Fresh off a dominating victory, the Fresno State football team has no illusions about the challenge it faces Saturday afternoon in Corvallis, Oregon.

Oregon State is coming off a stinging 34-15 home-field loss in which the visiting Cal Bears outplayed the Beavers in virtually every phase.

Thus Oregon State enters the game doubly determined not to open the season 0-2 — especially at Reser Stadium, where the Beavers traditionally are tough to defeat and their fans are loud and rowdy.

“We have our work cut out for us,” said Fresno State coach Matt Entz at this week’s news conference. “They are very difficult to beat at home. … We will need to block out the noise.”

The Bulldogs have lost three straight in Corvallis, a streak that started when Jim Sweeney coached the ‘Dogs in 1992. The other losses came under Pat Hill (1999, 2002).

However, Sweeney’s teams prevailed at Oregon State in 1985 and 1991.

Going forward, the rivalry will become annual as the Bulldogs join the Beavers in the Pac-12 next season.

Quarterbacks in the Spotlight

Entz is impressed by Oregon State quarterback Maalik Murphy, noting that he went 9-3 last season as a starter for Power 4 program Duke. In 2024, the 6-foot-5 redshirt junior passed for nearly 3,000 yards and set a Duke season record with 26 TD passes.

“The kid makes every throw and they are skilled on the perimeter,” Entz said of Oregon State’s passing game. The Beavers receiver corps is led by Trent Walker, who had nine catches for 136 yards against Cal.

However, Murphy wasn’t at his best in his Beavers debut despite completing 21 of 33 for 244 yards and adding a rushing touchdown. And the Beavers running game generated just 65 yards despite the presence of Anthony Hankerson, a 1,082-yard rusher in 2024.

“It’s him trusting the offense and going where the ball needs to go based on what the defense does,” said Beavers coach Trent Bray about Murphy’s performance. “I think there were too many times where he predetermined where he wanted to throw the ball before the ball was snapped and that always leads to problems.”

Meanwhile, Bulldogs QB E.J. Warner has yet to throw a TD pass and has been picked off four times in two games. Those interceptions have negated his 67.9% completions percentage.

“Oregon State has the same feeling we had after Kansas (a 31-7 loss),” Warner said. “So we have to keep our urgency up.

“And I have to make sure not to make a bad play worse. If I miss something, throw it away.”

Entz Is Proud of Bulldogs’ Ground Game

The Bulldogs pounded Georgia Southern for 351 yards on the ground, and sophomore tailback Bryson Donelson is second in the FBS in rushing with 201 yards through two games.

“Our room of running backs is very talented,” Entz said. “They used their tools a lot more than the previous week. … I’m going to remember for a long time that we averaged 7.8 yards per carry.”

Bulldog Bites

Fresno State offensive lineman Campbell McHarg is out for the remainder of the season with an injury that Entz didn’t specify. McHarg played for Oregon State in 2022 after starting his collegiate career at Cal Poly in 2021.

Oregon State placekicker Caleb Ojeda made a career-long 53-yard field goal against Cal.

The career long for Fresno State’s Dylan Lynch is 52 yards. In a close game, either one could boot the game-winner if his team advances to the opponent’s 35-yard-line.

The Bulldogs last faced Oregon State in 2022, falling 35-32 on a last-second touchdown by the Beavers.

Fresno State has scored six touchdowns this season — all rushing scores by four different running backs.

Fresno State has one player on its roster from the state of Oregon, tight end Richie Anderson III.

Oregon State wide receivers coach Pat McCann is a former Bulldogs offensive coordinator and special teams coordinator Jaime Christian is a former Bulldogs running back and assistant coach in several roles.