Wake Forest defeated Oregon State 39–14 on Saturday at Reser Stadium, moving the Beavers to 0-7 on the season, and 0-4 at home.
With the loss, Head Coach Trent Bray is now 1-13 in his last 14 games and 5-14 overall.
The Demon Deacons established control early, scoring just 1:27 into the game while successfully converting a two-point attempt for an 8-0 advantage. Wake Forest scored 15 points in the first quarter and led 25–0 at halftime.
For the game, Wake Forest recorded 468 total yards of offense, including 270 passing and 198 rushing. Oregon State totaled 309 yards, with 175 through the air and 134 on the ground.
“We’re all on the same page, just going with coach Bray’s plan to improve,” senior linebacker Aiden Sullivan said in the post game press conference; Sullivan led the Beavers with eight tackles.
Backup quarterback Deshawn Purdie spearheaded the Demon Deacons’ aerial attack with 270 passing yards and four touchdowns on 14-of-27 passing. Wide receiver Chris Barnes caught three of those touchdown passes, finishing with 102 receiving yards on only three receptions. Demond Claiborne added 144 rushing yards and one touchdown on 16 carries.
For Oregon State, Maalik Murphy completed 13 of 30 passes for 130 yards and one interception, while Gabarri Johnson completed six of his 12 passing attempts for 45 yards and one touchdown. Anthony Hankerson anchored the Beavers’ rushing attack and finished with 101 yards on 22 carries. Cornell Hatcher Jr. rushed seven times for 43 yards and scored one touchdown.
After Wake Forest took the early lead, Oregon State missed a field goal, only to be followed by the Demon Deacons adding another touchdown on a two-play, 52-yard drive to make it 15–0.
After firing special teams coordinator Jamie Christian, the Beavers were hoping to limit these errors of missed field goals, but the woes carried over even after the change in the coaching staff.
A fumble recovery in the second quarter set up another Wake Forest touchdown, and a field goal extended the halftime margin to 25–0.
In the third quarter, the Demon Deacons added a 55-yard touchdown pass to increase its lead to 32–0. The Beavers avoided the shutout when Oregon State scored in the fourth quarter on a 29-yard touchdown run by Hatcher Jr.
A touchdown pass from Johnson to David Wells Jr., who led the Beavers with six receptions for 58 yards, gave OSU its final point tally. Wake Forest responded with a 66-yard touchdown run by Claiborne to reach the final score of 39–14.
The Demon Deacon defense held the Beavers in check for nearly the entire game, recording three sacks and one interception, while Oregon State forced no turnovers. The Demon Deacons averaged 7.6 yards per rush and 19.3 yards per completion. Oregon State averaged 3.5 yards per rush and 9.2 yards per completion.
In a statistical quirk, the Beavers actually fared far better than the Demon Deacons on third down, finishing 5-17 (29.41%) while Wake Forest was only 1-9 (11.11%). It is a statistic that the Beavers can point to for confidence as they search for their first win.
The Beavers will continue that search in their next game, where they play Louisiana-Lafayette on Oct. 18, at Reser Stadium, with kickoff scheduled for 7:00 p.m.
