TV Take: In a fall full of streak-snapping, the Beavers ended an eight-game drought against the Cougars

It’s been awhile since Oregon State had won a game against Washington State. Not as long as the Mariners’ playoff drought, sure, but eight years seems an eternity in college football.

And like what happened in Seattle earlier this month, the Beavers ended their negative streak.

All it took was a defense that dominated the line of scrimmage unlike any of its games this season and an offense making just enough plays to earn a 24-10 victory Saturday night in Corvallis.

It took awhile, but Washington State fans in the Inland Northwest were able to watch most of it on the Pac-12 Network with Roxy Bernstein and Lincoln Kennedy on the call.

What they saw

• We began watching the game on the Pac-12 Now app, thanks to Washington’s 49-39 victory over Arizona that was also on the conference’s network.

Because of that, we missed Bernstein and Kennedy’s pregame thoughts. If they didn’t focus on how the defenses should dominate, they missed a chance. Because the first half was almost nothing but defense. The second was different, at least for the Cougars.

The Oregon State defense showed up in the first quarter. The Cougars’ defense took its turn in the second. At halftime, though, the Beavers led 10-3 and the statistics were pretty equal.

Bernstein and the graphics department teamed to show how dominant each was, starting the second half with a quick look at the strange statistics.

First quarter: OSU with 149 yards to WSU’s 1, with nine first downs to zero. Second quarter: WSU with 168 yards to OSU’s 14, with nine first downs to one.

After Atticus Sappington connected on a 26-yard field goal early in the second quarter, Bernstein opined the Cougars must have felt lucky only to be down 10 points.

• Or to be down seven at half. Because, even though the second quarter was a turnaround, Washington State still dropped three passes, including two in a row on its field-goal drive.

Then there was a wide-open drop in their penultimate drive of the half by the usually sure-handed Robert Ferrel, one, if made, would have led to a field-goal opportunity.

“You’ve got to catch that,” Kennedy said succinctly.

• The dropped balls continued in the second half, most notably in a fourth-quarter drive after the Beavers had taken a 24-10 lead.

Ward led the Cougars deep into OSU territory, thanks in large part to a 38-yard screen pass to Ferrel. But facing a fourth-and-11 at the 38, Ward’s on-target pass went through Donovan Ollie’s hands and ended up with a diving OSU player.

“How many times have we seen the ball go through a receiver’s hands?” Kennedy asked.

At least five.

What we saw

• Oregon State (5-2 overall, 2-2 in Pac-12 play) may not be among the conference leaders in sacks, with just five in six games, but that doesn’t mean the Beavers were incapable of putting pressure on Cameron Ward. They did not just en route to six total in the game – four more than their conference total coming in – but on many other plays. In fact, on almost every passing play, Ward was pushed off his spot and had to make a play on his own.

When he had time, however, like during their first touchdown drive in the third quarter, Ward clicked.

Trailing 17-3, Ward led an 81-yard drive in seven plays, six of them passes and one a scramble that lost a yard.

But that was the exception. Of Ward’s 29 incompletions, at least a dozen of them were either drops or balls he threw away to avoid a sack.

• If ever one play illustrated the issue the Pac-12 has with officiating, it might have been an inconsequential play late in the first half. Washington State (4-3, 1-3) was punting with 1 minute, 42 seconds before halftime. The Cougars false started.

The clock did not move, but for some reason referee Steve Strimling thought it had. He stopped play and told the scorekeeper to put 1:43 on the clock. It didn’t happen. So Strimling asked again, more forcefully.

The person running the clock was having none of it. And neither was Bernstein, who pointed out the clock had not run. But Strimling, of course, got his way.

Bernstein chuckled. Kennedy didn’t. He was just sarcastic.

“(We’ll) stay here until we get it right,” he said as the second was added.

No, we waited for way too long just to get it wrong.

• Jack Colletto is an outstanding college football player. A throwback even. But, yes, anyone who remotely follows the Pac-12 knows he plays offense, defense and special teams. We don’t need to be reminded of it 100 times.

He scored two touchdowns despite not being a starting quarterback, or tight end or fullback, though he plays all of them. That’s impressive enough. No embellishment needed.

• Daiyan Henley is an outstanding defensive player. Pac-12 observers are starting to recognize it.

Bernstein, who was on the play-by-play in the Cougars’ win over California, was impressed after his performance against OSU.

“Henley is just an awesome football player,” Bernstein said.

Despite OSU’s defensive dominance, Henley was the best player on that side of the ball. He finished the night with 13 tackles, almost double anyone else.