Karl Maasdam | Oregon State athletics

By Nick Daschel | The Oregonian/OregonLive

The big man on Oregon State’s defense at the moment is freshman John McCartan. A freshman, you ask?

McCartan is the only Beavers defensive player so far to experience the Turnover Chainsaw. McCartan was able to display it proudly Saturday in Reno after making a fourth-quarter interception against Nevada.

The chainsaw, an idea produced by defensive coordinator Tim Tibesar, became a thing for OSU’s game against Southern Utah. The Beavers didn’t have a takeaway against the Thunderbirds, and McCartan created the lone takeaway against the Wolf Pack.

“I want it so bad. I gotta go out and do something,” outside linebacker Andrzej Hughes-Murray said.

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You've heard of the turnover chain and the turnover throne. @BeaverFootball brings you: The turnover chainsaw.



Will it make another appearance in Corvallis Saturday? pic.twitter.com/RycQ9N8TSH — Pac-12 Network (@Pac12Network) September 19, 2018

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“I think it’s dope,” said outside linebacker Kee Whetzel. “I saw on Twitter, we got some props from the University of Miami, who started the whole turnover chain thing. I can’t wait to get it.”

That’s the response Tibesar hoped to generate when he came up with the idea late in training camp. Handing out Snickers bars just wasn’t enough. Tibesar heard about the chainsaw noise that blares at Reser Stadium on third downs, put it together with Miami’s “turnover chain,” and came up with a hot commodity.

The coaching staff had a chainsaw made – “Beaver’d up,” as Tibesar explained – that has all the functions except the chain.

“When we unveiled it in the defensive room, the guys went nuts. That’s ultimately what it’s all about. We want guys to have fun out when they’re out there playing,” Tibesar said.

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Whetzel hopes his season’s first turnover comes Saturday against Arizona.

“I’m going to turn it on, rev it up, get on the bench and turn it up,” Whetzel said, excitedly.

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Chase Allgood

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What happened on defense?

The first 20 minutes against Nevada looked like a repeat of the Ohio State game, where the Buckeyes’ offense had its way with Oregon State’s defense. Nevada’s offense rolled to 23 points, followed by a defensive takeaway and score early in the second quarter to make it 30-7.

The rest of the way, Nevada’s offense scored one touchdown and nine drives that virtually went nowhere.

Did Tibesar pull out a magic play sheet, or make some dramatic defensive changes?

“Just some frank talk to the guys on the sideline,” Tibesar said.

Which is to say: Do what we told you guys to do all week.

“We didn’t change any of the game plan during halftime. We kept calling the same plya we were calling in the first quarter. We finally got into our spots and settled into the game,” Whetzel said.

Though this is hard to believe from a team coming off a 1-11 season, this was also said:

“I think we came out and underestimated them a little bit,” Whetzel said. “Obviously, we were wrong.”

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Isaiah Dunn's debut

Sophomore Isaiah Dunn, idled for most of preseason camp with an injury, made his 2018 debut against Nevada as a starting cornerback. Tibesar said Dunn’s presence was a boost in part because of injuries that have depleted the secondary. Tibesar added that Dunn is one of the team’s best cornerbacks.

“It’s a blessing having him back because he’s going to make plays,” safety Jalen Moore said.

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Randy L. Rasmussen

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And a freshman they will follow

Linebackers coach Trent Bray was asked if there’s a defensive player the team turns to during a crisis, such as last Saturday’s 30-7 hole in Reno.

“The guy who has been impressive in that way is Isaiah Tufaga. You don’t expect that out of a freshman, to really not bat an eye,” Bray said. “He started against Ohio State, and he didn’t flinch against one of the best teams in the country.”

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A different atmosphere

For preseason camp in August and the first three weeks of the season, Oregon State has been largely a ghost town for the football team. But the campus is abuzz this week, as students have arrived for the start of Thursday’s fall quarter classes.

Whetzel says the players have been locked in on football and haven’t noticed the uptick in student population.

“But we’ll notice it Saturday when it gets packed in here,” Whetzel said. “It’ll be loud, packed. Should be a fun time.”

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Quotable

Moore, on bouncing back from the 37-35 Nevada loss:

“That’s football. You have nine more games left. That’s the beauty of it. You have to keep fighting every day, listening hard to the coaches, work hard in the weight room and film room, and make sure you don’t make the same mistakes you made last week.”

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Chase Allgood

Quotable II

More Moore, on the slow start against Nevada

“I felt like you could see it in the second half, we came with enthusiasm as a defense, as a team. I felt like if we had brought that same energy the whole game, that team (Nevada) shouldn’t even be close.”

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Up next

Oregon State practices Thursday morning, and afterward, coach Jonathan Smith meets with the media for the final time prior to Saturday’s 1 p.m. home game against Arizona.