San Jose State @ Oregon State preview

Oregon State looks to bounce back from a disappointing loss on Saturday as it hosts San Jose State, which has lost 11 straight games to Pac-12 opponents. The Beavers turned in a dismal second half against Michigan last week and suffered a 35-7 loss, while San Jose State also struggled late in a 38-17 defeat at Air Force.

The Beavers’ offense was held to four yards and one first down in the second half against Michigan as freshman quarterback Seth Collins failed to build on his impressive debut against Weber State. Collins and the Beavers hope to prepare for next week’s Pac-12 opener against Stanford with an improved effort versus San Jose State, which is 4-10 on the road under coach Ron Caragher. Spartans running back Tyler Ervin has recorded 248 rushing yards and four touchdowns through two games and could receive a heavy workload against an Oregon State defense that allowed Michigan’s De'Veon Smith to run for 126 yards and three scores. Linebacker Rommel Mageo has been one of the few bright spots for the Beavers defense, which had far too many missed tackles against Michigan.

TV: 8 p.m. ET, Pac-12 Network. LINE: Oregon State -7.5

ABOUT SAN JOSE STATE (1-1): Caragher’s two-quarterback system will continue for at least another week as Kenny Potter and Joe Gray are expected to share time against the Beavers. Both played well in the season-opening 43-13 win over New Hampshire but took a step back last Saturday, when the Spartans completed just one pass longer than 20 yards. San Jose State ranks first nationally in pass defense at 42 yards per game thanks to shutdown cornerbacks Cleveland Wallace III and Jimmy Pruitt, along with linebacker Christian Tago, whose status for Saturday is unclear after he suffered a head injury against Air Force.

ABOUT OREGON STATE (1-1): Senior running back Storm Woods, who is 43 receiving yards shy of becoming the second player in school history to record 2,000 yards rushing and 1,000 receiving, did not start against Michigan due to a lingering knee injury but played briefly in the second half and put in a full practice on Tuesday. Oregon State ranks last in the Pac-12 in scoring offense at 16.5 points per game and needs a healthy Woods to help take pressure off Collins. The Beavers’ special-teams unit also is looking to improve after committing five penalties and botching a long snap on a punt against Michigan.

EXTRA POINTS

1. Oregon State offensive coordinator Dave Baldwin was the head coach at San Jose State from 1997-2000.

2. San Jose State has lost five consecutive road games and eight of its last 10.

3. Oregon State LB Bright Ugwoegbu is expected to return to the starting lineup Saturday after being suspended for last week’s game against Michigan.

PREDICTION: Oregon State 24, San Jose State 16