Beavers roll for quite a spell, but can’t seal the deal on Houston

Redshirt freshman Cornell Hatcher Jr. was a bright spot Saturday night at Reser Stadium, rushing 17 times for 93 yards and a touchdown, but Oregon State gave up a 14-point lead in the final six minutes of regulation and fell to Houston 27-24 in overtime (courtesy Karl Maasdam/OSU sports communications)

CORVALLIS — Oregon State was close as a face shaved just moments before, but that is what made it all the more frustrating.

Craving victory after starting the season with four defeats, the Beavers led Houston 24-10 before the Cougars rallied for two touchdowns late in regulation, then kicked a field goal in overtime to steal a 27-24 verdict Saturday night at Reser Stadium.

Oregon State’s defense played its best game of the season, and the OSU offense played well enough to win. The Beavers lost because their defense broke down in the crucial final minutes before the extra session, because the offense sputtered at times and couldn’t get things done in overtime, and especially because the special teams continued to be enigmatic. The Beavers attempted three field goals and two of them were blocked — one at the end of the first half, the other a potential 47-yard game-winner by walk-on Cameron Smith at the end of the fourth quarter.

“That just can’t happen,” OSU coach Trent Bray said afterward. But it did, adding to special teams woes that have cropped up in every game this season.

Stymied through most of the contest, Houston quarterback Conner Weigman threw a pair of touchdowns passes in a span of 2:19 to draw the Cougars (4-0) even, quieting an announced crowd of 29,338 that had been revved up for what it hoped would be a successful conclusion.

“With six something (minutes) to go, we were completely dominating both sides of the ball,” Bray said. “But we didn’t finish.

Against a good team — and they are a really good team — you have to finish. We knew we had to play four quarters. That didn’t happen.”

“Completely dominating” is a bit hyperbolic, but Oregon State did have the better of it until the bitter end. Through three quarters, Weisman had 98 yards passing and Houston only 153 yards total offense. The OSU defense was aggressive, sacking Weisman three times and hurrying him several more, and forced the Cougars into seven three-and-outs.

After Cornell Hatcher Jr. — who burst onto the scene Saturday as a potential star-in-the-making — rambled 18 yards to paydirt for a touchdown to give Oregon State a 24-10 advantage with 12:34 remaining, the Beavers were in business. On its next possession, Houston went three-and-out and punted; OSU responded with one first down but then had to punt, and the Cougars took over at their 24-yard line with 8:17 to play in serious jeopardy of suffering their first loss of the season.

Oregon State wasn’t the only team badly wanting to win Saturday, however. So, too, did Houston, led by Weigman, a 6-3, 210-pound junior who started for Texas A&M a year ago. OSU had a chance to all but nail down victory with the Cougars facing third-and-17 from the Houston 44. But Weigman found Amare Thomas on a 13-yard pass play to set up a fourth-and-four situation, then hit Thomas again for 16 yards and a first down. On the next play, Weigman hooked up with Stephon Johnson for 27 yards and a touchdown that trimmed Houston’s deficit to 24-17 with 5:59 to go.

After an Oregon State three-and-out, Houston took over at its 36 and drove 64 yards in just five plays. Tanner Koziol’s 50-yard TD reception tied the count at 24-24 with 3:40 left.

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“We had done a good job defensively, but the last six minutes the ball gets thrown over our head,” Bray lamented. “We let them score fast. That hadn’t happened all night. They hadn’t done anything all night.”

With the score tied, the Beavers managed one first down but were forced to punt, and the Cougars took over at their 27 with 1:45 remaining and a chance to win in regulation. They also got one first down, but the OSU defense stiffened and after a punt, the Beavers took over on their 10 with 56 seconds to play.

To their credit, they didn’t sit on the ball to ensure overtime. Quarterback Maalik Murphy — who bounced back nicely from a dreadful individual performance at Oregon last Saturday — took to the air and drove his team 61 yards to the Houston 29 with five seconds remaining.

Smith — called upon to kick an extra point after regular Caleb Ojeda was injured making a tackle on a kickoff — set up for the potential game-winning field goal. But the kick by the sophomore transfer from American River JC in Sacramento — not even listed on an OSU two-deep that had Max Walker as the backup — was blocked on the final play of regulation.

