CORVALLIS – For the better part of 50 minutes, Oregon State was barreling toward its first win of the 2025 season.

But as is the case with a team with the shaky confidence after four consecutive losses and unreliable special teams, a double-digit lead wasn’t enough.

Houston rallied with two touchdowns during the final 5:59 of regulation, setting the stage for Ethan Sanchez’s 24-yard field goal in overtime to pull out a 27-24 win Friday night at Reser Stadium.

Oregon State, in control with its running game clicking and defense dominating most of the second half, melted down during the final minutes before 29,338 at Reser. Cougars quarterback Connor Weigman threw touchdown passes of 27 and 50 yards to erase OSU’s 24-10 lead.

Then in overtime, Oregon State came up empty, when it couldn’t get a yard on consecutive plays to convert a first down. Houston, needing only a field goal, drove inside the 5 to set up Sanchez.

Oregon State is 0-5 for the first time since 1996. The Beavers are eyeing their worst season since 2018, the first year of Jonathan Smith’s tenure when they were 2-10.

The late collapse wiped out what had been a terrific performance by Oregon State’s defense. The Beavers forced four consecutive three-and-outs to start the second half, and had three sacks, the most in 20 games. But it won’t be remembered for anything but a setback, after allowing Weigman to throw for 126 yards and two touchdowns during the Cougars’ furious fourth-quarter comeback.

Oregon State’s offense accumulated 390 yards, including 189 yards on the ground. Freshman running back Cornell Hatcher Jr. ran for a career high 93 yards and a touchdown. But the Beavers wilted when it came to making a play down the stretch that could have preserved the win.

Special teams struggled again, as Houston blocked two field goals, including one on the final play of regulation. With kicker Carlos Ojeda apparently injured while attempting to make a tackle during a fourth-quarter kickoff, OSU opted to keep backup kicker Cameron Smith sidelined in overtime.

OSU, facing fourth-and-1 at the 16 in overtime, declined a field goal try. Houston stuffed Hatcher for no gain, turning the ball over to the Cougars.

Houston (4-0) remained unbeaten as Weigman passed for 270 yards and two touchdowns. The Cougars had 352 offensive yards, but 167 came during the final seven minutes of regulation and overtime.

OSU quarterback Maalik Murphy passed for 201 yards and a touchdown, while receiver Trent Walker caught seven passes for 103 yards.

Oregon State took a shaky 14-10 lead into halftime after the Cougars scored the final 10 points of the first half.

Seven minutes into the game, Oregon State grabbed a 7-0 lead on a 1-yard touchdown run by Jake Reichle. The Beavers defense did most of the work to set up the score. A hurried Weigman sailed a pass over his receiver to OSU corner Trey Glasper, whose pick gave the Beavers’ offense a short field at the Houston 6.

It became 14-0 less than two minutes into the second quarter when the Beavers marched 70 yards on 11 plays. Murphy completed the drive when he flipped a short pass to Marquis Crosby in the flat, who walked into the end zone for a 5-yard touchdown.

Houston’s best drive of the first half remarkably ended with a 25-yard field goal by Ethan Sanchez. The Cougars marched 78 yards, and twice had first and goal inside the OSU 2. But the drive came undone when Houston was flagged three times, allowing the Beavers to turn back the Cougars and force a field goal.

Houston trimmed the lead to 14-10 with 1:24 left in the first half when Weigman dove into the end zone from a yard out. The drive’s big play was a 36-yard pass from Weigman to Amare Thomas on third-and-11.

Oregon State added to its lead with 5:31 left in the third quarter when Ojeda’s 31-yard field goal make it 17-10. The Beavers took that lead into the fourth quarter as their defense held Houston to four consecutive three-and-outs to start the second half.

The Beavers padded their lead with a terrific run-heavy drive midway through the second quarter. Running the ball on 10 of 12 plays on an 80-yard drive, OSU increased its lead to 24-10 on Hatcher’s 18-yard touchdown run.

It proved to be the game’s high point, but ultimately, not enough.

Oregon State returns to action Saturday, October 4 when the Beavers travel to Boone, N.C. to play Appalachian State at 12:30 p.m.

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