Oregon State
1-2 , 0-0
Montana
3-1 , 1-0
| Team | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | Final F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Montana | 0 | 3 | 7 | 7 | 17 |
| Oregon St. | 14 | 21 | 7 | 10 | 52 |
Beavers Strike Early, Score 52 In Win Over Montana
September 20, 2026 | Football
CORVALLIS, Ore. — Oregon State's offense found its footing in the biggest possible way Saturday night, as Braden Atkinson threw for five touchdowns and ran for a sixth to power the Beavers past Montana, 52-17, at Reser Stadium and hand first-year head coach JaMarcus Shephard his first win.
The 52 points were the most Oregon State has scored since 2023, and they came against a Montana team that entered 3-0 and ranked among the best programs in the FCS, having reached last season's national semifinals. After consecutive one-score losses to open the year — at Houston and at home against then-No. 13 Texas Tech — the Beavers (1-2) put together their most complete performance of the season in front of 34,030 fans on a clear, 64-degree night.
Atkinson set the tone from the opening drive, going 22 of 30 for 333 yards and five touchdown passes, punctuating his night with a 1-yard scoring run in the second quarter that gave him six total touchdowns responsible for — tying the Oregon State single-game record and marking the first time a Beaver has hit that number since Jake Luton against UCLA in 2019. It was also the 11th time in 14 career games Atkinson has surpassed 300 passing yards, and it pushed his season total to 1,122 yards through three games, the first time an Oregon State quarterback has cleared 1,000 yards that quickly since Sean Mannion's 1,237-yard start in 2013.
He spread the ball around, too. Eric Olsen opened the scoring with a 19-yard touchdown catch in the first quarter — his first as a Beaver — and Aeryn Hampton followed with a 21-yard score, the first touchdown of his college career, as Oregon State jumped out to a 14-0 lead. Jesse Legree extended his own remarkable start to the season with a 23-yard touchdown catch in the second quarter, finishing with 100 yards receiving for his third consecutive 100-yard game — the first time a Beaver has strung together three straight since Brandin Cooks did it in 2013. DeCorion Temple, catching his first touchdown in an Oregon State uniform, and Aaron Butler also hauled in scoring passes as the Beavers built a 35-3 lead by halftime.
Montana got on the board with a 39-yard field goal from Jo Silver in the second quarter and found the end zone twice in the second half — a 2-yard touchdown pass from Keali'i Ah Yat to Reese Brooks and a 40-yard strike to Brooks Davis — but never threatened to make it a game. Oregon State answered every Montana score, getting a 14-yard touchdown run from Cornell Hatcher Jr., his first of the season, and a late Caleb Ojeda field goal to close it out.
After managing just 26 and 55 rushing yards in the first two games, Oregon State ran for 144 yards on 32 carries, with AJ Newberry (45 yards) and Tre Garrison (56 yards) both contributing behind Hatcher's touchdown.
Defensively, the Beavers came up with a fourth-quarter interception from Kai Wheaton, and Takari Hickle notched a sack and a tackle for loss to extend his streak of games with a TFL to seven straight. Linebacker Drake Vickers set a career high with eight tackles, and Aiden Sullivan's six stops pushed his career total past 100.
The Beavers now turn to a road trip to close out September, visiting UTEP on Sept. 26 (6 p.m. PT kickoff at Sun Bowl Stadium, on MW+).
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Players Mentioned
Team Stats
MON 0, OSU 7
OSU - Olsen,Eric 19 yd pass from Atkinson,Braden (Ojeda,Caleb kick) 5 plays, 67 yards, TOP 02:22
MON 0, OSU 14
OSU - Hampton,Aeryn 21 yd pass from Atkinson,Braden (Ojeda,Caleb kick) 6 plays, 67 yards, TOP 03:09
MON 3, OSU 14
MON - Silver,Jo 39 yd field goal 9 plays, 27 yards, TOP 03:50
MON 3, OSU 21
OSU - Legree,Jesse 23 yd pass from Atkinson,Braden (Ojeda,Caleb kick) 7 plays, 90 yards, TOP 03:09
MON 3, OSU 28
OSU - Temple,Decorion 11 yd pass from Atkinson,Braden (Ojeda,Caleb kick) 7 plays, 33 yards, TOP 02:43
MON 3, OSU 35
OSU - Atkinson,Braden 1 yd run (Ojeda,Caleb kick), 11 plays, 84 yards, TOP 01:36
MON 3, OSU 42
OSU - Butler,Aaron 27 yd pass from Atkinson,Braden (Ojeda,Caleb kick) 3 plays, 75 yards, TOP 00:41
MON 10, OSU 42
MON - Brooks,Reese 2 yd pass from Ah Yat,Keali'i (Silver,Jo kick) 12 plays, 72 yards, TOP 05:30
MON 10, OSU 49
OSU - Hatcher Jr.,Cornell 14 yd run (Ojeda,Caleb kick), 11 plays, 81 yards, TOP 05:33
MON 17, OSU 49
MON - Davis,Brooks 40 yd pass from Ah Yat,Keali'i (Silver,Jo kick) 6 plays, 75 yards, TOP 02:33
MON 17, OSU 52
OSU - Ojeda,Caleb 22 yd field goal 4 plays, 7 yards, TOP 02:13
