CORVALLIS - In spite of a string of one-sided results, Oregon State football coach Gary Andersen said Monday the Beavers were showing improvement amid the most challenging schedule stretch they'll face in 2017.

Sitting at 1-4 following losses to No. 21 Washington State and No. 6 Washington, OSU will play at No. 14 USC on Saturday in Los Angeles. The Beavers have lost their last two games by a combined score of 94-30. And while Andersen said there have been signs of development, he also acknowledged how far his team is from expectations.

"They're gaining ground," Andersen said at his Monday news conference. "And as hard as that is to see at this point for them, I believe they're working to gain ground. ... But when that takes place? I don't have that. I've done this a bunch of times. It's worked out in a positive way. But right now, it's obviously not where we want to be."

This will mark the first time in Andersen's head coaching career facing three consecutive teams ranked 21st or better. Washington State, the lowest-ranked team in that stretch, has since improved to No. 11 after beating USC, a former top five team.

Following the matchup with the Trojans, OSU will host Colorado for its Homecoming game and then have a bye week before playing Stanford on Thursday, Oct. 26. Asked what it would take to turn the season around, Andersen said he didn't have a "magical crystal ball."

"You just keep on coaching; you keep on banging," he said. "Obviously we didn't expect to be in this spot right here. I think it's important that the kids continue to fight and battle. And it's hard for young men to fight and battle. I get it. I understand all those things. But they will."

ISAIAH HODGINS ABSENCE

Andersen again deferred to wide receivers coach and passing game coordinator Jason Phillips on the Saturday absence of freshman receiver Isaiah Hodgins. Hodgins, a former four-star recruit and the Beavers' third-leading pass catcher, did not play against Washington for undisclosed reasons.

After the Saturday defeat, Andersen said Hodgins was available to his knowledge and he had "no idea" why he didn't play.

On Monday when asked about the decision-making process for player availability, Andersen said he is "a big believer in position control."

"Coach Phillips is a veteran coach," Andersen said. "He's going to play the guy that he thought was best going to give us an opportunity to win that game on that day in that situation and in that setting. That's the way it's always been. I've never had problems with those coaches making those decisions. If I think it's a glaring scenario or an issue that was there - we've talked about it in-house a little bit. Those are our in-house discussions. But on that day that's what Coach Phillips believed was best for the Beavs."

Without Hodgins in the lineup and facing one of the Pac-12's top passing defenses, Oregon State completed 11 of 22 passes for 74 yards.

"We had numerous drops," Andersen said earlier. "We had opportunities to make some plays out there that weren't made. Against those teams, you have to be able to make those plays. ... There has to be an ability to have a threat to throw the ball down the field to loosen up those run gaps a little bit."

RYAN NALL BANGED UP

Junior running back Ryan Nall had a walking boot on his left foot. He left the Washington game in the third quarter with a sprained ankle. The team injury report will come out Tuesday.

OFFENSIVE CONSULTANT?

When asked, Andersen said he has not considered hiring an outside offensive consultant.

"I haven't even really thought about it, to be honest with you," he said. "I haven't thought about that."

Nationally, the Beavers rank 111th in scoring offense (21.2 points per game), 113th in total offense (321.6 yards per game) and 95th in yards per play (5.22).

In 2015, Andersen's first year in Corvallis transitioning to a spread offense, he brought on longtime offensive coordinator and former BYU head coach Gary Crowton midway through the year as an offensive consultant.

Andersen, a former defensive coordinator, has been more involved in designing defensive game plans over the last three games after OSU started the season giving up 80 points and more than 1,000 yards through two games.

IMPROVEMENTS

Andersen said he was proud of the defensive line, which helped force three sacks and five tackles for losses against Washington, and said the first half was the team's best in a long time. He credited punter Nick Porebski with neutralizing Dante Pettis in the punt return game and called the OSU special teams overall a bright spot.

FOURTH-AND-10

A critical play in the Beavers' loss Saturday was when Washington quarterback Jake Browning audibled out of pass call and into a run on fourth-and-10 from the OSU 25-yard line with a 7-0 lead in the third quarter. He handed off to running back Lavon Coleman, who earned 20 yards and set up a touchdown.

Andersen said the defense could play the edges better and improve both its tackling and alignments on the play.

"If I didn't think we were in a good enough spot to be able to have a chance to be able to stop that play, then I should have called timeout and I didn't," he said. "So I guess I should have called timeout."

-- Danny Moran