Episode 207

Set The Bar Higher, The Problem Kid, Texas Tech Slips Away, Montana Comes To Reser

Oregon State is 0-2, but this does not feel like the same program that spent the last two years searching for answers.

The Beavs went toe-to-toe with No. 13 Texas Tech, took a fourth-quarter lead and piled up 472 yards before letting a very winnable game slip away, 35-24. Braden Atkinson threw for 413 yards, Jesse Legree went absolutely nuclear for 240 and two touchdowns, and Oregon State showed it can legitimately move the ball against one of the most expensive rosters in college football.

The guys break down what went right, what went wrong and why the fourth-quarter offense suddenly felt like it was playing not to lose. They get into the questionable officiating, Oregon State’s massive improvement from Houston to Texas Tech, a surprisingly strong performance in the trenches and the increasingly obvious reality that Atkinson and Legree have become the identity of this offense.

Then there’s the bigger question: what does Oregon State expect to be now? Dylan Layne wasn’t interested in applause for almost beating Texas Tech. JaMarcus Shephard has spent two weeks insisting the standard is higher than that. After years of Beaver fans learning to appreciate a good showing against a better team, maybe the program itself is finally done with that mentality.

Up next is undefeated Montana, and Oregon State suddenly has a different kind of problem: how much should the Beavs force a running game that still hasn’t arrived when the passing attack is working this well?

Plus: Benny turns 40, JP embraces Daddy Ball, the boys attempt to resurrect Sharper Image and SkyMall, and somehow Delta Airlines ends up with a completely free business idea.