[size=+3]Oregon State Football History (Part 2)[/size]
[size=+2]The Slide[/size]
As good as the Giant Killers were, many expected the 1968 Beavers to be even better. Just four of the 22 starters graduated, perhaps the biggest loss was the kicker, Mike Haggard. Another starter, Jess Lewis, did not return in 1968 because he competed for the United States on the Olympic wrestling team. A top ten team returning the vast majority of their starters did not go unnoticed. Playboy rated Oregon State as the #1 team in their season preview. The pollsters rated the Beavers #6, Oregon State's highest-ever ranking up until that time.
It would come down to the #13 Beavers traveling to the Coliseum to battle the #1 Trojans. The winner would represent the Pacific 8 in the Rose Bowl. A tie would have muddled the race. Oregon State took a 7-0 lead into the fourth quarter, but O.J. Simpson stole the show, on his way to winning the Heisman Trophy. He wound up running for 238 yards and a touchdown. Oregon State kept it close but fell 17-13.
The following weekend, the Beavers let out their frustration on the Ducks. The 41-19 win was the biggest blowout for Oregon State in the series since World War II. It also provided the Beavers their first advantage in the series (32-31-9) since they won the original Civil War in 1894. The Beavers finished #16 in the final poll. All-told, Oregon State was six points from an undefeated season. It was the closest the Beavers had come to an undefeated season since their last undefeated season in 1914 and would remain the closest until 2000. It was the third consecutive season that Oregon State finished as the runner-up in the conference to Southern California.
Despite the success, Oregon State did not receive much attention. Because they were precluded from participating in a bowl as the second-place team, most of the nation did not hear much about the team. That would change. In the off-season, Dee Andros met one of his black players, Fred Milton, on-campus. Milton had grown a Van Dyke; however, Andros had a no facial hair policy. When Milton refused to shave it off, he was kicked off the team. The Black Student Union and 4000 other students protested Andros' decision. By the time the mess had sorted itself out, two-thirds of the black players had quit the team. There were no black recruits in the 1969 recruiting class. Andros was labeled a racist in many circles and seemed unable to shake it.
In 1970, the Beavers upset #14 and undefeated Oklahoma in Norman, Oklahoma, 23-14. Steve Endicott threw three touchdown passes and the defense held the Sooners scoreless in the second half. The Beavers wound up outgaining the Sooners 450-190. The loss to Oregon State was the only non-conference home loss Oklahoma would endure in the 1970s. The Beavers also swept California, Washington State, and Oregon for the second year in a row that year to finish with a winning record. Oregon State would not sweep California, Oregon, and Washington State in the same season again for three decades.
[size=+2]The Streak[/size]
In 1971 the Beavers managed to beat the Bruins in the Coliseum, 34-17. This remains the last time Oregon State has defeated any team in the Coliseum. After stumbling to the 2-3 start, the #11 Sun Devils came to Portland, Oregon, to play the Beavers. Arizona State had not lost in more than two years, building a 21-game winning streak. The Beavers upset the Sun Devils 24-18 behind Dave Schilling's 47 carry, 157 yard, 3 touchdown performance. In the process, Schilling became Oregon State's all-time leading rusher. The victory was Oregon State's fifth consecutive victory over Arizona State. A 1914 tie with Washington, a 1933 tie with Southern California, and the 1971 victory over Arizona State meant that Oregon State had ended three of the 40 longest winning streaks in college football history.
