Four weeks in a row, the University of Utah has strung together impressive wins despite being heavily shorthanded due to a multitude of injuries.

While currently 4-0 and ranked inside the AP’s top 10, the Utes face perhaps their toughest matchup thus far as they travel to Corvallis on Friday to battle a tough Oregon State Program that's hungry for a win.

Here are the keys to the game:

Let Nate Johnson work his magic

If the Utes expect to remain undefeated and emerge with a victory in a hostile Corvallis environment, the offense has to be a lot better than it was last week against UCLA. 219 yards of total offense with only 117 passing and 102 on the ground won’t cut it against this Oregon State defense on the road.

So what's the solution? Let him air it out. Assuming that Nate Johnson is yet again under center, the offensive scheme has to give him a chance to air it out. Not only because Oregon State’s secondary is likely their weakest position group amongst the defense, but Utah’s run game is incredibly shorthanded and plagued with injury.

In their loss to Washington State just a week ago, the Beavers allowed 422 passing yards (12.1 yards per pass) as opposed to just 106 yards on the ground (3.5 yards per carry). Clearly, the secondary is the group to attack and Utah needs to do their best to exploit it.

Is Johnson the most experienced and talented passer out there? No. But the passing game is your best shot. Give him a chance and live with the results. A conservative approach is likely guaranteed to lose you this game regardless.

Pressure the quarterback

Similar to last week, the Utes should yet again have their eyes set on pressuring the quarterback and making his life as difficult as possible.

While DJ Uiagalelei is a formidable quarterback with a lot of upside, he’s still got plenty of weaknesses that Utah should be able to exploit. Throughout his career, Uiagalelei has struggled in terms of effectively going through his progressions, escaping pressure and consistently finding receivers downfield.

In response, the Utes need to bring the pressure and force him to make bad decisions. Occasionally consider an extra rusher to collapse the pocket. He generally doesn’t move so he’ll either end up taking a loss or tossing out a poorly thrown ball just as he did against the Cougars a week ago.

If Utah’s defensive line can replicate last week's performance, Uiagalelei is going to struggle and the secondary might be able to force a few interceptions. Turnovers are going to be critical in this matchup, and attacking Uiagalelei relentlessly might be the best way to create those opportunities.

Stop the run, win the game

Just like Utah has done all season, stopping the run is perhaps the most important thing the Utes can do on Friday and will likely be the deciding factor in who walks away with the W.

To this point in the year, the Beavers running backs have been incredibly productive, averaging 224 yards per game while posting 12 total touchdowns. The primary culprit? Damien Martinez who has a whopping 432 yards on 57 attempts (7.6 average). Additionally, senior running back Deshaun Fenwick has also added 253 yards and four touchdowns on 37 carries (6.8 average).

If Utah can replicate their performances against the Gators or Bruins where they collectively only allowed a total of 22 yards between the two matchups, they’ll be in great shape.

Win the battle in the trenches, close off the gaps, don’t allow missed tackles, and depend on your highly talented linebackers to anchor the defense. If they’re successful, Utah’s offense will have a chance to win the game, just like they’ve done all season long without Cam Rising.

Position Battles

Quarterback

Again, assuming that Rising is out, Oregon State has the advantage here. Uiagalelei is simply more experienced and more talented than Johnson. That's not at all a slam on Nate. Simple is that.

Running Backs

This one should be obvious. The Beavers boast a talented and productive running back room while the Utes are plagued with injury. Not much of a contest right now.

Wide Receivers

Not that the Beavers have been overly productive in terms of receiving, but compared to Utah they’ve got nearly 300 more yards and eight total touchdowns opposed to Utah’s six. The advantage goes to Oregon State again.

Tight End

Without Brant Kuithe and with how underutilized Utah’s group has been, the advantage goes to Oregon State as they’ve involved their tight ends who have seen a good amount of production. Utah just hasn’t made the tight ends a priority so far.

Offensive Line

Let’s go with a tie here. Both lines have been good but not great. Also, in terms of sacks allowed and penalties thus far, the numbers are very similar.

Defensive Line

Whether they are fully healthy or close to fully healthy, the Utes defensive line is incredibly talented and runs deep. Oregon State has a solid group too, but Utah is borderline unfair.

Linebackers

Aside from the Bruins last week, this is likely the closest this battle will be the rest of the season. While Utah’s group yet again runs deeper, the Beavers top two linebackers might be the most talented on the field. This will be another competitive battle on Friday.

Secondary

The Beavers secondary has been their weakest link so far. Advantage Utah.

Special Teams

Special teams looked much better this past week and Jack Bouwmeester continues to be a lethal weapon. Now, Utah needs place kicker Cole Becker back as fast as possible.