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No. 18 Oregon State defeated San Jose State 42-17 on Sunday, largely because of a monster performance from new quarterback DJ Uiagalelei. The transfer from Clemson scored five touchdowns for only the second time in his four-year college career.
"Honestly it was great," Uiagalelei said in a post-game interview on CBS. "My offensive line did an unbelievable job ... it was fun, had a lot of fun today."
Uiagalelei transferred to Oregon State looking for a fresh start after two shaky seasons in Death Valley. The California native returned to his home state and completed 20 of 25 passes for 239 yards and three touchdowns while rushing for two more scores. Uiagalelei was relieved late in the fourth quarter by true freshman quarterback Aidan Chiles, who ranked as the No. 58 overall player and the No. 7 quarterback in the 2023 recruiting cycle by 247Sports.
Oregon State opened the game with an 11-play, 82-yard drive and never looked back. The Beavers led 28-3 heading into the fourth quarter before San Jose State scored its first touchdown on the first play of the quarter via a 2-yard rush from star quarterback Chevan Cordeiro.
Eight different Oregon State players caught a pass from Uiagalelei, but speedy wideout Anthony Gould led all pass-catchers with 59 yards receiving. Beavers running back Damien Martinez rushed for a career-high 91 yards in the first half and finished with 145 yards on 18 attempts. Oregon State (1-0) had 475 total yards of offense and held San Jose State to just over 200 yards before pulling its starters in the fourth quarter.
San Jose State (0-2) was without star wide receiver Justin Lockhart for the second consecutive game due to injury. Cordeiro and the Spartans' offense cooled off a bit after having a big performance in a Week 0 loss to USC. Rattled by the Oregon State defense, Cordeiro finished 18 of 32 for 143 yards.
Oregon State went 10-3 last season, but iconsistent quarterback play prevented the program from achieving more. Now with Uiagalelei in the fold, the Beavers appear to have a viable option at the position that can help coach Jonathan Smith take his alma mater to the next level.
Oregon State hosts UC Davis in Week 2, while San Jose State hosts Cal Poly seeking its first win of the season.
