Coming off back-to-back weeks with losses to your two biggest rivals, one could argue Fresno State’s (4-3, 1-2) bye this last week could not have come at a better time.
A well-rested Bulldogs team now welcomes a hot Oregon State (5-2, 3-0) squad that features not one, but two Heisman Trophy candidates in Quarterback Braden Atkinson and Wide Receiver Jesse Legree.
Both teams coming off their bye will meet at Valley Children’s Stadium on Saturday for a late night Halloween battle. Fresno State Head Coach Matt Entz said on Monday the team is feeling refreshed and ready to go with much at stake on Saturday.
“It’s going to be an exciting and competitive opportunity against a close to being ranked football team right here in Bulldog Stadium,” Entz said.
Need to know for Saturday
- What: Oregon State at Fresno State (7-point underdogs)
- When: Saturday, Oct. 31 at 8:00 p.m.
- Where: Valley Children’s Stadium (Fresno, CA)
- TV: USA Sports Network (Nate Gatter, Ryan Leaf and Lauren Green)
- Radio: ESPN Fresno – 1430/790 (Paul Loeffler, Pat Hill and Kenny Wiggins), Caliente – 105.1 KKBZ (Jose Gonzalez and Abraham Montano)
Bulldog Bites
- Fresno State has been one of the best teams in the country at protecting the football and creating turnovers, ranking 7th in the FBS in turnover margin +1.14 turnovers per game.
- The Bulldogs have thrown just one interception in 201 team pass attempts, ranking 4th in the FBS with the least amount of passes intercepted.
- Fresno State ranks among the most disciplined teams in the country, with just 30 total penalties (6th in FBS) and 31 penalty YPG (3rd in FBS).
- The ‘Dogs are outscoring opponents 105-49 after halftime this season, including a 45-8 advantage in the third quarter.
Battlin’ da Beavers
After not playing each other for 19 years, Saturday will mark the 3rd time in five years and the 16th meeting ever between the two schools with Fresno State owning the series 9-6, and a whopping 6-1 at home.
The series has included several close battles including in 2022 when the Beavers won 35-32 thanks to a last minute touchdown run from Jack Coletto.
The ‘Dogs got their revenge last year in Corvallis, winning 36-27, highlighted by safety Jaden Carrillo’s 42-yard punt return for a touchdown right before halftime.
Now the two programs meet for the first time as Pac-12 conference foes but as Entz noted on Monday, this Oregon State team is “significantly different just based on some personnel.” They also have a whole new coaching staff, led by first year Head Coach JaMarcus Shephard.
Shephard was hired by the Beavers last November after coaching under former Fresno State Head Coach Kalen DeBoer at both the University of Washington and at Alabama.
Oregon State took over a program in the middle of an identity crisis of sorts, left behind (along with Washington State) by its former Pac-12 mates. The team went 2-12 and fired former Head Coach Trent Bray before hiring Shephard.
His Beavers started the year with a pair of ranked losses to Houston (33-20) and Texas Tech (35-24) before winning five straight games over Montana, UTEP, Colorado State, San Diego State and Washington State.
“I’ll tell you what, we kept receipts…people would say we would only go 1-11 this year, and you know what? That just keeps putting fuel to the fire,” Shephard told USA Sports.
Through seven games, Oregon State ranks among the top five teams in the country (out of 138 FBS schools) in several offensive categories: 42.7 PPG (4th), 384.9 passing YPG (1st), 26 passing TD (1st), 527 total YPG (3rd), 40 total TD (3rd) and 7.35 yards per play (5th).
It will be a big test for Fresno State and Defensive Coordinator Nick Benedetto.
“Their O-line is very physical. They get off the ball really well, and the quarterback does a great job diagnosing plays. I think that’s what stands out to me on film, is [Atkinson] is able to go with the ball very quickly, and you know you can see the receivers and the running back can hit it downhill too as well,” Benedetto said.
