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Oregon State's final nonconference game of the 2026 season looms on the horizon, as the Beavers prepare to travel to take on UTEP on Saturday.  New head coach JaMarcus Shephard hopes to keep things rolling after earning his first career win last week, a 52-17 triumph over Montana at Reser Stadium.  Oregon State and UTEP have never faced off in football. Who will take the first-ever series lead?  Oddsmakers currently give the upper hand to the Beavers, who are listed as 10.5-point favorites across multiple sportsbooks.  Oregon State responded to a number of question marks against Montana, as Mike MacIntyre's new-look defense made notable strides in the run-stopping and pass-rushing department. However, several questions remain as the Beavers approach Pac-12 play.  Will the front seven continue to improve? Will the Beavers be able to limit another passing attack? Will Takari Hickle continue to muck things up inside? The list goes on. Here's a look at the most pressing on-field questions MacIntyre's defense will need to address this week: 1) Is the run defense really solved? In Week 1, Houston ran all over Oregon State to the tune of 228 yards and three touchdowns on the ground. The Cougars averaged 5.4 yards per carry while two separate players rushed for 70 yards or more.  In the two weeks that followed, the Beavers' run defense turned things around, holding Texas Tech and Montana to a combined 251 rushing yards on 3.4 yards per carry.  Against UTEP, Oregon State's much-improved run defense will face another stiff test. The Miners love to run the ball with a variety of players, notably running back Tavorus Jones and quarterbacks EJ Colson Jr. and Raymond Moore III. On the season, those three players have accounted for 88 carries, while UTEP has attempted only 54 passes.  In other words, the Beavers will need to stop the run again in order to prevail on Saturday.  "Their running back, Jones. Big, powerful guy. Played 20 games at Missouri," MacIntrye said. "He's a really powerful running back and he does a lot of good things." Jones ran for 104 yards and a touchdown in the Miners 51-10 win over Texas Southern. Meanwhile, Moore III carried the ball just three times for 94 yards and a touchdown. So far this season, UTEP's ground game has been diverse and unpredictable. "They have two athletic quarterbacks. They're dynamic. They can throw it. They can run. They're really good athletes," MacIntyre said. "They have a lot of creativity in their offense and you'll see them motioning and shifting, and tons of different formations. Our secondary and our linebacking crew is going to have to be on on par about getting lined up correctly, having the right leverage and making the right checks, because it's not a vanilla-type offense on all their alignments." The Beavers have already begun to fix their run defense. This week, they'll need to show they can sustain those repairs against a varied attack on the ground.  2) Can you contain a potent dual-threat quarterback? The last time Oregon State faced a true dual-threat signal-caller was in Week 1 against Houston, as Conner Weigman made life tough on the Beavers' front seven. He carried the ball nine times for 30 yards and a touchdown, and used his legs to create in the passing game as well.  While EJ Colson Jr. is a completely different player, he should provide a similar challenge on Saturday as a quarterback with blatant athleticism and escapability. He's less of an improviser than Weigman, but still a clear dual-threat, having ran the ball 40 times while attempting just 42 passes so far this season. "He's an athlete," Jacob Schuster said. "He can move in and out of the pocket, find those lanes and get outside and make us work. So we've got to do our job and finish." Containment and discipline will be the name of the game on Saturday, as Oregon State hopes to pressure Colson Jr. without opening the escape lanes that make him truly dangerous. Additionally, they'll need to be focused on designed quarterback runs, as UTEP has shown a willingness to use its tailbacks as additional lead blockers for Colson Jr.  "The quarterback works well with (Jones)," Schuster said. "He obviously knows how to run the ball too, so we got to keep him inside and do our jobs." Dual-threat quarterbacks will become commonplace during Pac-12 play, with the Beavers set to take on Colorado State's Hauss Hejny, Washington State's Caden Pinnick and Utah State's Grady Brosterhous. Saturday's matchup with Colson Jr. should provide a sneak peek at how the Oregon State defense will fare against those similarly dynamic players.