Oregon State didn’t just beat San Diego State on Saturday at Reser Stadium. The Beavers steamrolled the Aztecs 66-14, and the game was never really in doubt after the opening snap.
The most obvious thing from the start: Oregon State was bigger, stronger and more physical everywhere it mattered. Kwan Johnson’s motion from receiver into a collision with Djibril Rahman helped set the tone, and from there the Beavers kept leaning on San Diego State at the line of scrimmage.
The starters won there. The backups did too.
Downfield blocking held up well when it had to, and the defensive side got in on the punishment as well, with Aiden Sullivan leveling SDSU’s right guard and late-game hits from Zephen Walker and Trey Glasper showing how thoroughly OSU controlled the matchup.
That kind of gap showed up on the scoreboard, but it also showed up in the way San Diego State defended Jesse Legree. Letting the freshman stay free is playing with fire, and the Aztecs found out the hard way.
Legree turned one bust into an 11-yard touchdown and later sliced through the defense again for a 31-yard score. At some point, an opposing coordinator is going to decide the game plan has to start with him.
The Beavers’ defense deserves its own spotlight, too. Mike MacIntyre’s group was outstanding, plain and simple.
Holding a conference opponent to under 150 yards and just seven points, with the bulk of that damage coming on two plays, is a serious defensive performance no matter who’s across the line. Oregon State’s talent was better, yes, but the execution matched it from top to bottom.
Offensively, Mitch Dahlen kept sprinkling in small wrinkles without blowing up the playbook. Oregon State didn’t suddenly unveil a new identity, and that was part of why some of the scoring looked so lopsided - San Diego State was caught flat-footed on things it should have recognized.
Still, Dahlen did slide in a few new looks, including Maalik Murphy lining up as a tight end in 14 personnel before catching a touchdown and then showing up at quarterback for Jake Reichle’s scoring run. There were also some fresh backfield arrangements involving Legree and others.
There was reason for encouragement in the kicking game, too. Caleb Ojeda got chances from long range and handled them.
His 51-yard attempt drifted wide, but he also drilled a 53-yarder right down the middle. That matters, especially after his only earlier attempt from beyond 50 this season sailed badly wide on a 54-yard try against Texas Tech in the rain.
Oregon State now has a little more trust if it ever needs a late field goal.
Special teams still had a problem on the other side, though. Kickoff coverage got burned by a 97-yard return touchdown, and that number will hang over the unit until it gets cleaned up. The issue has been building, and now it’s impossible to ignore.
The blocking on the perimeter was a mixed bag. Aeryn Hampton helped spring AJ Newberry’s touchdown run with a good block, but there were other snaps where more could have been done.
Legree also could have stayed on a defender longer on an early Newberry run. Those are the little details that can turn a good play into a bigger one.
On defense, the question at No. 2 corner is still open. Isaiah Houi had another rough outing, giving up the long throw, drawing pass interference and getting targeted multiple times. San Diego State didn’t have the quarterback or receiving talent to fully punish that spot, but Fresno State and Boise State will.
One area that was nearly spotless: penalties. After the 12 against UTEP, this was a welcome change.
Oregon State was flagged only three times, and two of those came on a late punt. That made this the cleanest game the Beavers have played all season.
The officials, on the other hand, did not have their best day. Fortunately for Oregon State, the game turned into a blowout and the mistakes didn’t matter.
Still, there were several obvious misses and miscues. San Diego State got away with a late hit on Newberry, the Aztecs also escaped an ineligible man downfield flag on an incomplete pass, and JaMarcus Shephard was clearly upset about it.
The replay that changed Newberry’s bobble to an incompletion should never have needed correcting, and the review that overturned an SDSU catch could have used more explanation. There also appeared to be an issue with an official’s positioning before a PAT.
In Other News...
Oregon State Now Faces A New Problem In Washington State Game
Washington State is adding a fresh wrinkle for Oregon State to sort out this week, with coach Kirby Moore turning to Owen Eshelman at quarterback. Eshelman redshirted last year and has been preparing as the starter, so the Beavers will now have to game-plan for a quarterback they have not seen in college action yet.
The move comes after Caden Pinnick struggled through the first six games, leaving Washington State in search of a spark on offense. For Oregon State, it means another layer of uncertainty in a matchup where the Cougars are trying to reset the position and make the Beavers adjust on the fly. [Read more 🡒]
Oregon State Gets Needed Reinforcements As One Injury Concern Grows
Oregon State is getting some welcome signs of help as the season moves along, even if the injury picture is still uneven. Receiver Xayvion Noland is expected to be available this week after missing the previous game, which gives the Beavers another option as they try to steady the offense and keep some rhythm going around a line that has been shorthanded.
The bigger concern remains on the defensive side, where linebacker Kord Shaw is not close to a return and appears unlikely to be back this season. Along the offensive front, there is some movement in the right direction: left tackle Josiah Timoteo has been practicing again, and interior lineman Carter Guillaume is edging nearer to being ready, giving Oregon State at least a little hope that its front could get healthier soon. [Read more 🡒]
JaMarcus Shephard Hinted At Roster Changes That Could Hit Oregon State Hard
JaMarcus Shephard spent his Monday press conference looking back at Oregon States win over San Diego State and ahead to a tricky matchup with Washington State, but much of the conversation quickly shifted to the kind of midseason roster maintenance that can shape a teams next few weeks. The Beavers head coach praised the defense and his coaching staff, and he also reflected on his own ties to Washington State as he described this stretch of the season as an important one for sorting out where the team stands.
Shephard did offer updates on availability, injuries and other roster movement, which made the session feel bigger than a routine victory recap. For Oregon State, the concern now is how those changes might affect depth and continuity as the schedule tightens, especially with the Cougars coming into view and the middle of the season demanding answers fast. [Read more 🡒]