Saturday, September 12
Corvallis, Ore.
4:30 PM
Oregon State
vs
Texas Tech
Photo by: Karl Maasdam
Beavers Make Their 2026 Reser Debut Saturday Versus Texas Tech
September 07, 2026 | Football
Game 2: Oregon State vs. Texas Tech
Sept. 12, 2026 · Corvallis, Ore. · Reser Stadium (35,548) · 4:30 p.m. PT · CBS
| Broadcast Information | |
| Network | CBS |
| Play-By-Play | Rich Waltz |
| Analyst | Brian Kelly |
| Analyst | Adam Breneman |
| Sideline | Jordan Giorgio |
| Radio Information | |
| Network | Beaver Sports Network |
| Play-By-Play | Mike Parker |
| Analyst | Jim Wilson |
| Sideline Reporter | Ron Callan |
| Streaming | Varsity Network |
Beavers Play Their 2026 Home Opener Saturday
- Oregon State plays its 2026 home opener Saturday when the Beavers host Texas Tech at Reser Stadium.
- Saturday's game kicks off at 4:30 p.m. PT. It will air live on CBS. Rich Waltz will serve as play-by-play announcer with Brian Kelly and Adam Breneman as analysts. Jordan Giorgio will report from the sideline.
- The game can also be heard live on the Beaver Sports Network. Download the Varsity Network app to listen to the game on your smartphone or tablet. Mike Parker and Jim Wilson are on the call with Ron Callan on the sideline.
- Oregon State and Texas Tech are meeting for just the third time. The Red Raiders won a 1959 matchup, 15-14, and then last season in Lubbock, 45-14.
- Oregon State is playing its first game at Reser Stadium since Nov. 8, 2025. The Beavers' last three have been on an opponent's home turf, which last happened in 1998 when OSU played four straight away from home.
JaMarcus Shephard's First Season
- JaMarcus Shephard was named Oregon State's head coach this past November.
- He came to Corvallis after spending two seasons at Alabama, most recently as the Crimson Tide's assistant head coach, co-offensive coordinator and wide receivers coach.
- He arrived at Oregon State with a reputation as one of the nation's premier developers of wide receivers, having coached a consensus All-American, a first-team All-American, multiple NFL draft picks and a string of nationally ranked passing offenses across stops at Alabama, Washington, Purdue, Washington State and Western Kentucky.
- Shephard coached in the 2023 national title game while with the Huskies. Washington's passing game ranked second nationally at 343.7 yards per game while the Huskies scored 36.0 points per game. The unit featured one of the nation's top wide receiver corps with a pair of 1,000-yard seasons from first team All-American Rome Odunze, who recorded 92 receptions for 1,640 yards and 13 touchdowns, and Ja'Lynn Polk, who caught 69 passes for 1,159 yards and nine scores.
- The duo went on to be selected in the first and second rounds, respectively, of the 2024 NFL Draft.
On This Date
- Oregon State has played on Sept. 12 just seven times in its history. The Beavers are 4-3 on the date.
- Oregon State last played on Sept. 12 in 2015, losing to Michigan, 35-7, in Ann Arbor.
- The last win on the date came in 2009 at UNLV when Jacquizz Rodgers rushed for 166 yards in the 23-21 victory.
Home Openers
- The Beavers are 86-34-9 (.702) all-time in home openers, and have won four of their last five and nine of their last 12 dating back to 2014. OSU won nine straight home openers from 2002-2010.
- OSU's 55 points in 2023 against UC Davis are the most in a home opener this century.
Atkinson Made His Debut
- Atkinson's first start for Oregon State produced 29-of-48 passing for 376 yards, one touchdown and no interceptions, plus a 3-yard rushing touchdown — a full workload in his first game under new head coach JaMarcus Shephard.
- The 376 yards rank as the third-highest single-game total of his college career, trailing only his two biggest Mercer outings: a school-record 538 yards against VMI (Oct. 25, 2025) and 443 yards at Western Carolina.
- It's also his best performance against an FBS opponent by a wide margin — more than 150 yards clear of the 210 he threw for in a loss at Auburn last November, his only previous game against an FBS defense.
- The showing extends a pattern from his lone season at Mercer, where he topped 300 passing yards in seven of 11 starts en route to the 2025 Jerry Rice Award as the top freshman in the FCS (3,596 yards, 34 touchdowns, 11 interceptions, 66% completion).
- Atkinson became the eighth different opening-game starter for the Beavers, in as many years.
- He also became the 13th different Beaver QB since 1996 to throw for at least 300 yards in a road game. He is, however, just the fifth to do so since 2015, and marked the fourth time in a non-conference matchup.
- Only Miami's Darian Mensah threw for more yards in a road game so far this season, finishing with 401 at Stanford.
On CBS
- Oregon State is playing a game on CBS for just the sixth time in its history, and fourth since 2023.
- The Beavers hosted Washington State last season in a 10-7 win over the Cougars, and also won at San Jose State to open the 2023 season, 42-17.
- The other three games have all come at the Sun Bowl: 2006 against Missouri, 2008 versus Pittsburgh and 2023 against Notre Dame.
- OSU has scored and given up exactly 102 points in games on CBS.
Back-to-Back Ranked
- Oregon State opens 2026 against two ranked opponents — Houston (No. 23) and Texas Tech (No. 12) — a scenario the program has faced only four times previously since the AP poll began in 1936.
- The last time it happened was 2012, when the Beavers opened with No. 13 Wisconsin and at No. 19 UCLA and won both games, 10-7 and 27-20, springing off to a 9-4 season.
- The only other instances came in 1960 (at No. 6 USC, at No. 19 Iowa), 1953 (at No. 4 UCLA, vs. No. 14 California) and 1950 (at No. 19 Michigan State, vs. No. 8 Stanford).
- The Beavers are the only team in the nation scheduled to play two top-25 teams to open the season.
Legree's Big Debut
- Jesse Legree's first career reception went for 71 yards from Braden Atkinson, and the freshman continued on to have a big impact in the season opener.
- Legree hauled in five receptions for 136 yards against the Cougars. He averaged nearly 28 yards per reception.
- He's the 16th Beaver with at least 136 yards receiving in a road game since 2010 while his 27.2-yard average ranks fourth.
- He scored his first career touchdown on a 7-yard strike from Atkinson late in the third quarter.
- Legree's 71-yard reception was the first of 60 or more yards by a Beaver since Anthony Gould's 61-yarder in 2023 against Stanford.
Pac-12 Notables
- Oregon State's notable Pac-12 rankings after one week of action.
- Passing Offense: 1st (376 yards)
- Total Offense: 2nd (402 yards)
- Punting Average: 1st (47.8 avg/punt)
- Red Zone Offense (TD%): T-1st (100%, 3-for-3 scoring on all red zone trips)
- Individual Passing Yards Leader: 1st — Braden Atkinson (376 yds)
- Individual Receiving (Yards/Catch): 1st — Jesse Legree (27.2 avg/catch)
- Opponent 4th Down Conversion Defense: T-1st (100% stop rate — only 1 attempt faced, denied)
Vadrawale Makes His Presence Felt
- Sailasa Vadrawale intercepted a pass and recovered a fumble against the Cougars.
The Beavs Are Home
- Oregon State is playing its first game at Reser Stadium since Nov. 8, 2025 when hosting Sam Houston. The Beavs have played their last three games on an opponent's turf, the longest stretch since four straight in 1998.
- The three straight away from home happened for the 43rd time in the program's history, but just 12 since 1980.
Players Mentioned
QB
/ Football
WR
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Saturday, September 05
Wednesday, September 02
Wednesday, September 02
