The players who returned from last season for USC have some scars remaining from the last time the Trojans tussled with Oregon State.

It was Donte Williams' second game as interim head coach last fall, and there was still hope at that point. Hope that the season could be salvaged in some way in the aftermath of Clay Helton's dismissal, hope that the stirring performance at Washington State the week prior was some harbinger of what could follow.

Instead, the Beavers delivered a heavy dose of reality in their visit to the Coliseum, rolling to a 45-27 win -- after leading 42-17 early in the fourth quarter -- for their first road win at USC since 1960. It was the first of several embarrassing blowouts to follow, many before a dwindling and despondent home crowd on the way to a 4-8 finish.

So is that on the minds of those returning players as the No. 7-ranked Trojans (3-0) visit Oregon State (3-0) on Saturday evening in Corvallis, Ore. (6:30 p.m. PT on Pac-12 Network)?

"100 percent. Same thing with Stanford. I know that's in the past, but man, that game is like a revenge," defensive lineman Tuli Tuipulotu said this week.

RELATED: Scouting the opponent: Beavers' rushing attack toughest test yet for USC | PODCAST: Analyst Max Browne previews USC-Oregon State

As head coach Lincoln Riley sort of bluntly noted, however, there are a lot of those games this year that carry that same storyline.

"We have already had one and there'll be more opportunities kind of in that same realm. I think this is our team now and even if you weren't somebody that was here before, you still take pride in we're all USC Trojans now," Riley said. "So we're not going to sit there and overstate it, overdo it. We've gotta move on and I think we have. But at the same time, getting back to playing the kind of ball that we expect to play in this conference is important to us. So we're not going to be posting it all over the facility, but not gonna shy away about it either."

Tuipulotu hasn't. He watched that 2021 loss to the Beavers by himself on Monday, picking at that scar, so to speak.

"I had to watch the game from last year, I had to. I had to watch that game. It was tough to watch," he said.

Ditto for linebacker Ralen Goforth, who had already watched it once when he met with reporters Tuesday and said he was planning to take another look as well.

"It was [tough], it was. But at the end of the day, if you want to be great you've got to watch the tough things," he said. "Just a lot of busts. I remember, there were some calls I saw that I kind of have retained. I was like, oh shoot, man, this guy's supposed to be here, this guy's supposed to be there, but I'm looking forward to the matchup this year."

So are Trojans fans, who have very easily put 2021 out of mind while embracing a distinctly different USC team and trajectory with Riley at the helm.

These Trojans have won their first three games by an average margin of 31 points, but the unbeaten Beavers should provide the toughest test yet, and there's some thought this game could be the most accurate litmus test -- more so than the likes of Rice, Fresno State or even Stanford -- as to what this team is.

If it is what most expect -- the Trojans are a 5.5-point road favorite in the battle of unbeatens -- then it should look dramatically different very quickly from that last clash with Oregon State.

"Not necessarily toward Oregon State or any particular opponent, but I just think, part of the excitement and the challenge that everybody that's in this program right now accepted was let's do what we gotta do to get this thing going the way it should," Riley said. "And some of that involves playing better against people that maybe you haven't played as good against at times in the past. ... We're focused on the future but not [with] a blind eye to the past."

With that, let's get into the weekly TrojanSports.com roundtable, where our staff weighs in with perspective on the top storylines and gives its predictions.

Will the defense take a step forward this week, especially against the run?

Ryan Young: "My crystal ball says no to that. I think the defense can get moderately better as the season progresses, but I also think it probably is what it is to a large extent -- a flawed but opportunistic unit that will rely on turnovers (tied for third nationally with 10 turnovers through three games) and sacks (tied for second nationally with 4.67 per game). USC has playmakers and elite athletes that can deliver those kinds of plays, but there's only so many weeks you can hear about missed gaps before you just accept it might be in the DNA of the squad. That said, this defense continuing as it has is good enough for USC to win a lot of games while complementing the Trojans' reliable, high-scoring offense. So, I do expect Oregon State to break off some big runs, to catch defenders out of position, etc., but I don't think that will necessarily decide the outcome."

Jeff McCulloch: "They will need to if they want to win this game. Oregon State is the No. 2 scoring offense in the Pac-12 behind only USC. The Beavers can run the ball well and pass well. The running backs are averaging 190 yards per game, which is more than what the USC defense gives up a game (177). But with the steady play of Tuli Tuipulotu and emergence of Solomon Byrd, this team can stop this rushing offense long enough for the Trojans offense to change the gameplan for Oregon State. They don’t need to completely shut down this Beavers attack because the Trojans offense is good enough to outscore Oregon State. USC needs its own offense to get going quick to force Oregon State to pass the ball more to catch up. The USC defense just needs to fill their gaps and play like the No. 7team in the country."

Tajwar Khandaker: "To be quite honest, I don’t expect to see a noticeable leap forward this week. I’m sure that there’s a lot being put in this week to address the defense’s deficiencies against the run, but the fact that not much has improved in that regard over the first three games makes it hard for me to imagine that they’ll suddenly be much better in just a week. Especially given how good this Oregon State run game is, I think whatever steps forward USC manages to take against it will be overshadowed by the success the Beavers still manage in that regard. Their offensive line is really stout from left to right, making this a tough choice for a get-right game. The one area for major improvement I could imagine would lie with the pass rush, which appeared to have taken a big jump forward against Fresno State. Continued progress in that direction would absolutely change the complexion of this game and I do see that being a possibility."

Does USC have a legit chance to finish as a top 5 national offense?

Jeff: "I think there is a legit chance this offense finishes top 5 in the nation, yes. When you look at this offense as a whole, there is not a hole anywhere. They have the best wide receiver corps arguably in the country, a Heisman candidate in QB Caleb Williams, a dynamic duo at running back with Travis Dye and Austin Jones, a great offensive line and an offensive genius in Lincoln Riley. The only way this offense doesn’t become top 5 is if they get hit by injuries."

Tajwar: "Absolutely. Just from what we’ve seen so far, the Trojans already appear to clearly be among the nation’s top 5 offenses. They’re currently 11th in total offense (520 yards per game), and it’s worth noting that they’ve actually played as tough of a schedule if not a tougher one than each of the teams ahead of them. Looking at their long-term prospects, the lack of any real discernable weaknesses on the offense bodes well for its continued success. Caleb Williams is one of the elite quarterbacks in college football, the offensive line is adept in protection and very strong in the run game, the team features a talented and dynamic stable of running backs and it boasts a wildly deep receiver corps headlined by perhaps the best pass catcher in the country. That’s just the on-field side of things; with Lincoln Riley calling and designing plays, there aren’t really any holes to poke in USC’s offense at this point. Add in a relatively easy schedule with only Utah and Notre Dame as serious defensive threats, and the Trojans are primed to have a wildly productive season on offense. It’s probably going to be hard for any team in the country to match up statistically by December."

Ryan: "Yes, most definitely. For all the reasons stated, but especially for the Riley factor. In his two years as offensive coordinator at Oklahoma and five seasons as head coach of the Sooners, his offenses finished 7th, 2nd, 1st, 1st, 3rd, 11th and 18th nationally. And he has gotten things humming so quickly here already that there's no reason to think this can't compare with those top Riley offenses of years past. I'm of the belief that the Trojans can simply outscore almost every opponent on the schedule, regardless of what the defense does."