Anthony Hankerson's Dominance, Gabarri Johnson's Breakthrough Give Oreogon State Edge

Oregon State collected their first win of the 2025 campaign on Saturday night with a 32-point route of FCS Lafayette. The Beavers came to life in the third quarter after a quarterback change, and imposed their will on the Leopards in their first game under interim head coach Robb Akey.

Gabarri Johnson

It's never easy to come off the bench and lead an offense, but the Missouri Tiger transfer was able to do just that and give Oregon State the spark they needed last night. The Leopards had no answer for the dual-threat nature of Gabarri, who broke off huge plays with his legs while going an efficient 7 of 9 through the air with a TD pass. Though this should be taken with a grain of salt coming against an FCS opponent, Beaver nation has to wonder if Johnson will continue to play a giant role in the offense for the remainder of the season.

Anthony Hankerson

It was a special night for the senior halfback, who became the first Beaver with a 200+ yard rushing performance since Jermar Jefferson did it in Oregon State's win over the Ducks in 2020. Hank played with fire the entire night, plowing through tacklers for yards after contact and breaking off big runs for the Beavers even on plays where he didn't have a lot of blocking help up front. After his third TD run of the night early in the fourth quarter, Hankerson iced the game away with a 65-yard TD scamper to put the Beavers up 45-13.

Gabe Milbourn

The senior tight end made a huge impact for the Oregon State offense last night, finding himself open on roll-out plays on numerous occassions and making his first career TD reception on a big 4th and 1 play in the second half. Gabe led the Beavers in receptions last night with six catches.

Cornell Hatcher Jr.

Though he only got five touches, the redshirt freshman was extremely efficient last night, rushing for 63 yards and averaging over 12 yards per carry. With Hankerson playing his final year of eligibility, Beaver fans should be excited about what they've seen from Cornell.