Oregon State heads into Corvallis tomorrow carrying plenty of momentum, but Washington State arrives in the kind of spot that can make a ranked-looking team sweat. Coach Shephard has already made it clear what he wants from the Beavers: intensity from the opening whistle. After last season’s blowout loss in Pullman, motivation shouldn’t be hard to find.
One of the biggest keys is putting pressure on Washington State quarterback Owen Eshelman, who is making his first collegiate football start. The redshirt freshman threw 29 touchdown passes as a senior in high school in 2024, and the film shows he can absolutely drive the ball.
He’s also an aggressive thrower who has a tendency to put the ball in harm’s way. If Oregon State can get after him and make the pocket messy, the Beavers could force the kind of mistakes that swing a game and tilt the turnover battle.
Special teams also looms as a real factor. Oregon State got away with one last week when a kickoff return touchdown didn’t change the outcome of a 50-point football game, but that phase of the game can’t be ignored as the schedule gets tougher. Shephard said after the Montana game last month that special teams need to be more consistent, and that message still applies.
The Cougars may not boast a dominant offense, but they do have some real ability at receiver, led by Westview graduate Darius Clemons. Leo Pulalasi is another name to watch; he usually comes off the bench, but he flashed against Utah State last week with some strong runs.
Washington State comes in at 1-5 and is listed as a three-score underdog, but the record doesn’t tell the whole story. The Cougars pushed Arizona in Tucson a few weeks ago, leading a team many believe should be ranked midway through the third quarter.
Last Saturday, in a one-point loss, Washington State’s defense finished with six TFLs and gave up just 150 passing yards. And there’s still plenty of juice in this matchup for the Cougars, who have lost heartbreakers the last two times they’ve played in Corvallis.
An upset over the surging Beavers would change the tone of their season in a hurry.
In Other News...
BYU Fans Had Provo Buzzing Before This Huge Cougars Showdown
ESPNs College GameDay turned Provo into the center of the college football world Saturday morning, with a top-10 showdown between BYU and Notre Dame setting the stage for a loud, colorful buildup. The broadcast drew out creative signs from both fanbases, with BYU supporters leaning into the moment and Notre Dame fans answering back as the crowd filled in around one of the biggest games in town in years.
The scene had the easy energy of a big-stage college atmosphere, part celebration and part taunt, with references to past games and plenty of playful back-and-forth across enemy lines. For Washington State fans watching from a distance, it was another reminder of how quickly the Cougars old conference footprint can still generate national buzz when the right matchup and the right crowd collide. [Read more 🡒]
Washington State Just Got Exposed By A Problem Fans Feared
Oregon State found a familiar sore spot for Washington State and kept leaning on it until the Beavers were in control. Sophomore transfer quarterback Braden Atkinson, who came over from Oregon State? completed 23 of 38 passes for 347 yards and three touchdowns without a turnover, continuing a season that has quietly surged to 2,604 yards and 24 scores against just two interceptions. The Beavers got efficiency through the air, and they got it at the right time, when Washington State needed a stop and could not find one.
The bigger dagger came from senior running back transfer AJ Newberry, who turned in the best game of his career with 225 yards from scrimmage and a touchdown. His 88-yard run was the kind of burst that changes the feel of a game in a snap, and it only sharpened the concern for a Washington State defense that has too often looked vulnerable when opponents find space. For a fan base already worried about that flaw, this was the sort of performance that makes the fear feel a lot more real. [Read more 🡒]
Washington State May Have Found Something Real On Offense In Defeat
Oregon State won the game 48-30, but Washington State still walked away with a real offensive pulse that had not always been there this season. In his first career start, redshirt freshman quarterback Owen Eshelman kept the Cougars moving, throwing for 289 yards and two touchdowns while adding a strong ground element to the attack. It was the kind of performance that gave Washington State a much cleaner look offensively, even in defeat, and it came in a matchup where Oregon State was also pushing the pace with Braden Atkinson, AJ Newberry and Jesse Legree all producing big plays.
Eshelmans debut mattered because it suggested Washington State may have something to build on at quarterback, and the numbers around him backed that up. The Cougars reached 30 points against an FBS opponent for the first time this season, a small but meaningful sign for an offense that has been searching for traction. The loss still stings, but the way Washington State moved the ball on the road could make this one of those games the staff circles back to later as more than just a footnote. [Read more 🡒]