Quarterback Owen Eshelman has encouraging debut, but Washington State defense struggles in loss at Oregon State | Instant reactions

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Oct. 17—Washington State's new quarterback showed some encouraging signs, but the Cougars couldn't keep pace with Oregon State's explosive offense. The Beavers built a big lead in the second quarter and rolled to a 48-30 Pac-12 Conference win on Saturday at Reser Stadium in Corvallis, Oregon, keeping WSU winless against FBS opponents.

Owen Eshelman distinguished himself as WSU's best option at QB. The Cougars defense, facing one of the nation's most productive outfits, had their worst game yet.

The Cougars (1-6, 0-3 Pac-12) get no reprieve next week when No. 23 Boise State comes to Pullman.

Cougs can't contain Beavs potent offense

WSU surrendered season highs in points and yards (555). Defensive coordinator Trent Bray, the former coach at Oregon State, didn't have answers in the first half against the Beavers offense, which scored on five of its first six possessions and went ahead 27-3 late in the second quarter.

Beavs breakout star QB Braden Atkinson was exceptional, as expected. He avoided mistakes and tested WSU's deep coverage consistently, hitting on a tone-setting, 90-yard TD strike to star true freshman Jesse Legree, who finished with 108 yards and two TDs.

It was about as bad as most would have guessed for WSU's defense, which had been mostly respectable against lesser offenses before meeting OSU's, which ranks among the most productive in the nation. Atkinson entered the game leading the FBS in passing yards and TDs, and Legree was tops in the country in receiving yards. The Cougs can live with the fact that they only let Legree get loose for one big play downfield, but they'll be kicking themselves for giving up so many chunk plays and such a high yardage total.

Tackling seemed to be an issue for WSU defenders. OSU averaged 6.3 yards per carry. Beavs running back AJ Newberry had three explosive runs, plus an 88-yard TD on a screen pass. No one was there to cover the play, and Newberry made the final WSU defender look silly with a juke and a hurdle.

WSU QB situation receives answer

Eshelman was called into action this week to replace struggling starter Caden Pinnick, and the redshirt freshman performed well considering the circumstances. He should be the Cougs' signal-caller going forward.

Eshelman finished 32 of 49 for 289 yards — a season high in passing yards for WSU QBs — with two passing TDs and an interception (at the very end of the game). He showed savvy on run-pass options, rushing for 136 yards and a TD on 15 carries for the most productive rushing day by a WSU QB since John Mateer.

Eshelman's performance was a positive for WSU's offense.

Junior receiver Branden Ganashamoorthy was also a bright spot. He got open more than any WSU wideout has throughout the season, catching 11 passes for 147 yards and a 40-yard TD just before the half. Give some credit to coach/playcaller Kirby Moore for looking to stretch the field a bit more, though WSU connected on just three passes of 15-plus yards. The Cougars finished with 459 yards, their most in a game this season against an FBS opponent.

But there still were too many negatives. WSU tailbacks combined for 25 yards on 13 carries. Eshelman accounted for all six of WSU's runs that gained 10-plus yards.

The Cougars went 7-for-17 on third downs — they were 0-for-9 on third-down tries before the fourth quarter, when they made the score look more respectable with a couple of TDs after going down 41-16.

WSU punted on its first four possessions, going three-and-out on three of those, allowing Oregon State to get off to a fast start and jump out to a 17-0 lead in the first quarter.

Another unfortunate note: WSU lost receiver Darrius Clemons to injury in the first half. He was on crutches after halftime. The Cougs are already down standout wideout Tony Freeman, who sustained a season-ending ACL injury in Week 1.

Beavs emerge as great story, Cougs still searching for identity

Seeing what the Beavers have become in Year 1 of the rebuilt Pac-12 is no doubt painful for WSU fans as their team has become irrelevant in 2026.

The teams had near-parallel paths to this point — left for dead after the Pac-12 imploded, playing through a couple of seasons without a conference home, going through coaching uncertainty, etc. Now, Oregon State is one of the best stories in the Group of Six, one of the best teams in the conference. The Cougars wish they were in their rivals' shoes.

Sure, it would have been nice if both programs rose from the ashes as contenders in the new Pac-12. Unfortunately, only one has made the most of the situation thus far. The Beavers seemed to have picked a perfect fit as their new coach. They recruited the right transfer QB, a solid transfer running back and found a freshman gem at receiver. They created an identity and play with a style that's entertaining and attracts attention.

Of course, it's much too early to know if Moore was the right choice for WSU. He'll get a grace period to build the program and to craft an identity. Pinnick seems to have been a miss, though. In any case, the Pac-12 legacy programs that have gone through the same struggles are facing opposite directions as of now. That can change. Hopefully, the Cougs/Beavs rivalry soon becomes one of the most competitive, anticipated G6 games of the year.

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