Lafayette had a 13-10 lead at halftime against FBS foe Oregon State before the Beavers responded with 35 unanswered points in the second half and went on to a 45-13 victory late Saturday night and early Sunday morning at Reser Stadium in Corvallis, Oregon.
It was the second FBS matchup of the season for the Leopards, who fell to 5-3 overall, but remain 3-0 in the Patriot League. They opened the season with a loss to Bowling Green.
OSU’s Anthony Hankerson ran for 189 yards and four touchdowns as the Beavers managed 363 rushing yards, including 294 in the second half, to give interim coach Robb Akey a win in his first game since replacing fired coach Trent Bray after OSU began 0-7. Oregon State outgained Lafayette 517-269.
Lafayette got on the scoreboard first, getting a 28-yard field goal from Jack Simonetta with 5:42 left in the first quarter.
Caleb Ojeda answered with a 40-yard field goal for the Beavers that knotted the score at 3-3 with 1:33 left in the first.
After OSU went ahead 10-3, Lafayette quarterback Dean DeNobile completed passes of 33 and 13 yards to Elijah Steward on its next possession, and DeNobile found freshman Matthew Scerbo from Phillipsburg, New Jersey, for a 15-yard score to tie it with 1:48 left in the half.
Scerbo has scored in three straight contests.
Simonetta’s 37-yard field goal gave the Leopards a 13-10 lead just before halftime.
It proved to be the final feel-good moment of the game for Lafayette as Oregon State scored five touchdowns in the second half.
On the defensive side, Joey Shimko led Lafayette in tackles with eight, while Dhonte Jackson added seven and Beckham Dee contributed five.
Lafayette’s Kente Edwards, seen in action against Georgetown earlier this season, returned to action after missing two full games due to injury. (Photo courtesy of Lafayette College)
Kente Edwards, who missed the last several weeks with an injury, returned to the lineup and had 13 carries for 41 yards. DeNobile finished 18 of 40 passing for 176 yards. Jalen Edwards had an interception and a fumble recovery for Lafayette, while senior wide receiver Steward had four catches for 68 yards, moving him into fourth place in school history with 2,246 receiving yards.
Lafayette enters its bye week, getting back to the Patriot League stretch run Nov. 1 at Holy Cross.
Information from Lafayette Sports Information contributed to this report.
