Two football programs separated by only 42 miles in distance could not be more distant as it regards on-field success. 

The Oregon State Beavers (0-3) make the short trip down to Eugene for what should be a hard-fought matchup in this season’s iteration of the historic rivalry. The Beavers have fared quite differently than the Ducks, who remain undefeated, and the first three games of their season have shown little success. 

Coming off a 5-7 season where it failed to reach a bowl game for the first time since 2020, Oregon State endured a rough trio of games to begin the season.

This, though,wasn’t always supposed to be the case this season. 

During the offseason, the Beavers secured the commitment of former University of Texas and Duke University quarterback Maalik Murphy, who was meant to lead a resurgence of the program under second-year head coach Trent Bray. 

Unfortunately for the team up in Corvallis, it just hasn’t played out that way. Oregon State played two Power Four opponents in the first three weeks and lost those games by a combined margin of 50 points — 34-15 against Cal and 45-14 at Texas Tech University. 

In the second game, against the Fresno State University Bulldogs, OSU led 21-20 heading into the fourth quarter. The Beavers tallied 528 total yards compared to the Bulldogs’ 318 and doubled the amount of Fresno State first downs by game’s end, but emerged a nine-point loser. 

Oregon State’s most prevalent recurring issue has become turnovers, and it’s what tipped the scales toward Fresno State in Week 2. Murphy is tied for fifth in FBS in interceptions thrown with five in the first three games. 

His most costly giveaway came at the end of the Fresno State game, as the Beavers were attempting to mount a drive to win the game. Murphy and his receiver were not on the same page and after a quick drop back, the junior quarterback fired one right to a waiting defender, who took it back to OSU’s end zone and effectively ended the game. 

In that game, the Beavers’ special teams also took center stage when, on a routine punt in the second quarter, they botched the snap. The Bulldogs took advantage of that and scooped the ball for an easy score. Bray, during an on-air interview at halftime of the game, explained that their special teams needed a lot of work, in his own expletive way. 

The Beavers’ defense also hasn’t had much to show, especially after surrendering 38 points in the first three quarters in Week 3 against Texas Tech. While the offense also stalled and failed to score a single point, Oregon State allowed 599 total yards by the time the game concluded. 

All that taken into account, along with the Ducks’ flawless first three games, the outlook looks fairly bleak for the Beavers as they prepare to head into Autzen Stadium on Saturday afternoon. 

Oregon quarterback Dante Moore has shown his ability to tear into opposing defenses that are prone to letting up a lot of yards through the air, and has averaged 219 pass yards in the first three weeks. That, mixed with the Ducks’ ability to punch in touchdowns on the ground, will prove an Achilles’ heel for Oregon State. 

Betting-wise, Oregon opened as 34.5 point favorites, which is the largest margin that the bookmakers have predicted for the Ducks so far this season. That all being said, this game is expected to be a blowout for Oregon when taking into account the odds and the two team’s resumes stacked against each other. 

Although, stranger things have happened in rivalry games.