Oregon State squanders a 14-point lead in loss to Hawai’i

As the famous saying goes: close only counts in horseshoes and hand grenades. That’s why the three-point loss by the Oregon State Beavers to the University of Hawai’i Rainbow Warriors won’t feel any better than the Beavers’ 16-point to Oklahoma State the weekend prior.

In fact, you could argue that the loss stings even more, considering the Beavers proverbially snatched defeat from the hands of victory. Because with 2:25 left in first half, the Beavers, who hadn’t trailed at any point in the game, held a two-touchdown lead with the score at 28-14.

But from there, Oregon State’s offense would go silent. From that point onwards, the Beavers would only accumulate 118 yards of total offense, with seven of their final nine drives ending in either punts or failed fourth down conversions.

Meanwhile, the Rainbow Warriors tied up the game at 28-28 just past midway through the third quarter, thanks to a pair of touchdown passes from quarterback Cole McDonald to wide receiver JoJo Ward.

McDonald and Ward connected on a five-yard score on the ensuing drive after the Beavers went up 28-14, just before the half. In the third quarter, McDonald found Ward on a 29-yard touchdown pass, capping a 4-play, 80-yard drive that resulted in the only points being scored in the 4th quarter.

As the Beavers’ offensive woes continued into the fourth quarter, the Rainbow Warriors capitalized on Oregon State’s failed fourth down attempt deep in their own territory. Getting the ball on the Beavers’ 34-yard line, Hawai’I picked up 24 yards on six plays, and took their first lead of the game via Ryan Meskell’s 28-yard field goal putting the Rainbow Warriors up by a 31-28 score.

Unsurprisingly, the deficit sparked one of the two meaningful drives that the Beavers had after halftime. Starting on their own 35-yard line, the Beavers went 31 yards on seven plays. But their drie stalled on the 34-yard line of the Rainbow Warriors, and kicker Jordan Choukair missed the potential 52-yard game-tying attempt with just 1:15 remaining in the game.

The loss to Hawai’i spoils what was otherwise a brilliant performance from running back Jermar Johnson. The sophomore had 183 yards rushing and a touchdown on 31 attempts, easily marking his best stat line since almost a year ago. It was Johnson’s four-yard run midway through the first quarter that gave Oregon State a 7-0 lead to start the game.

Unfortunately, the Beavers couldn’t do much past that. They were ultimately done in by the 421 yards passing and four touchdowns thrown by McDonald, with Ward being the primary beneficiary (evidenced by the latter’s 10 catches for 189 yards, and all four touchdown receptions).

Oregon State head coach Jonathan Smith will have to rally the troops after a tough loss, as they still look for their first win since late October of last year. On paper, their game against the Cal Poly Mustangs represents as good an opportunity as any, especially with the game taking place in Corvallis. At least early on, the Beavers actually look to be heavy favorites entering the game. Kickoff is set for 4:15pm local time.