CORVALLIS — Oregon State's secondary is banged up and coming off a tough outing against Colorado, where the Beavers gave up two deep, over-the-top touchdown catches by Shay Fields and then let him take a wide receiver screen down the sideline for a 63-yard score.
So the Beavers are in a tough spot, coach Gary Andersen acknowledges, with California's explosive "Bear Raid" offense visiting Reser Stadium Saturday night. But equally key to slowing down the Golden Bears is getting pressure on the quarterback, something OSU has struggled with so far this season.
"In (the quarterback's) mind," Andersen said, "that clock's gotta go off that says, 'Hey, there's gonna be a guy whistling around me right now, and I better get rid of this football.