Oregon State defense preps for stiff test in season opener at Houston

The Beavers open the 2026 college football season with a visit to No. 24 Houston , booked for 9 a.m. Pacific Sept. 5 in Texas. Head coach JaMarcus Shephard will take the helm for the first time with Oregon State as a new era of Pac-12 Conference football, and Beavers football, kicks off.

Over the past several weeks, Shephard has named sophomore Braden Atkinson the starting quarterback , raved about the wide receivers and tight ends and elaborated on the system he now has running in Corvallis.

On the defensive side of the ball, one key quality has been standing out above the rest: communication.

"Our defense getting better with communication, that is a massive part of what this game is. From the sideline to the first man then on to everybody else, that's what a lot of people have issues with in week one," Shephard said. "There's communication issues, then you get busted, then guys are open down the field. We have to do an elite job of communicating to our players all throughout the game and we've gotten better at that as camp has gone on."

Oregon State defensive coordinator Mike MacIntyre said he'll be up in the booth this season for visual purposes, leaning into the overarching communication-driven philosophy.

The pair have collaborated as much as any two coaches can, Shephard said. They've developed a scheme that is organized, functional and allows players the opportunity to rely on their muscle memory and execute with conviction.

"We'll continue to build our foundation on defensive scheme," Shephard said. "That gives our players the ability to go out there and play fast. The communication that comes from the linebacker room will be paramount throughout this game in order for us to be able to do that."

Oregon State linebackers Dylan Lane, Aiden Sullivan, Raesjon Davis and Jabari Odoemenem will play the marquee roles in the defense's communication, linking the backfield to the trenches and keeping a grasp on a dangerous, high-octane Houston offense.

Houston starting quarterback Connor Weigman presents a problem for Oregon State in its preparation.

He's 6-foot-3, 210 pounds, a fifth-year senior and on nearly every quarterback watch list nationwide. A year ago, he was one of four quarterbacks in the NCAA who posted 25-plus passing touchdowns and 10-plus rushing touchdowns — he delivered as one of the most powerful running signal-callers.

Oregon State has been preparing to play against a quarterback with such versatility and athleticism.

"He's a tough dude, he's a tough son of a gun," Shephard said. "He runs the ball tough, he makes people miss, he tries to run people over. That galvanizes your team. When (quarterbacks) run and drop their shoulder into somebody and stand up and they're excited about the game, guess what … the team usually gets excited."

Shephard said to prepare for Weigman, the Beavers made their practice quarterbacks essentially live all week. That means hitting, wrapping and untraining the brain to let up on the QB.

"We tried to get that mindset out of our players that they couldn't touch the quarterback," Shephard said.

MacIntyre and the Oregon State defensive staff have known about Weigman's strengths and have been planning accordingly.

"He is a tough runner. It's not like he's just scrambling around and making plays, which he does that too, but he's downhill, they're running power, they're running counter … he's a physical runner," MacIntyre said. "The thing we have to do is get an extra guy there and make sure when they're pulling people, we have everybody in their right fits because it's basically going to make you have to end up making a one-on-one tackle."

Weigman isn't the only player high on the Beavers' radar, though.

Oregon State's WR1 from 2025, Trent Walker, is now a Houston Cougar.

He's a senior transfer who spebt the last five years at Oregon State. In 2025, he posted over 800 receiving yards, a team high, and two touchdowns. For his career he garnered 1,790 receiving yards and four touchdowns.

Walker hails from Beaverton and is about to step foot inside Reser Stadium for the first time as an opponent. Shephard said he hopes the current Beavers display emotional intelligence when going up against Walker.

"There is a part of going against a former teammate that emotionally gets you going in a way," Shephard said. "We can't be worried about Trent Walker. We're going to worry about what he does on the football field as it pertains to the scheme that they're going to display at Houston. We should have the same emotion about their quarterback, their left guard, their running backs, about those two safeties that are really good players … we should have the same emotional response to those guys that we have to Trent Walker."

MacIntyre shared his perspective on facing Walker.

"They're so used to (transfers) now, it's very common. I don't think they think anything of it, to be honest. Of course you had friends that you roomed with and stuff like that," MacIntyre said. "It's not that framework anymore, it's completely changed."

Houston runs a strong crop of wide receivers including Walker, as well as junior Koby Young and senior all-Big 12 first-teamer Amare Thomas.

That room with Weigman in the pocket presents quite the challenge for the new-look Beavers, but one they are eager to face head on come Saturday.

Oregon State football versus Houston will air on ESPN at 9 a.m. PT Saturday, Sept. 5 from TDECU Stadium in Houston.

ESPN announced the game will also air on Disney+ for subscribers.

See photos from Oregon State football's 2026 fall camp practice

Landon Bartlett covers Oregon State and high school sports for the Statesman Journal. He can be reached at LBartlett@statesmanjournal.com or on X, TikTok or Instagram @bartlelo.