Running back Jemar Jefferson being sandwich during the Arizona vs Oregon State football game at Reser Stadium in Corvallis, Oregon. (Photo by Megan Connelly / fi360 News)
CORVALLIS, OR – The Arizona Wildcats takeover Reser Stadium by beating the Oregon State Beavers 35-14 to open Pac-12 play.
The Wildcats started the game with the first touchdown on their first offensive possession. Arizona dominated the Beavers outgained Oregon State 594-238 in yardage. J.J. Taylor was unstoppable running 27 times for 284 yards giving Arizona momentum.
There were high hopes in the first quarter after Connor Blount threw a 8-yard pass to Trevon Bradford tying their opponents 7-7 but the Beavers lost drive as the game went on. Six of the Beavers’ 10 drives produced less than 12 yards. Freshman, Jermar Jefferson, ran 19 times for 82 yards. Blount hit 17 of 24 passes for only 137 yards while Arizona’s defense racked up 11 tackles for loss.
Quarterback Connor Blount running for a first down during the Arizona vs Oregon State football game at Reser Stadium in Corvallis, Oregon. (Photo by Megan Connelly / fi360 News)
“Super frustrating. … sucks,” OSU quarterback Blount said. “Seven points, three points at least. You get those points, and get the crowd back in it, it’s 21-14, 21-10. It’s a killer.”
The Beaver’s defense kept it tight making it difficult for the Wildcats to score in the first half with only one touchdown each quarter. As the game went on, the Beaver’s unraveled letting the Wildcats score another three more times in the second half.
While the Beavers offense was having trouble gaining yards, there were a couple of highlights that popped up on the defensive side. Safety, Jalen Moore, had a career-high 14 tackles and linebacker, Hamilcar Rashed Jr., had 11/2 sacks, most by a Beaver this season.
Quarterback Khalil Tate in shotgun formation during the Arizona vs Oregon State football game at Reser Stadium in Corvallis, Oregon. (Photo by Megan Connelly / fi360 News)
Coach Smith has high hopes with his team and is not afraid to show faults in their games. “We never found some rhythm,” Smith said, followed by “It feels like we lost the game, and yeah, there was big scores, but the game was not out of balance until late so we have to keep on swinging and keep on improving.”
Oregon State heads to the desert next Saturday to play Arizona state to attempt to break a 21-game road losing streak.
Arizona vs Oregon State football game at Reser Stadium in Corvallis, Oregon. (Photo by Megan Connelly / fi360 News)
