Braden Atkinson kept stacking numbers on another loud afternoon for Oregon State.
The sophomore transfer stayed hot in the Beavers’ offensive surge, going 23-for-38 for 347 yards, three touchdowns and no turnovers. He came in already leading the FBS in passing yards and touchdown throws, and the latest outing pushed his season line to 2,604 yards and 24 touchdowns against just two interceptions.
Big plays were everywhere in Atkinson’s day. He hit on seven completions that went for 15 yards or more, including a 90-yard scoring strike in the first half to freshman receiver Jesse Legree. Later, in a second-half stretch, Atkinson rattled off eight straight completions, two of them touchdowns, as Oregon State put the game away.
The ground game had its own breakthrough through AJ Newberry. The senior Vanderbilt transfer delivered the most productive performance of his college career, finishing with 225 yards from scrimmage and a touchdown.
Newberry was especially punishing as a runner, piling up 105 rushing yards on 11 carries while averaging 9.5 yards per attempt. He broke off runs of 30, 26 and 19 yards. He also made a major impact as a receiver, catching five passes for 120 yards.
His biggest moment came on a screen pass late in the second quarter. Newberry turned it into an 88-yard touchdown, outracing the defense and hurdling the final WSU tackler to stretch Oregon State’s lead to 27-3. That cushion proved too much for a Cougars team that did find some offensive rhythm with a new quarterback, but is still trying to put it together consistently.
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 🡒]
Oregon State Faces A Trap Game Fans Can't Afford To Ignore
Oregon State is bracing for a game it cannot treat lightly, and the focus has quickly turned to Washington States young quarterback situation. Coach Shephard has stressed the need for intensity, a fair warning for a Cougars team that has shown enough in spots to make trouble despite the record next to its name. At the center of it all is Owen Eshelman, a redshirt freshman whose high school rsum suggested real upside, even if the early scouting report also comes with the kind of turnover concern that can swing a game in a hurry.
For Washington State, the challenge is as much about proving it can carry over the better parts of its play as it is about changing the conversation around a difficult season. The Cougars are trying to turn those flashes into something sturdier, and the matchup offers another chance to show they can make an opponent uncomfortable for four quarters. Oregon State knows the danger, and Washington State still has enough pieces to make this one feel a lot less predictable than the records suggest. [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 🡒]