Oregon State didn’t just beat Washington State on Saturday. The Beavers put on a show.
In a 48-30 win in Corvallis, Oregon State rolled to its fifth straight victory and moved to 5-2, turning in the kind of performance that makes a team look like a real Pac-12 threat. And they did it with a familiar face on the opposing sideline: former OSU head coach Trent Bray, now Washington State’s defensive coordinator, watched his defense get shredded for a season-high 555 yards.
The offense had no shortage of headliners, but the night belonged to the depth of it. Jesse Legree kept doing Jesse Legree things - 108 receiving yards and two touchdowns, giving him another monster line in a season that already has him piling up video-game numbers. But even he wasn’t the biggest star on the field.
That honor went to A.J. Newberry.
The Vanderbilt transfer gave Oregon State a rare kind of balance, becoming the first OSU running back with more than 100 yards both rushing and receiving since Steven Jackson in 2003. Newberry finished with 120 receiving yards and 105 rushing yards, and his 88-yard touchdown on a screen pass in the second quarter went down as the longest reception by a Beavers running back in school history. He nearly added another receiving touchdown in the fourth quarter, hauling in a pass from Atkinson near the goal line before being ruled down inside the one.
Oregon State kept attacking in every direction. Tight end Eric Olsen caught three passes for 73 yards, while fullback Jake Reichle punched in two one-yard touchdowns. The Beavers were throwing punches from every angle, and Washington State never found a way to steady itself.
Still, Legree’s season keeps stretching into must-watch territory.
Seven games in, he has already cleared 1,000 receiving yards and leads the country with 14 touchdown catches. Against Washington State, he opened the night with the kind of strike that has become his calling card: with 4:46 left in the first quarter, Braden Atkinson launched a 90-yard touchdown down the middle for one of the biggest plays in school history. It was the sixth 90-yard touchdown catch in Oregon State history and the first since Mike Hass in 2003.
That score only added to a remarkable start. Legree has now posted at least 100 receiving yards and a touchdown in each of his first seven career games, a run that is starting to feel almost routine.
And even that line could have been bigger. He had two drops that would have extended drives, and Atkinson just missed him on a long ball on the opening possession that could have turned into a 53-yard touchdown.
For a player who arrived as a barely recruited true freshman, the 18-year-old Legree keeps answering every test thrown his way.
Saturday also carried obvious weight for Bray. Raised in Pullman, Washington, he found himself back in a place that has long been part of his football life, this time as the opposing coordinator on a charged afternoon. His connection to both schools runs deep: he had originally flipped his commitment from Washington State to Oregon State after his father, Craig Bray, helped the Beavers win the Fiesta Bowl in 2001 as defensive coordinator.
Bray’s last win as Oregon State’s head coach came against Washington State in 2024, and his dismissal after an 0-7 start to his second season came barely a year ago. Craig Bray died earlier this year after a heart attack. So yes, this was about football, but it was also a homecoming loaded with history and emotion.
The Beavers may still have skeptics because of the softer stretch of schedule since the first two weeks, but the numbers are starting to pile up in a way that demands attention. Oregon State has won five in a row by an average of more than 32 points.
It owns the nation’s top passing attack. It has a legitimate Heisman candidate in Legree.
That’s enough to make a top-25 case look pretty easy.
If Oregon State handles its next two games - at Fresno State on Halloween and then against Texas State - it should be ranked heading into a huge Nov. 14 trip to No. 23 Boise State. That one would go a long way toward deciding the Pac-12 race.
In Other News...
Oregon State Faces A Trap Game Fans Can't Afford To Ignore
Oregon State heads into its matchup with Washington State knowing the margins can get thin in a hurry against an opponent that has spent much of the season fighting uphill. Coach Shephard has stressed the need for intensity, and that message makes sense against a Cougars team that has found ways to stay motivated even through a difficult record. Washington State still brings enough pieces to make this more than a routine Saturday, especially with a quarterback room and supporting cast that can change the feel of a game if Oregon State lets the level drop.
For the Beavers, the challenge is as much about discipline as talent. Washington States offense has some unknowns, but it also has enough playmakers and enough edge to turn a loose start into a real problem, while Oregon State has its own areas that still demand cleaner execution, particularly on special teams. In a game like this, the favorite does not need a warning sign to know what a trap looks like, and Oregon State has been reminded that focus has to travel with it from the opening whistle. [Read more 🡒]
JaMarcus Shephard Saw One Oregon State Problem In A Fifth Straight Win
Oregon State kept its momentum rolling with a 48-30 win over Washington State at Reser Stadium, its fifth straight victory of the season, but JaMarcus Shephards postgame mood was hardly all celebration. The head coach touched on the usual mix of injury updates, team dynamics and individual effort after the game, while also making a point to acknowledge the work of Washington State coach Trent Bray.
Even in a win that pushed the Beavers deeper into the seasons best stretch, Shephard still had one area in mind that needs attention. He said the defense has room to tighten up after a game that tested the unit in ways Oregon State will want to clean up before the schedule keeps moving forward. [Read more 🡒]
AJ Newberry Just Changed What Oregon States Offense Can Be
AJ Newberry gave Oregon State a different kind of threat in its 48-30 win over Washington State, and the numbers tell the story. Working both on the ground and as a receiver, he turned into a problem the Cougars never really solved, giving the Beavers a burst of versatility that has been hard to find at times this season.
Coach JaMarcus Shephard praised Newberrys performance and pointed to the way he responded after being directly challenged. The bigger significance is harder to miss for Oregon State: a player who can change a game in more than one phase suddenly gives the offense a wider range of options, and the kind of all-purpose night he just put together has not come along in Corvallis in a long time. [Read more 🡒]