Braden Atkinson didn’t waste any time putting Oregon State in control at Colorado State.
The quarterback came out firing in Fort Collins, completing his first 16 passes and rolling to 413 yards with five touchdowns in a 56-26 Beavers win Saturday at Canvas Stadium. Jesse Legree was the biggest beneficiary, hauling in three of those scores as Oregon State opened Pac-12 play with a statement road victory.
The start was sharp, but the numbers behind it were even louder. Atkinson finished 30 of 34 and topped 300 passing yards for the fifth straight game, leaving him two shy of Sean Mannion’s school-record run of seven straight in 2013. His 16 straight completions also pushed past Matt Booher’s old school mark of 15, set Oct. 28, 1989 against California.
Legree kept pace with the quarterback all afternoon. He caught five passes for 156 yards and scored on plays of 50, 28 and 52 yards. That gave him nine touchdown grabs on the season and extended his streak of 100-yard games to five, matching Mike Hass (2005) and Brandin Cooks (2013) for the longest run in Oregon State history.
Oregon State set the tone immediately, scoring on its opening drive for the third straight game. The six-play, 75-yard march ended with Legree’s 50-yard touchdown catch. The Beavers then stretched it to 14-0 when Gabe Milbourn scored from 2 yards out on the first carry of his career, finishing a 13-play, 96-yard drive - Oregon State’s longest of the season.
Colorado State briefly pulled even. Ksaan Farrar punched in a 1-yard run early in the second quarter to make it 14-14.
From there, Oregon State ripped off 21 unanswered points before halftime. Aaron Butler broke loose for a 30-yard touchdown, the first rushing score of his career.
Eric Olsen added a 5-yard touchdown catch, and Legree closed the half with a 28-yard score with 44 seconds left, sending the Beavers to the locker room up 35-14 and matching their season high for points in a first half.
The second half didn’t slow Oregon State down much either. Olsen caught his second touchdown of the day, an 8-yarder, after Drake Vickers intercepted the first pass of his career. Cornell Hatcher Jr. then scored on an 11-yard run at the end of the third quarter, and Legree finished the day with his 52-yard touchdown catch in the fourth.
Olsen finished with nine catches for 65 yards and has now caught a pass in 20 straight games.
The Beavers also leaned on the run game, which piled up 291 yards. AJ Newberry led that charge with 90 yards on 15 carries, while Hatcher added 86 on seven attempts. Oregon State was efficient on the money downs, converting seven of eight third downs and scoring on eight of its 11 possessions.
Colorado State finished with 371 yards, but Oregon State’s defense made the Rams work for everything. The home team’s opening drive reached the OSU 4-yard line before stalling on downs after 71 yards.
Takari Hickle recorded two tackles for loss and extended his streak to nine straight games with at least one. Aiden Sullivan led the Beavers with nine tackles, and Gyriece Goodman added eight.
In Other News...
Oregon State Fueled A Sideline Meltdown Colorado State Couldn't Hide
Oregon States trip through Fort Collins turned into more than just a lopsided result for Colorado State. In the middle of the game, coach Jim Mora Jr. made a major defensive change, handing over playcalling duties and trying to steady a unit that was already being overwhelmed. The move came with the Rams under heavy pressure and with Oregon State still piling on points.
The adjustment did little to change the evenings direction, as Colorado State still gave up 56 points. Tyson Summers left the sideline after being relieved of his duties and is no longer with the football program, a sign of just how badly things had broken down for the Rams. For Oregon State, it was the kind of game that exposed a defense in free fall and left the Beavers with plenty to build on, even if the bigger story in the box score was what happened on the other side. [Read more 🡒]
Oregon States Fast Start Helped Spark A Stunning Colorado State Meltdown
Oregon States fast start against Colorado State did more than put points on the board. It helped turn an already rough afternoon into a jarring sideline situation for the Rams, whose defensive coordinator Tyson Summers was gone by the break in a loss that quickly tilted out of control. For the Beavers, the early pressure and tempo were part of a result that rippled well beyond the final score.
Colorado State is now 2-3, and the fallout has already reached the coaching staff. Jim Mora Jr. has since confirmed that Summers is no longer with the program and that Kenny McClendon has taken over the defensive coordinator role, with San Diego State up next. For Oregon State, it was the kind of game that can expose more than one opponent problem at once. [Read more 🡒]
Oregon State's Turnaround Suddenly Looks A Lot More Real
Oregon States latest road win offered another sign that the programs early-season surge is more than a one-week flash. Under JaMarcus Shephard, the Beavers went into Colorado State and handled business in a 56-26 victory, continuing a stretch that has started to make the turnaround look real instead of rhetorical.
Aaron Butler added one of the more memorable moments of the afternoon with a touchdown run, a reminder that this offense is finding production in a few different ways. And after building an early cushion, Oregon State never really let the Rams get comfortable, which is exactly the sort of control that makes a rebuilding team start to feel like a legitimate one. [Read more 🡒]