Nix clicks, and the Beavers have more questions than answers

EUGENE — There was little doubting Oregon’s superiority Friday night at Autzen Stadium.

The sixth-ranked Ducks put out what coach Dan Lanning called “our best game of the year” in a 31-7 thumping of 15th-ranked Oregon State.

The victory sends Oregon (11-1 overall, 8-1 in Pac-12 action) into next Friday’s Pac-12 Championship game against Washington in Las Vegas.

Oregon State? The Beavers (8-4, 5-4) will be in a bowl game, too. But their coach may not be with them.

Rumors about Coach Jonathan Smith’s potential departure for a job at Michigan State were reported across the country Friday — that Smith has interviewed and is the coach the Spartans are targeting.

During a post-game media session, a reporter asked Smith directly: Has he interviewed for the Michigan State job?

“I haven’t, uh … no decisions have been made,” was Smith’s most succinct reply, followed by a bunch of deflection.

Didn’t sound like a denial to me.

Smith has a six-year, $31.2-million contract with Oregon State. Athletic director Scott Barnes came out Wednesday with a statement that his “No. 1 priority” is providing Smith with a new contract and guaranteed compensation, along with extending assistant coaches’ deals.

‘Scott and this administration has done a lot of work trying to navigate unprecedented times,” Smith told the media after Friday’s game. ‘We’ve met weekly throughout this entire season. There are so many things going on. … we have talked not just football but the athletic department — scheduling and all of that. …”

Uh huh.

As for any discussions on anything more specific to him staying at Oregon State: “I’m going to keep that between me and Scott.”

Money is not the issue. I don’t believe Smith would be considering leaving his alma mater if the Pac-12 hadn’t imploded. It is Oregon State’s misfortune that it seems on the verge of losing the coach who has built a program to be proud of.

The Beavers weren’t on the same level as their counterparts from Eugene, however, in the 127th renewal of the Civil War rivalry. Not too many teams in the country are.

The biggest reason is Bo Nix. I didn’t think I’d ever see a better quarterback in an Oregon uniform than 2014 Heisman Trophy winner Marcus Mariota, but I’m seeing it this season in Nix.

The 6-2, 215-pound senior was a wizard with a magic wand on the Autzen gridiron Friday night, completing 33 of 40 passes for 367 yards and two touchdowns. He also ran six times for 31 yards and another score.

“Our quarterback was elite tonight,” Oregon coach Dan Lanning said. “He was dialed in. He is playing at such a high level right now. He is a coach out there on the field. Bo is special, man. It has been a lot of fun coaching him.”

Nix had no interceptions and was never sacked. The Beavers put some pressure on him in the second half; he simply outran defenders and hit receivers on the run.

“Bo Nix is legit. That guy is a good player,” said Smith, never one given to hyperbole. “We had some stress points for him; he got outside and made some big-time throws.”

Nix threw primarily to a pair of receivers, Tez Johnson and Troy Franklin, who combined for 20 receptions for 265 yards. Oregon State was solid with run defense, allowing the Ducks only 113 yards on the ground. But Oregon was even better, limiting OSU to 63 net rushing yards. Sophomore tailback Damien Martinez, No. 2 in the Pac-12 with 1,147 rushing yards coming into the game, was held to 38 on 13 carries. The Beavers were missing two injured starting O-linemen — tackle Josh Gray (foot) and guard Heneli Bloomfield (knee) — and it showed.

“Defensively, we wanted to make (the Ducks) earn it,” Smith said. “They’re an explosive team. We wanted to not give up the 50-yarder. They didn’t get a lot of that, but we couldn’t get anything going on offense.

“You play us, you’re going to try to stop the run. They did a good job of it. We could not get that going. Got one-dimensional.”

Quarterback DJ Uiagalelei completed 19 of 35 passes for 220 yards and a touchdown, but it wasn’t close to being enough.

Oregon State had a chance to make it a game after Silas Bolden’s nine-yard TD catch late in the second quarter to cut Oregon’s lead to 14-7. There was reason for optimism with the Beavers taking the ball to start the third quarter.

With 48 seconds left, Nix moved the Ducks quickly downfield, converting a 41-yard TD strike to Franklin to make it 21-7 with eight ticks on the clock before halftime.

On the first possession of the third quarter, the Beavers drove from their 11-yard line to the Oregon 29. Uiagalelei’s fourth-and-2 pass fell incomplete, the Ducks responded with a field goal and a 24-7. Game over.

“It slowly got out of hand,” Smith said. “We didn’t have enough offense.”

The Beavers suffered losses to conference finalists Washington (22-20) and Oregon the past two weeks. Those teams will vie for the conference title in Vegas.

“That’s going to be a good game next week,” Smith offered. “That will be a fascinating game to watch. I’ll tell ya, the ways the Ducks are playing, they’re going to be tough to beat. That’s a good football team.”

Anthony Gould arrived teary-eyed at the press conference. Oregon State’s junior receiver, who caught six passes for 65 yards, addressed the uncertainty of Oregon State’s future conference affiliation, along with Smith’s status.

“It’s tough losing in general, but we have been through a lot this year,” Gould said. “We never knew what the future looked like for us. Conference realignment, Coach Smith’s situation ... we battled through it these last couple of months.

“We’ve done it for each other. We told ourselves to lock in; don’t let the outside noise affect us. It’s emotional to lose, but I’m proud of these guys. We’ve been through a lot behind the scenes people don’t know about. This 2023 Beaver team will never be the same after this year.”

Whether Gould meant a mass exodus in the transfer portal or a new coaching staff or just a new league, I’m not sure. But I know he wasn’t making excuses for Friday’s loss to the arch-rival.

“Oregon is just a better team,” he said. “Hats off to them. (The Ducks) outplayed us. They played lights out.”

Lanning was asked if he would like to continue the rivalry with Oregon State, even if it meant playing on the road next season, which would result in losing a home game.

“I’d love to play this team,” the second-year coach said. “It’s a great rivalry for the state of Oregon, a great rivalry for the game of football. I’d play out in a parking lot if we had to.”

The Beavers may be headed for the Holiday Bowl. That’s where their fans want them to go. The Beavers have never played in that one, and Beaver Nation would surely travel well there.

Uiagalelei and Gould were asked if they would participate in Oregon State’s bowl game. Gould, who missed the Las Vegas Bowl due to injury last year, nodded. DJ?

“Right now, yeah,” he said. “I want to go out there and finish it out with my brothers on the team.”

Not sure what the “right now” was about, or what would change his mind. If he opts out for any reason, the bowl game would be a nice audition for true freshman Aidan Chiles — if he is to return next season.

There are so many ifs regarding Oregon State athletics. Smith is the biggest one. If he leaves, the Beavers will have an interim coach for their bowl game.

That decision must come soon, as well as the Beavers’ conference situation. The transfer portal opens on Dec. 4. There is no time to waste.

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