Oregon State, eager to end worst start since '91, faces Wake Forest

Wake Forest has found its way to good results, and now Oregon State hopes it can experience some of that as the teams clash Saturday in Corvallis, Ore.

"We've done a good job every week of constantly getting better," Wake Forest coach Jake Dickert said.

Wake Forest (3-2) played its first road game of the season last week and pulled off a 30-23 victory at Virginia Tech. This will be a different challenge, with the Demon Deacons planning to arrive in Oregon on Thursday afternoon in advance of the nonconference game.

"I'm very thankful for this game just to get familiar with taking a team across the country," Dickert said. "We're going to have to do it quite often in this league (the Atlantic Coast Conference)."

The Beavers (0-6), who are beginning a stretch of four consecutive home games, are trying to find traction amid their worst start to a season since 1991.

"It's disappointing," Oregon State coach Trent Bray said. "It's not where we thought we'd be."

There is familiarity between the teams.

Dickert came to Wake Forest last December from Washington State, where he had been the head coach. The Cougars lost to Oregon State last November 41-38 in Corvallis, Ore. -- and the Beavers haven't won a game since then.

"It will be rocking in there," Dickert said. "It's going to be a tough, scrappy football team that is going to be fighting."

Bray said of Dickert, "His teams are well-coached. They play physical. They play hard, a lot like his Washington State teams."

Oregon State's quarterback is Maalik Murphy, a transfer from Duke. In his last game with the Blue Devils in November 2024, he threw a game-winning 39-yard touchdown pass on the final play against Wake Forest. He ended that contest 25 of 34 for 235 yards with the one touchdown and one interception.

This year, Murphy has thrown for more than 200 yards five times, including a 358-yard effort last week in a 27-23 loss at Appalachian State.

Oregon State has allowed at least 27 points in every game this season, though the Beavers have been close in their past two games. They fell 27-24 in overtime to Houston two weeks ago.

Bray fired special teams coordinator Jamie Christian on Sunday. Robb Akey, special assistant to the head coach, will oversee special teams.

Bray said running back Anthony Hankerson has been dealing with an ankle injury.

Wake Forest running back Demond Claiborne exited the Virginia Tech game with an injury, so that could leave the Demon Deacons with questions on offense. Without an injury report required for a nonleague game, Dickert indicated there wouldn't be an update until game day.

This will be the first meeting between the teams, and the first time the Demon Deacons will play in the state of Oregon. The matchup was added to the schedule last year after Wake Forest canceled a scheduled return game at Ole Miss.

--Field Level Media