OSu earns playoff bye after brutal 2-game series with Wazzu

CORVALLIS, OR -- In a heartbreaking, stressful, and undeniably thrilling pair of games, Oregon State has earned a much-needed playoff bye as they enter stretch run of their repeat campaign. 

Washington State put the Beavs through the wringer to end the regular season, handing them their first loss since Oregon in Pullman, Washington, and taking them to the wire a week later in 

The conference championship. 

“That’s the best defense we’ve seen all season,” said quarterback JJ Bailey. “They play like there’s 15 of ‘em on the field.”

In the season finale, the Cougars tormented the OSU passer, sacking him five times and picking him twice, returning both for back-breaking touchdowns- one early and one late. Bailey still managed more than 400 yards passing, but only tossed one score and had trouble finding his favorite target all night. 

“They were smart. Swarmed him (Thoman) all game and hid their shells,” he said. “Plus their linebackers have the best closing speed I’ve seen. Separation wasn’t really separation, you know?”

The Beavers led 7-0 after the first quarter but trailed 16-14 at half. Thoman was held to just 48 yards on six catches, but managed to score late in the third quarter to give his team a 21-16 lead. The defense held Wazzu to just two field goals in the second half, but a fourth-quarter pick-six meant they led OSU 29-28 with just 1:20 left in the game. For his part, Bailey managed to drive the offense downfield, converting on a third and a fourth down to bring them within field goal range. But kicker Henry Simons, who to that point had been automatic inside 40 yards and impressively reliable from beyond 50, clanked a 33-yarder off the left upright with 10 seconds left on the clock. 

The heartbreak felt out of place given OSU’s season, and the normally media-friendly Beavers were tight after the game, offering little to reporters other than grumbles. Senior defensive captain Will Armistead did return as promised, leading the defense with five solo tackles, a tackle for a loss and a sack. He and defensive lineman Justin Childs helped hold the Cougars to just 29 yards on 22 carries, but Washington State’s defensive touchdowns took the game out of their hands. 

But the Beavers got what every team who loses a heartbreaker dreams of: a rematch. After one week to rest, the two teams suited right back up for the PAC-12 Championship, unsure whether a loss would mean missing the playoffs, but certain a win would secure a first-round bye.

“That’s the kind of game you live for,” said Childs. “That one-in-a-million rematch where the stakes are higher and the pressure is bigger.” 

It was clear from the first snap the game was destined to be another classic. Washington State’s pass rush was somehow more ferocious, constantly infiltrating the backfield and putting pressure on Bailey. But the quarterback was buttoned up this time, going 26-for-39 for 363 yards and three touchdowns. 

Despite being sacked a whopping eight times, he managed to consistently convert on third down and wear the Cougars out. Thoman certainly helped the cause, shaking defenders for 10 catches, 137 yards and a touchdown. The touchdown was early, but down the stretch he was the go-to third down look when OSU needed him, hauling in five passes in the fourth quarter alone. 

“Gotta have that PPR, baby. Yards for show, catches for dough, right? I don’t know,” he said, breaking into a laugh. “I’m exhausted, honestly. I respect the hell out of that defense, man. It was like being covered by a swarm of bees.”

What Wazzu did to Bailey and the offense with pressure, Armistead and Childs returned twofold- especially on the Cougars’ run game. After a punishing first half, Washington State abandoned the ground entirely having been held to 13 yards on 16 carries. 

“That’s been our rule all year,” Armistead said. “Make every yard come with a price, and eventually they’ll stop wanting to pay it. They lasted longer than most teams do, but once they gave up, Bulldog and I got to go QB hunting.”

The pair combined for seven tackles and 4.5 sacks, with Childs picking up two of his three in the fourth quarter and Armistead getting his solo sack and a tackle for a loss on Wazzu’s final drive.  

Both were critical, as this time it was the Cougars with a last-chance drive opportunity. Bailey had capped the go-ahead possession with a 15-yard touchdown scamper to make the score 31-27, leaving the Cougars a little over one minute to make magic. 

They picked up two first downs, but Armistead’s critical backfield blowups not only set them back, but ate up their final two timeouts. 

“That’s what captains do. They deliver in the big spots,” Childs said. “Of course, I softened them up a bit for the old guy. That’s what guys like us do- make the captain look good.”

Armistead had left to get treatment on his ankle so he missed the jab, which Childs noted with a smile “because now he gets to read it first thing tomorrow.”

With the conference title in hand, the Beavers get to take the first round of the CFP off, and rest up for the winner of ___ VS ____. The Cougars made the field as well, though they are on the other side of the bracket so the two won’t have their rubber match unless it’s for a national title. That’s not to say there’s no drama. The other bye on OSU’s side of things is Oregon, and a redemption game against the Ducks would be music to these seniors’ ears. 

NOTES HEADED INTO THE PLAYOFFS

-OSU finally allowed 600 yards on the ground this season. Their 601 is 300 more than the next closest team. 

- The defense is fifth in points allowed, first in sacks (54), and has allowed the second-fewest red zone TDs. 

-The offense is third in ppg, has the most passing yards, most first downs, and the most red zone TDs (11th in efficiency at 61 percent).

-The Beavers have the fewest penalty yards in college football

-Thoman is one touchdown away from single-season receiving TD record, but has alread broken TE records in yards and touchdowns for both a single season and for a career. If he has an outrageous playoff, he could conceivably reach the mark for most touchdown catches in a career.