SAN JOSE, Calif. – Accounting for five of the six touchdowns in his Oregon State debut, D.J. Uiagalelei led the Beavers to a 42-17 win over San Jose State in the season opener.
The transfer quarterback tossed three and ran for two more as the Beavers piled nearly 500 yards (473) of total offense on the Spartans, including 276 through the air.
Damien Martinez registered 145 yards on the ground with 18 carries while Deshaun Fenwick rushed eight times for 33 yards and a score while Uiagalelei collected 10 yards on six carries, including the two trips to the endzone.
Anthony Gould and Jesiah Irish each hauled in 59 yards through the air and the former hauled in a 28-yard touchdown pass from Uiagalelei in the fourth quarter.
Kitan Oladipo led the defense with 7.0 total tackles, including five solo. John McCartan’s pair of sacks paced the Beavers while Jaden Robinson broke up a team-best three passes.
Oregon State chewed up nearly six minutes of the clock on its first drive for their first score of the campaign. Uiagelelei called his own number and took it to the endzone on a one-yard scamper, capping off a drive that started on their own 18-yard line for the 7-0 lead after Atticus Sappington’s point-after try split the uprights. Neither team could muster points until the hosts netted a field goal to trim their deficit to four at 7-3 after four minutes and change into the second frame.
Two more Uiagelelei scores – one through the air and another on the ground – capped the scoring in the second quarter, giving the Beavers a 21-3 lead into the break. The passing score was a 14-yard connection to Velling and the run, another one-yard dash to the endzone.
Oregon State kept the momentum on their second drive out of the break with a 31-yard touchdown toss to Noga to up the advantage to 28-3 with Sappington’s PAT. Eight seconds into the final quarter, the Spartans’ Chevan Cordeiro plunged into the endzone from two yards out to trim their lead but was answered by a pair of Beaver touchdwons in a 10-minute span.
Gould’s 28-yard completion from Uiagalelei and Fenwick’s three-yard dash cemented the win, giving OSU the 42-10 advantage. With just four ticks left in the game, the Spartans scored a final time, resulting in the 42-17 score.
Oregon State will open a completed Reser Stadium next week against UC Davis. Kickoff between the Beavs and Aggies is set for 6 p.m. and can be seen on the Pac-12 Networks.
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