The 3-2-1: Oregon State remains undefeated in Pac-12 road play

With the Oregon State football team moving to.500 on the season (4-4, 3-2 Pac-12) thanks to its third straight Pac-12 road win, BeaversEdge.com Managing Editor Brenden Slaughter breaks down the victory and what it means for the Beavers moving forward in this edition of the 3-2-1.

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3 Things We Learned

1. Oregon State has grown up and matured before our eyes:

Make no mistake, this is no longer the Oregon State team of old. While wins against UCLA and Cal may have already punctuated that point, seeing the Beavers go on the road after an idle week and win in the fashion that they did all but illustrates the fact that head coach Jonathan Smith and his staff have worked wonders with this group. Not to dive too deep into the past, but let's just consider that Smith inherited a program that was coming off a 1-11 2017 campaign where OSU football was as much in the pits as it had ever been. Yet, somehow none of that seemed to matter as Smith has quietly gone about his business in turning this program into a team that can win Pac-12 games in short order.

2. Jermar Jefferson and Artavis Pierce reclaimed the title of best 1-2 punch in the Pac-12:

The Oregon State coaching staff should be commended for doing the right thing and shutting down Jermar Jefferson following the UCLA game. After Jefferson tweaked his right ankle in the late-stages against Hawaii, he wasn't his usual self against Stanford and the Bruins. In response, the Beavers decided to put their star running back on the shelf for several weeks with the hope that he'd return 100 percent healthy after the bye.

Boy does that decision look genius in hindsight...

In his return to action, Jefferson looked equal parts deadly and fresh. It was clear from his first carry that he had his legs and swagger back, knifing through the Arizona defense with ease. He scored three times and carried the ball 22 times for 105 yards, showing that he's back to form.

But wait there's more... not only did the Beavers have the benefit of having Jefferson back, they also had the reliable Artavis Pierce. One of the reoccurring questions that Smith and offensive coordinator Brian Lindgren had to address over the past several weeks has been how the Beavers would handle carries once Jefferson returned to the fold.

Despite the Beavers giving Jefferson a heavy dose of work, it was Pierce that got the start and racked up the most yardage on the ground. He turned his 15 carries into 114 yards and one score, proving that the Beavers boast elite running back talent. All in all, the duo combined for 219 yards and four touchdowns, regularly feasting on the open running lanes that the Wildcats provided.

Jefferson and Pierce compliment each other so well and to see that success play out on the field in their first game back together was a huge step forward for the OSU offense. Consistency is sometimes hard to hone in on, but having two, talented RB's will certainly help keep the OSU offense balanced and efficient moving forward.

3. Hamilcar Rashed is vital to OSU's defensive success:

Without Hamilcar Rashed, where would the Oregon State defense be this season? The Beavers have taken meaningful strides on the defensive side of the ball in year two under Tim Tibesar but make no mistake, without Rashed this defense would be in trouble. His ability to pressure the quarterback is unmatched as he has a Pac-12 leading 12 sacks, which also puts him in the top-five nationally. He's perhaps the one player on the Oregon State defense that opposing offenses try and scheme to stop each and every week, and yet it doesn't faze Rashed.

Against the Wildcats, he tallied three sacks and three TFL's, leading the team in both categories en-route to another big day where his fingerprints were all over the OSU victory. While the Beavers didn't have their best day on defense against the Wildcats, allowing 526 yards of total offense, they got the stops when they needed to, and Rashed was a huge reason why.

His relentless pursuit of the ball, physicality, and football IQ are among the best in the Pac-12 and he's proving each and every week that he's a bonafide star in the making, if he isn't already. With the Beavers needing to play their best defensive football of the season in the next four games in order to give themselves a chance to reach six wins, the defense will look to Rashed for leadership as he's proven to be one of the most impactful defensive playmakers in the country.