Last Saturday, Colorado finally got to espouse a sentiment commonly used across college football after a 20-13 overtime victory against Cal – they were going to enjoy the victory for the rest of that day, but come the following morning, it was back to work.

This week, that work revolves around Oregon State.

The Buffs and Beavers will face off Saturday in Corvallis, Ore. with an early evening kickoff.

Oregon State is off to a 5-2 start and is one win away from earning bowl eligibility. This run has continued what was a strong 2021 season, one in which it went 7-6 and made its first bowl since 2013. After going 9-22 in his first three seasons, Beavers coach Jonathan Smith is 12-8 since the start of last season.

The all-time series between the two programs is split, 6-6, though Colorado has won four of the past five meetings, including a 37-34 victory last season in Boulder.

Before this season’s matchup, let’s learn a little bit more about Oregon State.

Game details

Who | Colorado (1-5, 1-2 Pac-12) at Oregon State (5-2, 2-2)

Where | Folsom Field

When | 6 p.m. MT Saturday

TV | Pac-12 Network

Oregon State Beavers (5-2)

Location: Corvallis, Ore.

Conference: Pac-12

Coach: Jonathan Smith (5th season at Oregon State, 21-30 career record)

2021 record: 7-6

Scoring offense rank (of 131 Football Bowl Subdivision teams): 59th (31.1 PPG)

Scoring defense rank: T-58th (24.7 PPG)

Total offense rank: 60th (418.3 YPG)

Total defense rank: 50th (359.6 YPG)

Five players to know

1. ILB Jack Colletto (No. 12): Colletto is listed as a linebacker on the team’s official roster, but more than anything, he’s a Swiss Army knife for the Beavers. Defensively, he has 10 tackles and a fumble recovery, but his greatest contributions arguably come elsewhere. He’s used situationally as a running back, with 17 carries for 72 yards and a team-high six touchdowns, meaning he finds the end zone one out of every three times he’s handed the ball. He even has 217 career passing yards. If you’re tempted to ask what he does for Oregon State, it’s probably more accurate to ask what he doesn’t do.

2. OLs Brandon Kipper (No. 66) and Joshua Gray (No. 67): We’ll make this six players to know instead of the usual five because it would be so tough to include either Kipper or Gray without also having the other. Both players were preseason all-Pac-12 second-team selections after a standout 2021 season in which both were among the 13 highest-graded offensive linemen in the Pac-12 by Pro Football Focus.

3. ILB Omar Speights (No. 1): The Philadelphia native and former four-star recruit was a freshman all-American in 2019 and has been largely productive ever since, including last season, when he had a career-high 87 tackles and two interceptions. After being the only Oregon State player to be a preseason first-team all-Pac-12 honoree, his numbers have tailed off a bit this season – with 37 tackles and no sacks in seven games – but his track record makes him a person worth keeping an eye on.

4. DB Ryan Cooper Jr. (No. 23): Cooper has made an instant impact for the Beavers in his first season with the program since transferring in from the junior-college level. The six-foot junior is first on the team in passes defended (six) and interceptions (three). He also has one sack.

5. WR Tre’Shaun Harrison (No. 0): The list would be incomplete without at least one skill position player, so we went with Harrison, who leads the Beavers in catches (32), receiving yards (454) and touchdown receptions (three). He had a 27-yard touchdown grab last season in a loss at Colorado.

What Oregon State does well

The inclusion of two of the position group’s members in the players to watch category may have been a bit of a giveaway, but the Beavers have a really strong offensive line. Last season, the unit was a finalist for the Joe Moore Award, given annually to the top offensive line in college football, after it allowed the fewest sacks in the Pac-12 and paved the way for a stellar season from running back B.J. Baylor, who rushed for a Pac-12-best 1,337 yards. This year, led by Gray and Kipper, it has largely picked up where it left off. Oregon State is allowing just one sack per game, tying it for the 17th-best mark among FBS teams, and it’s tied for 20th in tackles for loss per game allowed. Additionally, Beavers rushers are averaging a respectable 4.8 yards per carry.

Where Oregon State is vulnerable

Despite their strong record and their overall competitiveness, the Beavers give the ball away a lot. They have 12 turnovers this year, ranking them among the 35 worst teams in the 131-team FBS. Many of those miscues have been interceptions, as Oregon State quarterbacks have combined to throw 11 picks this season, tying them for the seventh most in the FBS. Of those 12 turnovers, eight came in its two losses this season, setbacks against USC and Utah.

Key stat

While Colorado was boosted to a win last week by an enthused home crowd, it won’t have the same luxury as it goes for its second-consecutive victory. Since the start of last season, Oregon State is 8-1 in home games, with the lone loss coming by three points against what was then a top-10 USC team. Of those eight wins, six have come by at least two touchdowns. In a league with a number of challenging road atmospheres, Corvallis is one of the toughest.

Key matchup

Colorado’s front seven against the Oregon State offensive line: What had been an impotent Buffs defensive line came alive in the win against Cal, with 10 tackles for loss, two sacks and seven quarterback pressures. That, however, came against a Golden Bears offensive line that is among the worst in the conference. This week, it will have to square off against one of the best. If the Beavers have their way, they can open up holes for another rushing attack to have its way with Colorado, as every opponent other than Cal has done this season. If the Buffs can get into the backfield and get in the quarterback’s face, they have a chance to cause the kind of turnovers that have doomed Oregon State at times this season.