While being known for the passing attack, the rushing attack is a weapon as well and has actually outperformed Fresno State this season (142.1 to 139 YPG).
Defensively, Oregon State plays heavy upfront and despite not blitzing a lot, has 18 sacks as a team this season (t-28th in FBS). They’ve forced nine turnovers this season as a unit (six interceptions, three fumble recoveries).
The defense ranks in the middle of the pack in many defensive areas, allowing 23.14 PPG (t-61st), 204.9 passing YPG (t-57th), 140.4 rushing YPG (68th) and 345.3 total YPG (57th).
Beavers to watch
Braden Atkinson and Jesse Legree — Speaking of the Beavers prolific offense, Atkinson and Legree have made quite the waves this season.
Atkinson, threw for 3,611 yards and 34 touchdowns last season before making the jump from the FCS to the FBS and the production didn’t take a hit. In fact, he elevated it.
The sophomore transfer from Mercer has completed 189-of-273 passes in the up-tempo Beaver offense for Nation-leading 2,604 yards and 24 touchdowns, while throwing just two interceptions.
His favorite target has been an 18-year-old true freshman, Jesse Legree, who has 40 receptions on the season through seven games for 1,040 receiving yards and 14 touchdowns. Both marks lead the entire country. It will definitely be a point of emphasis for Fresno State and the coaching staff this week.
“You have got to know where he’s at on every single snap,” Entz said.
“He’s very competitive. You can tell he loves the game of football, and they are gonna find a way to get him the ball,” Benedetto said. “When [Jesse Legree] gets the ball in his hands, that’s when he becomes dynamic. Very good route runner. He can take the top off the defense.”
Legree, who announced during the bye he was signing an NIL-contract extension with the Beavers, struggled to generate college interest out of high school, before ultimately being identified as a player of interest by Oregon State General Manager Eron Hodges this last winter.
Legree joined the Beavers without a scholarship, but was rewarded with a big pay day and a huge investment from the only school that believed in him.
“You could never make up for people not wanting you. It’ll never be made up,” Shephard said. “All those schools across the country, nobody wanted him. And we did.”
Fresno State starting cornerback Kiontre Harris is excited about the opportunity to face off against the best of the best.
“I want all the smoke,” Harris said after practice on Tuesday morning. “Those are notable receivers you go against, and you get the chance to show your own talent so you’re excited about those matchups.”
The Lemoore High School graduate has kept opposing quarto to a team-low 57% completion rate when thrown at this season, per PFF.
Both Atkinson and Legree were named to the Maxwell Award Watchlist earlier this week and should be on the shortlist when evaluating Heisman Trophy candidates at the end of the season.
“Even back to [Jim] Sweeney and Pat Hill days, it’s ‘Anybody, Anytime, Anywhere.’ Me being from the Central Valley, I’ve adopted that mindset of being an underdog,” Harris said.
Don’t forget the tight ends — The passing attack is more than just Legree, Atkinson will get a lot of people involved, especially if opponents are blanketing the freshman wideout.
Oregon State tight ends, led by Eric Olsen and Decorion Temple, have combined for 60 catches, 601 receiving yards and five touchdowns this season. Olsen in particular is capable of having a big game, recording nine catches for 65 yards and a pair of touchdowns at Colorado State on October 3rd.
“They have a multitude of targets. We have to be at our best in order to make sure that we get the ball back to the offense,” Benedetto said.
The Bulldog defensive coordinator added that all options are on the table when facing an offense as explosive and unique as Oregon State’s is.
It’s quite a stark contrast to Fresno State which has gotten little production (18 receptions, 185 yards, TD) from its tight end room on the receiving side of things.
Takari Hickle — The strength of the Beavers defense lies in the middle of the defense, namely senior edge rusher Takari Hickle (37 tackles, FF), who’s already up to six sacks this season (10 in 3 seasons).
“When he goes out there, it doesn’t matter what’s going on in the game, in his life, in the lives of others on the team or around the country. None of that matters. He is out there to try to wreak havoc on the individuals around him,” Shephard said.
