Heading into the opening game of the Jamarcus Shephard era at Oregon State, the Beavers' first year head coach promised
that his team would play hard to the final whistle.
When that whistle rang, Shephard and his Beavers fulfilled their promise.
An arduous battle across all phases saw #23 Houston emerge victorious 33-20. The official box score can be read at this link
, while the rest of this piece features our
complete game recap.
Oregon State's opening drive represented a stark departure from the more traditional, I-formation Beavers' teams of old. The first snap of the season saw new starting quarterback Braden Atkinson hand off to a wingback motioning at the snap. The ball wound up back in his grasps after two pitches. All that action set up an Aeryn Hampton screen up the middle. Immediately afterwards, the sophomore gunslinger led the offense to the line of scrimmage for a quick snap, followed by a check down to Vanderbilt transfer back AJ Newberry. In less than a minute, the Beavers secured fresh chains for the first time this season.
Going into the matchup, Shephard's gameplan sought to mitigate Houston's pass rush with quick tempo and short passes. Those efforts were understandable, given the ferocity which Houston's defensive displayed over the course of the day. Oregon State's opening drive stalled after back-to-back Newberry runs netted only 3 yards. On 3rd and long, Houston edge defender Javion White dropped Atkinson for the season's first sack.
In glaring contrast, Houston's first drive - marching 85 yards across 9 plays - featured a battery of physical, penetrating runs by Makhi Hughes. The drive finished with fifth year quarterback Connor Weigman finding Amare Thomas for the game's first touchdown. Notably, junior kicker Jonathan Dimas whiffed his first ever Division I extra point try.
In a conversation with local media this week, offensive coordinator Mitch Dahlen flashed confidence
in his starting quarterback Atkinson. On the second drive of the day, the Beavers' new gunslinger proved him right. The series began with the Mercer transfer hitting true freshman wide receiver Jesse Legree deep down the left sideline for 71 yards. Then on 3rd and 3 from the 3 yard line, Atkinson broke free for a game-tying rushing touchdown. After Caleb Ojeda nailed the point-after try, Oregon State led 7-6 with 6:17 remaining.
The rest of the opening period featured three moments where momentum bounced between the two sides. The Cougars' new kicker Dimas made amends for his earlier miss with a 42 yard field goal, lifting the home team on top 9-7. Then, Oregon State's offensive line failed to launch on a fourth and short
quarterback sneak near midfield.
On the first snap the second quarter, Oregon State's turnover on downs was made irrelevant by a turnover chainsaw
. Senior defensive back Drake Vickers pried the ball free from Houston rusher Makhi Hughes, recovered by defensive captain Sailasa Vadrawale III, and suddenly the Beavers had another chance.
Once again, Houston's feisty front seven made an impact. After Cougars' pressure forced a throw away on 3rd and 23, former Oregon State wideout Trent Walker
- now playing for the opposition - fair caught an AJ Windsor punt.
Scoring seemed to stall - with Oregon State's secondary breaking up Houston passes, and Houston's defensive line smothering Oregon State rushes - before the Cougars' struck paydirt. On 1st and 10 from their own 44 yard line, Houston running back Re'Shaun Sanford II raced down the left sideline untouched for a 56 yard touchdown. His effort drove the Cougars ahead 16-7 with 6:27 remaining in the second quarter.
After an Ojeda field goal hooked past the near post, Houston lit up the scoreboard one last time before the half ended. Their drive surged thanks to a 16 yard strike to the Beaverton native Walker, which brought the Cougars to field goal range. With :35 left, Dimas padded the home team's lead 19-7 with a 32 yard kick.
At halftime, Oregon State trailed 19-7. While passing yards, penalties, turnovers, and time of possession were all fairly close between the two sides, Houston's ground game proved pivotal. Through two quarters, the Cougars outgained the orange & black 164-to-28.
A lightning delay - harking back to last September's contest at Texas Tech
- stalled the start of the second half. When players returned to the field at 1:34 PM local time, rain ripped down upon them. The slippery conditions posed new challenges for each side.
A pair of three and outs preceded Houston's next scoring drive. In 9 plays across 5:01 minutes of game time, the Cougars' pushed Oregon State back 74 yards, capped off by starting tailback Makhi Hughes' 1 yard dart up the middle. With 6:40 remaining in the third quarter, the Beavers' deficit swelled to 26-7.
Oregon State's next drive offered lessons in perseverance. On one play, Atkinson exposed his body to a potential blow, in an effort to launch the football to his freshman wideout Legree deep in Houston territory. If the Baltimore native had secured the catch, it would have been the play of the season so far. Instead, tight coverage forced an incompletion.
Then, another Atkinson bomb sailed past the outstretched arms of a wide-open Hampton, yards away from the goal line. Relentlessly, Oregon State continued to inch down the field, eventually breaking through. The drive capped with Legree slashing away from coverage. After the Maryland native caught a 7 yard touchdown pass from Atkinson, the Beavers' trailed 26-13. To that point, the Beavers' new breakout star had 5 catches, 136 yards, and his first trip to the end zone.
Through 3 quarters, Houston's ground attack was the game's biggest story, earning 194 yards on 31 carries. Early in the final frame, their passing game gave the Beavers' hope. On 2nd and 7 from the Oregon State 15 - deep inside field goal range with the Cougars ahead by 13 - a Weigman pass down the middle was tipped by Gyriece Goodman, and tracked down by Vadrawale III for Oregon State's 2nd turnover.
The Beavers responded quickly, marching 75 yards in 7 plays, with AJ Newberry's 4 yard touchdown run drawing the underdogs within one possession.
Hope faded quickly, however. On a pivotal 3rd and 6 from the Oregon State 42 yard line, Houston's offensive line protected their passer Weigman from an aggressive Beavers' blitz, allowing the gunslinger to find 6'0" jump ball specialist Amare Thomas 1-on-1 against the 5'11" slot defender Vadrawale. Their 37 yard connection set up a Weigman touchdown run, restoring the margin to 13.
That advantage held when the clock struck zeroes, ending Oregon State's upset bid.
Braden Atkinson's day finished with 27 completions on 44 attempts (61.3%), 359 passing yards, 1 passing touchdown, 1 rushing touchdown, and no interceptions. On the other side, Houston's dominance in the trenches proved decisive: the Cougars defense sacked Atkinson 4 times, and their offense gashed the Beavers for over 600 total yards (228 rushing, and 305 passing).
Oregon State (0-1) returns to action next Saturday September 12th against reigning Big 12 Conference champion Texas Tech. Kickoff is scheduled for 4:30 PM PST at Reser Stadium in Corvallis, and the game will be televised on CBS.
This article was originally published on www.si.com/college/oregon-state as Oregon State Comeback Comes Up Short at #23 Houston, 33-20 .
