5 Takeaways From Oregon State's Shutout Win Over San Diego State

If the game flow and script of the Idaho State win last week taught us anything, it was that the 2024 Oregon State football team was going to be just as run-heavy as previous years, potentially more so, and the Beavers flexed that ground game muscle once again in the 21-0 win over San Diego State.

A week after tallying 362 rushing yards and four scores as a team at home against an FCS foe, the Beavers ran for 237 yards and two against improved competition on the road, controlling time of possession and tempo en route to wearing down the San Diego State defense.

OSU won the TOP battle 41:07 to 18:53 and ran nearly 30 more plays (78-49) and that sort of stark difference wears on a defense as a game marches along.

The Beavers didn't dominate in this contest by any stretch, rather it was a steady wear-down of the Aztec defense throughout the matchup by the Beaver ground game that ultimately opened up the passing game in the second half.

Jam Griffin (18 carries for 89 yards and a score) and Anthony Hankerson (16 for 71 yards and a score) looked the part of the 1A, 1B duo we've seen develop in camp and now ultimately carry to game days and is proving to be an effective system for offensive coordinator Ryan Gunderson.

The Beavers also showcased their trust in true freshman back Salahadin Allah and in a specific spot, walk-on Jake Reichle as well. Allah further showcased that his reps against ISU weren't indicative of the opponent, as he took 11 carries for 33 yards and didn't look the part of a rookie out there at all. Reichle meanwhile received a pair of carries, one of which was a fourth and short conversion...

The Beavers also had some rushing numbers tallied from the quarterback spot as well, with backup QB Gabarri Johnson tallying a 23-yard scamper on his lone designed drive, while McCoy ran for 10 yards on a pair of carries and kept several passing plays alive with his mobility.

The offensive line shuffled a lot in this one, and saw Gerad Christian Lichtenhan, Van Wells, and Tyler Voltin exit, but didn't seem to suffer too much as a result with solid backup depth in place, but we'll be keeping tabs on that group heading into the next week.

2. Defense Delivers Dominant Performance (First Road Shutout Since 83 vs Oregon)

After allowing 15 points to Idaho State at Reser Stadium in the season opener a week ago, the Oregon State defense and defensive coordinator Keith Heyward must have taken that personally.

The Beavers took their strong defensive play on the road and delivered a shutout performance, which was the program's first since 1983, a 0-0 result with Oregon. It was the program's first shutout in a winning performance since taking down Hawaii in 1976.

The Beavers were dominant from the word go, and outside of one drive where SDSU got the ball around midfield by way of a bad punt, the Beavers kept the Aztecs completely in check.

That drive where SDSU threatened following the punt was their longest of the day by a long way at 53 yards, when their next longest was just 25 (twice), and that speaks volumes to the dominance of this Beaver group.

While the Beavers did allow a big hitter on that drive that allowed the Aztecs to set up a first and goal, the Beavers stood tall on the first two plays before defensive back Jack Kane delivered perhaps the play of the game.