21
Winner
Sam Houston
SAM
1-8 , 0-5
17
Oregon State
OSU
2-8 , 0-0
Winner
Sam Houston
SAM
1-8 , 0-5
21
17
Oregon State
OSU
2-8 , 0-0
Score By Quarters
Team
1st
2nd
3rd
4th
F
SAM
Sam Houston
OSU
Oregon State
Caleb Timm
Game Recap: Football | 11/9/2025 1:36:00 AM
CORVALLIS, Ore. — The Sam Houston Bearkats scored twice on special teams and shut Oregon State out in the second half to crack the win column for the first time in 2025 with a 21-17 victory at Reser Stadium.
The Bearkats (1-8) trailed 17-0 late in the second quarter and 17-7 at the half, but erased that deficit thanks to three takeaways and a pair of big plays from special teams in the second half.
Tim Burns returned the opening kickoff of the second half back 98 yards to cut the lead to 17-14, but it was a blocked punt by Lyric Smith in the fourth quarter that proved to be the decider as Brody Henderson picked it up and raced 31 yards into the end zone for what was the winning score with 8:29 left in the game.
Sam Houston still had to hold on defensively, however, after OSU (2-8) got its first takeaway of the night when Sailasa Vadrawale III picked off Landyn Locke with just 1:23 to play, giving the Beavers the ball on the Bearkat 36-yard line. But the Kats shut the Beavers down immediately with Cecil Powell knocking away a pass from Gabarri Johnson with 35 seconds left to seal it.
The Kats walked away with the win despite being outgained 474-157 in total offense.
UP NEXT
The Bearkats will return to CUSA play and the Lone Star State next week when they host Delaware on Saturday, November 15 at Shell Energy Stadium. Kickoff is set for 6:00 p.m. on ESPN+
NOTES vs OREGON STATE
– The win was the first for Phil Longo as the Bearkats’ head coach and his first as a head coach since November 12, 2005 when he coached LaSalle to a 30-14 win over Saint Peter’s
– The win was the first for the Kats in 2025 and avoided the first 0-9 start in program history
– Dravon Wilson forced his first career fumble in the first quarter, setting the Kats up deep in Beaver territory. It marked the 27th time in the last 28 games the Bearkat defense has had at least one takeaway
– Wilson later followed with his first career interception, snapping a streak of 11 straight completed passes by OSU quarterback Gabarri Johnson late in the first half, setting up the Kats for their first score of the game
– Mabrey Mettauer completed just three of his first seven passes for eight yards before finding Chris Reed for a 35-yard touchdown with 1:14 left in the first half. It was Mettauer’s third pass of the season, and Reed’s third touchdown grab
– The Bearkats entered the game with just 1.0 sack over the last three games, but finished the night with 2.0 against the Beavers. It was the first game for the Bearkat defense with multiple sacks since having a season-high 3.0 sacks at Hawaii
– Tim Burns Jr. opened the second half with a 98-yard kickoff return for a touchdown. The play was the first kickoff return for a touchdown for the Bearkats since Jaylen Harris had a 97-yarder at Prairie View in 2017
– The Kats continued to show well in the turnover battle with three takeaways while not committing one of their own until late in the fourth quarter. It is the third straight game the Kats have won the turnover battle and fifth time overall this season
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