College football week two preview: Oregon State vs. Fresno State
Published 11:41 am Thursday, September 4, 2025
The Oregon State Beavers (0-1) return to Reser Stadium this Saturday on the hunt for their first win of the 2025 season.
Second-year head coach Trent Bray’s squad kicked off the year in disappointing fashion. Cal thumped the Beavers on their home turf, picking up a 34-15 win in Golden Bears’ freshman quarterback Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele’s stellar collegiate debut.
Oregon State looks to recover from the week-one loss to a former Pac-12 team with a week-two victory over a future one in Fresno State (1-1).
“I think (Fresno State is) a very good team, a talented team (and a) tough one,” Bray said. “Kind of what Fresno State has always been — tough, physical (and) plays hard. (On offense, they use) a lot of movement. It’s kind of similar to what Cal did… They’re going to try to shift and motion (pre-snap) and get you off set. On defense, they know what they do and they play hard. So we’ve got to be ready to play and play well.”
Bulldogs boast championship-pedigree on staff
The Bulldogs overhauled their roster and coaching staff after posting a 6-6 record in regular season and a bowl-game loss to Northern Illinois.
Fresno State tapped former North Dakota State head coach Matt Entz to take over the program after former coach Jeff Tedford’s sudden resignation in July of 2024. Entz is a two-time national champion at the FCS-level, leading the powerhouse Bison squad on title runs in 2019 and 2021.
The American Football Coaches Association named Entz the FCS Coach of the Year following both championships. After making his FBS coaching-debut as USC’s assistant head coach and linebackers coach in 2024, Entz headed north and set up shop in Fresno.
Entz’s vision for the Bulldogs reflects what made him successful in Fargo — a fierce rushing attack and stout defense.
He tapped NIU defensive coordinator Nick Benedetto, whose 2024 group was the only FBS program to not allow 400 yards in a game to an opponent, to run his defense. Entz tasked South Dakota offensive coordinator Josh Davis, who led the Coyotes to their first-ever FCS Playoff semifinal in 2024, with running the offense.
After a 31-7 loss to Kansas in week zero with just 37 rushing yards, Entz’s Bulldogs got back on track in week one. Fresno State rushed for 351 yards, averaging 7.8 yards per-carry, en route to a 42-14 win over Georgia Southern.
Beavers lean on linebackers
The Beavers defense was up for the challenge of Cal’s rushing attack and look to double-down against Fresno State this weekend. Entz said the Bulldogs offensive line will have their work cut out for them, especially after losing starting right-guard Campbell McHarg to season-ending injury.
“They have a really good, solid defensive line,” Entz told Fresno-area media members on Monday. “(The Beavers) play with great hands and great pad level. So the first level is going to be a priority for us.”
Oregon State limited the Golden Bears to 122 yards on the ground, 47 of which came on two of Cal’s 32 carries. The Beavers’ run defense and third-down efficiency — Cal converted just two of their 13 attempts — were bright spots in an otherwise lackluster performance, according to Bray.
Oregon State co-defensive coordinator Rod Chance harped on the importance of a repeat performance against the run as well. He said his defense will lean on linebackers like Raesjon Davis and Dexter Foster at the second level to shoot gaps and stop ballcarriers.
“That’s right up our alley,” Chance said about Fresno’s rushing attack. “That’s who we want to be (defensively) — physical in the run game… So, that’s what we’ve been emphasizing this week to make sure that, not only do we knock it back up front, (but that) we set dominant edges (so) we can let the linebackers run.”
The Beavers have strides to make in the passing game after Cal’s Sagapolutele gashed the Oregon State secondary for 234 yards and a trio of scores. Fresno State has more experience under center in fifth-year senior EJ Warner, son of NFL Hall of Famer Kurt Warner, but the Rice-transfer has thrown four interceptions without a score so far this season.
Oregon State offense hunts consistency
It’s hard to call Oregon State’s offensive performance in week one anything but dysfunctional.
Duke-transfer Maalik Murphy led the offense to just three points on the Beavers’ first seven possessions of the season. While they started to develop a rhythm in the second-half, turnovers and a 24-3 deficit in the third-quarter kept them predictable. Cal held the Beavers’ rushing attack to 65 yards on 27 attempts, a far cry from the 300-some yards Oregon State posted against Idaho State in week one of the 2024 season.
While there were bright spots on offense — redshirt-junior wide receiver Trent Walker’s nine catches for 136 yards, most notably — Bray said the unit needs to be more operationally-sound in week two.
“ We’ve got to do a better job of being able to run the ball consistently,” Bray said. “I think we didn’t do that well enough against Cal. Then we’ve got to make better decisions. Both in the route that we’re running — based on what the defense gives you; and where the ball goes. I think we can improve (there). “
Fresno State’s defense posted vastly different outcomes in its first two outings of the year. Kansas picked them apart in the passing game, completing 18 of 20 attempts and throwing three scores; but the Bulldogs held Georgia Southern to just 242 yards the following week.
Neither team has found consistency yet this year, and both squads enter the week two matchup in Corvallis looking for a repeatable baseline — not to mention bragging-rights over a future conference opponent.
Oregon State (0-1) vs. Fresno State (1-1) game information
When: Saturday, Aug. 6
Time: 12:30 p.m.
Where: Reser Stadium; Corvallis, Oregon
TV: The CW
Favorite: Oregon State (-2.5)