Jesse Legree Sets Record as Oregon State Shreds San Diego State 66-14

Last Saturday, quarterback Braden Atkinson left his mark on Oregon State's record books. Tonight, it was freshman phenom Jesse Legree's turn to make history.

Thanks to Legree's sixth consecutive game with 100 or more receiving yards - a new Oregon State record - the Beavers surged past San Diego State, 66-14.

The official box score can be found at this link, and our full game recap is below.

Oregon State's opening drive spotlighted playcaller Mitch Dahlen's creative genius. On 2nd and 5 from the edge of field goal, range, exotic pre-snap motion pried open San Diego State's alignment, setting up Aeryn "Bubba" Hampton wide-open in the flat. The Alabama transfer proceeded to advance the pigskin 28 yards. Later in the drive, the Beavers faced 4th and goal from the Aztecs' 2 yard line. Enter former starting quarterback Maalik Murphy - dethroned by the Beavers' record-breaking FCS transfer Braden Atkinson - who lined up at tight end, broke free of press man coverage on an out route, and caught the game's first touchdown.

After a San Diego three-and-out, Dahlen's sorcery wowed the crowd once again. Despite double coverage on the Beavers' Biletnikoff Award candidate Jesse Legree, the Beavers' wunderkind offensive coordinator schemed several easy plays for his freshman phenom. Through 2 drives, Legree had 5 catches for 54 yards. Oregon State doubled their lead on an impressive AJ Newberry 27 yard run, with the Vanderbilt transfer driving between the hashmarks, then cutting towards the left pylon towards the end zone.

Legree's heroics continued on the Beavers' next possession. On 3rd and 5 from Oregon State's 33 yard line, Atkinson rolled the dice with a throw into contested coverage. His connection with Legree was deflected by a San Diego State defensive back, before somehow landing in the hands of Oregon State's breakout star. Legree's impressive control set up another scoring drive, as the next snap saw Eric Olsen take a seam pass 29 yards into the red zone. On the first play of the second quarter, Legree got open across the flat, calmly catching an Atkinson lob and walking past the goal line untouched.

Trailing 21-0 with 13:50 still to play in the second quarter, San Diego State needed to stop the bleeding. Facing a 4th and 1 from their own 34 yard line, Aztecs' head coach Sean Lewis kept his offense on the field. The Beavers' defense responded with one of their best plays of the season: with both safeties in the box, and defensive backs pressing up tight on their marks, senior linebacker Jabari Odoemenem shot through San Diego State's outmatched offensive line, blowing up a run before it could leave the backfield. The turnover on downs meant Oregon State started their fourth drive in field goal range. 6 plays later, Ojeda drilled an extra point thanks to Cornell Hatcher Jr's punch across the goal line, and Oregon State led 28-0.

Not content with a four touchdown advantage, the Beavers' defense forced another three-and-out. Their offense followed up with a 10 play, 64 yard march to the end zone, capped off by transfer tight end DeCorion Temple catching a seam pass from the black paint of Reser Stadium's south end zone. With just under 6 minutes until halftime, Beaver Nation celebrated a 35-0 lead.

Facing a steep deficit, San Diego State's next drive featured another fourth down gamble. After Aztecs' quarterback Jayden Denegal sailed a pass high beyond the reach of his wide receiver Jacob Bostick, Oregon State started another possession beyond midfield. For the first time all day, they were held scoreless. First, Atkinson unsuccessfully lobbed through double coverage for the deep threat Hampton. That missed connection led to an Ojeda a 51 yard field goal attempt, which the senior kicker missed wide to the left. Conversely, San Diego State's final drive of the half featured the Aztecs first points, with Denegal finding Bostick through the middle of the defense for an 11 yard touchdown.

Up 35-7 with just :19 remaining in the half, most teams would run out the clock. However, Oregon State's first year head coach JaMarcus Shephard is not like most coaches, and the Beavers' leader pressed his team for more points. Thanks to a first down completion to tailback Kourdey Glass and back-to-back pass interference penalties, Oregon State's offense moved the ball into field goal range. The second quarter ended with Ojeda trying another kick, this time from 53 yards out, and drilling it between the uprights. At halftime, the Beavers led the Aztecs 38-7.

Oregon State dominated all phases of the first two quarters. Braden Atkinson went 21 of 30 for 246 yards and 3 touchdowns. Jesse Legree notched 8 grabs for 89 yards and a score. AJ Newberry managed 55 yards on 9 carries, good for 6.1 yards per run. As an offense, Oregon State earned 21 first downs, while allowing just 5 for San Diego State. Beleaguered Aztecs' quarterback Jayden Denegal struggled to move the chains, completing just 5-of-15 passes for 78 yards through the air.

San Diego State opened the second half with a three-and-out, and Oregon State quickly made them pay. On the Beavers' first snap, Atkinson rolled right, stepped up, and launched a bomb deep to his superstar wideout Legree. After shaking free of his defender, Legree raced to the end zone, and their 71 yard strike surged the Beavers ahead 45-7. For added measure, the play pushed Legree over 100 yards on the day - his 6th straight game over 100 yards receiving - and pushed him past Mike Haas (2005) and Brandin Cooks (2013) for a new school record of consecutive games over 100+ yards.

In the blink of an eye, Oregon State forced another Aztecs' punt, and Atkinson found Legree wide open on a slant up the middle for another Beavers' touchdown. That score marked Atkinson's 5th of the day, and Legree's 3rd - for the second week in a row - inching the true freshman one touchdown shy of Oregon State's game record for the most touchdown catches in a game.

An interception contributed to Oregon State's next score, with Odoemenem picking off new San Diego State passer Draiden Trudeau near midfield. 6 plays later, fullback Jake Reichle punched in the Beavers 8th touchdown of the day. On the ensuing kickoff, San Diego State returner Jaylon Hawkins raced 97 yards for his second touchdown in as many weeks, but Oregon State still led comfortably, 59-14.

From that point onwards, Atkinson and Legree gave way to the game's first touchdown recipient Murphy and coach Dahlen's prize pupil Eddie Freauff. The duo completed their first drive together this season with their first touchdown pass of the season, prompting the Prineville native Freauff to fall to his knees in praise. Murphy played two drives - going 8 for 8 with that aforementioned touchdown - before he was replaced by Western Michigan transfer quarterback Brady Jones. The 6'4" threw one pass - a missed connection deep down the sideline intended for Tigard native Karson Boschma - before the clock struck zeroes.

Upon the ring of the final whistle, Oregon State's starting quarterback Braden Atkinson finished 29/38 with 409 passing yards and 5 touchdowns. Freshman phenom Jesse Legree earned 10 catches for 191 yards and 3 touchdowns, and transfer back AJ Newberry put up a respectable 55 rushing yards and 1 touchdown across 9 carries. Oregon State crossed 600+ yards of total offense.

Today's 66-14 win marks Oregon State's fourth consecutive victory. This is the first time that the Beavers have won four straight games in one season since Jonathan Smith's 2022 vintage beat Cal, Arizona State, Oregon, and Florida to finish their year.

Oregon State's overall record is now 4-2, with back-to-back wins to start Pac-12 play. Next Saturday, the Beavers will welcome the Washington State Cougars to Reser Stadium. Kickoff is scheduled for 3 PM PST on USA Network.

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