Oregon State is in the throes of a winless season, off to an 0-5 start for the first time since 1996. It is a low point for a program that has been through the wringer over the last two years. The Beavers looked rudderless across their first five games with costly special teams gaffes aplenty and an offense unable to pull its feet out of the mud. Despite all the turmoil, second-year coach Trent Bray likely still has some runway ahead of him.
This season’s failures have been in the making for some time. It was just two seasons ago that Oregon State was a born-again Pac-12 contender and mainstay in the national rankings, a status it held for much of the 21st century before a period of dormancy. But then 10 schools left the Pac-12, leaving the Beavers and Washington State in the dust. Jonathan Smith left his post atop the program to take the Michigan State job. The transfer portal gutted the roster of its best players, including promising QB Aidan Chiles, who followed Smith to East Lansing.
Bray, an institution in Corvallis as a former star linebacker and longtime standout assistant coach, stepped up when Oregon State needed stability. His rise to the head coaching role sparked enthusiasm because of his track record as a winner, contagious energy and passion for his alma mater.
Things haven’t panned out. The Beavers fell short of expectations in Bray’s five-win debut season, and barring a sharp turnaround, Year 2 is on pace to be a campaign of further regression.
Whether the Beavers should move on from Bray and whether they will are two different questions. A downtrodden program seeking to find its footing in the new college football landscape has to have the right leader in place, and nothing the Oregon State staff showed over its first…
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