After the win, Washington beat Oregon State 38-14. The following weekend, the Beavers hopped out to a 24-3 second quarter lead over Stanford. However, the Indians clawed back to 24-17 on two Don Bunce touchdown passes. Midway through the fourth quarter Jackie Brown bowled in from one-yard out to pull Stanford within one, but Bunce's two-point conversion pass was intercepted by Steven Brown, his fourth interception of the game. However, Stanford got the ball back and scored on another Jackie Brown scamper with 53 seconds left to win 31-24. The loss was demoralizing on two fronts. Had the season played out like it did, the win over Stanford would have earned the 6-5 Beavers a Rose Bowl invite over the 7-4 Indians. Instead, 8-3 Stanford went to the Rose Bowl and upset #4 Michigan. In addition, the loss dropped Oregon State to 3-5. Absent a tie, the Beavers would have to win out to avoid their first losing season since 1959. However, Arizona defeated Oregon State 34-22 in Tucson, Arizona. The Streak had begun. The Beavers followed up the defeat by beating the Cougars by seven. In the Civil War, Bill Cariquist would go in from six yards out with a 100 seconds left on the clock to lead the Beavers to a 30-29 victory and ensure Bobby Moore (a.k.a. Ahmad Rashad) would never see a Civil War victory. The 5-6 record would remain Oregon State's best until 1998.
From 1971-1998, Oregon State went 65-238-6, a .210 winning percentage, the lowest winning percentage of any college team in the era. Every year, the Beavers wound up with more losses than wins. From 1972-1997, between the two 5-6 seasons which bookmarked The Streak, Oregon State went 55-226-6, a .192 winning percentage, again the lowest percentage of any college team in the era. In between 1972-1997, only four Beaver teams reached the four-win mark. All four seasons came in between 1988-1994. The best season was 1988's 4-6-1 record, a .409 winning percentage.
Dee Andros' best season after 1971 was 1974's 3-8 mark, where the three Oregon State wins were against the other three Pacific 8 teams in the Northwest: Washington, Washington State, and Oregon. The Beavers would not replicate the feat for another three decades. 1975 began with an eight-game losing streak. The single win was a 7-0 victory over Washington State, fittingly the last game Andros would coach at Parker Stadium. The Cougars escaped to Albany, where a Portland sportswriter ran into Washington State's beleaguered coach, Jim Sweeney. Sweeney moaned that he had just lost to the worst football team in America. The win was the last over Washington State in Corvallis in almost two decades.
Oregon State went 2-10 in 1976. After the Beavers started 1-3 in 1977, #13 BYU came to Corvallis, Oregon. The Cougars jumped out to a 19-0 second half lead before the Beavers came storming back. After John Norman threw a 40-yard touchdown pass to Dwayne Hall, Kent Howe and Gene Dales each returned interceptions for touchdowns en route to a 24-19 Oregon State victory, which proved to be the Beavers' last in 1977.
In 1978, Arizona and Arizona State joined the Pacific Eight, becoming the Pacific Ten. Both beat Oregon State by double digits. BYU also got revenge on the Beavers with a 10-7 win. In the 35 years in between 1967 and 2002, the Beavers' two best outings east of the Mississippi both happened in 1978. They tied Tennessee in front of 82,048 Volunteer fans in sold-out Neyland Stadium, 13-13, and beat Minnesota 17-14 on the east bank of the Mississippi River in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Outside of the 1978 games against Minnesota and Tennessee, Oregon State has gone 1-21 in games played east of the Mississippi since 1967.
On the first Saturday in November, Oregon State found themselves at their own three-yard line down 31-29 to Washington State in the fourth quarter. The Beavers' Steve Smith orchestrated an 87-yard drive, which was capped off by a last second, 27-yard Kieron Walford field goal to win 32-31. The game was the last win in Pullman, Washington in more than two decades. On Veteran's Day, #9 UCLA came to Corvallis, Oregon, as 15-point favorites. With 3:08 in the fourth quarter, Walford's 36-yard field goal split the uprights for a 15-13 Beaver win. The Beaver defense did not allow a completed pass in the second half and only allowed two first downs in the final two quarters. It was Oregon State's first victory over UCLA in seven years. The win was the Beaver's third of the year, but they would lose the next two to finish 3-7-1. The win over #9 UCLA would be the Beavers' last win over a top 10 team in more than two decades. Over the next 44 games, Oregon State would go 2-41-1 on the field, a .057 winning percentage. The 3-7-1 record would be the Beavers' best for a decade.
