RECAP: Oregon State Powers Past Purdue 38-21 With Run Game, Defense
The Oregon State Beavers once again rode a strong day from their defense and a stronger day from their rushing offense to a victory on Saturday. OSU defended their home turf against the Purdue Boilermakers and earned a 38-21 win.
OSU totaled 341 rushing yards, with Jam Griffin contributing 137 and a touchdown with Anthony Hankerson going for 89 and two touchdowns. The Beavers ran 75 plays compared to Purdue's 47 and held the ball for over 40 minutes of the 60 minute game.
The Beaver defense also managed two takeaways, one of which immediately translated to points. Here's how it went down at Reser Stadium...
The first quarter went well for the Beavs' defense, forcing turnovers on Purdue's first two possessions. That included a pick six by freshman linebacker Zakaih Saez, displaying exceptional awareness, that opened the scoring for the evening.
Even slowed down, this is still the most wait that actually happened in a football game??? Pick six I’ve ever seen.
— Brenna Greene (@BrennaGreene_) September 22, 2024
Shoutout to Zakaih Saez. pic.twitter.com/yXED4VIDh8
To start the second quarter, the Beavs made it a two-score game with a one-yard rush by Hankerson at the end of a 12-play, 71-yard drive that lasted seven minutes and 34 seconds. Purdue tried to answer with a five-minute drive of their own, but it ultimately ended as a turnover on downs.
Purdue were finally able to answer when a pass interference penalty on Skyler Thomas set the Boilermakers up at the 32-yard line, where Hudson Card was able to find his tight end Max Klare for a score.
Everett Hayes attempted a 52-yarder, but missed with just under four minutes remaining in the second quarter. Hayes would get to redeem himself somewhat with a 29-yard make in the closing seconds of the first half to build the Beavs a 17-7 lead.
The third quarter saw the Beavers drive 74 yards to the Purdue three-yard line, then turn it over on downs after failing to punch it in. The next offensive possession would pay off, however, as the Beavers went 50 yards in four plays, capped off by a 26-yard rush on a reverse by freshman receiver Zachary Card.
HE GONE 💨
— The CW Sports (@TheCW_Sports) September 22, 2024
Zachary Card blows past the Purdue defense for the @BeaverFootball score! pic.twitter.com/jDptRTjSKZ
The fourth quarter was an avalanche of rushing and scoring, that still saw the Beavers come out on top.
It began with a response from Purdue, a seven play, 75-yard drive that ended with a two-yard rush from Reggie Love. That made it 24-14 with 12:49 remaining. Oregon State immediately answered with a rushing touchdown from Jam Griffin at the end of their own 75-yard drive. Not to be outdone, Purdue quickly returned to the red zone and finished with a touchdown by Devin Mockobee. The Beavs would then add the final exclamation point with a 12-yard touchdown by Hankerson to end the night.
The Beavers, now up to 3-1 on the season, will be idle this coming week and then continue their campaign on October 5 against their future conference mate Colorado State.
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Joe Londergan joined the SI brand in 2023 with G5 Football Daily. With over 15 years of experience in covering and working directly in college and pro sports, Joe's expertise has been featured in Front Office Sports, SB Nation, and XRAY.FM. He is a member of both the Football Writers' Association of America and the National Collegiate Baseball Writers' Association. Joe holds a bachelor's degree from the University of Louisville and a master's degree in sports administration from Seattle University. Outside of his writing career, Joe enjoys golfing, although he admits that while he hits driver decently, his short game is a liability.