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With the Oregon State football team (5-2, 3-1 Pac-12) defeating the Utah Utes (4-3, 3-1) 42-34 at Reser Stadium on Saturday night, BeaversEdge.com gives five important takeaways from the win!

MORE: 3-2-1: Oregon State Improves To 5-1 | Highlights + Social Media Reaction | Recruit Reaction |

1. An Ugly Start Turns Pretty

-> After sporting the Utes a 14-point advantage in the first quarter, things didn't look good for the Oregon State football team early on. Coming off the bye week, the Beavers looked flat and the Utes looked like they had picked up right where they'd left off against Arizona State last week.

However, football is a four-quarter game, and the Beavers hammered that point home in a big way en route to this win.

Once the Beavers were able to get some momentum, first by getting on the scoreboard, and then creating some negative plays on the defensive side of the ball, things started to click in OSU's favor.

After Anthony Gould got the Beavers on the board with a rushing score in the first, OSU's defense held the Utes to a field goal on the next possession to make the score 17-7. From there, Jack Colletto recorded his first career receiving touchdown to make it 17-14.

Despite Chance Nolan having a costly fumble late in the first half that ended up giving the Utes a 10-point advantage at the break (24-14), you could tell that the Beavers were starting to figure things out.

From the start of the second half, it was all OSU as they came out of the locker room and proceeded to out-score the Utes 28-10. The momentum-flipping play in this one was definitely Luke Musgrave's blocked punt and ensuing recovery for a touchdown.

After Trevon Bradford scored on OSU's opening drive to bring the score to 24-21, Oregon State's defense forced a crucial Utah punt. From there, Musgrave's enormous play gave the Beavers a 28-24 lead. A lead that they would only surrender once more before taking full control down the stretch thanks to some huge defensive stops.

They say it's not how you start, it's how you finish, and given that the Beavers were able to turn lemons into lemonade from the dismal start, I'd say this win speaks volumes about how there's no quit in this Beaver squad.

2. The Defense Arrived When It Mattered

-> While the start to the contest wasn't ideal for Oregon State's defense, the fact that they were able to adjust and make the comeback shows just how far and how tough this group is.

After allowing Utah to essentially move the ball at will for its first two touchdown scoring drives, the Beavers won a mini-battle when they held the Utes to a field goal late in the first half. Then, another victory on the next defensive possession when they forced Utah into a turnover on downs at the goal line when Alton Julian was able to make a huge stop just behind the line to gain.

Utah's offense was able to turn the Nolan fumble into points just before the end of the 1st half, but from then on, the Beavers figured some things out. They had a bend, but don't break mentality in this one and it largely paid off.

After that late score in the first half, the OSU defense only allowed 10 points to the Utes in the second half, forcing a punt, another turnover on downs, and a missed field goal attempt.

That fourth-quarter turnover on downs may have proved to be the true difference-maker as following that sequence, which included a huge fourth and goal pass breakup from Alex Austin, the Beavers were essentially able to kill most of the clock sporting a 10-point advantage.

It wasn't the prettiest game for the defense, but they found a way to get stops, get off the field, and most importantly, found a way to get the win.

3. The Passing Game Was Re-Ignited

-> After a rough aerial performance against Washington and a slightly better one against Washington State, Chance Nolan and the Oregon State passing game finally found its rhythm once again.

While Nolan was far from perfect, he had a solid line of 14-of-19 for 208 yards and two touchdowns (a quarterback rating of 200.4). While the line may not blow you away, it's the efficiency where Nolan does his damage, as he was able to spread the ball to seven different receivers.

Perhaps even more importantly, he had two passing touchdowns after the Beavers hadn't had one since the USC contest. While Nolan's fumble was OSU's only turnover, seeing him get back into a groove from under center as a passer was exactly what the Beavers needed to see.

Credit also to Bradford, who arguably had his best game of the season, hauling in all six of his targets for 74 yards and a touchdown.

Moving forward, if the Beavers can get him back into the flow we saw early in the season, combined with how powerful the rushing attack is, Oregon State's offense could be tough to slow down.

Utah boasts one of the better defenses in the Pac-12, and for Nolan and the passing attack to be able to kick it back into gear against this squad, it speaks volumes to what they'll be able to accomplish facing lesser defenses down the stretch.