College football week two preview: Oregon State vs. Fresno State<\/p>\n
Published 11:41 am Thursday, September 4, 2025<\/p>\n
The Oregon State Beavers (0-1) return to Reser Stadium this Saturday on the hunt for their first win of the 2025 season.<\/p>\n
Second-year head coach Trent Bray<\/a>\u2019s squad kicked off the year in disappointing fashion. Cal thumped the Beavers on their home turf, picking up a 34-15 win in Golden Bears\u2019 freshman quarterback Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele\u2019s stellar collegiate debut.<\/p>\n Oregon State looks to recover from the week-one loss to a former Pac-12 team with a week-two victory over a future one in Fresno State (1-1).<\/p>\n \u201cI think (Fresno State is) a very good team, a talented team (and a) tough one,\u201d Bray said. \u201cKind of what Fresno State has always been \u2014 tough, physical (and) plays hard. \u2029(On offense, they use) a lot of movement. It\u2019s kind of similar to what Cal did\u2026 They\u2019re going to try to shift and motion (pre-snap) and get you off set. On defense, they know what they do and they play hard. So we\u2019ve got to be ready to play and play well.\u201d<\/p>\n Bulldogs boast championship-pedigree on staff<\/p>\n The Bulldogs overhauled their roster and coaching staff after posting a 6-6 record in regular season and a bowl-game loss to Northern Illinois.<\/p>\n Fresno State tapped former North Dakota State head coach Matt Entz<\/a> to take over the program after former coach Jeff Tedford\u2019s sudden resignation in July of 2024. Entz is a two-time national champion at the FCS-level, leading the powerhouse Bison squad on title runs in 2019 and 2021.<\/p>\n The American Football Coaches Association named Entz the FCS Coach of the Year following both championships. After making his FBS coaching-debut as USC\u2019s assistant head coach and linebackers coach in 2024, Entz headed north and set up shop in Fresno.<\/p>\n Entz\u2019s vision for the Bulldogs reflects what made him successful in Fargo \u2014 a fierce rushing attack and stout defense.<\/p>\n He tapped NIU defensive coordinator Nick Benedetto<\/a>, whose 2024 group was the only FBS program to not allow 400 yards in a game to an opponent, to run his defense. Entz tasked South Dakota offensive coordinator Josh Davis<\/a>, who led the Coyotes to their first-ever FCS Playoff semifinal in 2024, with running the offense.<\/p>\n After a 31-7 loss to Kansas in week zero with just 37 rushing yards, Entz\u2019s Bulldogs got back on track in week one. Fresno State rushed for 351 yards, averaging 7.8 yards per-carry, en route to a 42-14 win over Georgia Southern.<\/p>\n Beavers lean on linebackers<\/p>\n The Beavers defense was up for the challenge of Cal\u2019s rushing attack and look to double-down against Fresno State this weekend. Entz said the Bulldogs offensive line will have their work cut out for them, especially after losing starting right-guard Campbell McHarg to season-ending injury.<\/p>\n \u201cThey have a really good, solid defensive line,\u201d Entz told Fresno-area media members on Monday. \u201c(The Beavers) play with great hands and great pad level. So the first level is going to be a priority for us.\u201d<\/p>\n Oregon State limited the Golden Bears to 122 yards on the ground, 47 of which came on two of Cal\u2019s 32 carries. The Beavers\u2019 run defense and third-down efficiency \u2014\u00a0 Cal converted just two of their 13 attempts \u2014 were bright spots in an otherwise lackluster performance, according to Bray.<\/p>\n Oregon State co-defensive coordinator Rod Chance harped on the importance of a repeat performance against the run as well. He said his defense will lean on linebackers like Raesjon Davis and Dexter Foster at the second level to shoot gaps and stop ballcarriers.<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s right up our alley,\u201d Chance said about Fresno\u2019s rushing attack. \u201cThat\u2019s who we want to be (defensively) \u2014 physical in the run game\u2026 So, that\u2019s what we\u2019ve been emphasizing this week to make sure that, not only do we knock it back up front, (but that) we set dominant edges (so) we can let the linebackers run.\u201d<\/p>\n