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With the Oregon State football team (3-1, 0-1 Pac-12) falling to the USC Trojans (4-0, 1-0) 17-14 on Saturday evening, BeaversEdge gives five important takeaways from the loss...
MORE: WATCH: OSU Talks USC Loss | BeaversEdge Breaks Down OSU's Loss To USC
1. Turnovers Prove Costly
When trying to pull an upset of a top-10 team, you've got to play near-perfect football, and unfortunately for Oregon State on Saturday night, there were just too many turnovers for the Beavers to spring the upset of the No. 7 Trojans.
In what turned out to be a defensive battle, quarterback Chance Nolan's four interceptions proved costly as the Trojans turned those turnovers into 10 points, which ultimately was the difference in the contest.
Each of those interceptions was unique as far as incoming pressure, bad reads, and a great defensive play, but regardless they were still extra possessions for a USC offense that's as good as the Pac-12 has to offer. With that being said, Nolan did make some big throws tonight, finishing with 167 yards, but ultimately the untimely errors and lack of offensive consistent flow were the offense's undoing.
Nolan has proven to be a highly-efficient quarterback running the OSU offense, case in point with two weeks ago when Nolan engineered a go-ahead touchdown drive against Fresno State in a remarkably similar circumstance. However, it wasn't meant to be in this contest as the final interception sealed the game late in the fourth quarter.
The Beavers should have been able to put up more than 14 points in this contest and with the defensive effort put forth, there has to be some sense of letdown from the offensive side of the ball that they left a lot out there and that's certainly going to sting postgame and into film review.
Heading into next week's matchup against Utah, Nolan will certainly have to be much sharper as the Utes always boast a dynamic defensive group. Nolan had never thrown more than two interceptions in a game during his time at OSU until tonight so it'll be interesting to see how he bounces back against another ranked opponent.
2. The Defense Had A Superb Effort
If before this contest you had said that Oregon State's defense would give up 17 points in a losing effort, it would be hard to believe.
Yet, that's exactly what happened at Reser Stadium on Saturday night.
Pegged to be a high-scoring match with an over/under of 70.5 at kickoff, instead, we were treated to a defensive showcase as the Beavers and Trojans saw their defenses rise to the occasion. The Beavers held the high-flying Trojan offense well below their season average of 52 points and 500+ yards per contest, holding them to just 17 points and 357 total yards of offense.
Getting sacks were hard to come by (two) as Caleb Williams proved to be extremely elusive in and out of the pocket all night long, but the Beavers definitely frustrated the Trojan offensive attack that really hadn't been challenged all season. Travis Dye was able to gain some traction on the ground with 133 yards and a score, but OSU's secondary held Williams to just 180 yards passing and a touchdown while completing just 40% of his throws.
That's definitely an encouraging sign moving forward as the defense can now measure themselves as having held a potential playoff-contending squad to just 17 points. This is still shaping up to be OSU's best defensive squad since the 2012 campaign and there's a lot to like on that side of the ball moving forward.
While the defense did allow two fourth-quarter touchdowns to the Trojans, this was defensive coordinator Trent Bray and Oregon State's best showing on that side of the ball in some time. Make no mistake, USC is a very, very talented offensive squad and now that they're well-coached, don't make a lot of miscues.
OSU's defense should feel very good about how they played tonight despite allowing the late go-ahead touchdown as they went toe-to-toe with one of the Pac-12's best and very nearly came out on top. Utah presents a new challenge next week, but Bray has this OSU defense improving week by week...
3. Jam Griffin Emerges In The Backfield
One glowingly bright spot from the loss to the Trojans was potentially the breakout of Georgia Tech transfer running back Jam Griffin.
The 5-foot-9, 210-pound sophomore and four-star recruit ran with his opportunity against the Trojans as he was by far and away OSU's most effective 'back with 84 rushing yards and a touchdown on 12 carries. He averaged seven yards per carry while Deshaun Fenwick (29 yards & 1 TD) and Damien Martinez (14 yards) averaged less than three yards per carry.
While the Beavers have largely given Fenwick and Martinez most of the carries so far this season, is it perhaps time to consider giving Griffin more of an opportunity to be the lead back?
Fenwick and the currently injured Trey Lowe are listed as co-starters on the depth chart with Martinez and Griffin behind them, but Griffin may have shown against the Trojans that he's deserving of a bigger role and perhaps, a shot at being the lead back.
It's just one game, and in all likelihood, the Beavers will continue to ride the hot hand in a given contest, but USC was definitely the best competition OSU faced all season and it was Griffin who looked most comfortable executing the rushing attack. He attacked the rushing lanes and showcased quickness, speed, and toughness knifing his way through the Trojan defense.
The Beavers' depth in the backfield entering the 2022 campaign was well-noted, but Griffin's play against the Trojans shows just how deep the room may ultimately be. It'll be very interesting to see how the carries shake out against the Utes next weekend...
