Oregon State didn’t just need a win Saturday night. The Beavers needed a game where things finally looked easy.
They got exactly that in a 52-17 win over Montana at Reser Stadium. Oregon State improved to 1-2, JaMarcus Shephard picked up his first win as a college head coach, and, for the first time this season, the Beavers looked like a team with a pretty clear idea of what it wanted to do.
Yes, Montana is an FCS team. That matters. But the Grizzlies came into Corvallis 3-0 and were good enough to make this uncomfortable if Oregon State messed around.
The Beavers didn’t.
They led 35-3 at halftime, finished with 510 yards of offense, and pretty much put the game away before the break.
Braden Atkinson was the biggest reason why.
He completed 22 of 30 passes for 333 yards and five touchdowns without an interception. He also ran for another score, bringing his total to six touchdowns on the night.
At this point, I think it’s fair to say Atkinson is more than just a nice early-season story.
Through three games, he’s thrown for 1,122 yards, and he continues to look comfortable pushing the ball downfield. Jesse Legree had 100 receiving yards and a touchdown; Aeryn Hampton added 94 yards and a score, and five different Beavers caught touchdown passes.
That’s the part of this team I trust the most right now.
The running game also finally showed some life. Oregon State came in averaging just 40.5 rushing yards per game and finished with 144 against Montana. Nobody is calling the running game fixed, but this was at least some real progress.
The defense did what it needed to do. Montana scored only three points in the first half, went 4-of-14 on third down and finished with just 96 rushing yards. By the time the Grizzlies started putting some points on the board, the game was already over.
Now, does beating Montana suddenly fix everything?
Of course not.
Oregon State is still 1-2 after opening the season with losses to Houston and Texas Tech. The offensive line still has questions. The Beavers still need to prove they can put together this kind of performance against better competition.
But there is something to be said for simply crushing a team you’re supposed to beat.
There was no fourth-quarter drama. No missed opportunities. No moral victories this time.
Oregon State scored 52 points and won by 35.
After two frustrating weeks, that’s more than enough.
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