Injuries mounting for Beavers

The Oregon State Beavers lost to the 21st ranked Utah Utes last Saturday in Corvallis, 19-14.

But they lost more than just the game that afternoon. Starting quarterback Darell Garretson went down midway through the fourth quarter with a season-ending leg injury. Backup quarterback Conor Blount replaced him and just minutes later had to leave the game himself due to a knee injury. Enter third-string Marcus McMaryion.

Monday afternoon, during head coach Gary Andersen’s weekly press conference, he announced Garretson would be out for the season and that Blount would be out for at least a week. The Beavers will be turning to the redshirt junior McMaryion this Saturday against the fifth-ranked Washington Huskies. His name may sound familiar to you: That’s because he played in nine games last season and started the Civil War game for OSU. McMaryion has much more experience than a normal third-string, but then, there’s a reason he’s the third option – even if he did throw 5-for-9 for 76 yards and a 14-yard touchdown pass in just half a quarter of action on Saturday.

Against Utah, the Beavs had possession inside their own 20, down 12-7, when Blount fumbled and the Utes took over. Blount was hurt on the play and had to be helped off the field. Utah quarterback Troy Williams turned that turnover into seven points for his squad, with an eight-yard rushing touchdown.

With OSU now trailing 19-7, McMaryion drove the team 65 yards for a score. With just under two minutes remaining the Beavers failed to recover an onside kick, but they would stop the Utes with one minute remaining. Unfortunately, after a great first drive for McMaryion, the second wasn’t nearly the same, as OSU went four-and-out and lost the game.

The question now is, as OSU heads into its toughest game of the season: How will it fare against the dominant Washington defense? If you’re a Beavers fan, I wouldn’t count on too many points being put up on the board with McMaryion behind the center. The Huskies’ defense has fared well so far this season and their offense has been unmatched, too.

All I can say is, Good luck, Oregon State.

Advocate Staff