Arizona vs. Oregon State: Five Beavers who look to make an impact against the Wildcats

Ryan Nall hopes to lead Oregon State’s running attack in Corvallis on Saturday

The Oregon State Beavers have also had a rough season. With a 2-8 overall record (1-6 in Pac-12 play), the Beavers have had some really close-but-not-quite games (Utah, UCLA, and Washington State).

It feels as if Oregon State is on the cusp of turning the corner, but they aren’t quite there yet.

Now we will take a look at five Beavers who look to lead them to a victory on Saturday against the Arizona Wildcats.

Ryan Nall, RB (#34)

2016 Stats: 93 car, 672 yds, 8 TD; 18 rec, 165 yds, 1 TD

Nall has been the workhorse in the backfield for Gary Andersen this year. He is a big back, checking in at 6-foot-2, 234 pounds, so he’ll be a load to bring down for sure. As a true sophomore, he hasn’t fully reached his ceiling yet, but he is well on his way. Besides toting the rock, Nall can be used to catch passes out of the backfield. One thing that has plagued Nall this year are small, nagging injuries. The good news for the Beavs, freshman Artavis Pierce, who Arizona recruited, is also pretty good.

Victor Bolden Jr., WR (#6)

2016 Stats: 43 rec, 528 yds, 2 TD; 26 car, 333 yds, 2 TD

Bolden is Oregon State’s do-everything receiver. He is always dangerous running routes, but it’s in the backfield that he will surprise. As you can see from the stats above, he is actually successful running the ball. Oregon State mostly uses him for jet sweeps and he has the speed to turn the corner on the edge and burn defenses. As a matter of fact, he did it against the Washington Huskies’ defense with a 75-yard touchdown run down the sideline. Let’s not forget that he’ll also be returning kickoffs, and most likely punts, for the Beavers.

Marcus McMaryion, QB (#3)

2016 Stats: 72-for-131, 920 yds, 4 TD, 5 INT

McMaryion took the reigns of the Beaver offense after Utah State transfer Darell Garretson went down with a season-ending injury. McMaryion is a young quarterback and still has some growing to do. He does have some accuracy issues shown by his touchdown to interception ratio. He is more of a pocket passer and not much of a run threat.

On a plus side, Arizona has the opportunity to make a LOT of plays in the backfield on Saturday. Through 10 games, Oregon State’s offensive line has given up 53 TFL and 23 sacks. McMaryion will undoubtedly be under a lot of pressure from Arizona blitzes.

Treston Decoud, CB (#14)

2016 Stats: 50 tackles, 2.0 TFL, 2 INT, 7 PBU

Decoud is one of the Beavers’ talented corners. He isn’t perfect but he can make a play on the ball. Decoud leads the team in interceptions and is second on the team in PBUs. This leads me to the last Beaver player.

Xavier Crawford, CB (#22)

2016 Stats: 61 tackles, 2.0 TFL, 1.0 sack, 10 PBU, 1 forced fumble

Crawford is the other Beaver corner who can cause problems for receivers. He is fourth on the team in tackles and first in PBUs.

Both corners will present a challenge for the Arizona receivers. Routes are going to have to be on point to keep these corners from making plays and turning the tide of the game.

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