After a first-half tumble, Beavers rumble past Lafayette

Quarterback Gabarri Johnson rambles 52 yards to set up Oregon State’s go-ahead touchdown on a 45-13 romp over Lafayette (courtesy Karl Maasdam/OSU sports communications)

CORVALLIS — Oregon State’s 45-13 victory over Lafayette Saturday night was the end of an eight-game losing streak dating back to last season. Robb Akey hopes it is also means the start of something good.

“It’s just the beginning,” said OSU’s interim coach following last week’s firing of head coach Trent Bray. “The players needed to be able to crack through that wall. They took some good steps tonight.”

In the second half, that is. The Beavers trailed their FCS opponent 13-10 at halftime in a game that looked like more of the same stuff they had displayed on their way to an 0-7 start to the season.

The worm turned 180 degrees in the second half, when Oregon State outscored Lafayette 35-0 to turn a potential devastating defeat into a laugher. Sophomore quarterback Gabarri Johnson came on to provide a spark and senior Anthony Hankerson rushed for a career-high 204 yards and four touchdowns.

It was the Beavers’ most one-sided win since a 62-17 rout of Stanford in 2023, the last victory in Jonathan Smith’s time as their coach. It’s likely that few of Oregon State’s players knew the location of Lafayette (Easton, Pa.) or the Leopards’ conference (the Patriot League), but they did know they liked the taste of victory.

“I am happy as could be to see these guys smile,” said Akey in his gravelly, folksy voice. “They were able to, and it was cool. I was glad to see the way they responded.”

The Leopards (5-3) came in with losses to Princeton and Bowling Green, but with proof they could move the ball, averaging 34.7 points, 208 yards rushing and 442 yards of total offense. Still, their FCS pedigree made Oregon State a 22-point favorite.

The Beavers’ first-half performance, however, was a dud. They led 10-3 before Lafayette scored 10 points over the final 4:15 of the second quarter, including a 37-yard Jack Simonetta field goal with four seconds left, to take a three-point lead into intermission. Oregon State had only 129 yards total offense — 60 passing, 69 rushing. Lafayette converted 6 of 10 third-down opportunities — including third-and-seven, third-and-eight and third-and-10 — and piled up 13 first downs and 204 yards total offense.

The second half was a different story. Oregon State rolled for five touchdowns and 388 yards of total offense. Lafayette managed three first downs and 65 yards total offense, were 2 for 10 on third down, had four three-and-outs and punted six times. The Leopards finished with 87 rushing yards and 269 yards total offense. Senior quarterback Dean DeNobile finished 18 for 40 passing for 176 yards.

“We know if we give the offense a chance no matter who we are playing, they’ll deliver,” said OSU senior safety Skyler Thomas, who had a team-high eight tackles. “We have to get off the field and get the ball back to the offense.”

The Beaver defense did that often enough in the second half to give the offense some breathing room.

“When you have the weight of the world on you, you end up being a little more tense, because the weight of the world is pretty damn heavy,” Akey said. “But when all of a sudden you spark a little more success, you are doing it a little more freely. When the momentum starts to happen, we can make some things happen.”

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Johnson gave credit to two of the team leaders, Hankerson and junior linebacker Aiden Sullivan.

“They are the two biggest voices in the locker room,” Johnson said. “Both of them spoke at halftime and before the game. They got everyone hyped and ready to play.”

Akey echoed the credit.

“(The second-half comeback) happened because of the players,” Akey said. “All I did was to try to point out some things they did well and didn’t do well, and how they could make it to better. I might have said it with an elevated voice.”

Said Hankerson: “We were playing down our opponents’ level. We are way better than that. … the guys in the locker room saw that the win was right there on the tip of our hands. We had to go take it.”

After both teams had three-and-outs to start the second half, Akey pulled starting QB Maalik Murphy and inserted Johnson. On Oregon State’s next series, the 5-11, 185-pound Tacoma native ignited the offense with a 52-yard run on a quarterback counter to the Lafayette 21-yard line. Five plays later, on fourth-and-goal at the one, Johnson hit tight end Gabe Milbourne for a touchdown pass, giving the Beavers the lead for good.

On OSU’s next possession, Johnson went 20 yards for a score on a keeper off of play-action to push the Beavers into a 24-13 lead. Hankerson’s 15-yard TD run made it 31-13 late in the third quarter. He scored twice in the final period — from nine yards and then on a 65-yard race to the end zone, capping the last one with a somersault into the end zone to give the Beavers their final points with 6:39 to play.

