Oregon State Football is riding a five-game winning streak heading into Saturday’s game at Fresno State.
At 5-2 on the season and 3-0 in conference play, the Beavers are neck and neck in the Pac-12 standings with Boise State (6-1, 3-0 Pac-12).
Head coach JaMarcus Shephard said the team is on a good trajectory in the newly rebuilt conference.
“Obviously, I know I am a first-year head coach, but I also recognize that there was a lot of difficulty last year,” Shephard said during a media briefing this week. “We are in the process of building something new. And I tell you what, when you build something new, it takes a level of commitment, it takes a level of courage. But also I think you have to be willing to learn, grow and at some times, make some mistakes.”
OSU freshman wide receiver Jesse Legree leads the nation in receiving yards and touchdown catches. Legree has dominated the Pac-12 Freshman of the Week awards, earning seven consecutive honors.
Legree announced last week that he’ll return to the Beavers for the 2027 season. Shephard alluded to that announcement as well as speculation about whether quarterback Braden Atkinson will return next year. “Sometimes I do think we get caught up in the future,” Shephard said. “The next transfer portal, we get caught up in what’s gonna happen next year, what next season’s gonna look like, and we forget to enjoy what we have right here, right now.”
Oregon State received 10 points in the latest AP Top 25 poll, placing them just outside the rankings.
Fresno State (4-3, 1-2 Pac-12) enters Saturday’s game on a two-game losing streak. It will be the first matchup between the two teams with both playing as members of the Pac-12.
Kickoff for the Beavers / Bulldogs game is Saturday at 8 p.m.
Meanwhile, Oregon (4-3, 2-2 Big Ten) hosts No. 20 Northwestern Saturday at 12:30 p.m. at Autzen Stadium.
