CORVALLIS - Trent Bray’s presence on the opposite sideline made Saturday’s game feel bigger than a typical conference matchup, but Oregon State made sure the night belonged to something else entirely.
The Beavers rolled past Washington State 48-30, and in the process kept building the kind of season that would have sounded absurd a year ago. Oregon State is now 5-2 with five straight wins, and the way this team is playing has it knocking on the Top 25 door while the College Football Playoff is suddenly a real conversation.
That context is what made JaMarcus Shephard’s comments about Bray stand out. Shephard, who replaced Bray, said he thought seriously about bringing him back.
“At a point when I first got here,” Shephard said, “I was considering the idea of him being the defensive coordinator, to be quite honest about it. Because I had seen what he’s capable of and how talented he is at his craft.”
Shephard said he later considered Bray again when he was searching for a coordinator. He opened with Lance Guidry, who soon left for the same job at Memphis, and then turned to former Colorado head coach Mike MacIntyre.
“I knew who I wanted to hire initially, and if I wasn’t going to get him,” Shephard said, “I was having those conversations of ‘Hey, what would it look like if we brought (Bray) back?’”
Bray ended up back in Pullman, where he grew up, running the defense for his hometown Cougars. Five days past the one-year anniversary of his firing at Oregon State, he was back at Reser Stadium, where he had once starred as an All-Pac-10 linebacker, a defensive coordinator and a head coach.
This time, he was on the wrong end of a Beavers offense that keeps steamrolling everyone in its path.
A year ago, Oregon State was 2-10 and Bray was out after an 0-7 start. The Beavers looked stuck in a long, familiar rut. Now they look reborn under Shephard, who has changed the mood around the program in a way that was hard to imagine before his arrival.
“I’m going to continue to give you the best of me,” he said Saturday. “Whatever I got.”
The Beavers’ offense was not perfect against Washington State. Quarterback Braden Atkinson missed on some throws early, including an overthrow to a wide-open Jesse Legree on the opening drive that should have gone for a touchdown. Legree also had at least two drops.
Still, Oregon State’s numbers were overwhelming. Legree finished with 108 receiving yards and two touchdowns to remain the national leader in both categories.
AJ Newberry became the first OSU running back since Steven Jackson to top 100 yards in both rushing and receiving. And the Beavers piled up 555 yards and points against Bray’s defense, both season highs for an opponent.
Shephard didn’t hide the fact that Bray’s return gave the Beavers extra edge in the buildup to the game.
“You would have to be someone who really doesn’t understand competition and football to think I did not use that to my advantage,” Shephard said, “or try to use that to my advantage, during the week.”
Oregon State also made a small visual adjustment for the occasion. The Beavers did not show many offensive replays on the stadium board, something Shephard said was deliberate.
“I know he likes to look up there at the scoreboard and see the play … for a second time,” Shephard said. “We made sure we didn’t put that stuff on the scoreboard.”
Fullback Jake Reichle, one of the few players still around from Jonathan Smith’s era, sounded like he understood the subtext. Reichle scored two 1-yard touchdowns.
“We definitely were trying to use it as motivation,” Reichle said. “It’s kind of self-explanatory. We wanted to go out there, we had something to prove.”
Bray may have wanted his own shot at redemption against the program that fired him. Instead, he watched Oregon State keep its remarkable surge rolling and continue writing one of the most unlikely stories in college football.
In Other News...
JaMarcus Shephard Saw One Oregon State Problem In A Fifth Straight Win
Oregon State kept its surge rolling with a 48-30 win over Washington State at Reser Stadium, a result that pushed the Beavers to a fifth straight victory and gave JaMarcus Shephard another chance to assess what is working and what still needs cleaning up. In his postgame press conference, the head coach touched on player injuries, the defense, and the way the group is handling success, while also showing respect for Washington State coach Trent Bray and crediting individual efforts across the roster.
Even in a game that ended with another comfortable win, Shephard still found a clear area of concern on the defensive side. The Beavers have built real momentum during this run, but the staff is still looking for sharper execution in a few spots before the level of competition rises again, and the details from this one suggest the next step is less about the scoreboard than how consistently Oregon State can finish plays and protect itself going forward. [Read more 🡒]
AJ Newberry Just Changed What Oregon States Offense Can Be
AJ Newberry gave Oregon State a little bit of everything in its 48-30 win over Washington State, and the Beavers may have found a new way to stress defenses because of it. The versatile back piled up yards both on the ground and through the air, turning a strong individual outing into one of the more eye-catching performances of the game and giving the offense a different kind of rhythm.
JaMarcus Shephard made clear afterward that Newberry's progress has not happened by accident, pointing to improvement after a direct challenge from the staff. What made the night stand out even more was the company Newberry joined, becoming the first Oregon State player since Steven Jackson in 2003 to top 100 yards rushing and receiving in the same game, a benchmark that hints at how much more dangerous this offense can become if he keeps evolving. [Read more 🡒]
Oregon State's Surging Offense Just Changed The Pac-12 Race
Oregon State kept its surge rolling with a 48-30 win over Washington State on Saturday, its fifth straight victory and another reminder that the Beavers have become one of the most dangerous offenses in the league. Jesse Legree led the way with more than 100 receiving yards and two touchdowns, while A.J. Newberry was a major factor in every phase of the attack, giving Oregon State the kind of balance that can stress a defense from snap to snap.
The matchup also carried a familiar subplot with former Oregon State head coach Trent Bray now serving as Washington States defensive coordinator and lining up against his old program. The Beavers had answers all afternoon, and the latest win only sharpens the intrigue around where this team fits in the Pac-12 race as the schedule tightens and the offense keeps finding new ways to press the issue. [Read more 🡒]