Oregon State Coaching Staff Continues To Preach High Expectations After First Win

Jamarcus Shephard and his two coordinators all spoke with the media Monday morning. Some of the key talking points included individual performances from the Montana game, and a preview of what they expect this Saturday night from UTEP.

"We have an opponent coming up this weekend which is a good program, they are a very high-energy football team. We've seen these guys really be focused around building a strong run game. This is the second time we are gonna be playing in the state of Texas, and we're really looking forward to it," Shephard said.

"We've really been encouraged by what we saw from our team last weekend, and now we're on to the next challenge. Take that energy, generate it, and focus on how each game will inform us for the next game. This is a foundational year, and that really means taking each piece that we have seen thus far and putting it into place. How do we handle pressure and adversity, then putting that down and saying 'our foundation can handle the weight of that particular situation.'"

Shephard also noted that spreading the wealth on offense will continue to be a point of emphasis in order to sustain their current momentum.

"As you continue to see, our belief is getting everybody to touch the ball. Hopefully you believe it now, it is not just a strategy it's a philosophy of our football team. And then overall, we'll continue to have big expectations. Whether we win or lose, regardless of who the opponent is. Pressure is a privilege, and we're gonna use it."

With a huge preliminary injunction hearing Tuesday morning and a decision expected quickly, there were also a lot of questions about the possibility of losing Van Wells and Jaheim Patterson. If Patterson can no longer play, defensive coordinator Mike MacIntyre expects other names to step up in the secondary.

“I see that RJ Whitten does a really good job in the nickel area and he made some good plays the other night, and then Xander Chisolm is a really fluid, fast athlete and he’s really learning how to play the spot at safety. He has all the athleticism to do it, it’s just about getting the reps,” MacIntyre said.

In previewing the UTEP Miners, MacIntyre noted the challenges that starting quarterback EJ Colson Jr. and backup Raymond Moore III should provide. The Miners most recently gave Michigan difficulties in the first half (the Wolverines pulled away in the second), preceded by a 51-10 rout of Texas Southern.

“They have two really athletic QBs, they can throw it, they can run it. Their running back [Tavorus Jones] is a big powerful runner who played 20 games at Missouri, and then their slot guy Cam Thomas can really fly. They made some plays to get up on Michigan and score early, they blew out Texas Southern and could’ve beat them a lot worse than they did. So they have talent and speed, their head coach does a great job with all the different formations, and he also calls the plays. You’re gonna see a lot of different reverses and double passes, they have a lot of creativity in their offense.”

MacIntyre also touched on the performance of the pass rush this season in his availability. The Beavers have generated seven sacks and ten hurries through the first three games.

"Of course you always want more but I think we're doin' well at it. Not only are we getting some sacks we're getting a lot of hurries and a lot of the quarterback having to rush the ball by pulling it down and dumping it, and so it's really about 'do they feel the pressure.' This week will be a little bit harder on that because they are so run-oriented on play-action and stuff. But we are still gonna need to effect the quarterback."

When offensive coordinator Mitch Dahlen took the podium, he was asked about transfer tight end Eric Olsen and his first touchdown catch as a Beaver on Saturday. Olsen previously spent four seasons at Utah Tech and was that program's leading receiver in 2025.

"Olsen's been awesome man, since coming here he's really bought in to the culture and what we're trying to do with tight ends," Dahlen said. "I let him talk to the team Wednesday, because we have both played the Grizz through our college careers and he's been playing FCS powerhouses recently. It meant a lot, and it was fitting that he got the first touchdown."

Among the other benefits of the blowout win, the offense was able to get reserve linemen Michael Langi and Jack Wagner some live game reps. Those reps could be critical if either need to become a bigger part of the plan, should Van Wells not be able to continue because of the previously mentioned legal situation.

"There's really no substitute for experience, especially at that position, but it's still amazing to get a bunch of young guys snaps. You get Bobo snaps and Langi snaps, and Tre Garrison is running the ball, those snaps are really important. As this week progresses we'll kinda have to play things day by day, but I thought both of them did a really good job."

Oregon State's season continues Saturday, September 26 from El Paso with kickoff scheduled for 6 p.m. PT on Mountain West+.

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