Inside the numbers: Oregon State Beavers Football through seven games

With the Oregon State football team (3-4, 2-2 Pac-12) fresh off its second and final bye of the season, BeaversEdge.com Managing Editor Brenden Slaughter dives into the Beavers' team stats to see just how much the team has improved from a season ago in the first seven games of the 2019 season.

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Comparing key statistics - 2019 vs. 2018

2019 is based on seven games.

Category	2019	2018	Difference

Total offense (yds)	411.0	404.8	+ 6.2
Passing	243.7	249.2	- 5.5
Rushing	167.3	155.6	+ 11.7
Yds per rush	4.9	3.8	+ 1.1
Scoring	30.4	26.3	+ 4.1
Total defense	426.9	536.8	- 109.9
Points allowed per game	31.6	45.7	- 15.1
Rushing defense	191.6	281.8	- 90.2
Yds allowed per rush	4.5	6.8	- 2.3
Passing defense	235.3	254.9	- 19.6
Total Sacks	21	15	+ 6
Total Tackles for loss	60	53	+ 7

Takeaways

- While the 2019 numbers aren't a full season sample-size, they bear proof that the Oregon State rebuild is on schedule and perhaps, even ahead. Simply put, the Beavers have improved greatly in all the major statistical categories and it's a big reason why we're seeing more consistent play in year two of the Jonathan Smith era.

- While there aren't a ton of stark differences in the offensive statistics, it's interesting to see that the passing yards per game are slightly down (-5.5), but that the Beavers have upped their rush numbers by + 11.7. With Jermar Jefferson set to return soon, it'll be worth keeping an eye on to see if the rushing numbers continue to trend upward in the final half of the year.

- There's no doubt that the Oregon State offense has left points and opportunities on the field in the first seven games of the season as offensive coordinator Brian Lindgren is still searching for consistency from his group, but the Beavers figure to only get better as they continue to develop momentum and confidence.

- Defensively, there's a lot to like if you're defensive coordinator Tim Tibesar... Whether it's seeing a big decrease in points and yards allowed or seeing negative plays jump through the roof, there's finally some proof in the pudding for what the Beavers have been trying to build on defense.

- While admittedly, Tibesar isn't a big stats guy, the stats through seven games are the best way of showing just how improved this defense is. Granted, it has to be said that after the 2018 season there was nowhere to go but up, but until the Beavers proved it on the field, you couldn't be certain. There's certainly still a ways to go, but overall, when you look at stark differentials from last season, it's clear that OSU has taken meaningful strides on the defensive end that should only continue to make more.

- If you want to point to why the Beavers are more successful from a defensive perspective this season, there's a very simple reason: they're winning the line of scrimmage more often. After being bludgeoned for nearly 282 yards per game on the ground a season ago, OSU is allowing 191.6 yards this season. By having more run-stuffing support by way of better defensive line depth and solid linebacker play, OSU hasn't conceded nearly the amount of egregious errors that led to so many big runs in 2018.

- With the Beavers being more around the line of scrimmage and specifically, in the backfield this season, it's led to a dramatic increase in sacks and tackles for loss. For OSU to have already eclipsed last years' total sack and tackle for loss numbers in just seven games is astounding. Again, it's not too hard to improve off of last years' low thresholds, but when you're rebuilding a defensive culture from scratch, these are the type of things and improvements you want to see in year two.