5 Takeaways From Oregon State's Win Over Arizona State

With the Oregon State football team (7-4, 5-3 Pac-12) defeating Arizona State (7-4, 5-3) 24-10 at Reser Stadium on Saturday night, BeaversEdge.com gives five important takeaways from the win!

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5 Takeaways

1. Oregon State Completes Perfect Home Season

-> With the win against Arizona State, the Beavers finished the season with a perfect home record for the first time since the 2000 season. The Beavers were once again able to use the Reser Stadium crowd to their benefit as they took care of business in impressive fashion against the Sun Devils on Saturday night.

Head coach Jonathan Smith spoke to the high octane energy in the post-game press conference and said that Beaver Nation made a tremendous impact all season long in helping carry the team when they needed it the most. It has taken several years for the Beavers and Beaver Nation to once again be a place that is difficult for opponents to play in.

Whether it was a walk-off field goal to beat Washington, a 42-0 shutout against Idaho, a momentum-shifting victory versus Utah, or securing the highly coveted sixth win against Stanford, the Beavers often played their best football this season at home and it is fitting that in the first season of being bowl eligible since 2013, they finish a perfect 6-0.

2. Defense Takes Another Step Forward Under Trent Bray

-> On just the second play from scrimmage for the Sun Devils, the Oregon State defense was able to secure a takeaway thanks to an interception by Alex Austin. The Beavers would finish the game by allowing only 10 points, a season-low for ASU.

Since interim defensive coordinator Trent Bray took the reins two weeks ago, the Beaver defense has looked sharper, more disciplined, and has had an increased energy level and tempo during the start of games. In the two games since he took over, the Beavers have allowed just 24 points after conceding a combined 76 in the two games before that against California and Colorado.

It was made clear once again in the post-game press conference that coach Bray has had a positive impact and has been at least partially responsible for the better defensive play in the last two weeks. The defense on Saturday looked motivated and hungry as they continued to hold ASU in check drive-after-drive.

There has been a noticeable turnaround in overall defensive play and it will be interesting to see if the Beavers can ride the recent wave of momentum into next week at Autzen against the Ducks.