Go Beavs: An Oregon State Dynasty

[Emac78]

Stanford (1-7) at Oregon State (4-2)

Corvallis, OR - Stanford head coach Jim Harbaugh started this one off aggressively, going for it on fourth down and inches near midfield. Cardinal HB Toby Gerhart took a toss to the right, and broke a tackle for a nine-yard gain. Though the Beaver defense would bend but not break in the red zone forcing Stanford to an early field goal to give the Cardinal the early lead 3-0. The OSU offense got off to an anemic start on their first possession as they were forced to punt after a three-and-out. The Beaver defense would step it up again in the red zone as DL Brennan Olander shot through the gap sacking Stanford QB#13 on a fourth down attempt leaving Stanford with only three points on two red zone opportunities.

Finally in the second quarter, the OSU offense struck as HB Jeremy Francis fought his way into the endzone from one yard out to put the Beavers on top 7-3. Disaster would strike for Stanford when QB#13 went down holding his shoulder after an option run. QB#13 left and the diagnosis was a strained shoulder that will likely sideline him for four weeks. Not long after the injury, the new quarterback Alex Loukas came in and threw a red zone interception to OSU FS James Dockery. However the Beaver offense was still sputtering and Stanford would get a last minute field goal to make it an umimpressive 7-6 lead for Oregon State at halftime.

Stanford would attempt a 49-yard field goal early in the third quarter but it fell short of the cross-bar. Oregon State QB Sean Canfield would counter back with an 11-yard touchdown pass to slot WR Shane Morales who made a spectacular diving catch to put the Beavers ahead 14-6.

OSU WR Shane Morales with a spectacular diving catch in the endzone.

Stanford would counter back quickly with an impressive drive mainly on the legs of HB Toby Gerhart who would score when Loukas threw a swing pass to the tailback. The pass was actually thrown backwards so it was considered a lateral that Gerhart took in for a three-yard touchdown. All that Stanford needed to tie was a two-point conversion. On the attempt, Gerhart took the handoff and was stopped by OSU LOLB#6 at the goalline allowing the Beavers to keep the lead 14-12.

Beaver LOLB#6 stuffs Stanford HB Toby Gerhart on the two-point attempt.

An unlikely player would break the game open for the Beavers when FB Ryan McCants took a third-and-one handoff to just get the first down. McCants found a huge hole, cut to the outside and showed impressive speed taking it to the house for a 55-yard touchdown giving the Beavers a 21-12 lead. "We might have to rethink the way we use McCants in our gameplan. He clearly has a burst and you might see him get some more short yardage carries," OSU head coach Mike Riley said after the game referring to McCants.

OSU FB Ryan McCants breaks the game open with a 55-yard touchdown run.

The big run seemed to give OSU the momentum they needed as Stanford QB Alex Loukas did not perform well under the pressure as he would finish the game with a total of five interceptions. OSU CB David Ross would get an interception. Then SS Cameron Collins would make a pick of his own. The Collins interception set up a ten-yard touchdown run for HB Jeremy Francis putting OSU up 28-12. The next interception would be a pick-six by CB Tim Clark to make it an insurmountable 35-12 lead. Even freshman SS Scott Bryant got some action with an interception of his own when the Beavers had all their backups in the game. The Beavers started out slow but finished strong against a team they were suppose to beat as they rolled over the Cardinal 35-12. Oregon State will need to play better next week as they will travel to Los Angeles to take on the Trojans.

Stanford 12

QB Loukas: 24-37, 177 yds, 5 int
HB Gerhart: 22 car, 119 yds, 7 rec, 33 yds
WR Baldwin: 6 rec, 71 yds

Oregon State 35

QB Canfield: 17-21, 144 yds, td
HB Francis: 20 car, 79 yds, 2 td, fl
TE Miller: 5 rec, 52 yds
MLB Kristick: 11 tkl, tfl, defl
CB Clark: 7 tkl, int, defl, td

[Emac78]

[b][size=+2]Week 10 Games of the Week[/size][/b]

#10 Auburn 24
#9 Georgia 28

#23 Iowa 17
#1 Ohio State 28

Miami 31
#21 Virginia Tech 23

[b][size=+2]Injury Report[/size][/b]

QB Matthew Stafford (Georgia) - fractured patella, out for season

[b][size=+2]BCS Rankings[/size][/b]

1 Ohio State 8-0 (21 game winning streak)
2 Oklahoma 8-0
3 Clemson 8-0
4 Virginia 8-0
5 TCU 9-0
6 Pittsburgh 8-0
7 Florida State 8-1
8 USC 6-1
9 Georgia 7-1
10 Texas Tech 9-1

[b][size=+2]Heisman Race[/size][/b]

QB Taylor Potts (Texas Tech)
WR Michael Crabtree (Texas Tech)
WR Jeremy Maclin (Missouri)
QB Josh Freeman (Kansas State)
QB Joe Bauserman (Ohio State)

[Emac78]

Oregon State (5-2) at #10 USC (6-1)

Los Angeles, CA - Despite losing an early game to Nebraska, the Trojans are still on top of the Pac-10 and still in the thick of things in the BCS picture. Oregon State has not defeated USC in Los Angeles since 1960 so it would appear that the Trojans would walk away with another easy win. The Trojans would also be looking to avenge that last second loss to Oregon State in Corvallis last seson.