During one three-game stretch in 1979, Oregon State lost 131-0 to Arizona State, California, and Washington. After a 24-14 home loss to San Jose State, which stretched the losing streak to nine games, Craig Fertig was told he would not return as head coach for the 1980 campaign. The following weekend, Oregon State met Stanford in Corvallis, Oregon. Stanford was tied atop the conference. Oregon State gave their all one last time for their outgoing coach. Jeff Southern scored from one yard out with 1:13 left to pull the Beavers within two. Oregon State knotted the score at 31 when Scott Richardson hit Tony Robinson for a two-point conversion. The Beavers kicked off, and Stanford's Rick Gervais fielded the ball at his two-yard line. Not realizing where he was, he downed the ball in the end zone for a safety. The 33-31 lead held up, but the Beavers lost the final three games of the season.
To fill the vacant head coaching position, Oregon State hired the offensive coordinator at Tennessee, Joe Avezzano. A coaching change only seemed to make the hole bigger. Oregon State went on probation in 1980 for using an ineligible player in 1979. Oregon State lost all eleven games in 1980. The closest game was a ten point loss to Long Beach State in Corvallis, Oregon. Moreover, Oregon State's schedule did not include the Rose Bowl champion Trojans. Thankfully, 1980's 0-11 record remains the Beaver's worst. The highlight of the season was a trip to the Mirage Bowl in Tokyo Japan. 86,000 watched #14 UCLA slaughter Oregon State 34-3. In the 17 years teams traveled across the Pacific to play in the Mirage Bowl (renamed the Coca-Cola Classic in 1986), the 31 point loss was the most any team was blown out.
At the beginning of the 1981 season, Oregon State was mired in a 14-game losing streak. In the last 24 games, the winning points in the Beavers' only victory came on a kick returning error. The first team on the Beavers' schedule was the Fresno State Bulldogs, fresh off a victory over the Ducks. Oddly, the Beavers stepped out onto the field as 15-point favorites. 28,000 turned out to see what most hoped would be Oregon State's first win in two years. Oregon State fell behind 28-0 but Oregon State would set the record for the biggest comeback in college football history at that time, winning 31-28. Although Oregon State failed to capitalize on the momentum of the Fresno State victory, they staved off what might have been a 29-game losing streak, as the one win was sandwiched between two 14-game losing streaks.
In 1982, Oregon State started 0-4, stretching the losing streak to 14. In Pullman, Washington, the Beavers managed to tie the Cougars 14-14 by kicking a field goal with 31 seconds left. Five games later, Oregon State finally won a game, 30-10 over 1-AA Montana in Corvallis, Oregon, after a bye week. It was the Beavers' first win in 20 tries and first ever game against a 1-AA team. Oregon State would drop the Civil War 7-6 to Oregon to finish 1-9-1. The Ducks' eight consecutive victories over the Beavers remains an Oregon record.
In 1983, Oregon State started 1-6, beating Division II, Portland State 51-14 in Portland, Oregon. The win was the Beavers' first road victory since their win over the Cougars 32-31 in 1978. On October 29, they met 1-6 Stanford in Corvallis, Oregon. The Beavers won 31-18. It was their first victory over a Pac-10 opponent in four years and two days. Oregon State would lose the next two games by double-digits. The 2-8 Beavers then made their way south to Eugene, Oregon, to battle the 4-6 Ducks. The Beavers and Ducks had two combined winning seasons in the previous 13, both by the Ducks. Although 1983 version of both teams were not the best, the matchup pitted the best teams, by record, in the previous three years. Oregon State dominated the first half, holding Oregon to 45 yards and one completed pass. The Ducks were unable to cross the Beavers' 49. However, Oregon State could not capitalize, turning the ball over three times in the Oregon red zone and missing 26- and 36-yard field goals.
