Oregon State football: 5 takeaways from the Beavers' win over UC Davis
Oregon State’s football team won its season home opener 55-7 against UC Davis.
The No. 16 Beavers played well on both sides of the ball, and christened the newly renovated Reser Stadium with a victory.
Oregon State is now 2-0 this season and has one more nonconference game — 12:30 p.m. Saturday against San Diego State — before moving on to Pac-12 play.
Here are five takeaways from the Beavers’ win against UC Davis.
1: DJ Uiagalelei takes team to the next level
Quarterback DJ Uiagalelei takes this Beavers’ offense to a whole other level.
Saturday against UC Davis, he didn’t throw much and was 8 of 13 for 107 yards, but he accounted for three more touchdowns.
Uiagalelei had two touchdowns through the air, and one on the ground.
He now has three rushing touchdowns early this season. Having that extra threat at the goal line, along with their talented running backs, will be a huge advantage to the Beavers in the conference season.
Uiagalelei also has no interceptions this season, which is great news for Beavers fans.
Last season, Oregon State quarterbacks had 13 interceptions in 13 games.
2: Beavers make big plays
Once Oregon State starts playing teams like Washington, Utah, UCLA and Oregon, the ability to score quickly on big plays could be the difference between wins and losses.
The Beavers had two big plays for touchdowns Saturday.
Damien Martinez had a 64-yard touchdown run on the first offensive play for Oregon State. It was a big run by a talented running back, and it’s likely not the last long touchdown run he’ll have this season.
Later in the game, Silas Bolden returned a punt for 65 yards for a touchdown. Bolden was filling in for the injured Anthony Gould, a West Salem graduate.
Gould in his own right is a big-play returner, as he returned two punts for touchdowns last season.
3: Aidan Chiles looks sharp
Aidan Chiles looked good in his second game as a Beaver, giving Oregon State a playmaking backup quarterback.
Chiles went 9 of 13 for 74 yards and a touchdown.
He also rushed four times for 42 yards and a touchdown.
In his limited action through two games, Chiles is 11 of 16 for 111 yards and a touchdown, plus five carries for 51 yards and a touchdown.
This gives Oregon State real depth at quarterback, plus gives Beavers fans optimism for the future.
4: Damien Martinez will have a big year
Oregon State running back Damien Martinez had seven carries for 104 yards and a touchdown.
He’s had 100-yard performances in both Beavers games this season.
In total, Martinez has rushed for 249 yards and a touchdown. He’s averaging 9.9 yards per rushing attempt.
As long as he stays healthy, it appears that he’ll have a big year for the Beavers.
5: Defense looks strong again
Oregon State held UC Davis to just 169 yards of total offense.
The Beavers had one interception and recovered a fumble. They also had three sacks and 12 tackles for a loss.
Oregon State had the best defense in the Pac-12 last season. After some offseason turnover, it appears the defense again will be strong.
Statesman Journal reporter Pete Martini covers college and high school sports. He can be reached at pmartini@StatesmanJournal.com.
This article originally appeared on Salem Statesman Journal: Oregon State football: 5 takeaways from the Beavers' win over UC Davis