It looked good for the Trojans early as on the first play from scrimmage HB Joe McKnight was able to take a rush offtackle where he bounced outside, broke a tackle, and raced downfield for a 55-yard gain right out of gates. The next play saw McKnight run through a gaping hole for an easy 11-yard touchdown. USC freshman K Mike Jackson would shank the PAT as the Trojans were up 6-0.

OSU QB Sean Canfield did not handle the pressure well as he threw into coverage where the ball was picked off by USC MLB#39. The turnover would set up a field goal which Jackson put through the uprights to give USC a 9-0 lead. Just as it seemed it could not get any worse for the Beavers, LT#64 went down awkwardly and the replay showed what was clearly a major injury to the leg. It was one of those replays you had to look away from as it was quickly diagnosed as a broken femur which would put the offensive lineman out for the season. OSU was able to manage a 43-yard field goal to put the Beavers on the board down only 9-3.

The Trojans put the ball in the hands of McKnight where the talented tailback took a toss for a 28-yard gain. It looked like the Trojans were about to blow the game open but then QB Mitch Mustain threw into coverage where OSU SS Cameron Collins made the interception. Unfortunately, the Beavers were unable to cash in on the turnover as Canfield threw to WR Shane Morales over the middle of the field where the receiver dropped the well thrown ball. The ball landed in the hands of USC MLB#39 for his second interception of the first quarter.

Despite USC seemingly dominating the game, the Beavers were sticking around as Oregon State was able to manage a 52-yard field goal to make it 9-6 USC. Just when the Trojans needed a big play they got it from McKnight as the playmaker ran through the hole, made a spin move, then stiff-armed a defender to the ground and then took it the distance for a 46-yard touchdown run. The highlight run put USC up 16-6.

USC HB Joe McKnight stiff-arms a defender on his way for a 46-yard touchdown run.

It looked like the game was about to become a blowout but the Beavers did not go belly up as Canfield led a brilliant drive down the field. The drive was finished off with a playaction to HB Jeremy Francis where Canfield threw a swing pass to FB Ryan McCants who broke a tackle in the backfield and took it in for a two-yard touchdown reception keeping the Beavers in the game down only 16-13 going into halftime.

OSU FB Ryan McCants takes the swing pass from Canfield in for a touchdown.

USC was unable to put away the Beavers in the third quarter as the OSU defense stepped up and Trojan QB Mitch Mustain was inconsistent. OSU FS James Dockery would pick off Mustain which set up a 45-yard field goal attempt which was missed.

Going into the fourth quarter, Canfield was able to lead a decent drive taking advantage of his TE Gabe Miller who was having a career game. Miller would finish the game with nine receptions for 111 receiving yards. The drive would stall setting up a 27-yard field goal to tie the game 16-16.

USC head coach Pete Carroll was able to get Mustain composed as the Trojan offense was able to march down the field but the Beaver defense stepped up and stopped the vaunted Trojan offense when it needed to setting up a go ahead 30-yard field goal but the USC freshman kicker Mike Jackson would shank it wide right badly.

OSU QB Sean Canfield had less than two minutes to lead the team down the field into field goal range and that is just what the senior QB did as he found Morales and Miller on consecutive plays that put OSU in field goal range. OSU head coach Mike Riley was content to use up as much time on the clock and win the game with a field goal. A few runs up the middle by Francis and a timeout with two seconds left OSU K Justin Kahut to attempt a 33-yard field goal but Pete Carroll called a timeout to ice the kicker so Kahut would have to think about the kick he would have to make. It was only last year in Corvallis that Kahut had made the game winning kick over USC. Now he was put in that same position.

Oregon State lined up, the ball was snapped, the hold was good and Kahut booted the ball perfectly between the uprights. The Beavers would celebrate a huge upset over USC and break the long losing streak to USC in Los Angeles winning 19-16. Mike Riley was exuberant at the end of the game saying, "This is a huge win for the Beavers. USC is a tremendous team but we just kept fighting and fighting...and that's what I told these guys at halftime. Just keep fighting and we'll see what happens. I'm so proud of these kids. Big, big win for the Beavers!"