Oregon State got the ball first in overtime and had a third-and-one at the Houston 16, but backup QB Gabarri Johnson was stuffed at the line of scrimmage. On fourth-and-one, Hatcher also failed to cross the first-down line, and Houston was in the driver’s seat. The Cougars advanced to the OSU six-yard line, from where Ethan Sanchez thumped home a 24-yard field goal to cause a big rumble in Bray’s tummy.

“We get two opportunities to get one yard, and we don’t (get it),” the second-year OSU coach said. “That was disappointing. The blocked field goal and to not be able to finish that (possession in overtime), when the (offensive) front had pushed (the Cougars) around all night … to not do it in those crucial moments was disappointing.”

Houston got no first downs and gained only 25 yards in the third quarter, but piled up 180 yards of total offense in the fourth period, 140 on its two scoring drives. Oregon State still came out ahead on the statistical ladder, winning the battle in total offense (390-352), rushing yardage (189-82), total offensive plays (82-66) and time of possession (35:23 to 24:37).

Through their first three games, including a 36-20 win over Colorado, the Cougars had held opponents to an average of 104 yards rushing and 224 yards total offense. The Beavers far surpassed those totals. The scoreboard, however, favored the Cougars in the end.

“We had good moments, but we’ve got to keep our foot on their throat,” said Skyler Thomas, OSU’s senior safety and co-captain.

Oregon State’s schedule was front-loaded, the Beavers facing California (3-1), Fresno State (4-0), Texas Tech (4-0) and Oregon (4-0). Houston, which could make some noise in the Big 12 this season, is the fourth Power Four opponent, and the Beavers outplayed the Cougars through most of the game.

“We are getting better, which is good,” Bray said. “I am happy with the way (the players) worked all week. But we gotta finish. That’s what they have to learn from this one. We had opportunities at the end of the game to win. We didn’t make the plays and (the Cougars) did, so they deserve credit for that.”

There was only one turnover in Saturday’s game, and it was a big one. On Houston’s second possession, true freshman cornerback Trey Glasper stepped in front of a Weigman aerial and returned the interception — the Cougars’ first turnover of the season — 25 yards to the Houston 7-yard line. Two plays later, Jake Reichle bulled over from the one for the first score of the game.

Murphy missed some throws but had a solid night passing, completing 20 of 33 attempts for 201 yards and a TD with no picks. The 6-5, 235-pound junior also ran 10 yards for a first down on a designed quarterback draw, something that hadn’t been seen from him all season. Trent Walker rebounded from a reception-less day in Eugene with seven catches for 103 yards.

Then there was Hatcher, who came into the game with 24 yards rushing on five carries this season. Starting tailback Anthony Hankerson picked up 74 yards on 23 carries, but Hatcher — called on in the absence of injured backup Salahadin Allah — was more effective, carrying 17 times for 93 yards and a score.

A former MaxPreps second-team All-American, Los Angeles Times Back of the Year and Big West League MVP, Hatcher — nephew of former OSU great Armon Hatcher — ran for 2,257 yards and 42 touchdowns as a senior at Centennial High in Corona, Calif., in 2023. The 5-11, 215-pound Hatcher slips through holes quickly and surely earned a place in the Beaver rotation at running back with his performance Saturday.

There were good signs from Oregon State’s offensive line, which opened some running lanes for Hatcher and Hankerson, had no false starts and allowed just one sack of Murphy, and a defense led by linebacker Aiden Sullivan, starting in place of the injured Raesjon Davis. The 6-1, 230-pound junior transfer from Butte JC in Oroville, Calif., was all over the place with 13 tackles, including 1 1/2 for loss.

The bottom line, of course, is to win or lose. The Beavers ended up in the latter category. Again.

The schedule now seemingly opens up, though. The only Power Four opponent left is Wake Forest, an Oct. 11 visitor to Corvallis. The Demon Deacons are 2-1 but ranked among the lowest of ACC programs. Next up is a road date with Appalachian State (2-1) of the Sun Belt Conference, then four straight home games with Wake Forest, Lafayette (3-1) of the Patriot League, Washington State (2-2) and Sam Houston (0-4) of Conference USA.

Oregon State ends up at Tulsa (2-2) of the AAC and a road game in the home-and-home series with Wazzu. The Beavers should be competitive and have a chance to win in each of those games.

Nothing is a given, and they must build on the gains they made Saturday. Playing a clean special teams game would help, too. But that first victory should be around the corner, perhaps as soon as next Saturday in Boone, N.C.

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