At Reser Stadium on Saturday, Oregon State (2-8) did what no team had done all season. The Beavers lost to the previously winless Sam Houston Bearkats (1-8).<\/p>\n
The 21-17 loss was a swan song to all that made the Beavers unwatchable \u2014 or maybe just comically frustrating \u2014 this season. They ended the 2025 home slate the same way they began, losing ugly on their home field.<\/p>\n
The Beavers\u2019 defense played shockingly well, holding Sam Houston to only 157 yards and one touchdown. Oregon State\u2019s own offense flirted with a 500-yard performance, but had four drives, including each of their last three, end in Bearkats territory. Special teams, yet again, cost the Beavers a victory after Sam Houston<\/a> scored 14 points in the third phase.<\/p>\n \u201cDo I expect Beaver Nation to be sad and \u2014 excuse my mouth, but \u2014 pissed? Yes,\u201d Interim head coach Robb Akey said. \u201cWe are too. Understand that that locker room isn\u2019t feeling good right now. You know, we talked about jubilation a week ago. And you\u2019ve got the direct opposite of it tonight. We feel it. The players feel it. We all feel it\u2026 We all need to unite together to try and bounce back.\u201d<\/p>\n Entering Saturday\u2019s game, Oregon State was 24-0 since 1996 when holding opposing offenses to under 200 yards. The Beavers are 24-1 in the category now. The statistical outlier is microcausal of the game itself and is, for the water cooler football talkers, \u00a0all you need to know to effectively kill time Monday morning. Nevertheless, here are three more.<\/p>\n The ghost of special teams past rears its head<\/p>\n Oregon State\u2019s special teams were, yet again, the nation\u2019s worst with a bullet.<\/p>\n Sam Houston returned the opening kick of the second half for a touchdown. Surprisingly, it was the first Oregon State gave up in 2025. The Bearkats also blocked a punt and returned it for a touchdown. It wasn\u2019t the first Oregon State allowed, which is surprising in its own unique way. The Beavers also missed two of their three field goals. And if that surprised you, welcome to Oregon State football in 2025.<\/p>\n \u201cYou obviously don\u2019t have the desire to give up \u2014 we had three miscues that were flagrant,\u201d Akey said. \u201cThe opening kick-off of the second half, that one really irritated me\u2026 I\u2019ll take all the heat and credit for that. (If we) just execute those, get the punt off, and everything is fine. Even with that one, we still have the ability to win the damn game. And we\u2019ve got to be able to overcome those.\u201d<\/p>\n Sam Houston missed a pair of field goals of their own, too. But, at minimum, the Beavers left 20 points on the field. Factor in three second-half turnovers on downs in the red zone and the number balloons to 30, perhaps even 40 points left on the field.<\/p>\n Empty calories offense<\/p>\n Oregon State\u2019s 474 offensive yards proved no different than the calories of a fast food meal \u2014 empty.<\/p>\n Beavers quarterback Gabarri Johnson and receiver David Wells Jr. played the best games of their careers. Johnson completed 29 of his 42 pass attempts for 286 yards. Nine of those catches were courtesy of Wells Jr., who put up 112 receiving yards. Both players\u2019 totals set new career-bests. And both fail to explain just how important Johnson\u2019s 23-yard circus-act scramble at the end of the first half and Wells Jr.\u2019s toe-drag catch on third down truly were.<\/p>\n But they were empty calories. The Beavers turned the ball over on downs three times near or in the red zone, including twice with under five minutes to play and the chance to take the lead. Sandwiched between the two was the second of Johnson\u2019s pair of interceptions. After a quick 10 points to start the game, the Beavers crossed the Bearkats\u2019 30-yard line five times.<\/p>\n They scored once.<\/p>\n Both of Oregon State\u2019s touchdowns came courtesy of senior running back Anthony Hankerson. On his senior night, Hankerson crossed the century mark for the fourth-consecutive time. He finished with 166 yards on 33 carries and a pair of touchdowns.<\/p>\n Streeter: Hire Robb Akey for 2026 as\u2026 something<\/p>\n To pull back the curtain, I\u2019m writing this one first. I\u2019m also switching to first-person mode for it. It\u2019ll likely be bumped to the bottom, but its fresh in my mind.<\/p>\n I don\u2019t know what next season holds for Robb Akey\u2019s career, but I hope it\u2019s in an Oregon State crewneck. I expect this to be an unpopular opinion amongst fans, but I\u2019ll stand on it. His 20-50 record as a Division I head coach, well, 22-51 now, isn\u2019t inspiring. The way his team played Saturday against the Bearkats wasn\u2019t inspiring.<\/p>\n Everything else he does is. I\u2019m out on Robb Akey, the Oregon State head football coach. But I\u2019m all in on Robb Akey, the leader of young men<\/a>. I\u2019m on record for writing that the Beavers quit on their season<\/a> after their loss to Wake Forest. And what did they do after? Won two in a row under Akey and developed an identity as a football team. A lot can be said about the Beavers, but their defense and rushing attack is unquestionably better than it was two months ago \u2014 regardless of opponent quality.<\/p>\n Sure, they lost. They\u2019ve done it a lot this season and very well may do it again, maybe even twice. Oregon State will hire a new head coach and, more likely than not, several assistants under him. Akey should absolutely be one of them. Whether it\u2019s as defensive coordinator, a return to his special assistant title or, heck, the team Chaplin, find Akey a job and allow him to keep leading young men.<\/p>\n If you aren\u2019t keen on the take, that\u2019s fine. Akey already made his pitch to you to change your mind and keep your faith.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019ve been busting our tails to do that the whole season. And these guys, that\u2019s why I feel awful for them because they experienced success the last few times out there. And it didn\u2019t happen that way today. But understand this: we all share the same feeling, believe it or not, but we won\u2019t lose faith,\u201d Akey said. \u201cYou get a new day every day, and we\u2019ll approach it day by day just like we talked about before, and we\u2019ll have a team ready to roll. We\u2019re going to play in Tulsa, Oklahoma, next Saturday, and we\u2019re gonna come out of there smiling again, and build it back up.<\/p>\n \u201cWe can\u2019t change what has happened and what the whole total or what the past of the season looks like\u2026 But we\u2019ve got an opportunity to go win two more games. And one of them gives us, like we said, the (Pac-12) championship. And that\u2019s something that we can smile about again, and there will be good things coming. Good things are going to happen here.\u201d<\/p>\n Week 12: Oregon State (2-8) vs. Tulsa (2-7)<\/p>\n When: Saturday, Oct. 15<\/p>\n Where: H.A. Chapman Stadium; Tulsa, Oklahoma<\/p>\n Time: 10 a.m. (PT)<\/p>\n TV: ESPN+<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"At Reser Stadium on Saturday, Oregon State (2-8) did what no team had done all season. 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