OSU K Justin Kahut kicks the game winning 45-yard field goal.

Oregon State 19

QB Canfield: 30-43, 288 yds, td, 2 int
HB Francis: 24 car, 57 yds, 8 rec, 62 yds
TE Miller: 9 rec, 111 yds
FS Dockery: 6 tkl, int, 2 defl

USC 16

QB Mustain: 14-25, 153 yds, 2 int
HB McKnight: 20 car, 199 yds, 2 td, 4 rec, 73 yds
MLB MLB#39: 7 tkl, tfl, 2 int

[Emac78]

[b][size=+2]Week 11 Games of the Week[/size][/b]

[b]Oregon State[/b] 19
#10 USC 16

#8 Texas Tech 14
#14 Texas 24

Texas A&M 28
#17 Missouri 10

#7 Florida State 24
#3 Clemson 28

#20 Wisconsin 31
Purdue 34

Georgia Tech 31
#4 Virginia 24

[b][size=+2]BCS Rankings[/size][/b]

1 Ohio State 9-0 (22 game winning streak)
2 Oklahoma 9-0
3 Clemson 9-0
4 TCU 10-0
5 Pittsburgh 9-0
6 Georgia 8-1
7 Florida 9-2
8 Bowling Green 9-0
9 LSU 8-1
10 Texas 8-2
22 [b]Oregon State[/b] 6-2

[b][size=+2]Heisman Race[/size][/b]

WR Michael Crabtree (Texas Tech)
QB Taylor Potts (Texas Tech)
QB Joe Bauserman (Ohio State)
QB Josh Freeman (Kansas State)
HB Noel Devine (West Virginia)

[Emac78]

Recruiting News

Oregon State Commitments

QB Bryan Rossner (JuCo) 5* #1
Nanakuli, HI
Committed: Oregon State

The top quarterback prospect out of junior college in Hawai'i, Bryan Rossner committed to Oregon State after the upset win over USC. Rossner is considered one of those gifted mobile quarterbacks with a good arm and good accuracy. It will be interesting to see how Mike Riley uses Rossner as OSU uses more of a pro-style offense. "We think he will fit into our system well. I'm looking forward to having a chance to work with him," Riley said at a news conference this week.

CB Mike Mayes 5* #4
Daly City, CA
Committed: Oregon State

Five star CB Mike Mayes from Daly City, California also committed with Oregon State this week. Mayes has great awareness and quickness. "I love the way the Beavers play defense. They rack up a bunch of interceptions and keep the cornerbacks on an island which allows me to showcase my skills," Mayes said when asked why he decided to join Oregon State.

Vistiting Oregon State

QB Justin Rust 4* #21
Santa Clara, OR
Top Schools: Alabama, Oregon State, Texas

Commitments to Other Schools

MLB Mark Mansfield 4* #10
Glendale, AZ
Committed: Nebraska

G Shane Sanders 4* #15
San Jose, CA
Committed: UCLA

[Emac78]

Washington (4-6) at Oregon State (6-2)

Corvallis, OR - After last week's upset over the Trojans, the Beavers have shaken up the landscape of the Pac-10 and now find themselves at number 22 in the latest BCS rankings. Now it was time to prove whether the Beavers were for real or just pretenders that got lucky against a superior team that failed to show up. If Oregon State was for real they would be able to take care of the Huskies. For Washington head coach Tyrone Willingham, it would be another must win since he is again on the hot seat in Seattle.

Neither teams started off well as both the Beavers and Huskies did well between the twenties but failed to get into the endzone. Both teams traded field goals to a score of 6-6 midway into the second quarter. Finally OSU QB Sean Canfield ended the monotany as he threw a perfect pass in the corner of the endzone to WR Darrell Catchings who made the catch for a 23-yard touchdown giving the Beavers a 13-6 lead that they would take into halftime.

OSU QB Sean Canfield throws a perfect pass to WR Darrell Catchings in the corner of the endzone.

Willingham must have fired up his defense at halftime because they came out fired up pressuring Canfield. The senior quarterback was forced to scramble where he was drilled in the open field, losing the ball which was recovered by the Huskies. The Husky offense took advantage of the turnover as Washington QB Jake Locker was pressured out of the pocket and scrambled, breaking containment. Then the talented athlete broke a tackle where OSU S James Dockery was the last defender to stop Locker. Dockery tried to bring down Locker but the strong quarterback dragged Dockery with him on his way into the endzone tieing the game 13-13 on the 25-yard touchdown scramble.

