Oregon State heads into Saturday with reasons to believe it can make life uncomfortable for No. 13 Texas Tech.
The Beavers already showed plenty in their opener at No. 23 Houston, and even without a win, the offensive output gave them a clear path to lean on at home in 2026 for the first time. Against a ranked Red Raiders team, the challenge is obvious: keep pace on offense and survive a passing game that looks built to stress the secondary.
That starts with sophomore quarterback Will Hammond, who is described as a very accurate thrower and will be working behind an offensive line that should give him solid protection. If Texas Tech’s receivers are consistently getting free, Oregon State could be in for a long day. The Red Raiders have plenty of options, too, including former five-star recruit Micah Hudson, Pitt transfer Kenny Johnson, and senior Coy Eakin, who has more than 1,700 receiving yards in his TTU career.
For Oregon State, the secondary has to carry a heavy load. The Beavers should get help from experienced safeties Vadrawale and Patterson, but the corners may end up deciding a lot.
TJ Crandall returned after missing all of last season with injury and flashed with a few pass breakups in the second half against Houston. Sophomore Trey Glasper had issues tackling last week, but he also showed the kind of natural pass-coverage ability that stood out in 2025 as a true freshman.
If those pieces hold up, Oregon State’s defense has a chance to make Texas Tech work for every throw.
The Beavers’ offense also has a blueprint after what it did in Houston. Braden Atkinson spread the ball around to nine different targets, and six of them reached at least 30 receiving yards.
That kind of balance matters here, especially if Oregon State can continue getting production from tight ends and slot receivers the way it did against the Cougars. A defense trying to account for that many options can get stretched fast.
The protection up front will be just as important. Oregon State’s pass blocking was shaky early against Houston, with Atkinson getting sacked a couple of times with little resistance against heavy blitz looks.
That may have been part of why the staff leaned on the run for most of the second quarter. But the second half told a different story, with the offensive line settling in and Atkinson showing what he can do when he has two or more seconds to work from a clean pocket.
If that version of the line shows up again against Texas Tech’s aggressive front seven, Oregon State has a real chance to match the passing success it found in the second half last Saturday.
In Other News...
Texas Tech Brings One Big Unknown Into Reser Stadium
Texas Techs trip to Reser Stadium brings a familiar kind of early-season uncertainty, and most of it starts at quarterback. Will Hammond is expected to handle the bulk of the snaps over Thomas Castellanos, giving the Red Raiders a different look as they prepare for Oregon State, while Jamond Mathis flashed enough pass-rush promise in the opener to suggest there are still some tools on that side of the ball.
Even so, Texas Tech is not arriving with a clean bill of health in every area. The Red Raiders are still being scrutinized by other Big 12 schools over the Brenden Sorsby situation, and there are lingering questions about whether their young safeties can keep building on a strong recent outing. Add in the recent road issues and the ongoing red zone troubles, and this feels like the kind of non-conference test that can reveal a lot before the league race really settles in. [Read more 🡒]
Oregon State Still Has Jaheim Patterson And Van Wells For Now
A Benton County Circuit Court judge has given Oregon State a little more breathing room in the case involving Jaheim Patterson and Van Wells, extending a temporary restraining order that blocks the NCAA from enforcing its new age-based eligibility rule against the two players. Patterson and Wells had already filed suit challenging the rule, and for now the decision keeps them available as the Beavers move through the next stretch of their schedule.
The ruling does not settle the dispute, and the judge signaled the NCAA could still come out on top once the case is fully heard. For the moment, though, the key point for Oregon State is simple: Patterson and Wells can keep participating while the legal process continues, with another hearing set for later this month. [Read more 🡒]
Oregon State May Have An Opening Texas Tech Didn't Want To Show
Texas Tech got through its Week 1 opener against Abilene Christian with a win, but the performance left enough room for Oregon State to take note. The Red Raiders were expected to roll and instead had to work through a game that exposed some early-season rust, the kind of uneven showing that can matter when a team is trying to build momentum before a tougher test.
Oregon State will spend the build-up to the matchup looking for any hint that Texas Tech is still sorting itself out, especially on offense. The Red Raiders did get production from JKoby Williams, who handled a heavy workload as both a runner and a receiver, but the broader question is whether that translates cleanly against a better defense or if the opener was a warning sign dressed up as a win. [Read more 🡒]