CORVALLIS - Oregon State spent the week talking about response, but Texas State kept asking harder questions and the Beavers ran out of answers in a 42-21 loss Saturday night at Reser Stadium.
The Beavers had moments where they answered the right way. They opened by giving up a touchdown drive, then responded with an interception.
After falling behind 14-0 on a pick, they got back on the board with a touchdown and even blocked a field goal. But once Texas State stretched the lead to 21-7, Oregon State never found another counter.
By the end, the numbers told the story. Oregon State gave up 600 yards, its most since Nov. 23, 2019 against Washington State, and Texas State piled up 386 rushing yards, the most the Beavers have allowed since Oregon ran for 392 on Nov. 23, 2018.
The Bobcats, now 5-4 and 3-2 Pac-12, were nearly unstoppable outside of one interception and a brief dry spell. Brad Jackson completed 16 of 20 passes for 214 yards, a touchdown and an interception, and he added 87 rushing yards and another score. Davian Jackson carried 19 times for 107 yards and three touchdowns, while Torrance Burgess Jr. broke loose for 196 yards and a touchdown on the ground.
Oregon State’s offense couldn’t keep pace against the 121st total defense in the country. The Beavers finished with 356 yards and repeatedly came up short in key spots, including both of their possessions in the middle eight. They also missed a field goal, then watched Davian Jackson score his third touchdown, Texas State hit its third play of 40-plus yards, and Brad Jackson add both a run and a throw for scores.
Braden Atkinson finished 20 of 36 for 192 yards with an interception, his first in more than four games and first in conference play. He hit his hand on a helmet and was replaced in the fourth quarter by Maalik Murphy, who threw an interception on his first pass.
Jesse Legree caught eight passes for 90 yards before the game got away. Cornell Hatcher Jr. and Kourdey Glass added late touchdowns for Oregon State, but by then the damage was done.
The Beavers, now 5-4 and 3-2, head to first-place Boise State next week needing a far sharper response if they want to avoid slipping back to .500.
In Other News...
Oregon State Suddenly Has A Run Defense Problem Fans Cant Ignore
Oregon States loss to Texas State was ugly for a lot of reasons, but the most alarming part was what happened on the ground. The Beavers were gashed for 386 rushing yards in a 42-21 defeat, a number that stood out not just because of the score but because it exposed a defense that had no answer for the way Texas State wanted to play. The Bobcats kept leaning on their run game, and Oregon State kept coming up short in the same places.
JaMarcus Shephard did not sugarcoat the performance afterward, acknowledging that the defense has to be better against the run. For Oregon State, the concern is bigger than one bad afternoon, because a game like this can linger if it turns into a pattern. The Beavers now have to show that this was a breakdown they can fix, not a warning sign that opponents will keep targeting. [Read more 🡒]
Oregon State Just Walked Into Boises Biggest Game In Years
Saturday in Boise already had the feel of a major moment, and the spotlight only got brighter when ESPNs College GameDay chose the matchup between Boise State and Oregon State. It is the first time the show has come to the city since 2010, a sign of how much is riding on a game that has turned into one of the biggest on the Pac-12 calendar.
Boise State brings an eight-game winning streak into the matchup, with running back Dylan Riley powering the ground game, while Oregon State counters with quarterback Braden Atkinson, who has been one of the nations most productive passers. For the Beavers, it is the kind of road setting that can tell you plenty about where a team stands, even before the final whistle settles the bigger questions hanging over the night. [Read more 🡒]
Oregon States Pac-12 Problem Just Got A Lot Bigger
Boise State kept rolling with a 64-38 win over Colorado State, and it did so with backup quarterback Max Cutforth and running back Dylan Riley, the nations leading rusher, helping power the Broncos again. For Oregon State, the bigger issue is how quickly the league picture has tightened around it, because the Beavers have already seen one of the teams in the mix handle them and continue to stack wins.
Texas States 42-21 victory over Oregon State put the Beavers on the wrong side of a game in which Braden Atkinson was limited, and Utah States 17-10 win over Fresno State only added to the squeeze. The result is a crowded Pac-12 race behind Boise State, with several teams now packed together and every week carrying more weight for Oregon States path forward. [Read more 🡒]