Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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BLUEGOLDONLINE.COM JANUARY 2024 27 BOWL PREVIEW: OREGON STATE BY JACK SOBLE A s the clock approached 6 p.m. ET on Dec. 3, three Atlantic Coast Conference bowl games — the Pinstripe Bowl, the Duke's Mayo Bowl and the Tony the Tiger Sun Bowl — put their names in a hat for a chance to host Notre Dame, which was slotted No. 16 in the final College Foot- ball Playoff rankings. Literally. When the random drawing con- cluded, Irish fans said, "Here comes the sun." And the Sun Bowl said, "Here come the Irish." Once that happened, the El Paso, Texas-based bowl game saw a 141 percent increase in ticket de- mand, according to Action Network's Brett McMurphy. That nearly doubled the next-best mark among bowl games. Notre Dame, 35 years after its most recent national championship, remains a massive draw. A top-20 matchup is pretty good, too. The Irish will take on No. 19 Oregon State at 2 p.m. ET Dec. 29, but they won't be facing the same Beavers team that won eight games and nearly knocked off No. 2 Washington in November. That team was coached by Jonathan Smith and quarterbacked by DJ Uiag- alelei, whom Irish fans might recog- nize from his three years at Clemson. Smith left his alma mater to take the head coaching job at Michigan State, and Uiagalelei — who threw for 2,638 yards at 8.4 yards per attempt with 21 touchdowns — jumped in the transfer portal shortly thereafter. Notre Dame head coach Marcus Free- man won't underestimate the Beavers, especially given the number of transfers and likely opt-outs on his own side. "I know they're a heck of a football team," Freeman said. "There's a reason why they're ranked in the top 25. I know they'll present some great challenges for our program. So we're excited for this opportunity to play against a really good football team." As of Dec. 11, Notre Dame's opt-outs included graduate student quarterback Sam Hartman, junior offensive tackle Blake Fisher and graduate student line- backer Marist Liufau. Graduate student defensive tackle Howard Cross III an- nounced Dec. 10 that he will play and that he's returning for his sixth season in 2024. Senior safety and Bronko Na- gurski Award winner Xavier Watts is still undecided on 2024 (again, as of Dec. 11), but he'll play in the Sun Bowl. Oregon State has already named its next head coach: Incumbent defensive coordinator Trent Bray, one of the few high-profile assistants who did not fol- low Smith to East Lansing, Mich. He will not coach the bowl game, though; that job belongs to interim head coach/ wide receivers coach Kefense Hynson. With Uiagalelei and coveted fresh- man backup Aidan Chiles both enter- ing the transfer portal, 2022 starter Ben Gulbranson will start under center for the Beavers. He threw only 1 pass in 2023, but the Beavers went 7-1 in his starts a year ago. "He was the Las Vegas Bowl MVP last year," Hynson said. "Won a bunch of games for us last season. We feel like we're in confident hands. Excited for him to get an opportunity to go play." Oregon State will be without several other key players, including dominant junior left tackle Taliese Fuaga, a pos- sible first-round pick in the 2024 NFL Draft. Wide receiver Anthony Gould, tied for the team lead with 718 receiving yards, declared for the draft and won't play either. Redshirt junior left tackle and possible draft pick Joshua Gray's status (more of an injury question) is up in the air. Starting cornerback Jermod McCoy and safety Akili Arnold, tied for the team lead with 2 interceptions, entered the transfer portal. Ditto for leading tackler Easton Mascarenas-Arnold and tight end Jack Velling, who paced the Beavers in touchdown receptions. Sophomore running back Damien Martinez, who earned first-team All- Pac-12 honors, is under investigation for driving under the influence and will DAY IN THE SUN The top-20 matchup between the Fighting Irish and Beavers will provide an opportunity for backups to shine Redshirt sophomore quarterback Ben Gulbranson, who threw just 1 pass during the regular season, will be making his first start for the Beavers since earning MVP honors at last year's Las Vegas Bowl. PHOTO COURTESY OREGON STATE ATHLETICS Facts & Figures NOTRE DAME VS. OREGON STATE Date: Friday, Dec. 29, 2023 Site: Sun Bowl Stadium in El Paso, Texas Kickoff: 2 p.m. EST Television: CBS/Paramount+ Radio: This game can be heard on Notre Dame IMG affiliates. Series facts: Notre Dame is 0-2 against Oregon State, with both matchups taking place in a bowl game. The Beavers beat the Irish 41-9 in the Fiesta Bowl on Jan. 1, 2001, and then they notched a 38-21 triumph in the Insight Bowl on Dec. 28, 2004. Head coaches: Oregon State — Kefense Hynson (0-0, interim); Marcus Freeman (18-8, second sea- son). Noting Oregon State: Hynson has never been a head coach; he has been an offensive coordinator at Western Washington, Yale and Montana … Oregon State started 6-1 but finished 2-3 with losses to then-unranked Arizona, No. 5 Washington and No. 6 Oregon … The Beavers posted ranked wins over No. 10 Utah and No. 18 UCLA … The Beavers average 33.8 points per game, good for 27th in FBS head- ing into bowl season … Oregon State is also No. 32 in the country with 426.9 yards per game and tied for 21st in the nation in turnover margin at +0.58 per game … Only two players drafted in 2023: tight end Luke Musgrave (No. 42 overall to Green Bay) and defensive back Alex Austin (No. 252 overall to Buffalo) … Junior left tackle Taliese Fuaga is a big loss; he ranks second to Notre Dame's Joe Alt in Pro Football Focus' offense grade among qualified offensive tackles at 86.8.