Rewinding Oregon State football’s victory against Purdue
The Oregon State Beavers beat the Purdue Boilermakers 38-21 Saturday night in a nonconference college football matchup at Reser Stadium.
The Beavers racked up 341 rushing yards en route to the victory, led by Jam Griffin’s 22 carries for 137 yards and a touchdown.
Here’s a recap of how the game unfolded:
FINAL: OREGON STATE 38, PURDUE 21
Beavers 11th drive
Gevani McCoy takes a knee on consecutive plays to run out the clock, and the Beavers win the game 38-21 to improve to 3-1 on the season as they enter their bye week.
Boilermakers 11th drive
Purdue’s final drive is short-lived, as the Boilermakers turn it over on downs with 55 seconds to play in the game.
Beavers 10th drive | Oregon State runs clock, and scores again
The Beavers get the ball back after Purdue fails to convert an onside kick, and OSU looks to run some clock. The Beavers face a fourth and 2 from the Purdue 23-yard line with the clock under 4 minutes, and they convert it on a 5-yard run by Hankerson. After the two-minute timeout, Oregon State will face second and 4 from the Purdue 12. The game should be in hand, with the Beavers up 31-21. Hankerson runs right for a 12-yard touchdown, flipping into the end zone. The TD puts the Beavers up 38-21 with 1:53 to play. There’s a false start on the extra point attempt, but the Beavers make the kick from 5 yards farther back anyway.
Boilermakers 10th drive | Purdue responds with another TD
Purdue will not go down quietly. The Boilermakers raced 75 yards in six plays, producing the fourth consecutive touchdown of the game to trim the Beavers’ lead to 31-21. After an up-and-down first half, the teams have erupted late. Hudson Card had a big 23-yard scramble for a first down and Devin Mockabee had a monster 63-yard run to set up his own touchdown, a 3-yard scamper with 6:59 left.
Beavers ninth drive | OSU extends lead with TD
We have a late scoring flurry at Reser Stadium. Jam Griffin rushed for a 14-yard touchdown with 9:57 left, giving Oregon State a 31-14 lead. Each of the last three possessions of the game have resulted in touchdowns. The Beavers needed six plays to go 75 yards on the drive and five of them were runs.
Griffin rushed for 57 yards and Gevani McCoy rushed for 18 as the Beavers’ ground-and-pound attack bludgeoned the Boilermakers.
Boilermakers ninth drive | Boilermakers answer OSU TD
The Beavers’ decisive lead lasted all of seven plays. Purdue answered OSU’s late third-quarter touchdown with one of its own early in the fourth, trimming their deficit to 24-14 thanks to a Reggie Love III 2-yard run. The seven-play, 75-yard drive lasted 3:01 and featured multiple big runs, including a 26-yarder from Devin Mockabee and a 22-yarder from Love.
Beavers eighth drive | Another OSU TD
And just like that, boom, the Beavers take a commanding second-half lead. Zachary Card raced 26 yards for a touchdown on a jet sweep, sprinting right and streaking untouched into the end zone, breezing by multiple defenders. Gevani McCoy added an 18-yard scramble on the drive, which lasted four plays and went 50 yards in 2:05. Oregon State leads 24-7.
Beavers seventh drive
Oregon State avoided disaster when Trent Walker’s punt return fumble was overturned by video review. Then the Beavers marched 74 yards on 14 plays down to the Purdue 2-yard line, setting themselves up for another score. But the Boilermakers flexed a little defensive muscle, batting down a Gevani McCoy pass on fourth down to force a turnover.
Boilermakers seventh drive
The first series of the second half ended much like most of the series of the first half — with an Oregon State defensive stand. The Beavers force a three-and-out, allowing just five yards, to force another Purdue punt.
FIRST HALF
Beavers sixth drive | OSU kicks field goal
Darrius Clemons, the talented wide receiver transfer from Michigan, finally makes an impact by injecting a little life in the Oregon State passing attack. During an 11-play, 81-yard drive, Clemons corralled three catches for 35 yards. Two of the receptions resulted in first downs and the other pushed the Beavers to the Purdue 21-yard line, which led to a 29-yard Everett Hayes field goal. In the middle of Clemons’ highlights, Gevani McCoy also connected with Trent Walker on a nice, 34-yard pass over the middle. The field goal pushed the Beavers’ lead to 17-7 at halftime. Clemons, who missed the first three games with an injury, offered a taste of what he can bring to the OSU offense during this series.
Boilermakers sixth drive
Oregon State’s defense overcame its first tough series with another solid stand, allowing just six yards and forcing a three-and-out.
