Week 8 - Oregon State Beavers vs Lafayette Leopards: Preview, Storylines

A Week 7 loss to Wake Forest marked Oregon State's seventh straight loss to open the 2025 season, but their best chance to date to earn their first victory is on tap this weekend. The FCS Lafayette Leopards travel to Corvallis to face the Beavers in a late-night matchup in Week 8.

Here's everything you need to know about Saturday night's contest:

Oregon State Beavers (0-7, 0-0 Pac-12) vs Lafayette Leopards (5-2, 3-0 Patriot League)

Date: Saturday, October 18th

Time: 10:00 p.m. ET // 7:00 p.m. PT

Location: Reser Stadium - Corvallis, Oregon

TV: The CW Network

Radio: TuneIn Radio

Betting Line: Oregon State -22.5 on FanDuel

The Definition of a Must-Win Game

The Beavers' 0-7 record speaks for itself as to how poorly their season has gone to this point. Decent expectations entering the season have plummeted to near-desperation in just getting that first win on the record. A Week 8 game against an FCS opponent before the first of two Pac-12 matchups after the bye week offers them easily their best chance at a win so far.

Oregon State simply needs to show any signs of life. The improvement that was seemingly made during a pair of productive losses was immediately silenced with the team's 39-14 blowout loss to Wake Forest. Little has been established in the way of consistency so far, and to even think about salvaging a lost season must begin with marking the first tally in the victory column this Saturday.

Leopards Are Far From a Pushover

While FCS Lafayette is easily the Beavers' best on-paper chance at getting said first win, they can't afford to play down against a productive team in the Leopards. The leader of the Patriot League has been an offensive juggernaut through seven games, led by quarterback Dean DeNobile's 1,587 yards and 11 touchdowns, as well as running back Kente Edwards' nearly 600 yards and 10 scores on the ground.

Their defense has been similarly effective, with 16 sacks, five interceptions, and three forced fumbles headlining the unit's strong performance so far. Oregon State is, as most Power 4 teams are when compared to FCS opponents, a much better roster. Playing down to their competition could be a fatal flaw for the Beavers if they overlook the Leopards, and the game could be much more competitive than many think it will be.

Pac-12 Primer

With Washington State on the road against #18 Virginia, the Beavers have a prime chance to generate some much-needed momentum before the two teams' first matchup in two weeks. Running back Anthony Hankerson could use a big game to get back to more of his 2024 self, and quarterback Maalik Murphy has yet to come close to the major expectations he came into the season with.

Oregon State frankly needs to dominate, plain and simple. Lafayette is among the FCS's best programs, but pales in comparison to the Beavers when looking at pure talent. With the much-anticipated conference matchups on deck in the coming weeks, this serves as a solid tune-up game for the Beavers to finally flex their muscles for the first time before they take on the Cougars.