No. 18 Oregon State Football, led by quarterback D.J. Uiagalelei, notched a 42-17 road win over San Jose State in the Beavers’ season opener Sunday.
Uiagalelei accounted for five of the six touchdowns in his debut as a Beaver, two on passing. He went 20 for 25 with 239 yards. Uiagalelei is a transfer from Clemson with two years of eligibility left.
Anthony Gould scored the other Beaver TD, nabbing three receptions for 59 yards.
Star returner Damien Martinez led the offense with 145 yards on 18 carries. Deshaun Fenwick rushed eight times for 33 yards.
Defensively, Kitan Oladipo led the Beavers with 7 total tackles, including five solo.
San Jose State (0-2) is in the Mountain West Conference. With talk of the Mountain West courting OSU for admission to the conference, Sunday’s match-up could have been a preview of future conference foes as the number of schools in the Pac-12 dwindles.
Last Friday, Cal Berkely and Stanford announced plans to join the Athletic Conference in 2024, leaving only Oregon State and Washington State remaining in the Pac-12. Oregon, Washington, USC, UCLA have already committed to the Big Ten, while Arizona, Arizona State, Colorado and Utah will play in the Big 12.
In addition to Oregon State, the Mountain West conference has also shown interest in picking up Washington State.
Speaking during Sunday’s broadcast of the Beavers and Spartans game on CBS, Mountain West Commissioner Gloria Nevarez said “They are both amazing institutions and I respect everything that they’ve built, that they have going on. We’re ready for anything, we’re open to all opportunities. Anything that makes the Mountain West stronger, we’re willing to explore.”
Up Next: Oregon State hosts UC Davis (1-0) from the Big Sky conference September 9. Kickoff is at noon.