Husky QB Jake Locker drags OSU S James Dockery on his way into the endzone for a 25-yard touchdown scramble.

Oregon State would respond by tacking on a 43-yard field goal to put OSU ahead 16-13. Locker would make a big mistake throwing to what he thought was an open receiver but OSU CB David Ross made the interception setting up the Beavers with excellent field position. On the ensuing drive, the Beavers would find themselves with a fourth-and-goal at the one-yard line where FB Ryan McCants powered his way in for the touchdown making it 23-13 going into the fourth quarter.

The Huskies would counter though as they marched right down the field. It was clear that the Beaver defense was struggling to stop the Huskies. Locker would finish off the drive throwing a laser over the middle to WR#16 for a 24-yard touchdown making it a game down only 23-20.

Husky QB Jake Locker throws a laser to WR#16 for a 24-yard touchdown.

On the next possession for Oregon State, Canfield was under tremendous pressure and was sacked on third down forcing the Beavers to punt from deep inside their own side of the field which gave Washington great field position. The Huskies quickly took advantage as Locker took an option outside where containment was broken and made the pitch at the perfect time to WR#16 who walked into the endzone on the 12-yard touchdown run stunning Reser Stadium as the Huskies were now ahead 27-23.

The Beavers needed a prayer as they found themselves near midfield on fourth-and-11 with only 1:24 left in the game and needed to score a touchdown. That is when Canfield found TE Gabe Miller in man coverage over the middle where the tightend made the catch for a 21-yard gain. The next play saw Canfield connect with WR Shane Morales for a 14-yard gain where Canfield called timeout. A six-yard run by HB Jeremy Francis and a seven-yard pass to WR Kyle Brown set the Beavers up with a first-and-goal at the two-yard line with :28 left in the game. Timeout was called and Francis took the handoff, made a nice cut to the left and queezed through for a two-yard touchdown run to give OSU the 30-27 lead with very little time on the clock.

OSU HB Jeremy Francis gets into the endzone on an impressive goalline run to put the Beavers on top with very little time left.

On the ensuing kickoff, the Beavers decided to kick the ball away from the kick returner and OSU K Justin Kahut kicked the ball high into the air where Husky HB#28 was forced to make the return. HB#28 made his way upfield, received some tremendous blocks where he found a seam, and made his way out of the pack taking it the distance to the house for an unbelievable 72-yard kick return giving Washington the lead 34-30 with only :16 left.

Unlikely kick returner Husky HB#28 finds a seam and is gone for an unbelievable 72-yard kick return for a touchdown.

A good return by Catchings set the Beavers up close to midfield but with only time for one play. Canfield threw up a prayer that was knocked down and the Huskies celebrated an unbelievable win in front of a stunned Reser Stadium.

OSU head coach Mike Riley after the game, "This is one of the craziest losses I can remember. It just shows you that you have to keep playing the full sixty minutes. The Huskies played a tremendous game and Locker is a great quarterback. They really played well and deserve the win." When asked about the special teams decision of kicking it high and short Riley responded, "Maybe we were outthinking ourselves but it really comes down to execution. If we get off the blocks and make a tackle, we're likely talking about a victory for the Beavers."

That might be the case but it was a very tough loss for the Beavers. It will be interesting to see how the Beavers respond in their next game.

Washington 34

QB Locker: 17-28, 215 yds, td, int, 12 car, 28 yds, td
HB Johnson: 10 car, 48 yds
WR WR#16: 4 rec, 65 yds, td, 1 car, 12 yds, td
OLB Butler: 8 tkl, 4 tkl, 3 sk, defl

Oregon State 30

QB Canfield: 24-36, 250 yds, td, fl
HB Francis: 17 car, 81 yds, td
WR Catchings: 3 rec, 61 yds, td
SS Collins: 9 tkl, tfl, defl

[Emac78]

[b][size=+2]Week 12 Games of the Week[/size][/b]

#10 Texas 21
#3 Clemson 42

#22 Iowa 20
Wisconsin 56

#18 Tennessee 34
Kentucky 40 (OT)

#2 Oklahoma 42
#14 Texas Tech 46

Virginia Tech 31
#11 Virginia 24

#20 Indiana 26 (OT)
Minnesota 20

[b][size=+2]BCS Rankings[/size][/b]

1 Ohio State 10-0 (23 game winning streak)
2 Clemson 10-0
3 TCU 10-0
4 Pittsburgh 9-0
5 Bowling Green 10-0
6 Georgia 9-1
7 Florida 9-2
8 Oklahoma 9-1
9 LSU 9-1
10 Texas Tech 10-2

[b][size=+2]Heisman Race[/size][/b]

WR Michael Crabtree (Texas Tech)
QB Taylor Potts (Texas Tech)
QB Joe Bauserman (Ohio State)
QB Josh Freeman (Kansas State)
HB C.J. Spiller (Clemson)

[Emac78]

Arizona (5-5) at Oregon State (6-3)

Corvallis, OR - Arizona Wildcat headcoach Mike Stoops is again on the hotseat and this would be another game that Stoops would need if he wants to keep his job. Oregon State is dealing with a wild ride of emotions after upsetting the Trojans but then stumbling in the closing seconds to lose to the Huskies. The Beavers needed a win here as the next games are against Oregon and BYU. It will be tough for Oregon State to get a win against both teams so this is one the Beavers really needed.

