Beyond the Score, Ep. 60: OSU shows flashes in week 1 loss
BEND, Ore. (KTVZ)-- Oregon State opened the season on the road against Houston, looking to pull off an upset in head coach JaMarcus Shephard's first game with the Beavers.
The Cougars came out fast, but Oregon State answered when quarterback Braeden Atkinson ran for a touchdown to get the Beavers on the board.
Houston controlled much of the first half, taking a 19-7 lead into the locker room.
The Cougars extended their advantage to 26-7 coming out of halftime, but the Beavers refused to go away.
Oregon State put together touchdown drives of 89 and 75 yards, cutting Houston's lead to just six points and putting the Beavers in position to complete the comeback.
Houston, however, remained composed and responded with another touchdown, ending Oregon State's upset hopes and handing the Beavers their first loss of the season.
Despite the result, Shephard was proud of the way his team continued to compete after falling behind by three scores.
“I'm very proud of our football team and how they fought through every part of that,” Shephard said. “We grew today as a football team. I just want to say congratulations to the University of Houston. They made some plays in critical moments of the game that allowed them to truly come out with the win.”
One of the bright spots for Oregon State was Atkinson, who finished with 376 passing yards and a touchdown through the air.
Shephard also praised the leadership shown by the quarterback.
“I thought Braeden Atkinson did a really good job out there, showing that he was a leader on our football team,” Shephard said.
While the Beavers were unable to complete the comeback, Shephard doesn't believe the loss will define his team.
“Fifty percent of the teams across college football lost a football game over this weekend, and that's what we were — one of them,” Shephard said. “I don't think that this particular game will define our football team. It'll just give us an opportunity to look at the information and build on that.”
Oregon State created multiple opportunities throughout the game and showed the ability to fight back when the game appeared to be slipping away.
“We created some opportunities for ourselves throughout the game and put ourselves in some good positions to come out with the victory,” Shephard said. “But we have to just be better at closing out the football game.”
The Beavers leave Houston with their first loss of the season, but also with plenty of positives to build on as Shephard and his team begin their first season together.
