CORVALLIS – Oregon State coach Trent Bray expressed hope that quarterback Ben Gulbranson will be available for Saturday’s game against Washington State. Bray mentioned that he is waiting for a medical evaluation on Gulbranson, which could come as early as today or Tuesday, to determine his availability for the game.
Gulbranson made his first start of the 2024 season on November 9 against San Jose State, throwing for 292 yards in a 24-13 loss. He missed the team’s trip to Air Force last weekend due to an undisclosed injury.
If Gulbranson is unavailable for Saturday’s matchup, Oregon State will consider either junior Gevani McCoy or redshirt freshman Gabarri Johnson. Both quarterbacks played in the 28-0 loss to Air Force.
Bray didn’t specify which quarterback would start if Gulbranson can’t play, stating, “We’re looking at that now and developing a plan for who we’re going with. Then what that individual does best, and what’s the best part of his game, making sure we tailor it to that.”
Against Air Force, Oregon State began with McCoy, alternating him with Johnson for each first-half series. Johnson played the entire second half. Neither quarterback performed well: Johnson completed 9 of 19 passes for 106 yards and ran 13 times for 22 yards, while McCoy went 0 of 2 passing and ran three times for 18 yards.
Bray explained his decision to rotate quarterbacks, saying, “We’ve got two guys that have talent and ability. We just haven’t gotten it out of Gevani the last three or four games, and we had to be ready, if we needed to pivot to Gabarri.”
Bray was uncertain about the cause of McCoy’s struggles in recent weeks. McCoy, who started the first eight games of the season and helped lead the Beavers to a 4-1 record in early October, has been plagued by mistakes and poor performance in later games.
While Bray suggested it might be best to ask McCoy about the reasons for his setbacks, he noted that “when he got banged up at Colorado State, he hasn’t quite been the same since. I don’t know if that messed with his head or his physical part of his game.”
Whoever plays quarterback will need better protection, as the offensive line struggled against Air Force’s relentless blitzing, allowing five sacks. Air Force, which ranked among the bottom five in sacks nationally, exposed Oregon State’s inability to read and react to blitzes.
Bray said the issue was recognizing “the hot” – the player likely to blitz – and getting the ball out quickly. “We were holding on to the ball and taking sacks,” Bray said.
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