This is the point of the season when the Oregon State football team is supposed to come through.

After all, that's what the Beavers have done in past seasons.

Just when you think the season is spiraling out of control, the Beavers come up with a big win and turn everything right side up.

In 2006, the Beavers were 2-3 with back-to-back home losses to California and Washington State. They went to Washington and came away with a 27-17 win and proceeded to win seven of their last eight games.

In 2007, the Beavers were 2-3 before stringing together wins over Arizona, Cal and Stanford and finishing with six wins in seven games.

Last year, the Beavers were 2-3 and coming off a tough loss to Utah, but had the upset win over USC a week earlier to use as a springboard. The Beavers tore off six straight wins before falling in the Civil War.

So recent history shows all is not lost for the Beavers. It also shows that they will lose at Arizona State today and start the season 2-3.

No doubt Beavers fans would take that if the team can follow up with a big win streak.

It's hard to say if that's a reasonable expectation. The Beavers seemed to have major problem areas in each of the aforementioned seasons (they also managed a 7-5 finish in 2004 after a 1-4 start).

Yet somehow, some way, coach Mike Riley and his staff coaxed winning seasons out of teams that seemed on the brink of falling apart.

The difference, however, is this year was supposed be OSU's chance to put together a fast start and ride it to a bowl game.

With three home games in the first four, the Beavers had an opportunity to go 4-0 or at least 3-1.

Instead they stand at 2-2 with the trip to Tempe up next. Then the Beavers get much-improved Stanford, UCLA and Washington at home sandwiching road games at USC and Cal.

It's not going to be easy.

There are questions on offense as well - particularly pass protection - but as long as James and Jacquizz Rodgers are in the mix the Beavers remain a threat to score.

The most glaring weakness has been pass defense. The Beavers have given up 272 yards a game and eight touchdowns through the air.

The defensive line is capable of pressuring the quarterback, but opponents can counteract it with a three-step drop by the quarterback. That works because the receivers are breaking open early and often against the linebackers and defensive backs.

When the coverage has been solid, the pass rush has not been there. The Beavers have two sacks in four games.

Those defensive deficiencies are no secret to the coaches around the Pacific-10 Conference. They will go after those weaknesses until the Beavers solve the problems.

It's going to take a quick fix.

Stay the course and this time the train just might derail.

Kevin Hampton is a sports reporter for the Gazette-Times. He can be reached at kevin.hampton@lee.net.