JaMarcus Shephard: Oregon State Will Continue To 'Push The Envelope'

Oregon State head coach JaMarcus Shephard spoke with the media immediately following OSU's drubbing of San Diego State on Saturday.

Shephard reflected on the state of his team halfway through the season, and praised the coaching staff around him for the jobs they've done so far. Finally, he emphasized how much further they have to go to reach their full potential, and to not be satisfied.

"I'm proud of our team for how we were able to pace the game," Shephard noted. "Of course we talk a lot about the middle eight: this is right smack in the center of our football season, we are six games in, and I thought we've done a really good job coming into halftime on the year exactly how we wanted to. And now we've got to come out strong next week to continue through that middle eight."

Shephard went on to praise the chemistry of his team as they achieved the program's highest margin of victory since 2012.

"I thought our players did a great job with intelligence and control today. Right now they have to do an outstanding job of being generous with one-another on and off the field. I think it's really important for them to understand, that the time they're spending with one-another, that they'll never get this back. This 2026 team, we'll never be together again after this season is over with."

Quarterback Braden Atkinson threw for 409 yards and five touchdowns, marking his sixth consecutive contest with over 300 yards through the air. It was a show for the Reser Stadium crowd, who Shephard also praised in his postgame comments.

"Our O-line did a great job I believe, giving our quarterback time and security back there so that he could deliver the ball over and over again," Shephard said. "And then last week I said to you all I couldn't wait to get back to Reser. And today you saw why that is, why we couldn't wait to get back to Reser. I think today we showed what type of university we have, what type of community that we have, and that student section was tremendous. I'll tell you what, we have room for more. Come to Reser and be a part of it."

Oregon State were also dominant defensively, holding the Aztec offense to 147 yards and only six first downs. It was one of the most complete performances by an Oregon State defense in 30 years. The Beaver offense was on the field for a school record 42 minutes and 18 seconds of game time.

"Our offense tends to get a lot of the tv time, but our defense, they don't get a lot of TV time because they were getting three and outs today. They were getting off the field," Shephard said. "I think our defensive staff has done an outstanding job, but I never doubted them, and that's the thing that I'll say. When we brought coach Hagan on to this staff, I knew coach Hagen would get our defensive line to play at the very best he was gonna get every single ounce of what they had."

After six games, the Beavers look like one of the best passing offenses in the country. Even so, Shephard won't allow his team to get complacent despite the success of the last month.

"If we have incomplete passes we can get better - period," Shephard emphasized. "You can attack the ball vertically better, I thought there were times when Aaron Butler could've run through a post route harder, a time when Bubba Hampton should've come back to the ball in the end zone, to give us a chance at another touchdown. Do not mistake what I say, I'm not saying it to have fun or joke about it. There are plenty of opportunities for us to get better as a football team, and we will push the envelope."

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