In the second half, Oregon gained 300 yards but repaid Oregon State's first half generosity by turning the ball over three times inside the Beaver 30 and missing field goals of 20 and 50 yards. The final play of the game was perhaps the most exciting in the entire game. Oregon's Mike Owens threw a twenty-five yard pass to Kwante Hampton to the Duck 33, who lateraled to Ladaria Johnson. Oregon State's Tony Fuller was finally able to drag Johnson down at the Beaver 24. In sixty minutes, the teams combined for 16 turnovers, four missed field goals, and no points. When the gun sounded, the scoreboard read 0-0. With the advent of overtime, it will likely remain the last scoreless tie in college football history. The game has come to be known as the "Toilet Bowl." The Beavers finished with a 2-8-1 record as the Ducks finished 4-6-1.
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Joe Avezzano was fired at the end of the 1984 season. To fill Avezzano's vacated position, Athletic Director Dee Andros wanted to hire Idaho's Dennis Erickson. In 1984, the Vandals beat the Beavers 41-22. However, Andros was fired that winter. Instead, Oregon State hired Dave Kragthorpe. Kragthorpe had shown flashes of brilliance in his four years as head coach, winning a 1-AA national championship at Idaho State in 1981; however, he had not coached in a couple of years, having spent the previous two seasons as Utah State's Athletic Director. He brought the "air express" offense with him, which he had honed as the offensive coordinator at BYU.
The 1985 season started well with a win over Dennis Erickson's Idaho. The following weekend, in Portland, Oregon, Oregon State's Jim Nielsen kicked a 20-yard field goal to beat California, 23-20. The 2-0 start was the Beavers' best since the 1967 Giant Killers season. The win over California also was the last Oregon State victory in Portland, Oregon. Despite the quick start, the season quickly began to disintegrate. Oregon State lost to Fresno State 33-24. The Bulldogs would finish the season as the only undefeated team in Division 1-A and ranked #16. Over the next three weekends, Oregon State would lose to Division II Grambling, Southern California, and Washington State a combined 124-6. The Southern California and Washington State losses were by a combined 97-0. No Beaver team had ever been beaten by 97 points in two consecutive games.
As bad as things were, they looked to get worse. Oregon State's next opponent was conference-leading Washington. The Huskies had finished 1984 as the #2 team in the nation behind #1 BYU, having defeated previous #2 Oklahoma 28-17 in the Orange Bowl. Oregon State also was not at full strength. All-Pac-10 receiver Reggie Bynum and starting quarterback Eric Wilhelm were both unable to play. In Eric Wilhelm's place, freshman Rich Gonzales started. He had taken only nine snaps with the first team all year. Las Vegas made Washington 38-point favorites. But the Beavers would pull off a 21-20 upset. The loss to Oregon State kept the Huskies out of the Rose Bowl that year.
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In 1988, Oregon State lost to Arizona, running their Pac-10 losing streak to 11, but beat San Jose State. In game three, they put their three-game winning streak against California on the line. California had a 16-3 lead entering the fourth quarter. Still leading 16-6 with just over 10 minutes left, the clock ticked down...10:01, 10:00, 10:99, 10:59....Nobody seemed to notice. With 1:53 left, Erik Wilhelm found Brian Taylor for a three-yard touchdown, 16-12. Erik Wilhelm found Brian Swanson for a two-point conversion to cut the lead to 16-14. Troy Bussanich's 23-yard field goal split the uprights with 16 seconds left, 44 seconds after the game should have ended. The win snapped Oregon State's 11-game Pac-10 losing streak. It was only after the game that the clock malfunction was noticed. The game is known alternatively as "Beaver in the Sky" and the "61 Minute Game."
