Houston Football vs. Oregon State: The Matchups That Will Decide the Game
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Houston football will host the Oregon State Beavers in the season opener on Sept. 5 inside TDECU Stadium.
With head coach Willie Fritz entering his third season with the Cougars, while the Beavers are in the middle of a full rebuild, Houston will be heavily favored in its first game.
However, there are several matchups that will determine the outcome of this game.
Houston vs. Oregon State: Key Matchups
Conner Weigman vs Harlem Howard
Houston’s senior quarterback Conner Weigman is coming off a breakout 2025 season, where he passed for 2,705 yards and 25 touchdowns.
He was also a threat in the run game totaling 171 carries for 700 yards and 11 touchdowns.
Now, he is preparing to take on the Beavers in week one, and they are an entirely different team than last season.
Oregon State is projected to rely on sophomore Harlem Howard to start the year at free safety, and he has very little college experience in his career.
Last season he got his first shot and played defensive back, where he tallied 18 tackles and an interception.
With Houston’s plethora of talented receivers, this is a matchup to keep an eye on in the contest.
Maalik Murphy vs Houston’s Secondary
Oregon State’s senior quarterback Maalik Murphy has a ton of experience across three schools: Texas, Duke and Oregon State.
He is entering his second year with the Beavers, and he is well known for his passing ability, especially the deep ball.
Oregon State reloaded its wide receiver group, and they have several new faces who could have a huge impact in this game.
Transfers Aeryn Hampton and Xayvion Noland are set to be starters in this offense and could have a big showing in 2026.
Redshirt sophomores Eddie Freauff and Aaron Butler also have increased roles and are looking for a breakout year.
Oregon State's athleticism at wide receiver will definitely test Houston’s secondary, which lost three players to the NFL in Latrell McCutchin Sr., Marc Stampley II, and Zelmar Vedder.
Houston’s leader of the secondary, Kentrell Webb, is the glue to this defense and will be a key piece in 2026.
He will also be in charge of getting the new guys up to speed, such as transfers Javion White and Jalen Mayo, along with young talent like Zaylen Cormier.
While Houston has a solid group of veterans in the secondary, it will be a matchup to watch come week one against an explosive Oregon State offense.
Houston’s Run Game vs Oregon State’s D-Line
The final matchup that will decide the game is Houston’s talented running back room against an entirely new Oregon State defensive line.
Eight of the Beavers’ 11 starters on defense came via the transfer portal, and they have to face arguably the best running back room on their schedule in week one.
Houston has three main players that can impact the game in the running department, and the first is senior running back Makhi Hughes.
The veteran running back was one of the best runners in all of college football in his two seasons at Tulane, and now he looks to get back on that same track at Houston as he is projected to be the RB1.
Next in line is junior running back Re’Shaun Sanford II, who is back from injury after missing most of the 2025 season.
The final guy Houston can utilize is junior running back DJ Butler, who earned an increased role last season.
He totaled 68 carries for 301 yards, and he will have a very similar role this season.
With Houston having three talented running backs against an Oregon State defensive line that was pieced together through the transfer portal, it will be a matchup to watch to see how both sides perform in the first game of the season.
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Ashton Grissom is a staff writer for Houston Cougars on SI. He is currently a senior at the University of Houston and majoring in Sports Media Production with a minor in Marketing and Spanish. He also works for two student organizations: The Cougar and CoogTV. You can find Grissom on his Instagram (@ashtonagrissom8) or Twitter (@ashtongrissom8).