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The last time Kyle Whittingham's Utes were ranked in the top 10, in November 2010, No. 3 TCU beat them so soundly, he said, that it beat them twice.
Utah then went to South Bend, Ind., and fell 28-3 to a 4-5 Notre Dame team that hadn't toppled a ranked team in 11 straight tries.
"We were not our best in that game," Whittingham said.
Saturday night, USC did the drubbing, 42-24. Now, Whittingham hopes that while No. 13 Utah may no longer be undefeated, that it's not defeated. That while it didn't win, it isn't lost.
"Our guys are all-in, and so the loss stings, but you've got to see big picture and you've got to understand where you sit," he said Monday.
Where they sit: first place in the Pac-12 South, and hosting a team that is much, much further from the realm of perfection than they are.
There's nothing that Oregon State has done particularly well this season, statistically speaking.
The 2-5 Beavers are dead last in the conference in scoring offense, passing offense, passing efficiency, sacks, third-down conversions and fourth-down conversions. Even their relative high marks — a rushing offense that ranks 41st nationally at 189 yards per contest and a pass defense that ranks 49th nationally at 205 yards per game — can be attributed to the lopsided nature of their games: When teams are leading by huge margins, they don't tend to stack the box, or air it out.
In its first year under former Utah defensive coordinator Gary Andersen and a staff laden with Utah ties, Oregon State is still laying its foundation — or, at worst, still digging.
In Saturday's loss to South doormat Colorado, the Beavers alternated between freshmen quarterbacks Nick Mitchell and usual starter Seth Collins. Mitchell, a pocket passer. Collins, a dual-threat quarterback who's rushed for 536 yards and five touchdowns and reminds Utah of a young Chuckie Keeton.
"It is best for us, no question, to have two styles of offense," Andersen said Monday, adding that while he hopes for a return to the fold of injured rusher Storm Woods, starting left tackle Sean Harlow was lost for the season against Colorado.
The Beavers are 10th in the conference in scoring defense, conceding 31.1 points per game, but Andersen pointed out that they've allowed just 17 points in the last six quarters.
They seem to have responded to OSU defensive coordinator Kalani Sitake, who left Utah to join Andersen in Corvallis and could be heard imploring his team on Pac-12 Networks' "The Drive" to stay assignment-sound, and not to panic, after allowing Washington State's Luke Falk to pass for six touchdowns during the first half.
But "our physicality is still not there," Andersen told media Monday.
Meanwhile, Andersen sees in his opponent the four keys to success in the Pac-12: Solid quarterback play that sometimes verges on spectacular, a dominating running back or two, effective pass-rushers and corners.
"They walk off the bus, they look like a big-time team," Andersen said, adding that Utah's safeties can be mistaken for tight ends, and that he's happy to see Whittingham achieve his vision.
Assistants together at Idaho State more than 20 years ago, the old friends say they still speak regularly but downplay the importance of their familiarity.
Andersen led off Monday's news conference by announcing, "I think the big thing about this game is it's a game for the kids, it's not a game for the coaches."
He and Whittingham wouldn't speak this week, he added, "not because of me, but because he doesn't like that stuff."
Oregon State at No 13 Utah
P Saturday, 5 p.m.
TV • Pac-12
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Oregon State's ties to Utah add fire to a Ute defense looking to rebound. > C4