The first drive for OSU was quite impressive but unfortunately was brought to an abrupt end when WR Darrell Catchings fumbled the ball away to the Wildcats. Fortunately, the Beaver defense was able to stop Arizona to a three-and-out and OSU QB Sean Canfield led the team downfield with a balanced offensive attack. The drive would be finished off with a one-yard touchdown run by HB Jeremy Francis to put the Beavers up 7-0.

The Wildcats countered back with an impressive 56-yard field goal by K Alex Zendejas that cleared the crossbar with a lot of room left. The incredible kick made it 7-3 OSU going into the second quarter. OSU K Justin Kahut would not be so lucky as he kicked a 42-yard field goal attemp off the upright. Later, OSU QB Sean Canfield tried to connect with Catchings deep over the middle of the field but Arizona CB Mike Turner was there to make the interception. It would not take long for the Wildcats to capitalize on the turnover as QB Bryson Beirne found WR Terrell Reese on a curl route where OSU CB Tim Clark and SS Cameron Collins were unable to make a tackle as Reese was able to take it to the house for a 46-yard touchdown. The big play by Reese put Arizona on top 10-7.

Arizona WR Terrell Reese breaks two tackles including this poor tackling attempt by OSU SS Cameron Collins
on his way to the house for a 46-yard touchdown reception.

The Beavers looked like they would respond with a scoring drive until Canfield was forced to scramble inside the red zone where he decided to dive instead of slide and lost control of the ball as he dove into a crowd of Wildcat defenders. Arizona easily recovered the ball and OSU would find themselves down 10-7 at halftime.

As the second half started, the Beaver defense was back on their heels trying to keep Arizona out of the endzone. The defense was able to bend but not break as the Wildcats were forced to kick a field goal in the red zone after a 15-play drive to give Arizona a 13-7 lead. On the ensuing drive for Oregon State, Canfield was lit up in the pocket and had to leave the game temporarily. The backup QB Lyle Moevao entered the game and on his first pass attempt threw an ill-advised pass in coverage that standout CB Devin Ross easily picked off. After the turnover, the Wildcats marched right down the field and scored on a four-yard touchdown run by HB Nicolas Grigsby who shredded a LOLB#6 attempt to put Arizona ahead 20-7 going into the fourth quarter.

Oregon State continued their futility on offense though Canfield did return and Arizona continued its success on offense as Bierne found HB Xavier Smith in the red zone who made his way into the endzone for an 8-yard touchdown connection putting the Wildcats up big 27-7. It really appeared hopeless at this point for the Beavers and crowd in Reser Stadium started filing out. Canfield marched his team right down the field quickly where inside the red zone, on a fake fly sweep to the slot reciever, Canfield rolled out to his left and could not find anybody open. The not so quick quarterback decided to scramble to the pylon where he was drilled at the goalline crossing through the endzone to make it a game again. The Beavers now only found themselves behind 27-14.

OSU QB Sean Canfield with a rare rushing touchdown.

The possiblitity of a comeback was shortlived as Arizona completely put the game away when HB Nicolas Grigsby on a toss to the right broke containment for a big gain down the sideline where none of the Beaver defenders were able to make a tackle as there was some very bad angles taken and some pathetic tackling attempts as Grigsby raced into the endzone for a 47-yard touchdown putting Arizona up 34-14.

Arizona HB Nicolas Grigsby puts the game away with a 47-yard touchdown scamper.

Canfield was able to pad his stats as he found TE Gabe Miller for a last minute touchdown making it 34-21. The game would end with a last minute kick return for a touchdown by Arizona CB Devin Ross as the Wildcats added a final insult in a 41-21 victory over the Beavers.