Beavers fifth drive
Oregon State drives to the Purdue 27-yard line, but putters out. On third-and-eight, Gevani McCoy took at tough sack, losing seven yards. The play forced the Beavers to try a 52-yard field goal. Everett Hayes’ kick had plenty of distance, but doinked off the left upright. So the seven-play drive netted zero points.
Boilermakers fifth drive | Purdue scores first touchdown
Oregon State’s shutout dreams are dead. Purdue uses a quick-strike, two-play drive to score its first touchdown of the game. After a harmless run and a passing interference call, Hudson Card tossed a pretty 35-yard touchdown pass down the right sideline to tight end Max Klare. Jack Kane was beat on the play. Oregon State’s lead is down to 14-7.
Beavers fourth drive
The strong defensive stand is all for naught, as the Beavers go three-and-out on the ensuing drive. OSU lost two yards on the series.
Boilermakers fourth drive
The Beavers defense has been excellent today and it found a new way to stifle Purdue on this drive. After the Boilermakers finally started building a little mojo, ripping off multiple big gains — including a 28-yard run — the Beavers flexed a little bend-but-don’t-break in the red zone. OSU stopped a Purdue rush attempt on third-and-one at the 12-yard line, then stuffed another run on fourth-and-two at the 13-yard line, forcing a turnover on downs. OSU’s defense has forced three turnovers and a punt on the Boilermakers’ four drives this game
Beavers third drive | Beavers push lead to 14-0
Oregon State completed a 12-play, 71-yard drive with their first offensive touchdown of the game. Anthony Hankerson reached pay dirt, barreling in from 1-yard out as the Beavers took a 14-0 lead. The drive, which featured a nice mix of the run and the pass, was aided by a passing interference call on second-and-17 and featured a pair of chunk plays — a Hankerson 19-yard run and a Jeremiah Noga 18-yard reception. The catch by Noga was particularly impressive. On third-and-10 at the Purdue 26-yard line, Gevani McCoy delivered a perfect strike over the middle under pressure, hitting Noga in stride even though he was blanketed by a defensive back. Noga made the catch, then took a big hit from the safety. McCoy has completed 2 of 4 passes for 21 yards and rushed five times for 16 yards. Hankerson, meanwhile, has rushed eight times for 41 yards.
Boilermakers third drive
Another solid stand by the Oregon State defense, which forced a three-and-out. Purdue managed just three yards and has 22 yards so far through three possessions.
Boilermakers second drive | OSU takes 7-0 lead
It’s safe to say last week’s defensive troubles are a thing of the past. On the first play of Purdue’s second drive, Linebacker Zakaih Saez recorded a sensational interception return for a touchdown. The play started when quarterback Hudson Card collected a shotgun snap on first-and-10 and flipped a quick pass to running back Reggie Love III in the right flat. Saez read the play beautifully and batted the ball with his left hand toward the ground … or so it seemed. The ball beelined at Love, ricocheted off his calf/leg and bounced into the waiting arms of Seaz, who cruised into the end zone for 20-yard touchdown return. The Beavers’ defense has already forced a pair of turnovers. OSU leads 7-0.
Beavers second drive
OSU is 0 for 2. Gevani McCoy had a nice 10-yard run and Jam Griffin added a nine-year burst, but the Beavers come up empty on their second drive and will have to punt for the second time. OSU, which was hurt by a sack, went just 13 yards on six plays.
Boilermakers first drive
Great field possession for Purdue … better defense by the Beavers. On third-and-one at the OSU 9-yard line, the Boilermakers hand the ball to running back Devin Mockobee. He’s met by Nikko Taylor, who forces a fumble that Thomas Collins recovers. After last week’s defensive flop, the Beavers get an important stand on their first chance versus Purdue.
Beavers first drive
A gutsy call by coach Trent Bray goes awry. After picking up nine yards on the first three plays, the Beavers elected to go for it on fourth-and-on at the 28-yard line. But Gevani McCoy’s pass down the sideline to Bryce Caufield falls incomplete, and the Boilermakers will take openm will excellent field possession.
Purdue won the pregame toss and deferred to the second half. The Beavers will receive the opening kickoff.
PREGAME DETAILS
Both teams are looking to move on from blowout defeats against ranked teams last weekend. The Beavers fell 49-14 to ninth-ranked Oregon, while the Boilermakers lost 66-7 to No. 18 Notre Dame.
This is the third meeting between the programs and first since 2021, when Purdue beat the Beavers 30-21 in West Lafayette, Indiana
