Oregon State
0-1 , 0-0
Houston
1-0 , 0-0
| Team | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | Final F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oregon St. | 7 | 0 | 6 | 7 | 20 |
| Houston | 9 | 10 | 7 | 7 | 33 |
Legree, Atkinson Shine In Oregon State Debuts, Beavs Edged In Houston
September 05, 2026 | Football
HOUSTON, Texas – True freshman Jesse Legree turned his collegiate debut into one of the signature performances of Oregon State's season opener, catching five passes for 136 yards and a touchdown, but it wasn't enough as No. 23 Houston held off the Beavers, 33-20, Saturday at TDECU Stadium.
Making his first career start, Legree wasted no time making an impact. On Oregon State's second series of the game, he hauled in a 71-yard strike from Braden Atkinson — his first collegiate catch — to set up the Beavers' first touchdown of the JaMarcus Shephard era. He added gains of 19, 14 and 25 yards over the course of the afternoon before capping his day late in the third quarter with a 7-yard touchdown reception that pulled Oregon State within 26-13. The score marked the first of Legree's career.
Atkinson, making his own Oregon State debut after transferring in from Mercer, was just as central to the day. He completed 29 of 48 passes for 376 yards and a touchdown, opening the scoring in the first quarter on a 3-yard touchdown run — his first touchdown as a Beaver. Beyond his connection with Legree, Atkinson spread the ball to eight different receivers, including five catches for 30 yards from tight end Decorion Temple, four catches for 28 yards from fellow first-time starter Aeryn Hampton and three catches for 34 yards from Xayvion Noland.
Oregon State briefly threatened a fourth-quarter comeback when AJ Newberry punched in a 4-yard touchdown run to cut the deficit to 26-20, but Houston answered with a Conner Weigman touchdown run on the ensuing drive to restore a two-score cushion.
Defensively, Sailasa Vadrawale III intercepted a pass in the fourth quarter and recovered a fumble forced by Drake Vickers on the first play of the second quarter, giving Oregon State its first takeaway of the season.
Oregon State (0-1) returns home to open its 2026 slate at Reser Stadium on Saturday, Sept. 12, hosting Texas Tech at 4:30 p.m. PT on CBS. Between Atkinson's debut under center and Legree's breakout on the outside, the opener offered an early look at two central pieces of the Beavers' new-look offense.
Players Mentioned
Team Stats
OSU 0, HOU 6
HOU - Thomas,Amare 31 yd pass from Weigman,Conner () 10 plays, 85 yards, TOP 04:06
OSU 7, HOU 6
OSU - Atkinson,Braden 3 yd run (Ojeda,Caleb kick), 4 plays, 80 yards, TOP 01:50
OSU 7, HOU 9
HOU - Dimas,Jonathan 42 yd field goal 6 plays, 41 yards, TOP 02:02
OSU 7, HOU 16
HOU - Sanford II,Re'Shaun 56 yd run (Dimas,Jonathan kick), 4 plays, 70 yards, TOP 01:46
OSU 7, HOU 19
HOU - Dimas,Jonathan 32 yd field goal 11 plays, 57 yards, TOP 02:22
OSU 7, HOU 26
HOU - Hughes,Makhi 1 yd run (Dimas,Jonathan kick), 9 plays, 74 yards, TOP 05:01
OSU 13, HOU 26
OSU - Legree,Jesse 7 yd pass from Atkinson,Braden () 14 plays, 89 yards, TOP 05:56
OSU 20, HOU 26
OSU - Newberry,AJ 4 yd run (Ojeda,Caleb kick), 7 plays, 75 yards, TOP 03:45
OSU 20, HOU 33
HOU - Weigman,Conner 1 yd run (Dimas,Jonathan kick), 9 plays, 75 yards, TOP 04:01
