Oregon State plays its biggest game of the 2026 season this Saturday when they take on 24th-ranked Boise State on the road. The Beavers are looking to recover from back-to-back losses, and a College Gameday matchup should present an excellent opportunity to put wind back into their sails. It is a tall task ahead of them, and Shephard's squad will have to play excellent football if they want to pull off the upset. 

Corners Win One-on-One Scenarios

This is much easier said than done against a unit with quite a bit of pass-catching talent. But if the Beavers want any chance to slow down this Boise offense, they will have to be really good at defending the pass.

Baker, OR native Rasean Jones has been outstanding for the Broncos over the last two weeks, wreaking havoc on opposing secondaries. Whether it's Trey Glasper, Isaiah Houi or TJ Crandall lined up on the other side of the ball from Jones, that corner is going to need to have one of the best games of his life. Additionally, coach Macintyre will have to find a way to prevent standout tight end Matt Wagner from leaking out into the flat and hurting them with yards after the catch. Ultimately, Boise State is dangerous everywhere on offense, and they have one of the best backs in the country with Dylan Riley. The best chance the Beavers will have to contain Riley is if they are able to nerf the effectiveness of Boise's passing attack.

Run the ball effectively on first down

The Beavers did not do this well at all against Texas State, and frequently found themselves in second and long situations. With an offensive line that has been really struggling, Newberry and Hatcher will have to be prepared to make guys miss at the line of scrimmage and forge a lot of their own running lanes. Although Boise has some really good players on that defense, they have been a little bit vulnerable against the run. Last Saturday against Colorado State, the Broncos gave up 207 yards on the ground.

Have a phenomenal day of punting

While this statement might sound sarcastic, I can assure you it isn’t.

Against an offense that is ridiculously efficient, Oregon State will have to win the field position battle on Saturday afternoon. If the Beavers can pin Boise down inside their own ten yard line, this will put much more pressure on the Broncos’ offense and could be a prime opportunity for generating turnovers. AJ Winsor has been very good at his job this year, but he will have to be set up for success. This is where moving the ball and avoiding three-and-outs comes into play even more than it naturally would already. If Winsor can be punting from around midfield rather than deep in his own territory, it should give him a chance to pin the Broncos back against their goal line.