The linebacker core including Hickle, Aiden Sullivan, Gyriece Goodman, Dylan Lane, Kord Shaw and Jabari Odoemenem are amongst the best in the Pac-12 Conference.
“They do some creative things in their blitz packages on third down that really challenge teams to be good. They’ll load it up and bring everybody. They’ll load it up and drop out and do a drop-eight coverage,” Fresno State Offensive Coordinator Josh Davis said. “They haven’t made many assignment errors on defense this year. We’ll have to be good.”
Dog-Factors
Kiontre Harris – Fresno’s State’s ability to stay in the game on Saturday will (more than likely) come down to two factors: winning the turnover battle and limiting Legree.
The latter of which won’t be easy. The star freshman has had his way in 2026, reaching 100+ yards and at least one touchdown catch in each game this season, one of two FBS players in the last 30 years to reach that threshold in each of his team’s first seven games, joining Justin Blackmon (Oklahoma State, 2010).
His versatile skillset allows the Beavers to utilize him in a variety of roles, forcing Fresno State to have multiple eyes on Legree at all times but the main guy on him on Saturday will be Harris, who is looking forward to the opportunity to rewrite the history of his season so far, after allowing a touchdown at San Diego State.
“The bad play doesn’t make up who you are as a player, it’s how you respond,” Harris said.
The redshirt sophomore is drawing on past success when he rewatches film to see where things did go well as he looks to “boost his confidence for his mentality to win the next down.”
Benedetto noted that no one was more devastated about the loss to San Diego State than Kiontre, but you can’t dwell in the past.
“It’s the next play, best play, and it’s not just him. It’s all 11 guys. It’s all the coaching staff. It’s all of us,” Benedetto said. “We tell him, ‘hey man, there’s a reason you’re the starter. We believe in you, and we know that you’re going to go get the next play.’”
Other key factors – Beating a team as explosive and as confident as Oregon State will require a lot of things to go the Bulldogs way.
- Scoring early: Outside of the Boise State game, Fresno State has scored just three points in the first quarter this season.
- Rayshon Luke: Outside of the win over Rice, the Bulldogs star running back has been pedestrian at best. Many factors have contributed to that, including his health and that of the offensive line but bottom line, he needs to produce if Fresno State is going to win.
- Winning the turnover battle: It’s self-explanatory, but teams that have the ball more often and on the opponents side of the field typically win football games.
- Tackling: Via Gabe Camarillo of KMPH Fox 26, the Bulldogs missed a combined 32 tackles in their recent pair of losses – more than they missed in the previous four weeks combined (29) per PFF.
“The fundamentals of tackling is always a thing we have to keep improving on, keep getting better at,” Benedetto said. “We always hammer on our hand placement, our eye placement, and then just our communication level.”
Injury Report
- Many key contributors returned from injury to game action on Oct. 17 at San Diego including starting running back Rayshon Luke and right guard Jonah Leaupepetele.
- Coach Entz indicated on Monday morning that the starting offensive line unit, while not “100 percent” healthy, is all active and expected to be good to go on Saturday.
- A final updated injury report is expected less than three hours before kickoff on Saturday, visit the PAC-12 website for the latest on Fresno State player availability throughout the week.
Score predictions
Oregon State 37, Fresno State 31
My answer would have been different if you had asked me this a few weeks ago but I picked Fresno State to win the last two weeks and was wrong.
The Beavers might have the best offense on the coast and I’m not sure the Bulldogs will be able to contain Atkinson, Legree and company for four quarters. With that said, I don’t think it will be a blowout like the first three Beavers Pac-12 conference games have been. Fresno State will make it close.
Game preview written by Al Scott, cover photo of Quarterback Jayden Mandal (7) captured by Evan Bradley (Fresno Sports Magazine). For more pictures and updates on Fresno State Athletics, follow @AlScott1998 on Twitter (X) or @AlScottSports on IG.