CORVALLIS, Ore. - Lafayette held a three-point lead at halftime against FBS foe Oregon State before the Beavers wore down the Maroon and White with a 21-0 third quarter in a 45-13 final on Saturday night at Reser Stadium. 

It was the second FBS match-up of the season for the Leopards, who move to 5-3 overall (3-0 in Patriot League play). 

OSU's Anthony Hankerson ran for 189 yards and four touchdowns as the Beavers managed 363 rushing yards, including 294 in the second half. 

The teams traded field goals in the first quarter. Lafayette got on the scoreboard first, capping a 14-play, 76-yard drive with Jack Simonetta's 28-yard field goal. Lafayette led 3-0 at 5:42. 

The Leopard defense gave up some yardage on the ensuing drive, but forced a 40-yard field goal by Caleb Ojeda that knotted the score at 3-3 with 1:33 left in the first. 

The first turnover of the contest came on the Beavers' following possession. After Hankerson runs of eight and three yards, Jalen Edwards picked off Gabarri Johnson in the red zone with 10:45 left before half.

After the turnover, the hosts' quickly forced a three-and-out. Walker returned the punt for 27 yards, setting up shop on the Leopards' 18-yard line. Oregon State used a drive of five plays, all Hankerson runs, to break across the goal line for a 10-3 advantage with 6:03 remaining.

The Maroon and White responded with a 10-play drive and a score. Dean DeNobile completed passes of 33 and 13 yards to Elijah Steward on the possession. Staring down a 3rd-and-10 on the Beaver 15-yard line, DeNobile connected with Matthew Scerbo out of the slot for a touchdown. The freshman WR has scored in three straight contests.Lafayette and Oregon State were tied at 10 with 1:48 in the second quarter.

The Lafayette defense stood tall at the end of the half and forced a OSU punt. Lafayette took over at its own 37-yard line with 40 seconds left. Passes to Persing and Steward and a pass interference penalty set up a last-second field goal. Simonetta's 37-yard kick was true and the Leopards led 13-10 at half. 

Special teams looked to build momentum for the Leopards in the third quarter. Lafayette appeared to convert a fourth down via a fake punt from Christian Bush to Tighe Cummiskey before a procedure penalty wiped it away. The Maroon and White's defense remained stout, forcing another three-and-out. Cummiskey broke through and blocked his second punt of the season. The Leopards' offense could not capitalize on 4th-and-6. 

With the turnover on downs, the Beavers made a quarterback switch. Johnson took over for Murphy and led the offense down to the Leopards' one-yard line. With 7:59 in the third, Oregon State ran a play-action pass on 4th-and-goal, allowing Milbourn to get free and haul in the reception. The Beavers gained a 17-13 lead.

Oregon State scored on its next drive to push the score to 24-13 with 3:44 remaining before the fourth quarter. A 42-yard run from Cornell Hatcher set up Johnson for a 20-yard rushing touchdown two plays later. 

Three more rushing TDs from Hankerson (15 yards, 9 yards, 65 yards) stretched the final to 45-13. 

On the defensive side of things, Joey Shimko led the team in tackles with eight while Dhonte Jackson added seven and Beckham Dee contributed five. 

Lafayette enters its bye week, getting back to the Patriot League stretch run on Nov. 1 at Holy Cross. 

NOTES: 

Kente Edwards, who missed the last two and a half games, was back in the starting lineup with 13 carries.

Senior QB Dean DeNobile was 18-of-40 for 176 yards with a touchdown and an interception. 

Jalen Edwards accumulated two turnovers in the game. The senior DB intercepted a pass in the second quarter and added a forced fumble and recovery in the third.

Senior WR Elijah Steward continued to move up the career receiving charts. With 68 yards through the air, Steward moved into fourth place with 2,246 all-time receiving yards. With 139 more yards, Steward will surpass Phil Yarberough '00 in third.