Matti Tenney - September 23, 2026

The new Pac-12 has been about new beginnings, and no one has embraced that like the Oregon State Beavers. Growing up in Eugene, I used to view them as the "pity school" in Oregon’s shadow. Still, the Beavers have shown flashes of brilliance over the decades before hitting a major rebuilding phase.

The 2000s were a promising stretch under Mike Riley. Supported by weapons like Jacquizz Rodgers, Mike Hass, Bill Swancutt, and Nick Barnett, OSU consistently won around seven games a season, went 6-2 in bowl games, and took five Civil War victories over the Ducks. However, as Oregon rose to national prominence in the 2010s, the Beavers fell behind. Outside of a 9-win 2012 campaign and a 2013 Alamo Bowl victory over Boise State, OSU struggled, enduring a 19-53 stretch over six seasons.

Jonathan Smith brought a temporary revival in the 2020s, peaking with a 10-win 2022 season that featured a Civil War victory and a Las Vegas Bowl win over Florida. But after an 8-5 finish in 2023, Smith departed for Michigan State. Trent Bray then attempted to navigate the program through the collapse of the legacy Pac-12, but back-to-back losing seasons in 2024 (5-7) and 2025 (2-10) left OSU searching for another fresh start.

That brings us to today. After that two-win 2025 campaign, OSU hired head coach JaMarcus Shephard. Shephard brings an impressive resume, having learned under Bobby Petrino, Jeff Brohm, Mike Leach, and Kalen DeBoer, with stops at Western Kentucky, Washington State, Purdue, Washington, and Alabama.

The Beavers challenged themselves early this season against two AP Top-25 opponents in #23 Houston and #13 Texas Tech. Against Houston, OSU fell 33-20 but mounted a strong second-half push behind QB Braden Atkinson, who threw for 375 yards, and receiver Jesse Legree who had 136 yards and 1 TD. The offense generated 402 total yards, though four sacks and a stagnant run game, including -31 rushing yards for Atkinson, proved costly as they allowed 228 rush yards.

The following week against Texas Tech, OSU put up another relentless fight in a game featuring four lead changes. Though Tech pulled away late for a 35-24 win, Oregon State actually outgained the Red Raiders 472 to 352. Atkinson was spectacular with 413 passing yards and two touchdowns, while Legree went off for 240 yards and two scores on eight catches. Once again, a light ground attack of 55 rushing yards was a significant limiting factor as they allowed 155.

Finally, this past week, the Beavers were able to secure the first win of JaMarcus Shephard’s tenure. Welcoming in the Montana Grizzlies, OSU won convincingly 52-17. They eclipsed 100 rushing yards for the first time this season and Atkinson had his best performance yet. On 22 completions, he tossed for 331 yards, 5 touchdowns, and a completion percentage of 73. He was able to distribute the ball well as each touchdown scored was to a different player. Legree accounted for 100 yards on 4 catches and scored a touchdown of his own.

The Beavers have shown they are competitive, hungry, and highly productive in Year 1 under Shephard. If they can tighten up the run defense and offensive line protection, Oregon State is going to be a real threat in the revamped Pac-12, and they might just be the best 0-2 team in the country.