Oregon State is getting a major lift up front and in the back end just in time for No. 23 Houston.
Van Wells and Jaheim Patterson were granted a temporary restraining order against the NCAA on Wednesday, clearing the way for both players to suit up for the Beavers. For Oregon State, that means two of its most experienced pieces are suddenly back in the mix - and Wells, in particular, changes the feel of the offense.
Wells has logged more than 2,500 career snaps, including 742 across 11 starts last season, and JaMarcus Shephard made it clear Thursday morning that the center’s return matters beyond just the lineup card.
“Having Van back, it’s a Godsend honestly,” Shephard said during an interview on Dirt & Sprague Thursday morning. “He’s got a ton of experience. It’ll calm the offense down a little bit and give us a chance to perform at a high level.”
Wells is expected to start at center, with Oregon State’s line still sorting out the pieces around him. One possibility is keeping Tyler Voltin at right guard and Teko Shoats at right tackle, which Thursday practice video appeared to show. Another route would move Louisville transfer Carter Guillaume to guard and slide Voltin to tackle.
Patterson brings a similar boost to the secondary. The 6-foot-5 safety posted 66 tackles, two interceptions and four pass breakups last season, and he should give Oregon State a proven option alongside Harlem Howard. At minimum, Shephard indicated, Patterson looks like the first deep safety off the bench for the opener.
Even with the ruling in hand, Oregon State is still in the middle of a much bigger fight. A preliminary injunction hearing is set for Sept. 10, when the question will be whether the NCAA is breaking state law by blocking players who started college in 2022 and played four seasons from getting a fifth year under its new age-based eligibility model.
Shephard said the news brought relief, but not closure.
“Yeah I’m celebrating Van Wells being back here but that also is going to prevent someone from being able to continuously develop throughout the program and get opportunities to be out there on the field,” Shephard said. “There’s an emotional piece of that that you’re having to deal with and then the back and forth for the kid himself, for Van and Jaheim, not knowing for sure what’s going to happen. ...
“It was great to hear that that situation occurred, now we still got work to do with those guys to see how long they’re going to be with the team.”
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 🡒]