To prepare for the Cal-Oregon State game Saturday, BeaversEdge publisher Brenden Slaughter joined us to talk about the 5-2 Oregon State Beavers and what to know about Cal's next opponent.

Oregon State’s run game, with BJ Baylor and a strong offensive line, is what the Cal coaches have mentioned most frequently this week. What has made them as effective as they have been?

It definitely all starts upfront with an offensive line that's playing at a very high level. Combine that with the three-headed rushing attack of BJ Baylor, Deshaun Fenwick, and Trey Lowe, and all of a sudden you've got the best rushing offense in the Pac-12. It certainly helped that the team brought back their same five starters at OL from a year ago, but I give credit to offensive line coach Jim Michalczik for getting even more out of his guys this season. The OL has been able to open up big holes for the trio to run through and the ability to go three deep at times has really given the Beavers a unique advantage on the ground.

Additionally, credit to tight ends Teagan Quitoriano & Luke Musgrave as they've essentially acted as the sixth and seventh blockers up front at times, giving Baylor, Fenwick, & Lowe even more running lanes. Baylor has grabbed a lot of the headlines, and rightfully so, but it's having several guys who can be a threat that's made this backfield so dynamic.

The Oregon State defense has improved a lot in Tim Tibesar’s time at the helm, what have been some of the bigger points of growth for the group in the last year or two?

I'd say that stopping the run and forcing turnovers on a more consistent basis have been the biggest differences this season. Forcing turnovers is absolutely key with how offenses operate in the Pac-12 these days and the Beavers have done a pretty solid job at being able to give their offense more opportunities, which in turn has helped out the overall play of the defense. Additionally, having a much-stronger run defense has been critical for OSU this season.

For the first couple years of the Tibesar era, the Beavers just didn't have the horses to be able to slow down a rushing attack for an entire game, which in turn allowed opposing offenses to pick them apart. That's all changed this season as we're seeing the Beavers be able to stop opposing running backs for little to no gain on first or second down that leads to a long third-down attempt. It's still a work in progress as the Beavers by no means have arrived on that side of the ball, but the improved play so far this season has been absolutely key to the Beavers' 5-2 start.

Chance Nolan seems to be efficient in leading the Oregon State offense after taking over, how has he handled the transition to leading the offense?

For the most part, Nolan has done about as good of a job as you could have asked for after being named the starting QB before the second game of the season. Outside of a forgettable performance against Washington, and a ho-hum performance against Washington State, Nolan has been hyper-efficient in leading the offense and limiting his mistakes. He was able to get back on track against the Utes this past weekend, throwing his first touchdown pass since USC several weeks prior, and it really seemed like he was able to get his groove back.

For the Beavers to not be a one-dimensional team, Nolan has to be able to stretch the field and get the ball downfield, and for the most part, he's been pretty solid at doing just that so far this season. If there's an area he'd like to clean up, it would be ball security as a runner as he's had a couple of lost fumbles in recent weeks.

Who are some of the other X-Factors and names to know on both sides of the ball for the Beavers?

On offense, keep an eye on receivers Trevon Bradford & Tre'Shaun Harrison, and RB Trey Lowe, while on defense the inside linebackers Omar Speights & Avery Roberts and defensive back Rejzohn Wright are all impact players to keep a close eye on.

What’s your prediction for the game?

Oregon State has been playing very well and I have a hard time seeing Cal being able to keep up on the scoreboard. I like OSU 35-20...