Braden Atkinson Injury: Nation’s Top Passer Likely Out at Boise State
Oregon State’s record-setting QB hurt his throwing hand against Texas State, and Maalik Murphy is in line to start on the GameDay stage.
Oregon State will likely head into its biggest game of the season without the nation’s leading passer. Braden Atkinson is not expected to play Saturday at No. 24 Boise State because of a hand injury, ESPN’s Pete Thamel reported Wednesday night. The Braden Atkinson injury landed the same week ESPN’s College GameDay picked the game, and the Pac-12 availability report lists him as doubtful, per RotoWire.
Sources: Star Oregon State quarterback Braden Atkinson is not expected to play this weekend at Boise State. He’s dealing with hand injury suffered in the Texas State game on Saturday. He leads the nation in passing yards. pic.twitter.com/rDRoZarmaf
— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) November 12, 2026
It would be the first game Atkinson misses this season.
How the Braden Atkinson injury happened
Atkinson hurt his throwing hand in the third quarter of last Saturday’s 42-21 loss to Texas State when his right hand hit a helmet on a pass attempt, Yahoo Sports reported. He went to the locker room for evaluation and sat out the fourth quarter. Before leaving, he was 20 of 36 for 192 yards with no touchdowns and an interception, his first pick in conference play.
Coach JaMarcus Shephard sounded hopeful early in the week, saying players get banged up and the staff works to get them back to normal. By Wednesday, the reporting had turned the other way.
What Oregon State loses
Atkinson has been the story of the Beavers’ season. The Mercer transfer and second-year sophomore leads the country with 3,169 passing yards and has 25 touchdown passes against three interceptions, completing about 66% of his throws. Before the Texas State game he had topped 300 yards in all eight of Oregon State’s games, Beavers On SI noted.
| Braden Atkinson, 2026 | Number |
|---|---|
| Passing yards | 3,169 (No. 1 in FBS) |
| TD / INT | 25 / 3 |
| Completions | 242 of 368 |
| 400-yard games | 3 |
| Best game | 427 yards, 5 TD vs. Colorado State |
Oregon State runs the country’s No. 1 passing offense under coordinator Mitch Dahlen, ESPN reported. Atkinson’s top target, true freshman Jesse Legree, has 61 catches for 1,209 yards and 14 touchdowns. That connection is what makes the Beavers dangerous, and it’s what goes quiet if Atkinson sits.
The injury news came days after Atkinson signed a deal to return to Oregon State for the 2027 season, Thamel reported earlier this week. So the long-term picture in Corvallis is settled. The short-term one is not.
Maalik Murphy likely gets the start
Maalik Murphy came on in relief against Texas State and went 5 of 7 for 75 yards with an interception. He’s expected to start if Atkinson can’t go, with Brady Jones as another option, per RotoWire.
Dahlen said the offense has to get back to the standard it set before the bye and play with confidence early.
Boise State game has Pac-12 stakes
Oregon State is 5-4 and 3-2 in the Pac-12, tied for second, and it travels to league leader Boise State. The Broncos are 8-1 and sit at No. 24 in the latest CFP rankings, which also makes them the last team in under a 24-team College Football Playoff format. A Beavers upset would hurt Boise State’s playoff path and open up the league race. Without Atkinson, that’s a much harder ask.
It’s the second star injury on our college football radar this week, after Rutgers lost KJ Duff for the season. Oregon State’s final call on Atkinson should come before kickoff Saturday.
Sources: Pete Thamel on X, ESPN, Yahoo Sports, Beavers On SI, RotoWire, Beavers On SI (Dahlen)
