The Beavers offense picked up where it left off against Ohio State last week. Their emphasis was to run the ball which they did very well. The Beavers ended the game with 360 yards rushing setting the tone against Southern Utah.
Through the air, Conor Blount went 15 for 22, with 226 yards, and one touchdown. With the way that they ran the ball there wasn’t much need for them to pass, only to keep the Thunderbirds honest. Defensively they did struggle defending the pass but with their offense controlling the tempo the way they did, it helped them out as a whole team.
The Thundercat’s quarterback went 31-48, 340 yards, and two touchdowns. The theme of the defense not defending the pass will be their most vulnerable spot as a whole team. If they plan on getting better making noise this year their defense is going to have to catch up to this potentially high powered offense.
Oregon State Beavers Week 2 Game Day Grades
Isaiah Hodgins
Week 1 Grade: D+; Week 2 Grade: C
Week 2 Stats: 4 reception, 59 yards
Projected Round: 5th to 7th round
Hodgins did have a better week than last weeks performance but the Oregon State offense still needs more out of him. He led the team in all receiving statistics besides touchdowns but he can perform better. In the middle, he is a big body for the Beavers that isn’t scared at all to catch the contested throw against defenders. To step his game up to the next level he just has to be more effective after the catch. This will also help his draft stock go up tremendously if he can prove to be effective after the catch.
Hodgins stats are considerably good after a game where Oregon State heavily relied on the run. In week 3, he will go against cornerback Daniel Brown who has one interception in two weeks. This matchup will be a good battle. If he is expecting to win this battle against the Wolfpack’s corner he is going to have to use his body, which he out weights Brown by almost 40 pounds.
Artavis Pierce
Week 1 Grade: N/A ; Week 2 Grade: B
Week 2 Stats: 9 carries, 91 yards, 1 rushing touchdown, 1 reception, 6 yards
Projected Round: 4th to 5th Round
Pierce is boosting his draft stock after is most recent performance. Standing 5”11 and 200 lbs, he is putting up good numbers to catch a few eyes of NFL scouts. He is averaging more than 11 yards per carry this season on 22 carries. After just two weeks of play this season, his stat line reads 22 carries, 259 yards, and 3 touchdowns. Also proving to be effective in the passing game he has four receptions for 47 yards.
Part of a running back duo with freshman Jermar Jefferson, this will allow Pierce to have a nice junior campaign without getting beat up too much, which will also bring appeal to NFL teams. This week he will be lined up across from the Wolfpack’s leading tacklers at the Mike and Will linebacker position, Gabriel Sewell and Lucas Weber. The tandem has had 24 tackles combined in two games.
Jonathan Willis
Week 1 Grade: C+ ; Week 2 Grade: B
Week 2 Stats: 6 tackles, 3 Solo, 1 sack
Projected Round: 4th to 5th Round
If Willis can stay healthy he is showing that he can be a reliable tackler while having the ability to find the ball. This week he was tied for third on the team in tackles with 6 while recording a sack. There are plenty of teams in the NFL who will be able to see value with his ball finding ability while not having the best defensive line to take pressure off of him.
The Beaver’s defense is going to have to improve week by week and Willis needs to get the rest of the defense to keep picking up momentum to help the offense. Willis doesn’t have a lot to be worried about this week at the running back position for the fact that in two games, no Nevada rusher has a total of 100 yards.
Blake Brendel
Week 1 Grade: F; Week 2 Grade: C
Week 2 Stats: N/A
Projected Round: Undrafted
Brendel had no other way but to go up after last week performance against Nick Bosa. This week he did do a lot better holding down the outside on the line. The team as a total rushed for 360 yards and added five touchdowns. He still needs to finish blocks all the way through and set the tone for the offensive line at tackle. He will be going against good competition within the PAC-12 and his team will need him to step up.
Another test is coming for him this week with the blitz ability of the Wolfpack. They have a total of 5 sacks in two weeks. The way Brendel played the first week he will have to keep the momentum from the second and carry it into this week.
Jalen Moore
Week 1 Grade: N/A; Week 2 Grade: C
Week 2 Stats: 4 total tackles, 1 pass deflection
Projected Round: 6th to 7th Round
Moore is the spotlight in a sub-par defensive back group. The Beavers secondary took a blow losing David Morris but Moore is taking over being everywhere on the field. His motor is something that will help him boost his draft stock. He has the size of an NFL safety at 6′ and 208 lbs. Morris is going to have to start getting interceptions and pass breakups if he wants his draft stock to continue to rise. The size he already has but he has to show he can cover with that size.
In Week 2, he garnered a pass deflection but the Oregon State defense has been horrific with getting interceptions, and at safety, Moore is going to have to get that going. The Wolfpack’s receiving duo in McLane Mannix and Kaleb Fossum will test the Beaver’s suspect secondary. These two have a total 400 yards receiving between the both of them with Mannix recording three touchdowns. Moore will have to watch the top making sure these two don’t break the game open at any time with a deep route up top.