Oregon State Beavers Football: Midseason Superlatives

PROMO: Join BeaversEdge.com and get 30 DAYS FREE!

With the Oregon State football team (4-2, 2-1 Pac-12) officially at the halfway point of the season, BeaversEdge.com Publisher Brenden Slaughter & Recruiting Analyst Jared Halus give their mid

MORE: MBB: Where Oregon State's Roster Stands | RB Damien Martinez Locked In With OSU, Set To Enroll Early

RB BJ Baylor

Was there any doubt?

After a stellar start to the season (678 rushing yards and a Pac-12 leading nine touchdowns), Baylor easily earns the nod of Oregon State's most valuable player at the midway point.

While a ton of credit goes to the offensive line for their stout run blocking (props to them in a bit), Baylor's emergence in 2021 has been astounding to watch.

Baylor had enormous shoes to fill coming into the season as the starter replacing Jermar Jefferson, but he's taken the challenge in stride and done a terrific job cementing himself as arguably the best back in the Pac-12.

- Brenden Slaughter

------

RB BJ Baylor

This one just seems like a clear choice to me.

No one was 100% sure what to expect of Baylor, but what was known was that he had some big shoes to fill. He has been impressive in every single game for the Beavs, rushing for nearly 700 yards and 9 touchdowns in six games.

- Jared Halus

Offensive Line

After giving the overall MVP to Baylor, it only seems fitting that I give the offensive MVP to the entire offensive line right?

Simply put, the group has been stellar to start the season and outside of an atypical performance against Purdue, has been pretty rock solid in all aspects.

The run-blocking has easily been the groups' calling card, as the lineup of Joshua Gray, Jake Levengood/Marco Brewer, Nathan Eldridge, Nous Keobounnam, and Brandon Kipper have been dominant in paving the way for Baylor and Fenwick.

- Brenden Slaughter

------

ATH Jack Coletto

Yes, I listed Jack as an athlete because the guy just makes plays at multiple positions.

Coletto has one of the toughest jobs on the team, because as soon as he hits the field everyone is expecting him to punch it in a couple of yards for a touchdown or push the line a few yards to move the sticks. He does that job at an insanely consistent rate, making him my offensive MVP.

- Jared Halus

DB Rejzohn Wright

While very strong cases can be made for Avery Roberts and Omar Speights, I'm going to give the nod to Wright.

Wright's play in the secondary this season has been really solid, and I love the swagger that he plays with at the corner spot. He leads all OSU defenders with six pass deflections, has the second-most solo tackles behind Roberts, and is seventh in total tackles.

Also boasting multiple tackles for loss, a sack, and an interception, Wright is coming into his own as a playmaker that can do a lot from the corner spot and it's going to be fun to see him down the stretch.

- Brenden Slaughter

------

LB Avery Roberts

Roberts just seems to always be around the ball. With 62 tackles, 5.5 TFL, 1.5 sacks and an interception in six games so far, Roberts has been posting some fantastic numbers and should easily be considered as a top linebacker in the Pac-12.

- Jared Halus

Secondary

As a whole, Oregon State's secondary needs to be better down the stretch of the season.

Midway through the 12-game slate, the Beavers rank 10th in the Pac-12 in passing yards allowed per game at 276.5. While some of the issues defending the pass may be scheme-related, regardless, the Beavers need to be sharper in the back end in the second half.

- Brenden Slaughter

------

QB Chance Nolan

We know that Oregon State's quarterback has a high ceiling, but Nolan still needs to prove that he can consistently perform at a high level.

Nolan played very, very well in his first four appearances, but hasn't been at his top form as of late. His last two games have been without a passing touchdown, and the Beavs will need him to be better to continue winning.

- Jared Halus

Linebackers Coach - Trent Bray

With how well Roberts & Speights are playing at the inside 'backer position, and how well the depth behind them is developing (Colletto & Kyrei Fisher), Bray's coaching speaks for itself.

He's one of the better position coaches on the Beavers' staff and he's proving that week in and week out as his inside linebackers thrive under his tuteledge.

- Brenden Slaughter

------

RB's Coach - A.J. Steward

Steward not only came in and landed a great running back prospect on short notice, he also has played a role in Baylor turning into the player he has become - and let's also not forget about Fenwick being extremely effective too.

- Jared Halus

Running Back

Oregon State's depth at the running back position never ceases to amaze.

Even after losing one of the Mt. Rushmore OSU 'backs in Jefferson to the NFL Draft in the offseason, the Beavers haven't missed a beat this season as Baylor, Fenwick, and Trey Lowe have picked up right where Jefferson left off.

That speaks to the talent in the room, and the recruiting/coaching efforts of former position coach Michael Pitre and current RB coach AJ Steward.

- Brenden Slaughter

------

Offensive line

I'm going to give this one to the offensive line. It all starts in the trenches, and so far the Beavers offensive linemen have been paving the way for guys like Baylor, Colletto, Nolan and others to be as efficient.

- Jared Halus

RB Deshaun Fenwick

There hasn't been a newcomer with quite the impact that Fenwick has had through six weeks. While it took him a few games to get going in the Beavers' system, he's found his groove in recent weeks as he's up to 318 yards rushing and three touchdowns on the season.

He's easily one of the best 'backups' in the league and and extremely important part of the 1-2 punch with Baylor.

- Brenden Slaughter

------

RB Deshaun Fenwick

There haven't been many true freshmen getting a lot of significant burn, so I think Fenwick is the best choice here.

His role in the offense has increased with every single game, and he has answered the call every time.

- Jared Halus

----

• Talk about it inside The Dam Board

• SUBSCRIBE TO OUR PODCASTS on APPLE & SPOTIFY

• LIKE US on FACEBOOK

• Follow us on Twitter: @Beavers_Edge, @b_slaught & @JaredHalus

• Subscribe to our YouTube page.