Following Oregon State's 31-28 heartbreaking loss as the hands of the Hawaii Warriors, BeaversEdge.com writer Keenan Puncocher gives you his five most important takeaways as the team will look to notch its first win of the season next Saturday against Cal Poly.
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1. Oregon State offense struggles in second-half
After scoring 28 points in the first half, the Beavers were held scoreless in the second, managing to gain just 150 yards. The OSU offense looked strong from the beginning en route to four first-half touchdowns from a combination of Artavis Pierce, Jermar Jefferson, and Isaiah Hodgins. Both Jefferson and Pierce provided a powerful first-half punch, running for a combined 177 yards. It looked as if OSU would return in the second-half ready to match their first-half intensity; ultimately it was Hawai’i who made superb halftime adjustments, outscoring OSU 10-3 in the second half. While Oregon State’s offense shined versus Oklahoma State, the inconsistency and lack of production caused them to struggle against Hawai’i. There are still questions surrounding the consistency of Oregon State’s offense and it remains to be seen if they can maintain offensive firepower week-to-week.
2. Defense improving but an uphill battle remains
OSU held Hawai’i to just 10 second-half points and 31 points overall on the road. Despite giving up almost 500 total yards, the Beaver defense surrounded only 67 rushing yards and forced two timely turnovers, keeping their offense in the game. Avery Roberts led the defense in total tackles as OSU created three sacks and five tackles for loss. Hamilcar Rashed had an excellent sack-fumble recovery during the 3rd quarter, generating momentum for the Beaver defense. Despite giving up over 400 passing yards, OSU looked fundamentally sharper and more focused after playing Oklahoma State last week. OSU must continue making defensive pressure a priority if they wish to give the ailing secondary any chance. The defense still has a long way to go, but they made slight improvements against Hawai’i.
