Oregon State Routes Arizona For Second Consecutive Win

If you’ve ever had one of those days where everything seemingly goes your way, then you can totally relate to how the Oregon State University Beavers must have felt last Saturday, when they defeated the University of Arizona Wildcats by a score of 56-38.

The Beavers scored touchdowns on 8 of their 11 drives on the day, while piling up a whopping 572 yards of total offense.

Senior quarterback Jake Luton threw for 328 yards on the day, representing his second-highest passing yards total since arriving in Corvallis. With the help of wide receiver Isaiah Hodges, who had seven catches for 150 yards and two touchdowns as well (and continues to be one of the most exciting playmakers in the nation), Luton’s performance was nothing short of an air show.

Of course, that should take nothing away from the Beavers’ rushing attack, which registered 244 yards on the ground themselves. Running back Artavis Pierce had his third game with more than 100 yards rushing this season (finishing with 114 yards on just 15 carries), while sophomore Jermar Johnson had 105 yards rushing, as well as a season-high three rushing touchdowns.

Entering halftime with a 35-19 lead, Oregon State enjoyed an afternoon where they never had to worry about the outcome of the contest in the second half of the game. Jefferson’s third touchdowns run of the day came on Oregon State’s opening drive of the second half, and gave them a 42-19 lead. While the Wildcats would cut the lead to 11 points late in the third quarter, after getting the score to 42-19, the Beavers’ two touchdowns in the second quarter put the game away for good.

The 56 points scored by Oregon State represents the first time the team scored more than 50 points in over six years, and the Beavers’ four wins this season is already their highest win total since 2016 – and they still have four more games left to play on their schedule.

For a program that’s starting to re-establish its footing both within the Pac-12, as well as the college football picture nationwide, these are the types of wins Oregon State can use as stepping stones. Winning their first set of back-to-back games since 2016 might not seem like much to other programs, but it’s something that head coach Jonathan Smith can use when trying to pitch the vision of this program to future Oregon State student athletes.

However, Smith will have to put such sales pitches aside, and focus on the “here and now,” considering the next opponent on the schedule. The Beavers will take on the University of Washington Huskies, who might not have the same level of national prominence that they’ve had in recent years, but still represent a formidable Pac-12 foe. After all, this is still the same Huskies program that defeated Oregon State by a 43-23 score last year. Further, they’ll be coming in reeling, having lost their last two games – one of which was against in-state rival University of Oregon.

The game will be played in the friendly confines of Reser Stadium, with kickoff scheduled for 7:30pm local time.