Postgame: Three takeaways from the Gophers' 48-14 rout of Oregon State

Good morning from Corvallis, where the Gophers turned in an impressive, multi-faceted performance Saturday night. Here are my three takeaways:

** This defense can adjust: For the second consecutive game, the Gophers pitched a second-half shutout. After allowing 69 second-half yards to Buffalo in the season opener, Minnesota's defense limited Oregon State to 35 second-half yards. Included in that was only 3 yards on the ground while the Gophers churned out 171 rushing yards after intermission.

"Feels great about our defense,'' senior linebacker Jonathan Celestin said. "We learn from our first-half mistakes. … On that first drive [of the second half], we set the tempo and just kept it going.''

** Forty-eight points is nothing to sneeze at: The Gophers' point total was their most on the road since their 49-21 victory at Northwestern in 1980. Granted, Oregon State's defense leaks like a sieve – the Beavers have given up 138 points in three games – but the outburst showed that the Gophers might be better on offense than they showed in the opener against Buffalo.

"At Western [Michigan], they had high scores, so I'm not surprised,'' said sophomore receiver Tyler Johnson, who got the scoring party started with a 67-yard touchdown hookup with Conor Rhoda on the Gophers' second possession. "We put in the work, we know what we have to do, day-in and day-out. We just executed tonight.''

** Celestin was a force for the Gophers: Their defensive leader finished with 10 tackles, eight solo, and a fumble recovery. But his best moment might have come in the third quarter, when he leveled Beavers running back Artavis Pierce for a 5-yard loss with a vicious textbook tackle.

"I timed it up on the snap and saw the running back coming across and I hit it,'' Celestin said. "It was fun.''