bendbulletin
In a commanding 66-14 win over San Diego State at Reser Stadium on Saturday, Oregon State freshman wide receiver Jesse Legree continued his remarkable debut season, hauling in 10 receptions for 191 yards and three touchdowns. The performance solidified his status as a contender for the Heisman Trophy, as he struck the iconic pose after his third score.
Legree's impact was undeniable, especially in the second half. After being limited to 89 yards and one touchdown on eight catches before halftime, he exploded for untouched touchdown receptions of 71 and 31 yards from sophomore quarterback Braden Atkinson, then rested for the remainder of the game. "I'm making history every week," Legree said. "You aren't seeing (any) freshman do this."
Through six games, the unheralded recruit from Baltimore has amassed 12 touchdown catches, trailing only Brandin Cooks (16 in 2013) and Isaiah Hodgins (13 in 2019) for the most in a single season in Oregon State history. Additionally, Legree is the first Beaver receiver to record six straight 100-yard games, a feat not even accomplished by legends like Cooks, Hodgins, Mike Hass, Chad Johnson, T.J. Houshmandzadeh, Markus Wheaton, Sammie Stroughter, James Rodgers, or any other great wideouts in program lore. "It feels surreal," Legree said. "I knew coming into this game that I could make history. Being able to do that feels great. It hasn't really sunk in yet, but I feel like by tonight, I'll feel it a lot."
The Beavers' season has been nothing short of surreal over the past month. After dropping their first two games, they have rattled off four consecutive wins, including two in the revamped Pac-12 Conference. Under first-year head coach JaMarcus Shephard, Oregon State (4-2, 2-0 Pac-12) has been an offensive juggernaut, scoring 122 points in conference play and piling up over 1,200 yards in victories over Colorado State and San Diego State (2-4, 1-1). During the four-game streak, the Beavers have totaled 207 points. "I'm proud of our team and how we were able to pace the game and control the game," Shephard said. "I thought our players had a lot of intelligence and control throughout the game."
Offensive coordinator Mitch Dahlen, a former standout at Redmond High, orchestrated another masterful game plan. "I did expect this," Shephard said. "That is why I hired him. I expected him to put out an offense that resembled exactly what we wanted." The Beavers rushed for 207 yards, led by senior running back AJ Newberry, who had 55 yards and a touchdown. They completed nearly 80% of their passes for 462 yards, with 14 different players recording receptions and seven different players finding the end zone. Oregon State scored on its first five possessions, converted 12 of 17 third downs, and even got a touchdown catch from backup quarterback Maalik Murphy.
Atkinson completed 29 of 38 passes for 409 yards and five touchdowns, bringing his season total to 21. Along with his three scoring strikes to Legree, he connected with Murphy on a fourth-down touchdown during the opening drive and hit senior tight end DeCorion Temple for another score in the second quarter. Murphy, last year's starter, entered in the second half and completed all eight of his passes for 53 yards, capping the scoring with a touchdown pass to sophomore wideout Eddie Freauff of Prineville early in the fourth quarter. "I'm grateful for that moment," Murphy said of his touchdown catch. "I'm glad the coaches called it and gave me a chance to make a play."
The Beavers also got rushing touchdowns from Newberry, sophomore running back Cornell Hatcher Jr., and senior running back Jake Reichle, a Lake Oswego native. Defensively, Oregon State stifled the Aztecs, holding them to 147 total yards and just one offensive touchdown: an 11-yard pass from senior quarterback Jayden Denegal to senior wide receiver Jacob Bostic with 25 seconds left in the first half. San Diego State's only other score came on a 97-yard kickoff return by freshman wide receiver Jaylon Hawkins in the third quarter. Senior defensive back Jabari Odoemenem intercepted a pass in the first half and led the team with seven tackles, including a tackle for loss that forced a turnover on downs.
Oregon State will return to Reser Stadium next Saturday to face Washington State (1-5, 0-2), which is coming off a 17-16 loss to Utah State. "We have room for more," Shephard said. "Not only do we have room for more as a football team, we have room for more fans to keep coming here to Reser."
Originally reported by bendbulletin.