practice,” Bray said. “It’s a little scary when he starts spinning sometimes, but he has a good feel for it and does it well.”

Johnson’s second-quarter appearance was scripted, much as Jonathan Smith did with then-freshman QB Aiden Chiles last season.

“I see us continuing to give Gabarri some stuff,” Bray said. “He can help us win. He presents a different problem than the other guy.”

The Beavers attempted to throw deep only a couple of times. There is no doubt Gunderson chose not to empty the playbook against Idaho State, but he will also need to pass more vertically in next week’s visit to San Diego State, if only to keep the Aztecs’ defense honest against the Beavers’ run game. There aren’t any more Idaho States on the OSU schedule.

As he and fellow running back Anthony Hankerson met with media after Oregon State’s 38-15 win over Idaho State Saturday, Jam Griffin brought along his six-month-old daughter, Layla.

• Not everything went smoothly early. Griffin fumbled on Oregon State’s first possession and the Bengals recovered on their own 16.

“Shout-out to my teammates,” Griffin said. “They kept me in the game. They told me to keep my head up, to brush it off and make the next play. Had to make up for that (fumble), for sure.”

Hankerson’s 15-yard TD run got Oregon State on the board first, but a low snap by long snapper Peyton Hogan — regular Dylan Black is evidently injured and out for the season — in punt formation went out of the end zone for a safety. Idaho State scored on the final play of the first quarter and went into the second quarter ahead 9-7. The Beavers led by only 17-9 at the half.

“Games are tough to win,” Bray said. “We had some adversity early. It was great to see the guys respond to that, because it wasn’t easy early. We had some miscues and left some points on the board, fumbled in the Red Zone, missed a wide-open touchdown pass, snapped the ball for a safety. There are some things we have to clean up.”

The sterling TD reception by Wells — a 6-1, 180-pound redshirt freshman from Lakewood, Wash. — got the Beavers off to a good start in the third quarter, and they carried the momentum the rest of the way.

“We knew going in (the Bengals) couldn’t keep up with us,” Griffin said. “We put a little wear and tear on them. We knew in the second half something was going to break big, and it happened.”

• Oregon State’s defensive front made Idaho State’s offense one-dimensional by limiting the Bengals to 82 rushing yards. The visitors were effective especially early with a short passing game and finished with 229 passing yards — 140 in the first half.

The Beavers’ coverage was generally pretty good, and they had two interceptions — one by Skyler Thomas in the first quarter and the other by Jack Kane in the final period, the latter returned 48 yards. Four Idaho State QBs combined to complete 23 of 45 passes; the Bengals had only 16 run attempts in the game.

“From a coverage standpoint, for as many times as (the Bengals) threw the ball and the problems they create with their space, (the OSU secondary) did a nice job,” Bray said. “I was impressed with the back end.”

Oregon State’s defensive line is not a strength, and end Olu Omotosho left early with an injury and didn’t return, though Bray termed it as “short-term” afterward. The Beavers had only two sacks, but to be fair, the Idaho State attack called for quick drops and releases from its quarterbacks.

“We had some good plays out there, but there was also a lot of stuff we need to work on,” Thomas said. “On a scale of one to 10, I’d probably give (the OSU defense) a five. Definitely room for improvement.”

• Redshirt freshman Isaiah Chism had some impressive moments but also had three major penalties on Idaho State’s final scoring drive, including a targeting call that required ejection and will keep him out of the first half of the San Diego State game.

“Those are teaching moments,” Bray said, “stuff to point out and learn from for our young guys. There was some dumb stuff that was totally self-inflicted. The stuff we have 100 percent control over has to get cleaned up and stopped. The personal fouls and stuff that was unnecessary — that’s got to go away.”

But other than Chism’s over-aggression on the one drive, Oregon State’s mistakes were minimal. There was only the one fumble, no interceptions and two other penalties for 14 yards.

• Oregon State’s receiving corps seems thin. The Beavers were missing Darrius Clemons, the ballyhooed transfer from Michigan who prepped at Westview, and veteran Jimmy Valsin with leg injuries. Possession receiver Trent Walker caught four passes for 32 yards, but nobody else hauled in more than two aerials. No tight ends caught a pass or were even targeted.

• Bray was first to the podium to speak to the media, evidently after his players helped him celebrate his first career victory with a Gatorade shower. As defensive coordinator under Smith, Bray did a lot of pacing the sidelines. Nothing changed about that Saturday as Bray moved over to the first chair. He might have paced even a little more.

“Today he was as locked in as he usually is for a game,” seventh-year cornerback Jaden Robinson said with a smile. “It was funny seeing him out there as a head coach. (There was) a different swagger that he had with the shades on. I liked it.”

At one point in the third quarter after Idaho State’s final touchdown drive, I noticed Bray detour from his pacing to a huddle of defensive players on the sideline, where he delivered what appeared to be a few choice words. I don’t think he was congratulating the fellas.

“He is a defensive-minded head coach,” Robinson said. “Him having his word with us on the sidelines between reps and series is a good thing.”

• Bray was brief in response to a reporter’s question about how it felt to get his first career win.

“It’s good ‘cause it’s win No. 1,” he said. “You enjoy it for a couple of hours and then worry about San Diego State.”

• Griffin had a clever response to a question about the new era of Pac-12 football with only Oregon State and Washington State in the fold.

Jam: “Yes, it’s a new era — the Bray era.”

Actually, Griffin said “Bray area.” I’m pretty sure he meant “era,” although “area” might work, too.

• Griffin and Hankerson looked at each other and smiled when asked who would wind up with the most rushing yardage at season’s end.

JAM: “We’ll have to wait and see, man.”

ANTHONY, looking at Griffin: “They trying to jump ahead.”

JAM, smiling wide: “They trying to get us.”

• Attendance was announced at 31,013 at Reser, which has a capacity of about 35,500. If that reflects tickets distributed, the count may be accurate. The East side of the stadium — which bore the brunt of the beaming sun and 90-degree heat — had nearly as many empty seats as spectators, though some may have chosen to watch from the Toyota Club. Butts in the seats? Probably closer to 25,000.

• Oregon State flies to San Diego to face San Diego State next Saturday. The Aztecs had trouble in their opener against FCS foe Texas A&M-Commerce, trailing 6-3 at half before rolling to a 45-14 victory. Running back Marquez Cooper carried 27 times for 223 yards and two touchdowns and freshman quarterback Danny O’Neil completed 22 of 33 passes for 214 yards and a pair of scores. The Beavers’ defense will get a big challenge in their road opener.

• A final note I find interesting: ESPN releases a weekly “College Football Power Index” every Sunday. In the most recent rankings, Oregon State dropped 10 spots from No. 40 to 50 despite the comfortable win over Idaho State. Washington State was No. 53.

Rankings for the other former Pac-12 teams:

Oregon No. 10 (falling from No. 2 the previous week)

USC No. 19

Arizona No. 24

Utah No. 25

Washington No. 26

Colorado No. 37

Arizona State No. 39

California No. 49

UCLA No. 51

Stanford No. 72

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