Washington State @ Oregon State preview

Last Meeting ( Nov 21, 2009 ) Oregon State 42, Washington State 10

Two difficult losses have spoiled some big aspirations for Oregon State. Now the Beavers have plenty of work to do just to earn a spot in a bowl game.

Oregon State will be a huge favorite when it hosts Washington State in a Pac-10 game Saturday. The Cougars are 1-9, 0-7 Pac-10, and have been outscored 381-176 this season.

Time is certainly running out for Oregon State. The Beavers suffered a 17-14 loss at UCLA last week when Kai Forbath booted a 51-yard field goal as time expired. It was the second tough loss in three games for Oregon State, which also lost a 34-33 game at Washington in overtime.

Oregon State needs two more wins to earn a bowl berth, and it certainly can’t count on its season-finale against rival Oregon for one of them. The Ducks are ranked No.1 in the nation, and would surely need that win to clinch a BCS title game berth.

The Beavers, who also play Southern Cal and No. 9 Stanford in the coming weeks, are projected for a bid in the Sun Bowl as the fourth place team in the Pac-10. They would play the fourth place team in the ACC, which is currently North Carolina State.

Oregon State, which is an early 23.5-point favorite, has averaged 53 points in its past three meetings against Washington State, all blowout victories.

The Beavers (4-4, 3-2 Pac-10) have been paced by exciting running back Jacquizz Rodgers, who leads the team with 803 yards rushing and 13 touchdowns. Oregon State took a big hit when Rodgers’ equally electric brother, wide receiver James Rodgers, suffered a season-ending injury against Arizona on Oct. 12.

Washington State hopes to have running back James Montgomery on the field on Saturday. He is listed as probable with a quad injury. Carl Winston, another back, is questionable with a hamstring injury.

The Cougars have not won since the second game of the season when they needed 16 straight points in the fourth quarter to beat Montana State 23-22. Otherwise, Paul Wulff’s first season at Washington State has been forgettable. While fellow Pac-10 coaches laud Wulff’s team’s effort, the Cougars have been miserable on offense.

Washington State gained a season-low 194 yards last week in its 20-13 loss to California, its second straight week of setting lower standards. The Cougars failed to mount a drive longer than 38 yards in the process.

Quarterback Jeff Tuel was 9 of 25 for 92 yards last week, but has thrown for a respectable 2,325 yards with 14 touchdowns and 11 interceptions this season. But when Tuel struggles, the young Cougars clearly have no hope. Montgomery, though, could give them a lift - he leads the Cougars with 333 yards on 95 carries with four touchdowns.