True freshman Jesse Legree announced himself in a big way Saturday, but Oregon State still left Houston with a 33-20 loss to No. 23 Houston at TDECU Stadium.
Legree, in his first collegiate start, turned his debut into the kind of outing that gets noticed fast. He finished with five catches for 136 yards and a touchdown, and his first career grab came on a 71-yard connection from Braden Atkinson on Oregon State’s second series.
That play set up the Beavers’ first touchdown of the JaMarcus Shephard era. Legree kept rolling from there, adding receptions of 19, 14 and 25 yards before finishing the day with a 7-yard touchdown catch late in the third quarter to pull Oregon State within 26-13.
It was the first touchdown of his career.
Atkinson had a debut worth remembering too. The Mercer transfer completed 29 of 48 passes for 376 yards and a touchdown, and he also gave Oregon State its first points by scoring on a 3-yard touchdown run in the first quarter.
That was his first touchdown as a Beaver. He spread the ball around to eight different receivers, with tight end Decorion Temple catching five passes for 30 yards, first-time starter Aeryn Hampton adding four receptions for 28 yards and Xayvion Noland finishing with three catches for 34 yards.
Oregon State made things interesting in the fourth quarter when AJ Newberry powered in a 4-yard touchdown run to trim the margin to 26-20. Houston answered right back, though, as Conner Weigman scored on the next drive to push the lead back to two possessions.
There were some bright spots on defense as well. Sailasa Vadrawale III picked off a pass in the fourth quarter and also recovered a fumble forced by Drake Vickers on the first play of the second quarter, giving Oregon State its first takeaway of the season.
The Beavers, now 0-1, return home to open their 2026 schedule at Reser Stadium on Saturday, Sept. 12, against Texas Tech at 4:30 p.m. PT on CBS. For Oregon State, the opener offered an early glimpse of two key pieces in a reshaped offense: Atkinson settling in at quarterback and Legree flashing star potential on the outside.
In Other News...
Indiana Looked Like A Top 10 Team From The Start
Saturdays opening weekend gave the college football rankings plenty to sort through, but a few teams wasted no time making their case. Ohio State rolled past Ball State behind big days from Jeremiah Smith and Julian Sayin, Indiana handled North Texas with a balanced showing in its opener, and Alabama looked sharp in a comfortable win over East Carolina as Keelon Russell made his first start.
For Oregon State, though, the early conversation already feels a little more complicated after Houston came away with a 33-20 win. The Beavers had enough offense to stay in the game, but the result left them in the position so many teams face in September: trying to figure out what a tough opener says about the bigger picture, and how much of that first impression can still be reshaped before the schedule gets more demanding. [Read more 🡒]
Oregon States Loss Raised A Bigger Concern Than The Final Score
Houstons 33-20 win over Oregon State at TDECU Stadium looked like a straightforward early-season result on the scoreboard, but Willie Fritz spent his postgame time talking about the details that tend to decide whether a team can really sustain success. The head coach pointed to the running game, some uneven tackling, and a few key moments that swung field position and momentum, including a sack by Javion White and a late big play from Amare Thomas.
For a team still sorting out what it is defensively and where the offense can be more consistent, those are the kinds of issues that matter beyond one loss. Fritz also mentioned individual performances and areas that need to improve, which is usually the sign of a coach trying to separate fixable mistakes from broader concerns. In other words, the final score was only part of the story, and not necessarily the biggest part. [Read more 🡒]
Oregon State Left Houston With One Worry Fans Will Feel Fast
Oregon State left TDECU Stadium with a loss to No. 23 Houston, 33-20, but the larger concern for the Beavers came after the game when JaMarcus Shephard started sorting through the aftermath. The coach reviewed a performance that had some encouraging elements, including turnovers and leadership from Braden Atkinson, while also pointing to the areas that kept the Beavers from turning a competitive night into a better result.
The immediate follow-up now sits on the injury front, where Oregon State has to wait for clarity on a couple of players after a physical night in Houston. At the same time, Shephard was blunt about the football itself, saying the Beavers have work to do in tackling and on third- and fourth-down execution if they want to make the most of the positives they did bring home. [Read more 🡒]