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Nicholls-Oregon St. Preview
Nicholls Colonels at Oregon State Beavers
- This is the first meeting between these two teams. This is the first time, since at least 1996, that an FBS and FCS team have met in the month of December.
- Opponents have converted just 29.2 percent of their third-down attempts against Oregon State this season, seventh lowest in the FBS. Oregon State has allowed just 45 third-down conversions this season, second fewest in the FBS.
- Oregon State committed six turnovers in its 48-24 loss to Oregon last week, its most turnovers in a game since committed six turnovers against Arizona State on September 22, 2007.
- Oregon State (Brandin Cooks -- 1113, Markus Wheaton -- 1084) and West Virginia are the only two FBS teams with two players with 1000 receiving yards or more this season.
- Sean Mannion has thrown seven touchdowns and 12 interceptions over his last five games. Since the start of last season, Mannion leads all FBS players with 31 interceptions.
- Nicholls has lost 19 consecutive games against FBS and FCS opponents, the second longest active streak in Division I.
By JOEL FOWLKS
CORVALLIS, Ore. (AP) When the Oregon State Beavers gathered to discuss the wreckage that was a 48-24 loss to Oregon Saturday, there was really no need for a post-mortem. The causes of the disaster were obvious.
The Beavers never gave themselves a chance. Six turnovers - four interceptions and two fumbles - buried the Beavers as much as Oregon's otherworldly spread offense, which rolled up 570 yards. Oregon State trailed 20-17 in the third quarter before the Ducks scored 28 unanswered points.
No. 16 Oregon State (8-3, 6-3 Pac-12) was left mourning a lost opportunity to do something no current Beaver player had done: defeat the sixth-ranked Ducks, who won the Civil War for the fifth straight year Saturday.
"It hurts. I wanted this - we wanted it - really bad," senior receiver Markus Wheaton said.
That leaves Oregon State looking ahead to a game that to this point was considered an afterthought. In fact, the Beavers' Dec. 1 matchup with Nicholls State of Thibodaux, La., was a few weeks ago seen as an impediment that the school considered canceling because fears of that it might drag down the strength of schedule and inhibit the team's chances at making a Bowl Championship Series Bowl.
After losing its third game of the season - the Beavers' previous two losses were by a total of seven points - a BCS bowl is out of reach for Oregon State. The Holiday Bowl appears to be the most likely destination.
Now, Saturday's matchup with the Colonels of the Football Championship Subdivision is something the Beavers can look forward to, providing them with a chance to end the regular season on a positive note and not this bitter one while waiting several weeks to play in a bowl.
"That'll be a good thing," senior cornerback Jordan Poyer said after the game. "I want to take this out on somebody. This hurts."
Oregon State was supposed to host the Colonels Sept. 3 in the season-opener, but the game was postponed when Hurricane Isaac swept in and closed the Nicholls State campus.
The Colonels are enduring a miserable 1-9 season (they are 0-7 in the Southland Conference), tallying their only win against Evangel University of Missouri, which competes in NAIA. In short, Nicholls State is in no way a threat to upset Oregon State. However, just its upcoming presence in Corvallis gives the Beavers a game to get prepared for rather than dwell the on the Ducks debacle.
"We have another opponent. There is no time to pout, feel sorry for yourself," Oregon State quarterback Sean Mannion said.
One area the Beavers will have an opportunity to work on is in the passing game. Mannion's four interceptions brought his season total to 13. Mannion blamed some bad decisions and his attempt to force some passes late in the game once the Beavers fell behind.
"Turnovers are absolute killers," Oregon State coach Mike Riley said. "I felt like had we just taken care of the football we could have made an attempt to keep pace."
Updated November 26, 2012
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