Arizona 41

QB Beirne: 18-23, 227 yds, 2 td
HB Grigsby: 7 car, 64 yds, 2 td, 3 rec, 30 yds
WR Reese: 4 rec, 77 yds, td
CB Turner: 14 tkl, tfl, int, 2 defl, ff

Oregon State 21

QB Canfield: 30-42, 236 yds, td, int, rushtd, fl
HB Francis: 23 car, 78 yds, td
WR Catchings: 9 rec, 86 yds, fl
TE Miller: 9 rec, 69 yds, td

[Emac78]

[b][size=+2]Week 13 Games of the Week[/size][/b]

#6 Georgia 10
#22 Georgia Tech 17

#12 Florida State 37 (OT)
#8 Florida 31

#14 USC 42 (OT)
#11 Arizona State 35

[b][size=+2]BCS Rankings[/size][/b]

1 Ohio State 11-0 (24 game winning streak including a 63-14 win over Mich.)
2 Clemson 11-0
3 TCU 11-0
4 Pittsburgh 10-0
5 Bowling Green 11-0
6 Oklahoma 10-1
7 LSU 10-1
8 Florida State 10-2
9 USC 8-2
10 Texas Tech 10-2

[b][size=+2]Heisman Race[/size][/b]

WR Michael Crabtree (Texas Tech)
QB Taylor Potts (Texas Tech)
HB C.J. Spiller (Clemson)
QB Joe Bauserman (Ohio State)
HB Noel Devine (West Virginia)

[b][size=+2]Pac-10 Standings[/size][/b]

1 #10 USC: 8-2, 7-1
2 #17 Arizona State: 9-2, 6-2
3 Washington State: 8-3, 6-3
4 Cal: 7-4, 5-3
5 Arizona: 6-5, 4-4
6 Oregon State: 6-4, 4-4
7 Oregon: 5-6, 3-5
8 UCLA: 5-6, 3-5
9 Washington: 5-7, 3-6
10 Stanford: 1-10, 0-8

[Emac78]

Recruiting News

WR Bill Faaeteete 4* #20
Central Point, OR
Committed: Oregon State

Four star WR Bill Faaeteete from Central Point, Oregon has committed with the Beavers. The Oregon native is considered a possession receiver standing at 6'3" and decided on OSU over USC despite being heavily recruited by the Trojans.

[Emac78]

Civil War
Oregon State (6-4) at Oregon (5-6)

Eugene, OR - The season is winding down and it is already time for the Civil War. Both teams have underachieved this season but both coaches can make it a successful campaign if they could win against their rival. The Beavers were coming into Autzen reeling from a tough loss to Washington and a blowout loss to Arizona. The Ducks needed this win just to make it a .500 season. Winter is here in the Willamette Valley as there was substantial snowfall that would seemingly lead to an old fashioned slugfest one would think. Not so fast.

Oregon State appeared to be effected by the noise of one of the loudest stadiums in the nation and the cold as they achieved an unimpressive three-and-out on their first possession. On the other side, the Ducks easily marched right down the field and scored when QB Nate Costa on the run connected with TE Ed Dixon from two yards out to put the Ducks up 7-0 early. On the ensuing kickoff, OSU kick returner Kyle Brown was lit up by the true freshman SS Victor Owens causing a fumble which the Ducks recovered. The Beaver defense did make a stand forcing a Duck field goal and the Beavers were already down 10-0.

OSU kick returner Kyle Brown is jacked up by Duck SS Victor Owens for an early turnover.

OSU QB Sean Canfield would not help matters when he threw into coverage for an easy Duck interception. It would not take long for the Ducks to take advantage of the turnover as HB Andre Crenshaw on a little option run, broke a tackle, made a nice juke move, slipping through another tackle, and was in the end zone for an 11-yard touchdown run to put Oregon ahead 17-0.

Duck HB Andre Crenshaw takes the option pitch and breaks a couple tackles on his way to the end zone.

Just when it could not get any worse for the Beavers, Canfield threw an off target pass over the middle to TE Gabe Miller that was way too far in front where it was picked off. Not long after the third OSU turnover, Costa found WR#6 on a short pass over the middle where the receiver broke an OSU FS James Dockery tackle, did a spin move, and was in for six on the 24-yard connection. The Ducks were already making it look ugly, making it 24-0.

Oregon WR#6 celebrates another Duck touchdown.

The ensuing possession for the Ducks would see Costa throw a slant to WR#6 who was unable to be tackled and just took it 92-yards to the house putting the Ducks up huge 31-0 as the first quarter came to an end.

Oregon WR#6 is untackled and left to run free for a 92-yard touchdown.

Autzen Stadium was rocking as the second quarter started and the Duck defense was shutting down the sluggish Beaver offense. OSU thought they might finally hold the Ducks to a punt but Oregon head coach Mike Belotti called a fake punt where the up-back got the snap and converted the first down. However the Ducks were forced to a 45-yard field goal attempt that was missed. It was the first possession for the Ducks where they did not score.

