5 takeaways from Oregon State's 38-21 loss to USC
The Beavers showed signs of heading in the right direction against the Trojans, but couldn't get enough end-to-end production to pull the upset. BeaversEdge.com senior writer Brenden Slaughter breaks down the most important takeaways from Saturday's contest.
MORE
Smith on USC: "We just didn't have enough"
Not a subscriber? Click here to sign up now!
Jake Luton will carry OSU as far as the offensive line allows
Coming off a 41-34 overtime win over Colorado, the Oregon State football team had the benefit of having Jake Luton back under center against the Trojans. Luton, who was named the starting QB coming out of fall camp, has dealt with several injuries that have plagued his senior season.
Despite all that adversity and frustration this season, Luton was able to return to the field in the Colorado game and not endure any setbacks while leading the Beavers to a 41-34 overtime win. Following his heroic effort in Boulder, he was given the keys to the Oregon State offense against the Trojans and he picked up right where he left off.
Without the benefit of a consistent running-game, Luton was passing early and often en-route to a 31-of-45 301 yard and one touchdown performance all while keeping the Beavers in the ball game deep into the fourth quarter.
While Luton did all he could to keep the Beavers in the contest and further cement his status as the best option at quarterback for Jonathan Smith and Co., OSU's offensive line couldn't do nearly enough to keep Luton upright and give him enough time to go through his reads and find the open man.
Regardless of whether or not it was by necessity or by design, Luton was getting the ball out of his hands within 2-3 seconds because the Beavers' offensive line just couldn't hold up. Combine that with the fact that Luton is still not quite 100 percent, and it created a recipe for USC to pin their ears back and bring pressure often.
Allowing Luton to be sacked six times is a big concern for Smith and offensive-line coach Jim Michalczik and if the Beavers hope to get through the next three games with a healthy Luton, they'll need to make big time improvements in the coming weeks.
Jefferson and Pierce limited
While the Beavers had one of their best vertical passing game of the season against USC, OSU's rushing attack was stymied by the Trojans all night long. It became clear early that USC's defensive gameplan was to shut-down the Oregon State rushing attack and force the Beavers to win the contest through the air.
While the Beavers certainly did some nice things in the passing game, Smith and offensive-coordinator Brian Lindgren have preached the importance of being a balanced offense. That didn't happen on Saturday as Luton attempted 45 passes all while Jermar Jefferson (18 carries, 58 yards) and Artavis Pierce (three carries, seven yards, 1 TD) struggled to break past the mighty USC front seven.
Granted, the Trojans perhaps have the best pure talent in the Pac-12, but there's something to be said about the Beavers' lack of rushing production. It boils back down to the offensive line... Whether it wasn't being able to protect Luton for more than a few seconds or not being able to open up holes in the run game, the line certainly had a day to forget.
The Beavers arguably have one of the top 1-2 punches in the Pac-12 with Jefferson and Pierce, and in order for OSU to be the best team they can be, they need to get back to getting the duo involved against Stanford.
You must be a member to read the full article. Subscribe now for instant access to all premium content.
-
Members-only forums
-
Predict prospect commits with FanFutureCast
-
Exclusive highlights and interviews
-
Exclusive coverage of Rivals Camp Series
-
Breaking recruiting news