Buy Signal · 2026 Week 3
Jesse Legree
WR · Freshman · Oregon State
A true freshman who led the FBS in receiving yards through three games, with a 100-yard game in each of them: 136 at Houston and 240 against No. 13 Texas Tech in two losses, then 100 and a touchdown in the win over a Montana side that arrived 3-0 and No. 3 in the Stats Perform FCS poll, at 28.0 yards a catch. What follows is the season so far, the week, and the schedule ahead of it.
The season so far
Through three games, the latest on September 19, 2026.
3
Games
17
Receptions
476
Receiving yards
4
Receiving TD
- Yards per catch
- 28.0
- Longest reception
- 75 yds
- 100-yard games
- 3 of 3
- National rank, receiving yards
- No. 1 in the FBS
No. 1 in the FBS in receiving yards through 3 games, per ESPN’s leaderboard as read on September 21, 2026.
| Date | Opponent | Result | Rec | Yds | TD | Long |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| September 5, 2026 | at Houston | L 20–33 | 5 | 136 | 1 | 71 |
| September 12, 2026 | vs Texas Tech | L 24–35 | 8 | 240 | 2 | 75 |
| September 19, 2026 | vs Montana | W 52–17 | 4 | 100 | 1 | 48 |
Each row is read from that game’s official box score; the season line is the sum of the rows.
Week 3
Oregon State beat Montana 52–17 in Corvallis, Oregon, September 19, 2026.
4
Receptions
100
Receiving yards
1
Receiving TD
48
Longest catch
- Yards per catch
- 25.0
- Team passing
- 366 yds
- Team total offense
- 510 yds
- Team first downs
- 28
The 48-yarder came on the first snap of the second half and set up a touchdown two plays later; his own score was a 23-yard catch in the second quarter that finished a 90-yard drive.
The number that stands out
Oregon State held the ball for 29:07. Montana held it for 30:53 — longer. The losing side had the ball more and still lost by 35, which is what 510 yards on 28 first downs will do. Scoring drives that end quickly do not run the clock.
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Final |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oregon State | 14 | 21 | 7 | 10 | 52 |
| Montana | 0 | 3 | 7 | 7 | 17 |
Program history
The first Beaver since Brandin Cooks in 2013 with three consecutive 100-yard receiving games.
Associated Press · September 20, 2026
His 240 yards against Texas Tech were the second-most in a game by a Beaver, behind Mike Hass's 293 at Boise State in 2004, and the most at the FBS level since Xavier Worthy's 261 for Texas in 2021.
Oregon State Athletics(the school's own site) · September 15, 2026
The first Beaver with back-to-back 70-yard receptions since Chad Johnson in 2000: a 71-yarder at Houston and a 75-yarder against Texas Tech.
Oregon State Athletics(the school's own site) · September 15, 2026
Pac-12 Freshman of the Week after each of his first two games, and the Shaun Alexander National Freshman of the Week after the Texas Tech game.
Sports Illustrated · September 15, 2026
Where he comes from
Baltimore, Maryland★★★
He played at St. Frances Academy in Baltimore, at wide receiver and at defensive back. He committed to Oregon State in early December 2025, on the heels of JaMarcus Shephard's hire, and enrolled in late January 2026 as part of Shephard's first recruiting class; by the Portland Tribune's count, Oregon State was one of three FBS programs to offer him.
What others have written
The Portland Tribune
Oregon State's 'Problem Kid' crosses 100-yard mark, yet again
Isaac Streeter · Sep 20, 2026
The game story from Reser Stadium: the words on his eyeblack, the Brandin Cooks comparison, 476 yards on 17 catches through three games, and his quarterback on how the touchdown was drawn up.
“Legree has never touched a college football field without surpassing the century mark”
Sports Illustrated
Oregon State Wide Receiver Jesse Legree Wins Wins Multiple Freshman of the Week Awards
John Severs · Sep 15, 2026
Written after the Texas Tech game, on the awards that followed it: a second straight conference Freshman of the Week and the national one, with 13 catches for 376 yards and three touchdowns through two games and the country's top receiving-yards figure.
“The best freshman wide receiver in the country is playing in Corvallis”
The schedule ahead
Opponents, dates and sites as announced, confirmed September 21, 2026.
One week against Montana settles very little. The games that follow it on the schedule do more.
- September 26, 2026at UTEPAway
- October 3, 2026at Colorado StateAway
- October 10, 2026vs San Diego StateHome
- October 17, 2026vs Washington StateHome
Game figures are read from the official box score and were checked on September 21, 2026; they are reported figures, not estimates, and this database holds no game or box-score data of its own. Linked articles are the work of the outlets named and are quoted only in brief. This page carries no valuation and is not advice; it describes a single week of play and the schedule as it stood on September 21, 2026.