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With the Oregon State football team (3-1, 1-0 Pac-12) knocking off the USC Trojans (2-2, 1-2 Pac-12) 45-27 in the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on Saturday night, BeaversEdge.com gives five important takeaways from the win!
5 Takeaways
1. Oregon State Is An Offensive Juggernaut
-> Coming into this matchup against the USC Trojans, you figured this would be a good test for the Oregon State offense to see where they stood against Pac-12 competition.
Coming out of the nonconference, the Beavers boasted the top-rated offense in the league through three games, but there were questions about whether or not it would carry over given that the defensive competition wasn't exactly top-notch.
After cutting through the Trojans like a knife through butter to the tune of 532 yards and 45 points, the OSU offense put the Pac-12 on notice that they're capable of running up the scoreboard against anyone when things are humming along.
Just as the Beavers have done in each of their wins this season, offensive balance was the key to success as a strong commitment to the ground game anchored by B.J. Baylor which opened up massive passing opportunities for Chance Nolan and the receiving corps.
Offensive coordinator Brian Lindgren had a perfect offensive script drawn up for this matchup as the Beavers were routinely able to gash the Trojans on the ground with Baylor and Fenwick, while also mixing in some quarterback runs with Nolan, and fly sweeps with Tyjon Lindsey, Tre'Shaun Harrison, Silas Bolden, & Jesiah Irish.
The Beavers' ability to essentially get anything they wanted on the ground allowed Nolan to log another efficient performance as he went 15-of-19 for 213 yards and four touchdowns. While he did have two interceptions, only one was a bad throw while the other was simply a great play made by the USC defender.
There's a lot of season left to go, but it's clear that the Beavers can put big numbers up on the offensive side of the ball this season and that'll make them a nightmare for opposing defenses to deal with weekly.
2. Turnovers Made The Difference
-> While Oregon State's defense didn't play a flawless game by any means, they forced four USC turnovers and that made all the difference in this win.
All told, the Beavers ended up allowing 431 total yards of offense to the Trojans, but forcing USC quarterback Kedon Slovis into three interceptions and one fumble was a crucial reason why the defense held 'SC to 27 points.
Slovis' three interceptions (Rejzohn Wright, Jack Colletto, & Alton Julian) and one fumble (forced by Avery Roberts & recovered by Omar Speights) all came at critical moments in the contest and you've got to credit the Beaver defense for making plays.
Often, the defensive coaching staff has talked about the fact that with today's high-powered offenses, it's hard to not allow a team to have a high yardage day against you.
The key factor that determines whether or not a defense can have success in today's college football is forcing turnovers. If you're able to give your offense more opportunities to score, more times than not, you'll have an outcome like the Beavers had tonight.
3. The Beavers Took USC's Best Punch & Responded
-> When Oregon State was tied with USC 7-7 and was driving down the field to retake the lead midway through the first quarter and Nolan through his first interception, the Beavers had to dig deep.
You could tell that the diving, toe-tap interception was a galvanizing-type play for the Trojans, and given that their offense had found its rhythm very quickly on the previous touchdown scoring drive, the Beavers had to know their work was going to be cut out for them from then on even more so than it already was.
Following the turnover, the Trojans marched down the field and scored to make it a 14-7 ballgame before the two teams exchanged punts midway through the second quarter.
Forcing the Trojans into consecutive punts following their two touchdowns to take the lead was critical to flipping the momentum of the game at that juncture in the second with the Beavers trailing.
From there, the Oregon State offense was into hyperdrive, scoring touchdowns on their next five possessions to build up a lead that was going to be far too much for the Trojans to overcome.
In years past, the Beavers may have wilted in the face of a big-time opponent like USC when the momentum flips on a dime, but they showed tonight that the leadership and experience on this team makes the difference.
USC came into this contest with a ton of momentum following its win over Washington State, but it was the Beavers who delivered the first punch and ultimately, the knock-out blow in this contest.
