2027 Week Seven Preview - Texas State (1-4) @ Oregon State (4-1)
Ricky McKinley // Dam Daily • Published: October 1st, 2027
Fresh off a bye week after a sterling 4-1 start, the Beavers are back in action as they kick off Pac-12 conference play in a rematch of the 2026 Pac-12 Championship Game. These squads have gone in drastically different directions since last year's matchup at Allegiant Stadium, with the Bobcats still searching for their first FBS-level win in 2027.
After how the Beavers survived a brutal three-game stretch, with their only loss coming in Provo to Bear Bachmeier and the BYU Cougars, expectations for the Beavs are reaching a fever pitch as conference play kicks off.
Before we get to the newest "Leon's Lowdown," let's take a quick gander at how the Bobcats and Beavers stack up since they last clashed at Allegiant Stadium.
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Oregon State Beavers (4-1) | Description | Texas State Bobcats (1-4) --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 81 Overall // 81 Offense // 81 Defense | Team Rating | 65 Overall // 66 Offense // 64 Defense Jonathan Smith (56-54) | Head Coach | Sam Halen (1-4) Pro Style | Offensive Scheme | Pistol 3-3-5 | Defensive Scheme | 4-2-5 34.6 (35th) | Offensive Points Per Game | 27.4 (89th) 305.4 (126th) | Defensive Points Per Game | 441.4 (28th) 16.2 (3rd) | Offensive Yards Per Game | 28.4 (86th) 228.6 (1st) | Defensive Yards Per Game | 363.0 (39th)
Oregon State Beavers | Description | Texas State Bobcats --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 27-29 | Combined Record | 23-13 Portland State (FCS) W 44-0 | Week One | @ Texas A&M (5-1) L 38-20 New Mexico (2-3) W 40-14 | Week Two | FCS W 45-24 @ Oregon (3-2) W 30-0 | Week Three | @ UTSA (4-2) L 34-32 @ BYU (4-2) L 37-21 | Week Four | Ohio (2-4) L 22-19 @ Ole Miss (3-2) W 38-30 | Week Five | BYE BYE | Week Six | Colorado State (4-1) L 24-21
Oregon State Beavers Texas State Bobcats --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- CB Sailasa Vadrawale III (83) Foot Fracture (1 Weeks) | Injuries | N/A
Oregon State Beavers Texas State Bobcats --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- JR(RS) Kallen Gutridge (74) 33/60 (55%), 358 Yds, 3 TD, 3 INT | QB | SR(RS) Blaze Berlowitz (71) 96/160 (60%), 1,298 Yds, 8 TD, 3 INT SR Salahadin Allah (85) 95 Att, 540 Yds, 7 TD | HB | SO Stephen Samia (76) 138 Att, 486 Yds, 3 TD SR(RS) David Wells Jr (83) 16 Rec, 170 Yds | WR | JR(RS) Tyree Cooks (69) 33 Rec, 555 Yds, 2 TD SR(RS) Zachary Card (85) 17 Rec, 154 Yds, 2 TD | WR | JR(RS) Max Anger (73) 13 Rec, 168 Yds, 3 TD SO MLB Manu Hasty (89) 29 Tkl, 9 TFL, 2.5 Sacks | DEF | JR(RS) MLB Cole Nilles (72) 44 Tkl, TFL, INT SR(RS) MLB Jadyn Walker (82) 29 Tkl, 12 TFL, 2.5 Sacks | DEF | SO(RS) DE Brody Whatley (79) 15 Tkl, 4 TFL, 1.5 Sacks SR(RS) DE Kelze Howard (82) 16 Tkl, 8 TFL, .5 Sacks | DEF | JR(RS) DT Raekwon Walton (69) 16 Tkl, 3 TFL, 2 Sacks SR(RS) FS Harlem Howard (82) 17 Tkl, TFL, INT | DEF | SR(RS) CB Craig Royal Jr (70) 24 Tkl, INT
Pac-12 Week Seven Schedule
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Leon's Lowdown
RM: "The team is coming off a huge upset win in Oxford, but now it's been two weeks since you took the field with the Week 6 bye. Is that something you welcome to let the team readjust after an upset, or would you rather get right back into it and ride the wave?"
AL: "It's a bit of both. You'd love to keep the good vibes rolling, but that's also dangerous. Guys can start feeling themselves and not recognize the work it took to get there. We had that a bit already this year, losing focus against BYU after an emotional win in Eugene. It was only for a half, but it was enough to cost us the game. I think after that experience, we wouldn't have fallen into the trap again. But with the bye week, we were able to celebrate, then lock in. We're ready, Ricky."
RM: "Focusing back on the matchup, this is a rematch from last year's 2026 Pac-12 Conference Championship. Despite that, both squads are heading in different directions. What do you see on tape as the biggest difference between last year's Bobcats and now?"
AL: "They lost a lot of talent to graduation and in the portal. It's the dark side of the current climate in college football. You can have a great year, great team, but after one year of success, if you don't have the proper resources, you won't keep the team. Brad Jackson and Greg Burrell left in the portal and they didn't have a way to replace them. Plus, GJ Kinne left after the season. That's a lot of turnover to try and navigate all at once. That being said, we aren't overlooking them. They don't have an FBS win yet and we don't plan on being the first."
RM: "Switching gears a bit on this last question, Coach. You mentioned that for some of the "lesser" schools, keeping your talent after a successful year is difficult. What made it different for Oregon State, who kept most of their impact players and doubled down with more talent in the portal as well?"
AL: "It started the same offseason that I was hired, Ricky. Leadership terminated the contract with Blueprint Sports, who previously managed the NIL program through the Dam Nation collective, and decided to keep it more in house. They hired former Alabama assistant director of player personnel Eron Hodges with the specific directive to manage NIL deals and recruiting in that aspect. The influx of available resources throughout the initiative allowed us to stay competitive with our in-house players, as well as bend the ear of players nationally. But even with those resources, if we weren't building and selling a competitive culture, I don't think we would have had the same success we have enjoyed the past two years. The NIL collective gets their ears perked, but we sell them with what we're building as an institution here in Corvallis and to me, that's the difference."
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It's deeper than football in Corvallis now and the surge of our program, combined with the downfall of others, proves that. Leadership and athletic director Scott Barnes doubled down on the program, bringing in key pieces in the NIL program and obviously the coaching staff, to usher in change sooner than later.
It's telling to see how a team like Texas State that was in the championship game a year ago, and gave Oregon State a run for their money in the regular season, is suddenly searching for a win against an FBS program. If the turnaround from 10 losses to 10 wins didn't make you appreciate the grind, seeing the struggles of some others teams in the conference should make the Beavers' faithful thankful for the sudden turnaround. It may not last forever, but we're going to enjoy it while it does.
As far as the contest against Texas State? 48-10 thrashing. The boys are gonna be feasting in that backfield and building on their 26 sacks, which is still ranked 1st nationally even after a bye.
