Oregon State Athletics
HOUSTON, Texas – True freshman Jesse Legree caught five passes for 136 yards and a touchdown in his collegiate debut, but No. 23 Houston held off Oregon State, 33-20, Saturday at TDECU Stadium.
Legree made an immediate impact on Oregon State’s second series of the game. He hauled in a 71-yard strike from Braden Atkinson — his first collegiate catch — to set up the Beavers’ first touchdown of the JaMarcus Shephard era.
He added gains of 19, 14 and 25 yards over the course of the afternoon. Legree capped his day late in the third quarter with a 7-yard touchdown reception that pulled Oregon State within 26-13. The score marked the first of Legree’s career.
Atkinson, making his own Oregon State debut after transferring in from Mercer, completed 29 of 48 passes for 376 yards and a touchdown. He opened the scoring in the first quarter on a 3-yard touchdown run — his first touchdown as a Beaver.
Beyond his connection with Legree, Atkinson spread the ball to eight different receivers. Tight end Decorion Temple caught five passes for 30 yards, fellow first-time starter Aeryn Hampton caught four passes for 28 yards and Xayvion Noland caught three passes for 34 yards.
Oregon State (0-1) returns home to open its 2026 slate at Reser Stadium on Saturday, Sept. 12. The Beavers host Texas Tech at 4:30 p.m. PT on CBS.
Brett Taylor joined the KEZI 9 News team as a sports anchor and reporter in June of 2023. If you have a story idea, you can email Brett at btaylor@kezi.com.