CORVALLIS - The woofs of purple-draped Washington fans encircled the noise of Oregon State players singing the school fight song Saturday before a near empty Reser Stadium.

It was the waning minutes before rainfall again hit the Willamette Valley, wiping away a once clear, crisp autumn evening that initially brought signs of hope for an OSU football team searching for an identity amid a season that has quickly turned disastrous.

The Beavers were 26 1/2-point underdogs against No. 6 Washington, yet trailed only by seven points at the game's midway point by executing a defensive gameplan that surprisingly stymied the nation's most efficient offense. But what followed in a 42-7 loss was another one-sided second half that quickly dashed any measure of hope for a seismic upset.

When the Huskies were finished piling on points, it meant Oregon State has been outscored 147-49 in five second halves this season.

"That's an absolute 100 percent trend," OSU coach Gary Andersen said. "I can't say there's not similarities. It's difficult to deal with."

Playing its first game of the season without injured starting quarterback Jake Luton, the Beavers turned in their least-productive offensive performance in 2017.

Senior quarterback Darell Garretson (11 of 22 for 74 yards) made his first start since Oct. 15 of last season as Luton (thoracic spine fracture) watched from the sideline in street clothes. But Garretson was without two top targets.

Tight end Noah Togiai missed the game after suffering an ankle injury in practice during the week and freshman wide receiver Isaiah Hodgins did not play for undisclosed reasons, taking the Beavers' second- and third-leading receivers off the field.

Andersen said he had "no idea" why Hodgins didn't play and referred questions about his absence to offensive coordinator Kevin McGiven and passing game coordinator Jason Phillips, who were not available.

Without either player in tow, OSU failed to cross midfield in any of its six first-half drives, Garretson tallied only 3.3 passing yards per attempt and the offense generated eight first downs, compared to 32 by UW.

"Their front seven, they were playing well," Garretson said. "Other than that, I don't know what else to tell you."

Garretson struggled to find a rapport with any of his remaining receivers and completed only two passes to non-running backs.

The Huskies bottled up Ryan Nall (nine carries for 18 yards), who was the OSU leading receiver with five catches for 44 yards but left the game in the third quarter with a sprained ankle and did not return. Artavis Pierce (three carries for 22 yards) also left in the third quarter and did not return after landing hard on his back and left shoulder, although a team spokesman said the injury did not appear serious.

"There were no creases in the run game," said Andersen, who called the Washington defensive front as good as any in college football. "... The bottom line is I don't care if you had Larry Csonka in there tonight. I don't think he's going to get any creases either. There was nowhere to hit the ball."

Washington outgained Oregon State by 325 yards (509-184), tallying 315 yards in the second half against a defense that played its best 30 minutes of the season before halftime in front of 37,821 fans and eight NFL scouts in attendance.

After the Huskies went 98 yards in 10 plays to take a 7-0 first quarter lead, Oregon State forced Washington into consecutive punts for the first time in four weeks. The Beavers had three first-half sacks after tallying only three in their previous four games combined.

However, holes emerged early on in the second half, none more apparent than when the UW offense faced a fourth-and-10 from the Oregon State 25-yard line during its first third quarter drive.

Running back Lavon Coleman (nine carries, 71 yards) found room to run right of the hash marks, scampering for a 20-yard gain to put Washington at the OSU 5-yard line. One play later, quarterback Jake Browning found Dante Pettis (12 catches for 105 yards) for a touchdown pass, laying the groundwork for a rout. The duo hooked up for three scores on the night.

"There's too many missed tackles," said senior inside linebacker Manase Hungalu, who had team highs of 11 tackles (1.5 for loss) and 1.5 sacks. "Can't have missed tackles. Those are just effort plays."

Browning went 26 of 34 for 293 yards with three touchdowns and one interception - the first of freshman safety David Morris' career.

Special teams execution was a bright spot, as senior punter Nick Porebski kept the ball out of Pettis' hands, holding him to no returns despite eight OSU punts on the evening. Pettis is tied for an NCAA career record with eight punt returns for touchdowns.

But after what Andersen described as a dysfunctional offensive performance, Pettis' return skills were not needed.

A majority of students stayed through much of the loss, packing the section on an evening when they were notified at halftime about the chance to win in-state tuition for a year (valued at $12,000).

It will be their last chance to see OSU at home until after its trip to USC, which is soon-to-be bounced from the top five of national polls following an upset loss at Washington State. The Beavers will be looking for their first win against the Trojans in Los Angeles since 1960 and their first victory over an FBS program this season.

"We're playing really hard," Garretson said. "We have guys that are always in the film room. Playing hard in practice; playing hard in the game. It's not like we have guys easing up or anything. We're fighting 'til the very last second. That's all we can do."

-- Danny Moran