Oregon State Football's Keys to Victory Against #13 Texas Tech

Oregon State had a lot to be happy with in their season opening game at #23 Houston last week, despite not getting the win. Tomorrow against the Top 15 Red Raiders, the Beavers play at home for the first time in 2026, and have to feel like they have a legitimate shot at pulling an upset after a strong offensive performance last week.

OSU's corners need to have a big game

Sophomore Will Hammond is a very accurate quarterback, and he has a strong offensive line that should do a nice job protecting him. As a result, it is going to be an awfully long afternoon for the Beaver defense if Red Raider targets are creating separation and easily getting open. Tech has a lot of quality receivers, including former five-star recruit Micah Hudson and Pitt transfer Kenny Johnson.

Additionally, they are also returning senior Coy Eakin, who has over 1,700 receiving yards in his TTU career. With a talented QB and an advantage at the line of scrimmage, this means that Oregon State's secondary is going to have to play well on Saturday in order to pull off the upset. While the Beavers should be able to get help from their experienced safeties in Vadrawale and Patterson, a lot is going to be dependent on the cornerbacks. TJ Crandall, who started after being injured all of last year, had some nice pass breakups in the second half against Houston. Sophomore Trey Glasper struggled with tackling last weekend, but proved in 2025 as a true freshman that he has solid natural talent in pass coverage. Paired up with the skill of guys like Patterson and Vadrawale, this Oregon State defense could be really tricky on Saturday if the corners play good ball.

Spread it around through the air

The Beaver offense did an excellent job of this in their opener, and it did wonders for opening up the entire system. Braden Atkinson found nine different targets last weekend at Houston, and six of these guys had at least 30 yards. If Oregon State is able to get good production from tight ends and slot receivers like they did against the Cougars, Tech might find themselves struggling to get stops, with so many different play-makers to look out for.

Protect your passer

In the first half of last week's contest, Oregon State's pass pro was fairly weak. A couple of times early on, Atkinson was sacked with fairly little resistance to a heavy blitz. Perhaps this is what led the coaching staff to stick mostly with the run for the entirety of the second quarter.

The second half was a much different story, with the Beaver O-line holding up rather well. It was here that Atkinson displayed just how good he can be when given two or more seconds of a clean pocket. If the line can handle the aggressive front seven of Texas Tech, Oregon State should be able to emulate the passing success they saw in the second half against ranked Houston last Saturday.

About State of the Beavs

Each week, veteran sports broadcaster and writer Matt Bagley examines the news and storylines at play for Oregon State University Athletics. Occasionally joined by contributors for On SI's coverage of the Beavers, as well as the occasional guest spot from Beavers past, present, and future. Get caught up with the playlist below. New episodes are typically released on Tuesday mornings.

Want to interact with the show? Talk to Matt: mbagleyradio@gmail.com

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