Stanford vs. Oregon State: 5 Halftime Adjustments for the Beavers

The Beavers are giving the fourth ranked Cardinal all they can handle—they only trail 17-7 at halftime.  

Here are five adjustments Mike Riley and Co. need to make to take this game down to the wire. 

Get in Andrew Luck's Head

That fourth quarter interception from last week is still in the back of Andrew Luck’s mind. Michael Doctor has already picked him off once and he has made a few other throws that could have gone the other way. 

If the Beavers are going to come back in this game they need to take advantage of more of these mistakes. 

First Down Defense

Andrew Luck completes over 80 percent of his passes on first down, which helps the Cardinal offense always stay ahead of the chains. 

If the Beavers can force Stanford into more second and 10 situations, they can give their defense a huge advantage by making the Card more predictable on offense. 

Extend the Cardinal D

The secondary is undoubtedly the weak link of Stanford’s defense. Sean Mannion and the Beavers would be best served to stretch the field with Markus Wheaton and James Rodgers. 

If they swing for the fences enough, they might just hit on a few.

Big Plays from the Freshmen

This is a young Beavers team.  If they are going to pull off the upset, Mannion and Malcolm Agnew are going to have to play beyond their years.

Get Reser Rockin'

The longer the Beavers can keep the Reser faithful in this game, the better chance they have at taking this thing down to the wire.