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With the Oregon State football team (4-1, 2-0 Pac-12) staying unbeaten in Pac-12 play with a 27-24 win over Washington (2-3, 1-2 Pac-12) on Saturday night, BeaversEdge.com gives five important takeaways...

MORE: The 3-2-1: OSU Improves To 4-1, Leads Pac-12 North | Highlights + Social Media Reaction | Recruit Reaction | WATCH: Beavers Talk UW Win

1. Oregon State Football is Back

-> Believe it, folks, Oregon State football is back!

It's been quite the journey to reach this point amidst the fourth year of the Jonathan Smith era, but now that the Beavers find themselves in the driver's seat of the Pac-12 North through five weeks, the rebuild is all but complete.

While the Beavers still need to win two more games this season to reach the postseason and complete the true climb out of obscurity, what they've shown these past two weeks has galvanized a dormant fan base and given excitement and hope in the weeks to come.

Rebuilds are never a linear process, hence why there's been a fair amount of one step forward and two steps back during the Smith tenure, but seeing the Beavers take down the Washington Huskies 27-24 in Reser Stadium on Saturday night was a revelation that showed the losing times are in the rearview.

There's a lot of the season left, and anything can happen, but with the Beavers having their best start to a season since 2013 (started 6-1), it's more than safe to say that the dark days of the mid-to-late 2010s are firmly behind them.

The Beavers have given their fanbase a lot to be excited about these past few weeks, but perhaps more importantly than all, they've given their fanbase tangible proof that they can win the big games that matter, and that's an incredible feat given where this all started for Smith.

2. The Beavers Dug Deep & Showed Just How Far They've Come

-> Speaking of where it all started for Smith, so much credit has to be given to these players for sticking with the process from day one until now.

Given where Smith found this program almost four years ago, to have the Beavers in such a position today is almost unthinkable.

Yet, here they are.

It's a testament how much the team bought into what Smith was selling from day one, and all along, this was the end goal.

Getting this program back to a level they know they can be at consistently.

Smith spoke about it day one when he took the job, saying he lived Corvallis, and he lived success here and believed it could be done again.

Easier said than done, but day by day, recruiting class by recruiting class and transfer by transfer, the Beavers steadily built up the talent in the program and we're starting to see the fruits of that labor pay off in the best way.

Combine all that with the fact that so many of these players have taken significant leaps in their development on the field and in the weight room under this regime and it's no wonder it's all starting to pay off.

In every year of the Smith era before this one, I think Oregon State loses that game against Washington.

But now, this year, with this team, they're built to overcome any adversity and hardship they face because they've had to battle through so much themselves and that's a storybook type of revival for this program

3. Commitment To The Ground Game Pays Off Once Again

-> The ground attack is the straw that stirs the drink for the Oregon State offense, and once again, that was on full display in the win over the Huskies.

Through five games, the Beavers have built an identity as a team that's going to run right through you for four quarters and so far, it's yielded great results.

Case in point, quarterback Chance Nolan just didn't have his best stuff tonight (more on that later) and the Beavers were still able to walk away with the win in large part because the ground attack just wears on opponents as the night goes.

With BJ Baylor and Deshaun Fenwick leading the way, the Beavers racked up 242 rushing yards and two touchdowns, helping keep the offense afloat when the passing attack was stymied by the Husky defense.

Add in Jack Colletto who had three carries for 11 yards and a touchdown, and the Beavers were able to do just enough on the ground to keep the offense in a position to score points.

The Beavers have shown a strong commitment to the ground game so far this season and with the results yielding a 4-1 record, look for them to continue to run the ball right through any opponent they face.