Decorion Temple gave Oregon State a big night through the air, Caleb Ojeda was perfect on his field goals, and Braden Atkinson kept rewriting the record book - but none of it stopped the Beavers’ five-game winning streak from ending in a 38-22 loss at Fresno State on Saturday at Valley Children’s Stadium.
The Beavers opened with a 3-0 lead on Ojeda’s 54-yard field goal in the first quarter, but that was the high point. Fresno State answered and never let go, building a 21-9 halftime cushion and stretching it to 38-16 after three quarters.
Temple was the most dangerous weapon in Oregon State’s passing game, finishing with six catches for 97 yards. He came up just three yards shy of 100, but his total still stands as the most by an Oregon State tight end since Connor Hamlett had 119 against Arizona State on Nov.
16, 2013. It was also a career high for Temple, who now has 29 receptions for 283 yards this season.
Ojeda kept the Beavers in range with a flawless day, knocking through kicks from 54, 29 and 28 yards. The 54-yarder was a career long and the longest by a Beaver since Everett Hayes made a 55-yarder on Nov.
23, 2024. Ojeda now has 10 field goals this season.
Atkinson was sharp even in defeat, completing 33 of 59 passes for 373 yards and a touchdown without an interception. The performance gave him his eighth straight 300-yard game, breaking Sean Mannion’s school record of seven in a row from 2013. He’s up to 2,977 passing yards and 25 touchdown throws this season, tying Derek Anderson from 2002 and 2003 for fourth on the single-season list.
Eric Olsen added seven catches for 71 yards and a 9-yard touchdown with 1:45 left, extending his streak of games with a catch to 23 straight. Jesse Legree also finished with seven receptions, totaling 70 yards.
Fresno State did most of its damage on the ground and in the red zone. The Bulldogs ran for 190 yards, with Bryson Donelson leading the way on 16 carries for 108 yards and a 63-yard touchdown.
Jayden Mandal accounted for four touchdowns, throwing two scoring passes to Josiah Freeman and running for two more. Cornell Hatcher Jr. added a 5-yard touchdown run in the third quarter before Olsen’s late score.
Oregon State’s best early chance came on defense. Sailasa Vadrawale III intercepted Mandal on Fresno State’s second play, and the Beavers drove to the Bulldogs’ 4-yard line before turning it over on downs.
The Beavers return to Reser Stadium to face Texas State on Saturday, Nov. 7.
Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m. PT on The CW.
In Other News...
Oregon State Blew Too Many Chances With One Costly Problem
Oregon State spent too much of its 38-22 loss to Fresno State fighting itself, and the damage showed up in the kind of moments that usually decide games. The Beavers repeatedly put their offense behind schedule with pre-snap mistakes, turning promising drives into longer fields and tougher decisions once they got near the goal line.
JaMarcus Shephard called the penalties self-inflicted, and that part was hard to argue with. Oregon State had chances to make the game look different, but the repeated flags kept interrupting momentum and left the Beavers settling for less than they needed in a game where every drive mattered. [Read more 🡒]
Oregon States Biggest Problem Showed Up In A Costly Loss
For Oregon State, the frustrating part of a 38-22 loss to Fresno State was not just the final score, but how avoidable so much of it felt. The Beavers had chances to make the game more manageable, yet repeated pre-snap mistakes and missed tackles kept putting them behind the chains and out of rhythm. Fresno State turned an early interception into a night of steady production, scoring on five touchdowns and a field goal across six possessions after that turnover.
Even with the yardage battle tilting in Oregon States favor, the Beavers never looked clean enough to turn that edge into control. Coach JaMarcus Shephard and his players were blunt afterward about the execution issues and the need to get better, which is the kind of message that usually follows a loss like this. The bigger concern now is whether the problems that showed up in this one were a one-game mess or a sign of something deeper the Beavers have to fix quickly. [Read more 🡒]
Oregon States First Real Test Exposed Problems That Could Derail This Season
Oregon States first real test of the season came with plenty of warning signs at Valley Childrens Stadium, where Fresno States pressure up front kept the Beavers from settling in and turned a promising matchup into a frustrating afternoon. The Bulldogs consistently disrupted Oregon States offensive line, and the Beavers never fully recovered from the mistakes that piled up around them.
Penalties and missed chances only made the damage worse, as Oregon State kept finding ways to stall when it had chances to build momentum. Fresno State, meanwhile, got enough production through the air to keep control of the game, leaving the Beavers with a clear list of issues to clean up before the schedule gets any less forgiving. [Read more 🡒]