Chris Barnes caught three of Deshawn Purdie’s four touchdown passes and Wake Forest blew out Oregon State 39-14, spoiling homecoming Saturday at Corvallis, Ore.
Purdie, a former Charlotte quarterback, made his first start for Wake Forest and finished 14-for-27 for 270 yards.
Demond Claiborne rushed for 144 yards on 16 carries, including a 66-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter, as the Demon Deacons (4-2) won a road game for the second week in a row.
Wake Forest was without starting quarterback Robby Ashford, who was ruled out prior to the game because of a thumb injury, but it didn’t matter as receivers continually broke free from defensive coverage.
Oregon State (0-7), at the beginning of a four-game homestand, continued its longest opening stretch of a season without a victory since 1991. The Beavers trailed 32-0 before scoring a pair of fourth-quarter touchdowns.
Quarterback Maalik Murphy, who threw a game-winning touchdown as time expired against Wake Forest last year when he played for Duke, was 13-for-30 for 130 yards and an interception. Oregon State’s touchdowns came on Cornell Hatcher Jr.’s 29-yard run and David Wells Jr.’s 4-yard reception off a pass from backup quarterback Gabarri Johnson.
Barnes scored on all three of his catches for his first receiving touchdowns of the season, racking up 102 yards. His longest scoring play came from 55 yards out in the third quarter.
The Demon Deacons led 25-0 at halftime, with the first half ending on Connor Calvert’s 43-yard field goal.
Purdie threw two touchdown passes in the opening 12 minutes, with Barnes’ 36-yard catch and Micah Mays Jr.’s 52-yard catch providing the points.
Barnes was in the back of the end zone when he collected his scoring pass less than 1 1/2 minutes into the game, while Mays was alone beyond the defense when he made his grab.
It marked the first-ever meeting between the teams.
