Oregon State got the kind of afternoon that can make a team feel like it has real answers on both sides of the ball, rolling past Washington State 48-30 on Saturday at Reser Stadium.
The Beavers scored on their first five possessions and never let the Cougars settle in, then moved into their bye week with a performance that produced plenty of proof points - and a few lingering issues to watch.
The simplest read on the day: Oregon State’s offense did not blink. Even with Trent Bray generating some pressure and hits on Braden Atkinson, the Beavers kept finding ways to score. They also stretched a defense that had not given up a pass longer than 50 yards all season, and did it twice, once with AJ Newberry’s 88-yard scamper and again on Jesse Legree’s 90-yard strike.
At the same time, the day wasn’t nothing-but-the-long-ball fireworks. Outside those two huge plays, Oregon State picked up 169 passing yards on its other 21 completions.
The plan was underneath work, and Washington State’s defense forced that. Atkinson also missed on a couple of deep attempts that could have changed the final numbers in a hurry.
Newberry was one of the biggest revelations. He was already dangerous as a receiver out of the backfield, but this game showed another layer that will matter to defenses trying to scheme against Oregon State.
If teams decide to take away the vertical game, Mitch Dahlen still has tight ends to work over the middle, and now there’s a running back with real top-end speed who can turn a small crease into a huge play. Newberry leads the Pac-12 in receiving yards among running backs and may lead the country.
The defense had its own headline performer in Takari Hickle, who looks like the conference’s best pass rusher. He now leads the Pac-12 with 10.5 tackles for loss and six sacks, and he is building a case for conference defensive player of the year without having landed a weekly honor yet.
Washington State did get a glimpse of what its future could look like with Owen Eshelman. His mobility alone is going to cause problems for a lot of Pac-12 defenses, and if the Cougars can protect him, they may be in line for a much better second half. Oregon State has already had trouble with multiple mobile quarterbacks, and there are three still left on the schedule, including a rematch with Eshelman in Pullman.
There were also some coaching decisions from Washington State that stood out. Kirby Moore punted on fourth-and-one from Oregon State’s 48 and later settled for a field goal from the 1-yard line with the game at 17-0.
Moore said afterward that he trusted WSU’s defense, which is understandable. But this was the toughest opponent on the slate, on the road, against the No. 1 passing offense in the country, and with a 1-5 team in the middle of a quarterback change.
Washington State had a chance to lean into its offense and didn’t. Then Oregon State hit a 90-yard touchdown pass.
For an offensive coach who worked for one of the game’s most aggressive minds, and at a program where late Mike Leach made aggression part of the identity, the choices stood out.
Legree also kept rolling, even if he showed a little bit of normal human error. The freshman went over 100 yards again, but he also had a couple of drops. That doesn’t change the larger picture; it was simply the first reminder that even Legree can have one hit his fingers and get away.
On the defensive side, Oregon State’s cornerback situation is getting extreme. TJ Crandall’s concussion during the week made the roster’s biggest weakness even more obvious, and Trey Glasper and Isaiah Houi each playing 100% of the snaps is a staggering workload.
There are NFL teams that do not lean on only two cornerbacks that heavily. Washington State is now among the teams that made a point of targeting Houi, though he finished with an interception.
Still, this is not a sustainable setup, and Oregon State needs a bigger answer there for the rest of the season.
Caleb Ojeda also gave the Beavers another encouraging sign. He connected from 46 and 48 yards, and the confidence in him keeps growing each week. That was not the case after the first two games, though those early struggles came with unfavorable conditions.
Atkinson, for his part, had what you’d call an off day and still produced a line most quarterbacks would take. A few deep balls sailed on him in ways that have not been common, and there were some throws into coverage that were more out of character than usual.
Even so, he still threw for 347 yards and three touchdowns against what was supposed to be a solid Pac-12 defense. If that’s the bad version, Oregon State is in good shape.
And there’s one more backfield development worth watching. Newberry has clearly separated as RB1, Cornell Hatcher Jr. is next in line, and Jake Reichle may be staking his claim as the No. 3 option.
Reichle has shown he can handle more than spot duty: he runs hard in space, falls forward on short-yardage snaps and may be the best pass-protecting back on the roster. That’s the profile of a third-down back, and he’s starting to look like one.
In Other News...
Oregon State Fans Have A Real Reason To Worry About Braden Atkinson
The transfer portal always turns November and December into a nervous stretch for programs with breakout quarterbacks, and Oregon State has a very real name to monitor in Braden Atkinson. The sophomore has already established himself as one of the most productive passers in the country this season, the kind of player who naturally starts drawing attention once the conversation shifts from what a team has now to what someone else might try to take.
That anxiety only grows because the next portal cycle arrives after the 2026 season, when Power Four schools will be ready to pounce on proven talent. Atkinson still has plenty of football ahead of him in Corvallis, but his combination of production and upside puts him in the same category as other high-end players who are expected to attract heavy interest if they decide to test the market. For the Beavers, the challenge is as much about keeping a rising quarterback in place as it is about building around him. [Read more 🡒]
Boise States Grip On The Pac-12 Suddenly Looks Far Less Safe
Oregon State keeps finding ways to stay at the front of the Pac-12 race, and its latest step was a 48-30 win over Washington State that helped steady the Beavers after a busy stretch. The conference picture has been shifting around them, too, with Boise State still in the mix and other teams showing they can score in bunches, including Texas States strong offensive outing against Colorado State.
The next major checkpoint comes after Oregon States bye week, when the Beavers head to Boise on Nov. 14 for a game that suddenly feels bigger than it did a few weeks ago. Oregon State is carrying the league lead into that trip, and the matchup carries real weight for a program trying to hold off challengers while navigating a conference race that has started to look a lot less settled. [Read more 🡒]
Notre Dame Fans Have Every Right To Hate This AP Ranking
The AP poll has given Oregon State a boost, but the case for the Beavers inside the Top 25 has been easy to question. Their rsum looks thinner than it does for several teams around them, with the kind of wins that usually separate a solid season from a ranked one still hard to find. For a program coming out of the Group of Six, that sort of skepticism tends to travel quickly, especially when the conversation turns to who has earned the benefit of the doubt.
Boise State has become part of that comparison, too, because the Broncos have also put together a five-game streak while still sitting lower in the poll. That contrast is hard to ignore for Notre Dame fans and just about anyone else trying to judge the bracket of teams hovering around the back end of the rankings. Oregon State may keep stacking wins, but the bigger question is whether the AP is seeing a real contender or simply rewarding a record that has yet to be tested in the right way. [Read more 🡒]