Coming off a stinging loss in which the ultimate dream for your team has been effectively crushed, it is human nature to linger on what could have been and lose sight of the bigger picture and other achievable, worthwhile goals.

For the Ducks, who have tumbled to 14th in the latest College Football Playoff Top 25 Rankings following their loss to Arizona State last Saturday, the challenge now is to fight human nature and shift their focus from a securing berth in the College Football Playoff to securing a berth in the Rose Bowl – a crowning achievement for any college football program.

Ducks head coach Mario Cristobal said as much Monday during his weekly press conference with media members, as this week’s test commands Oregon’s full attention with a vastly improved Oregon State team headed to Eugene for the 123rd edition of the Civil War rivalry game. Winners of three of their last five games, the Beavers have won five games for the first time since 2014 and are seeking their first bowl berth since 2013.

With both teams having plenty to play for, Saturday’s matchup between these two sides is shaping up to be a welcomed return to the competitively played games that have been historically featured in this rivalry. With the regular season finale finally upon us, WFOD takes the time to examine the Ducks’ longstanding Civil War rival in Oregon State.

Oregon State Beavers

2019 record: 5-6 overall, 4-4 in Pac-12
Last game: 53-54 loss at Washington State
Ranking: N/A
All-time record vs. Oregon: 47-65-10
When and where to watch: Saturday, Nov. 30 at 1:00 p.m. (Pacific), Pac-12 Network

Items of note:

• With a win, the Beavers would notch their fourth victory away from home for the first time since the 2013 season. It would also mark Oregon State’s first win in Eugene since the 2007 season.
• Oregon State has played in four games decided by three points or less this season, going 1-3
• An Oregon win would secure the 11th 10-win season in program history and the first since 2014
• A Duck win would also secure Oregon’s eighth unbeaten season at Autzen Stadium, including the fourth 7-0 year
• Over the last 11 games vs. Oregon State, Oregon is averaging 47.2 points per game with a scoring margin of +20.7 (519-291)

Five Oregon State players you should know:

5. Artavis Pierce (RB)

The start of Artavis Pierce’s career began with a fair amount of promise, as the Lake Alfred, Florida native ranked as the team’s second leading rusher with 523 yards and four touchdowns as a true freshman in 2016. The following two years, however, didn’t necessarily lend itself to Pierce carving out a larger role for himself in the Beavers backfield with Pierce stuck behind senior Ryan Nall in 2017 before Jermar Jefferson burst onto the scene in 2018 with an impressive debut season of his own. Yet, Pierce stayed the course, and for his patience, the senior is being rewarded as he enters Saturday’s game as Oregon State’s leading rusher this season with 848 yards to go along with six touchdowns.

4. Jermar Jefferson (RB)

Few freshmen across the country last season had the kind of the debut campaign that Jermar Jefferson enjoyed. A modestly rated three-star recruit in the 2018 recruiting class from SoCal powerhouse Narbonne High School, Jefferson proved rather quickly that he was deserving of far more attention. Appearing in all 12 games a year ago, Jefferson set a single season true freshman rushing record with 1,380 yards – in addition to 12 rushing touchdowns – en route to earning Pac-12 Offensive Freshman of the Year honors and recognition as a Freshman All-American. Though his sophomore season hasn’t produced the same kind of fireworks (604 yards and seven touchdowns in eight games), Jefferson remains as this team’s most talented back when healthy and available. There’s proof too that he may be playing some of his best ball of late, as Jefferson has rushed for over 100 yards in two of the last four games while also finding pay dirt six times over that same stretch. After being held to 64 yards on 21 carries vs. Oregon a season ago, expect Jefferson to be eager to rebound from that lackluster performance.

3. Hamilcar Rashed (LB)

The Oregon State defense hasn’t offered much to write home about this season, but they do lay claim to one of the most underrated pass rushers in the Pac-12, if not the nation, in Hamilcar Rashed. After leading the Beavers in tackles for loss a season ago (11.5), the 6-foot-4, 236-pound Rashed has doubled those numbers through 11 games in 2019, as he leads the nation in the category with 22.5. If that weren’t enough, Rashed also leads the Pac-12 in sacks (14.0) and is second behind only Ohio State’s Chase Young in the category nationally. The Ducks have been decent in their protection of Justin Herbert this season, ranking fifth in the conference in sacks allowed (20.0), but the challenge they face in slowing the individual efforts of Rashed will be one of the stiffest tests they face this season.

2. Jake Luton (QB)

As Oregon State’s Jake Luton is finding out, continuity from year to year can work wonders for a quarterback. Playing in the same offensive system in back-to-back years for the first time in his career, Luton has flourished in his senior year in Corvallis, completing 62 percent of his passes for 2,714 yards, 28 touchdowns, and just three interceptions. In fact, a strong argument could be made that Luton is the most improved player in the conference, as he’s thrown nearly three times the number of touchdowns this season as he did as a junior in 2018. His 67.4 completion percentage, 1,112 yards, 12 touchdowns, and two picks over his last four games is bad news for an Oregon secondary that is reeling having given up over 400 yards passing in two of their last four contests.

1. Isaiah Hodgins (WR)

If anyone in Eugene or affiliated with the Oregon football program thought they were getting a reprieve after Arizona State’s Brandon Aiyuk and Frank Darby scorched the Duck secondary last Saturday in Tempe, they were sorely mistaken. On deck this week for Oregon defensive coordinator Andy Avalos and his maligned defense is arguably one of the best kept secrets at wide receiver nationally in Oregon State’s Isaiah Hodgins. An All-Pac-12 Honorable Mention honoree a season ago, Hodgins is making a strong push to land first-team all-conference recognition this season, as he leads the Pac-12 in touchdown receptions (13), ranks second in catches (78), and is third in yards (1,086). At 6-foot-4 and 209 pounds, Hodgins presents a tough matchup for opposing corners given his ability to make contested catches and break tackles after the catch. A potential early round pick in next year’s NFL draft, Hodgins will be a player the Beavers target early and often as they test the wherewithal of the Oregon defensive backfield.

Top Photo: Oregon State head coach Jonathan Smith (Neville E. Guard/USA TODAY Sports)