Numbers lie. Or, at the very least, they hide the truth behind a curtain of box scores and final tallies that make things look a lot bleaker than they actually feel on the ground in Corvallis. If you just glance at the oregon state football stats from the 2025 season, you’ll see a 2-10 record. It looks like a disaster. A total wash. Honestly, if you didn't watch the games, you'd think the program was in a freefall.
But football is weird like that.
The 2025 season was basically the ultimate "bridge" year, played out in the vacuum of a post-realignment world. Between coaching shifts and a roster that looked more like a revolving door than a depth chart, the raw data is kind of a mess. You’ve got a defense that struggled to stop a nosebleed in September, yet a running game that produced one of the most consistent individual seasons we've seen in years.
The Anthony Hankerson Workhorse Reality
Let’s talk about Anthony Hankerson. If there was a bright spot in the data, it was #0. While the team was dropping games, Hankerson was out there quietly—or not so quietly—becoming just the sixth player in Oregon State history to record multiple 1,000-yard rushing seasons.
He finished the year with 1,015 rushing yards.
Think about that for a second. In an offense where everyone knew he was the only consistent threat, he still averaged 4.4 yards per carry and found the end zone 9 times. He had a four-game stretch in the middle of the season where he was basically unstoppable:
- 101 yards against Wake Forest
- A massive 204 yards against Lafayette
- 134 yards in the first Wazzu matchup
- 166 yards against Sam Houston
When the passing game was stuck in neutral, Hankerson was the only reason the chains moved. Most teams with a 2-10 record don't have a guy who puts up those kinds of numbers. It’s a statistical anomaly that shows just how lopsided the roster's strengths were.
The Quarterback Carousel and the Tristan Ti'a Spark
The passing game was, to put it bluntly, a struggle. Maalik Murphy came in with massive expectations after transferring from Duke, but the chemistry just never clicked. He threw for 1,805 yards across his appearances but struggled with 8 interceptions against just 9 touchdowns. The completion percentage sat at a disappointing 58.1%.
Then came the end-of-season pivot.
Enter Tristan Ti'a. The freshman only saw real action late, but his efficiency was a breath of fresh air. He completed nearly 70% of his passes (37-of-53) for 385 yards and 3 touchdowns. The late-season loss to Tulsa saw him go 8-for-11 for 141 yards and two scores. It wasn't enough to win, but it changed the vibe. You could see the offense move differently.
Receivers Stepping Up
Trent Walker was the primary beneficiary of whoever was throwing the ball. He hauled in 68 receptions for 823 yards. He’s essentially become the security blanket for the OSU offense. Behind him, David Wells Jr. emerged as a legitimate scoring threat with 5 touchdowns on just 44 catches.
Defensive Discrepancies: Points vs. Potential
Defensively, the oregon state football stats are hard to look at. They gave up 353 points over 12 games, averaging 29.4 points against per game. That’s bad. Specifically, the red zone defense was a sieve, allowing scores on nearly 85% of opponent trips inside the 20.
However, individual efforts kept them from being a total laughingstock. Skyler Thomas led the way with 73 tackles, followed closely by Aiden Sullivan with 70. Sullivan, in particular, was a monster over the final eight games, averaging 8 tackles per contest and racking up 7 tackles for loss.
The pass rush, which was a national punchline in 2024 (only 7 sacks all year), did show marginal improvement, but the consistency just wasn't there. They struggled to get off the field on third downs, which is why they ended up on the wrong side of five games decided by single digits or in overtime.
What the 2025 Schedule Taught Us
Living life as a "quasi-independent" is tough. The Beavers played a schedule that featured everything from Power 4 mainstays like Oregon and Texas Tech to FCS Lafayette.
| Key Game | Result | Notable Stat |
|---|---|---|
| Oregon | L 7-41 | Only 7 total points; offense stalled completely. |
| Lafayette | W 45-13 | Hankerson's 204-yard masterclass. |
| Washington State (Gm 1) | W 10-7 | Lowest scoring matchup in the series since 1975. |
| Houston | L 24-27 (OT) | Heartbreaker that shifted the season's momentum. |
The first Washington State game was a defensive slugfest that honestly felt like football from 1950. A 10-7 win isn't pretty, but it showed that when the defense actually showed up, the Beavers could hang. The problem was the lack of an encore.
Why the Future Might Actually Be Bright
If you're an OSU fan looking at these stats, you're probably feeling a bit depressed. Don't be. The recruiting class for 2026 is currently ranked in the top 70, and the mid-season coaching adjustments—bringing in guys like Lance Guidry as Defensive Coordinator—suggest that the administration isn't just sitting on its hands.
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The 2025 season was a hard lesson in depth. The starters could compete, but once the injuries piled up in the secondary and on the offensive line, the bottom fell out.
To really understand where this program is going, look at the "hidden" stats:
- They had zero turnovers in their final few games, snapping a 19-game streak of cough-ups.
- Punter AJ Winsor averaged 44.6 yards per punt, which is top-5 in school history.
- The team was 2-5 at home but 0-5 on the road.
Fix the road woes and find a kicker who can hit more than 46% of his field goals (Caleb Ojeda was 6-of-13), and this is a 6-6 team. It’s that simple.
The next step is simple but difficult: the coaching staff needs to hit the transfer portal for experienced offensive line depth. You can't ask a freshman quarterback like Ti'a to survive behind a line that allowed 12 sacks in just two games late in the year. If the Beavers can protect the pocket, the "skill" stats suggest they have the weapons to compete in the new-look Pac-12.