Finally, the Beavers got something going on offense when Canfield found his favorite receiver, TE Gabe Miller on post for a 36-yard gain. The big gain through the air would set up a 48-yard field goal to put the Beavers on the board down 31-3. Costa finally made a mistake when he threw an interception to OSU CB Tim Clark which set up another OSU field goal to make it a 31-6 lead for the Ducks at halftime.

The Beavers would need a miracle to have any chance to make a comeback. If they were to have any chance, the defense would have to play a lot better and it had to be discouraging for Beaver fans when Costa threw a simple slant to WR Dion Jordan where none of the Beaver defenders could make a tackle. This was becoming an epidemic for the Beavers as Jordan broke the terrible tackling attempts on his way to the house for a 64-yard touchdown essentially ending any Beaver comeback. The Ducks now took a 38-6 lead and Autzen was electrified.

Oregon WR Dion Jordan also is allowed to run free for a 64-yard touchdown.

The Beavers played no better than the first half as Canfield threw another interception to MLB Casey Matthews as the pressure was starting to get to the senior. The interception set up a 20-yard chip shot for the Ducks to put Oregon up 41-6. The Beaver offense just could not get anything going on offense as the coverage for the Ducks was superb and the pressure by the defensive line was starting to get home. Especially DE Kenny Rowe who finished the game with three sacks.

On the Ducks' ensuing possession, Costa hooked up with Jordan again where the Beavers again could not make the tackle, letting Jordan run free again for another touchdown to make it a 48-6 lead. It was time to party in Eugene as Autzen started emptying out. The Beavers would have their best drive of the game in the fourth quarter when they were able to finish off a 15-play drive finsihed off with a one-yard touchdown run by FB Ryan McCants to make it a little more respectable down 49-13. The final score would wind up being 55-13 as the Ducks obliterated the Beavers in one of the more lopsided scores in the Civil War. It will not get any easier for Oregon State as they will travel to Utah to take on heavily favored BYU next week.

Oregon State 13

QB Canfield: 14-23, 146 yds, 3 int
HB Francis: 18 car, 54 yds
TE Miller: 8 rec, 100 yds
CB Clark: 4 tkl, int, defl

Oregon 55

QB Costa: 22-28, 421 yds, 5 td, int
WR WR#6: 11 rec, 255 yds, 2 td (Oregon single game receiving yard record)
DE Rowe: 5 tkl, 3 tfl, 3 sk

[Emac78]

[b][size=+2]Week 14 Games of the Week[/size][/b]

#24 Virginia Tech 13
#12 Georgia 38

Missouri 35
#5 Bowling Green 14

#25 USF 21
Marshall 42

#11 Auburn 38
#22 Fresno State 21

[b][size=+2]BCS Ranking[/size][/b]

1 Ohio State 12-0 (25 game winning streak)
2 Clemson 12-0
3 TCU 11-0
4 Pittsburgh 11-0
5 Oklahoma 11-1
6 LSU 11-1
7 Florida State 10-2
8 USC 9-2
9 Texas Tech 10-2
10 Georgia 10-2

[b][size=+2]Heisman Race[/size][/b]

WR Michael Crabtree (Texas Tech)
HB C.J. Spiller (Clemson)
QB Taylor Potts (Texas Tech)
QB Joe Bauserman (Ohio State)
HB Noel Devine (West Virginia)

[Emac78]

Oregon State (6-5) at #16 BYU (10-1)

Provo, UT - After a stunning upset over USC, the Beavers have been on a downward spiral, losing three games in a row and now they would get to face the No. 16 BYU Cougars. The Cougars only loss came at the hands of undefeated TCU who may very well play in a BCS bowl if not the championship if things go their way. It would be a cold, dry day with a game-time temperature of 23 degrees.

It looked like this game would go just the way as the last three when BYU HB Harvey Unqa took a simple run up the gut, bounced it outside where OSU FS James Dockery missed an openfield tackle in a shocking development. Unqa was then off to the races for a 61-yard touchdown on the first play from scrimmage to put BYU on top early 7-0.

BYU HB Harvey Unqa takes the opening play from scrimmage to the house.

This time the Beavers would actually counter back as OSU QB Sean Canfield led a methodical drive down the field with a couple passes to WR Darrell Catchings which would set up a touchdown run for HB Jeremy Francis from five yards out to tie the game 7-7. It appeared BYU would take the lead with a 49-yard field goal attempt but the kick was off target. The Beavers would fail to move the ball but were able to pin BYU at their own six-yard line. However, BYU was unphased by the terrrible field position as BYU QB#6 moved his team down the field where he threw a short pass to WR#87. OSU CB David Ross missed a tackle and then who else but Dockery would aslo miss on the tackle as WR#87 ended up taking it 51-yards to the house putting BYU back on top 14-7.