“We were in a battle at the beginning of the game,” Akey said. “It was frustrating for (the OSU players). You could see things in their eyes. … (but) you get a little spark lit and get some gasoline on that thing, you can make things roll.

“We didn’t play very well in the first half, but it was in the park. That’s what I talked to the guys about at halftime. We didn’t finish some things on offense. On defense, there were two third-and-forevers that we enable to be converted. Too many penalties. I just said, hey, pay attention to things that have been good and what you are capable of doing. Wipe all that other stuff away. (The Leopards) were sky high, fired up to play against us. In the second half, our guys fought through it, fought their tails off and finished the way they wanted to. I would like to think that will help us as we move forward.”

It was Akey’s first win as a head coach since October 2012, when Idaho beat New Mexico State for Akey’s only victory in the last of his six seasons leading the Vandals.

“It was a quick flashback (to being a head coach) for me,” he said. “It got more comfortable as the game went on. I am really proud of the coaching staff the way they responded to take care of these players. It was awesome the way the communication was and the things they were doing with the players. I can’t emphasize that enough. As the week progressed, they put all their attention toward helping these guys have their success.

“The players did it. We all stood on the sidelines. But our coaching staff did a hell of a job getting them to that point.”

With Danny Langsdorf calling plays for the first time, had a season-high 517 yards total offense. Te Beavers rushed for 365 yards, its most since going for 474 on the ground against California in 2016. They had 305 of those yards Saturday after intermission. Center Van Wells and tackles Tyler Morano and Jacob Strand sat out due to injuries, but OSU’s makeshift offensive line kicked into gear in the second half.

“They did a really good job,” Akey said. “You saw it develop as the game went on. My message to that group was to keep pounding and overcome (the Lafayette defenders). ‘You need to take it to them. I’m bigger, I’m stronger, I’m tougher, and I don’t care if it’s the Green Bay Packers. That’s the attitude you have to have.’ They kept grinding and were able to make it work to our advantage.”

Johnson completed 7 of 9 passes for 79 yards and a TD and had a second-quarter pass intercepted on the Lafayette 2-yard line. He rushed for 82 yards on six carries.

“We have been working the past few weeks to get him more involved,” Akey said. “We were able to make that happen more so today, and he took advantage of his opportunity. It’s like, ‘Force your way. Play so damn well they can’t afford to take you off the field.’ Everyone should have that attitude.

“I am really proud of (Johnson). He has some ability with his legs as well as his arm that (opponents) have to deal with. He made big plays tonight.”

Murphy, the starter through the season’s first eight games, completed 9 of 10 passes but for only 69 yards in the first half. The 6-5, 240-pound junior finished 9 for 12. Akey deflected a question about whether there will be a change as the starter in Oregon State’s next game, a home date with Washington State on Nov. 1.

“We have two guys worthy of being the starting quarterback,” Akey said. “We have to keep the competition going. They have done a good job of working together. We will continue to work and make it grow and    evaluate it as it continues to progress.”

Asked the same question, Johnson answered this way: “It is whatever they want to go with, but I feel like I am going to do my job when I get in there. I can’t make them start me, but I know I am able to do the job.”

Attendance was announced as 27,735, but the turnstile count had to be less than 20,000. Nearly half of that seemed to be students, seemingly all of them guys, and some of them took over the southeast end zone, most of them shirtless, waving their tops and making a lot of noise. The group swelled to at least a couple of hundred early in the second quarter, disappeared before halftime, then returned in smaller numbers in the fourth quarter. The smaller group surrounded and cheered Hankerson on the field as he was interviewed on CW post-game.

That added to the fun of the evening for the Beavers. In the second half, they finally put it all together.

“We played for each other,” Thomas said. “When we went to the locker room, we had each other’s backs. It showed in that second half. We feed off the offense; the offense feeds off us; the special teams feeds off of both of them.”

In the last few minutes of Saturday’s game, Reser was party central. Most of the fans were already in cars heading home, but many of the students had stayed around to celebrate. They cheered every time the Jumbotron showed the shirtless blokes and cheered louder when Wayne Tinkle’s doppelgänger danced to the public-address system. I didn’t hear “Akey Breaky Heart” play on the p.a., but it could have.

The Beavers are 1-7. Akey is 1-0. After a bye week, the Cougars are next. Full speed ahead.

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