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True freshman, Jermar Jefferson, took over in the backfield for an injured Artavis Pierce against Southern Utah last Saturday and had a truly incredible performance. His rushing statistics were unlike anything Oregon State football has ever seen. And just to reiterate Jermar Jefferson is a TRUE FRESHMAN! His 238 yards on the ground were good for 3rd place all-time in the Oregon State football history books (one yard shy of the great Steven Jackson).
RUSHING YARDS - SINGLE GAME
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His rush yards total would have been extremely impressive by itself, but what’s even more impressive is his combination of rush yards and rushing touchdowns. His four rushing touchdowns ties the OSU record for touchdowns in a game and puts him up there with some elite company.
RUSHING TD’s - SINGLE GAME
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Artavis Pierce’s injury is a huge bummer and he would almost certainly be leading the nation in rushing yards if he had 40+ carries through the Beavers first two games. Currently, Jermar Jefferson and Artavis Pierce are #1 and #2 in the Pac-12 in rushing yards. Ahead of heisman contenders like Bryce Love, Kahlil Tate and all the other great runners in the Pac-12. They’re also both in the top-10 nationally for yards per carry and top-16 for total rush yards.
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While Jermar Jefferson and Artavis Pierce have been incredible finding running lanes, fighting for extra yards and turning on the jets in the open field; the offensive line and coach Jim Michalczik deserve huge amounts of credit for their role in the success of the running game.
Next up, Oregon State takes on a Nevada team that just gave up 198 rushing yards in a loss at Vanderbilt last Saturday. The Beavers have not had a 1,000 yard rusher since Jacquizz Rodgers accomplished the feat in 2010, but that could change in 2018; as the Beavers already have two running backs over 250 yards through two games.