BeaversEdge Staff Predictions: UNLV vs. Oregon State

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Every Friday of every game week, the BeaversEdge.com staff provides their predictions for the Oregon State matchup!

With the Oregon State Beavers (4-2) set to face UNLV (5-1) on Saturday afternoon, BeaversEdge editor Brenden Slaughter, recruiting analyst Dylan Callaghan-Croley and writers TJ Mathewson and Ryan Harlan give their take on the matchup and who will be ahead!

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UNLV coming to town after the Beavers' defensive woes in recent weeks seems like a cruel joke, but it's simply reality for a Beaver program that can reverse the trend of its season with a win on Saturday. How can they win? Well, I would imagine it must be a high scoring affair.

Even though the Beavers brought a few guys back on defense, the UNLV offense was an efficient machine under Brennan Marrion's “go-go” offense. The offense's strength lies in tempo, option running and deep shots, which puts pressure on some of the thinnest parts of the Oregon State defense.

The favorable matchup comes on the other side, where a struggling UNLV defense has given up 78 points in the last two weeks after a strong first four weeks. We've seen OSU's offense score the first 30 points every week since Purdue week. Will it be enough?

I do not believe that. UNLV comes into the game on homecoming night and pulls away with a late touchdown in a high-scoring affair.

PREDICTION: UNLV 45, Oregon State 34

TJ's season record: 4-2

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While UNLV has been the epitome of a “real game” in years past, it's a completely different story and culture under second-year head coach Barry Odom, who has instantly transformed a poor program into one that's toe-to-toe can go with most on Saturday…

Offensively, the Rebels pose major problems for Oregon State's defense, as the Rebels can do much of what Nevada did last weekend better and faster. The Beavers will have the advantage of being at home and having their fans behind them, which usually leads to better defense, but the matchup isn't the best for the Beavs.

The Rebels rank 15th nationally in rushing yards per game with 213.6 yards per contest, while the Beavers allow 221 yards on the ground per game, which ranks 123rd nationally. UNLV is very similar to Oregon State through the air, as the Rebels and Beavers are very similar at 171 and 191 yards per game, respectively.

For the Beavers to come out on top in this matchup, the run defense will need to take a huge step forward. Whether it's internal improvement with the players available or the return of additional players, if the Beavers can find something that slows down UNLV offensively, they're in the right place in this matchup. If it's more of what we saw last week, it could be a long evening.

If there's any good news for the Beavers in this matchup, it's that UNLV's defense has slipped in recent weeks, giving the Beavs the opportunity to make this a higher-scoring affair if necessary.

The Rebels have allowed over 1,000 combined yards and 75 total points to Utah State and Syracuse in the last two weeks (1-1 against those teams), and as the Beavers start to become more consistent offensively, that could be a good sign.

With the home crowd behind me, I expect the Beaver defense to play better than it did against Nevada, but the converse is that UNLV is a better offense than the Wolfpack, so the challenge of slowing down that go-go offense Attack is still big.

I've thought about it back and forth this week and thought about it a lot, but I still think the Rebels are a little better than the Beavers on Saturday night…

PREDICTION – UNLV 42, Oregon State 39

Brenden's season record: 5-1

After a disappointing loss to Nevada last week, the Beavers face a tough home game against the UNLV Rebels on Saturday.

Now, if Oregon State were healthy on the defensive side of the ball in this matchup; I would like the Beavers to have a chance to win this game, but right now, given the losses they have on defense, I don't think they can stop the run against a UNLV team that likes to play “Go-Go” offense is in full swing.

What really sets me apart from the Beavers in this matchup is the injuries on defense and especially the lack of depth along the defensive line.

While the Beavers will get some players back on the defensive side of the ball, they will have a few players back playing on both the offensive and defensive sides of the ball due to the lack of available depth.

The lack of depth reared its ugly head in the loss to Nevada, as several starters on defense played a significant number of snaps. While the Beavers have shown they can win games at home with a key defensive starter, such as against Colorado State, where the Beavers were able to capitalize on self-inflicted mistakes by the Rams.

I won't completely write off the Beavers in this matchup, I think it comes down to how the depth on defense and the ability to contain UNLV's QB Hajj Malik-Williams with solid technique shows up. Offensively, it's about not making self-inflicted mistakes and keeping up with UNLV in the passing and running game.

The Beavers' offense has shown it can rack up yards and points when needed, but its success will depend on how healthy Gevani McCoy is. McCoy's turnovers played a role in the loss to Nevada, but they need to keep him upright and protected if they want to avoid these mistakes in the passing game.

Otherwise, it's going to be a long night at Reser Stadium if the Beavers don't hit those keys against the Rebels.

PREDICTION: UNLV 34, Oregon State 28

Ryan's season record: 5-1

It was a tough matchup for Oregon State to begin with, but when you add in all the injuries, an already tall hill has gotten closer and closer to a mountain.

The Beavers are a good football team, there's little doubt about that, but this UNLV team is a legitimate playoff contender and their offense is a big reason why.

Despite a sudden quarterback change this season, the Rebels haven't missed a single beat on offense and can mostly outscore opposing teams on the ground but also through the air.

Defensively, they have their weaknesses in the passing game, but I'm not sure the Beavers have the ability to truly exploit that weakness. If so, then they haven't shown it this season.

All in all, this is just a bad game for the Beavers and it will take a great game plan and probably a few lucky moments to win this game.

PREDICTION: UNLV 34 – Oregon State 20

Dylan's season record: 5-1