Oregon State’s Jesse Legree has caught eight of his team’s ten passes traveling more than 40 yards this season, including all five that went for 50 yards or longer. That production has propelled him to the top of the national receiving charts as the Beavers prepare to face Washington State on Saturday.
Legree leads the country in receiving yards and touchdowns, a fact that WSU coach Kirby Moore acknowledged while stressing the importance of team defense and communication. “You see him with ball in space, obviously taking the top off a number of times,” Moore said. “I think it’s about playing team defense. Obviously communication is going to be really important, where he’s at.”
Washington State’s defense, ranked second in the Pac-12, has limited big plays through the air by controlling the deep routes. Opponents have completed only four passes of more than 40 yards against them this year, and none have surpassed 50 yards. The Cougars are tied for 129th nationally in allowing 30-plus yard completions, conceding just 11 such plays, roughly 10 percent of all passes against them.
“We don’t want to let the verticals up,” WSU safety Jaylen Smith said. “We take pride in (not) letting deep balls go. We always look to play top down and take away the deep routes first.”
Containing Legree will be a major challenge for defensive coordinator Trent Bray. Oregon State’s offensive coordinator, Mitch Dahlen, has responded by deploying Legree in multiple roles, including lining him up in the backfield to prevent defenders from jamming him at the line of scrimmage. “People are going to try and hit him at the line of scrimmage,” Dahlen said. “They’re going to try and two-hand jam. If they’re going to try and two-hand jam, it’s like OK, how can I move this guy enough where you can’t do that? You put him in the backfield, unless you want to jump offsides and do it, you can’t do it that way.”
Dahlen added that the coaching staff has been creative in shifting Legree’s position to keep defenses guessing. “That’s what we do a good job of as a staff, is moving him around where you can’t just put a safety over the top of him because if he’s in the backfield, what are you going to do there?”
Even if the Cougars manage to limit Legree’s impact, Oregon State’s passing attack has multiple threats. Last week against San Diego State, 14 different players caught passes. Aeryn Hampton has 20 receptions for 245 yards, while tight ends Eric Olsen and DeCorion Temple also have at least 20 catches each. Receiver Aaron Butler has four catches of 20 yards or more, showing the team’s ability to stretch defenses vertically.
“The underneath throws are going to be there,” Hampton said. “We got the best OC in the country; we’re going to be able to go deep if we want to.”
Oregon State improved to 4-2 overall and 2-0 in the Pac-12 leading into the game at Reser Stadium on Saturday, October 17, at 3 p.m. Pacific time. Washington State entered with a 1-5 record and 0-2 in conference play.
The Beavers are favored by 18.5 points. The game will be televised on USA Network and broadcast on KEX 1190 in Portland, as well as KEJO 1240 and 93.7 in Corvallis. Streaming options include Fubo, DIRECTV, and Sling, although availability may vary outside the Pacific Northwest.
Oregon State also reported that quarterback Braden Atkinson is undergoing further testing on a hand injury before their upcoming game against Boise State.
According to Yahoo Sports.