BYU WR#87 breaks two tackles for a 51-yard touchdown reception.

On the ensuing kickoff, Catchings would fumble the kick return which would set up a 45-yard field goal for BYU to give the Cougars a 17-7 lead. As the second quarter opened, OSU OLB Dwight Roberson picked off QB#6 and took it back for a pick-six to make it 17-14. BYU countered back though as QB#6 was able to finish off a drive with a goal line touchdown pass to the tightend to put BYU ahead 24-14. The Beavers would counter also as Canfield was able to lead a spectacular two-minute offense down the field where he finished it off by throwing a laser in a hole in the zone to Catchings for a 16-yard touchdown to cut the BYU lead to 24-21 at halftime.

OSU QB Sean Canfield throws a laser to WR Darrell Catchings to finish off a last minute drive to end the first half.

The Beavs continued their success at the end of first half as another methodical drive marched down the field though it was stalled in the red zone which led to a 32-yard field goal to tie the game 24-24. Now the pressure was on BYU and the Cougar faithful were quieted as the momentum seemed to be swinging toward Oregon State. OSU DT Mitchel Hunt was able to put some pressure on QB#6 and an ill-advised pass was thrown into coverage where OSU true freshman SS Scott Bryant picked it off and took it back for another Beaver pick-six but more importantly it put OSU on top 31-24.

On the ensuing possession for the Beavers, HB Jeremy Francis would score another five-yard touchdown to give Oregon State a two touchdown lead 38-24. The situation would not get any better for QB#6 as he found himself under pressure and badly underthrew a deep ball that OSU CB David Ross made the easy interception and he too was able to take it back for the third pick-six of the game for Oregon State. The last one would cement the upset as it would turn into an OSU beat-down over the Cougars to a final score of 45-24.

OSU CB David Ross with the third pick-six for the Beaver defense.

Oregon State 45

QB Canfield: 18-29, 234 yds, td
HB Francis: 21 car, 70 yds, 2 td
WR Catchings: 5 rec, 83 yds, td
CB Ross: 7 tkl, 2 int, td

BYU 24

QB QB#6: 33-46, 324 yds, 2 td, 4 int
HB Unqa: 11 car, 79 yds, td
WR WR#87: 8 rec, 117 yds, td

[Emac78]

[b][size=+2]Week 15 Games of the Week[/size][/b]

[b]Oregon State[/b] 45
#16 BYU 24

#9 USC 42
#22 Notre Dame 49

[b][size=+2]BCS Rankings[/size][/b]

1 Ohio State 12-0
2 Clemson 12-0
3 TCU 12-0
4 Pittsburgh 12-0
5 Oklahoma 11-1
6 LSU 11-1
7 Florida State 10-2
8 Texas Tech 10-2
9 Georgia 10-2
10 Auburn 10-2

[b][size=+2]Heisman Race[/size][/b]

WR Michael Crabtree (Texas Tech)
HB C.J. Spiller (Clemson)
QB Taylor Potts (Texas Tech)
QB Joe Bauserman (Ohio State)
HB Noel Devine (West Virginia)

[Emac78]

[b][size=+2]Championship Week[/size][/b]

[b][size=+1]ACC[/size][/b]
Virginia Tech 21
#2 Clemson 35

[b][size=+1]SEC[/size][/b]
#14 Florida 17
#6 LSU 20

[b][size=+1]Conference USA[/size][/b]
UTEP 17
Southern Miss 24

[b][size=+1]Big-12[/size][/b]
#12 Nebraska 12
#5 Oklahoma 44

[b][size=+1]MAC[/size][/b]
Western Michigan 27
#11 Bowling Green 33 (OT)

[b][size=+2]BCS Rankings[/size][/b]

1 Ohio State 12-0
2 Clemson 13-0
3 TCU 12-0
4 Pittsburgh 12-0
5 Oklahoma 12-1
6 LSU 12-1
7 Florida State 10-2
8 Georgia 10-2
9 Texas Tech 10-2
10 Auburn 10-2

[b][size=+2]Final Pac-10 Standings[/size][/b]

1 (14) USC: 9-3, 8-1
2 (13) Arizona State: 10-2, 7-2
3 Washington State: 9-3, 6-3
4 Cal: 7-5, 5-4
5 Arizona: 6-6, 4-5
6 Oregon: 6-6, 4-5
7 [b]Oregon State[/b]: 7-5, 4-5
8 Washington: 5-7, 3-6
9 UCLA: 5-7, 3-6
10 Stanford: 2-10, 1-8