JaMarcus Shephard: "These Kids are Putting Their Hearts into This Football Team"

The Oregon State Beavers started their Pac-12 Conference schedule with a bang last week, defeating the Colorado State Rams 56-26. Head coach JaMarcus Shephard has led the Beavers to a 3-2 overall record after two consecutive road wins. This week, the Beavers host San Diego State to continue that league slate.

Shephard opened his media availability this week by noting the excitement of playing in front of a home crowd after nearly a month on the road.

"When you get off the bus and there's a crowd that roars...there's an electricity inside of you, that lets you know right away that 'you're playing for something,' there's a bunch of people that have expectations of you.," Shephard noted. "Every time we hear that crowd roar, that is the oxygen mask we're putting on, and we need that oxygen to be able to go out there and play at a high level."

Oregon State's two games at Reser Stadium have drawn crowds of over 30,000, with another great crowd expected for Saturday.

"It gives our players faith in themselves, it gives them a reason to believe in something bigger than themselves. The fans...we know without a shadow of a doubt that without them, our sport would really cease to exist. And so I say all this to let you know you really do matter to the success of this football team."

During that availability, Shephard was asked what he would say to some of those fans who are finding it difficult to connect with the roster in the era of the transfer portal.

"I would say this: these young people that are on this football team, they didn't make the rules. They didn't sit in a room and make the decision for what we're seeing in college football across the entire country. These young men are coming to Oregon State, and they're doing exactly what I'm telling them to do. They're pouring their heart into this football team...into the community...they're pouring their heart into this 2026 season. I mean if you can't see it, I think it's pretty evident. Are we perfect? Not by any stretch of the imagination. But certainly they're playing hard, and they want to win for Oregon State. "

One of the players on OSU's roster getting a high level of national attention: freshman wide receiver Jesse Legree, who has recorded 28 receptions for 741 receiving yards and nine touchdowns. Legree was added to the watch list for the Biletnikoff Award this week. Shephard noted that Legree's level of play is helping elevate the rest of the team around him.

"A lot of people around the country, they hate the Yankees. There's a lot of people who might've hated the Lakers, or the Celtics. When I got to Alabama, everybody hated Alabama. I always had a love and respect for all those teams, because it made everybody up their level of play, instead of falling down to the level of their opponents. Well, I equate that similarly to Jesse Legree right now, because he is forcing everyone on our team to up their level of play."

"And I'm not calling him the Yankees or anything, hopefully nobody writes it that way. I'm just saying the kid is playing at a high level, and it's making everyone else on the team be like 'I can play better, and I'm going to.' We got a lot of kids who've been playing really well, and they still think they can do better. "

This week, the Beavers face a 2-3 Aztecs team, who are 1-0 in Pac-12 play after a 31-29 comeback win over Texas State last week. Djibril Abdou Rahman has been an impact player for San Diego State this year with three sacks and 5.5 tackles for loss.

"San Diego State, I think they're a very physical and resilient football team. They showed that this past weekend against Texas State, finding a way in the second half to come back and win a great football game. I think they have a very strong offensive line, they have a lot of strength there. And they got some impact defensive players, they have an edge player who can dominate the football game. We're gonna need to stay efficient throughout this game in order to be successful. We're gonna be versatile. We're gonna have guys that are flexible and adaptable throughout the game, and we're gonna respond to every moment. Was very excited about how our guys responded to the moment this past weekend, when the game was tied, they responded to the moment. And we're gonna do everything we can to do that again this Saturday."

The Beavers and the Aztecs square off from Corvallis Saturday at 3 p.m. PT on USA Network.

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