In 1990, Oregon State started poorly, losing their first five games, including their first ever loss to 1-AA Montana. In game six, Oregon State beat #21 Arizona 35-21. Arizona entered the game as 21 1/2 point favorites. It was the Beavers' first win over a ranked team since 1978 and their first win over Arizona since 1966. According to David Rothman, this was the greatest upset in all of college football between 1985 and 1998. The probability of Oregon State winning was 7.4%. Oregon State had nothing left in the tank afterward to pull off another monumental upset and lost their next five games. Two days after losing the Civil War 6-3, Dave Kragthorpe resigned as head coach.
To fill the empty position, Oregon State hired Northern Illinois' head coach, Jerry Pettibone. Pettibone ran a triple-option style offense, very different from Dave Kragthorpe's "air express." The Beavers' five-game losing streak in 1990 quickly mushroomed into a 15-game losing streak, Oregon State's longest ever. In the Civil War, the Ducks were favored by 19 1/2 points, but the Beavers beat the Ducks 14-3 to snap the nation's longest losing streak. Chad Paulson became the first running back to rush for more than 100 yards in a game in two years. He also threw the only touchdown pass for either team with 10:32 left in the game. The win was Oregon State's first in Eugene since 1973 and staved off a second 11-loss season.
In 1993, the Beavers finished second in the nation in rushing at 297.7 yards per game. They also only averaged 2.7 completions per game. In the offseason, Pettibone successfully recruited a blue chip option quarterback, Tim Alexander, who chose Oregon State over Nebraska and Oklahoma.
In the first four Beaver games of 1994, the home team won every game. Unfortunately for Oregon State, three of their first four games were on the road. They lost to Arizona State by six and beat Wyoming before losing to Fresno State and #6 Arizona. Against the Trojans in Corvallis, Oregon State hopped out to a 13-0 lead. Southern California responded by scoring 27 consecutive points to post a 27-13 lead. Starting quarterback Don Shanklin was injured and replaced by Tim Alexander. Alexander led the Beavers back to within 27-19. With less than eight minutes left at the Trojan 45, he took off on a 31-yard scamper but injured his left shoulder when he was tackled. He would not play another down in 1994. Three plays later, third-string quarterback, Rahim Muhammad, fumbled at the Trojan seven. It was the seventh Beaver fumble and the only one that would be recovered by the Trojans. Oregon State got the ball back and drove into Trojan territory, but Rahim Muhammad was sacked at the Trojan 44 to end the game.
On the Ides of October in the Rose Bowl, the Beavers finally won in Pasadena, California, beating UCLA, the defending Pac-10 champions, 23-14. Don Shanklin and J.J. Young each ran for more than 150 yards, piling up 428 rushing yards; Shanklin was 0-4 passing. The win was the first conference win for Oregon State outside of Oregon in five years. After the win, the Beavers lost to Stanford and Washington but rallied to beat Pacific 24-12, becoming the last Division 1-A team to throw a touchdown pass in 1994 in the process. They followed up the victory with a 21-3 win over #24 Washington State, eliminating the Cougars from Rose Bowl contention.
The Civil War offered the Beavers the chance for their first five-win season in 23 years and simultaneously eliminate another team from Rose Bowl contention, the #12 Ducks. Oregon only needed a win to travel to their first Rose Bowl in 37 years. After spotting the Ducks a 10-0 lead, the Beavers' Chris Cross recovered a blocked punt for a touchdown to cut the Ducks' lead to 10-6 at halftime. Nine minutes into the third quarter, Don Shanklin sneaked into the end zone to put Oregon State up 13-10. With less than five minutes left, the Beavers faced fourth-and-one at the Duck 30. Shanklin snuck for what appeared to be a first down, but the referees spotted the ball short. The Ducks responded by driving 70 yards in 59 seconds, scoring on a 19-yard pass with 3:43 left to take a 17-13 lead. Oregon State drove 64 yards to the Oregon 14 but turned the ball over on downs, when Shanklin's pass splashed down incomplete with 34 seconds left. In the offseason, Pettibone scrapped the wishbone in favor of the flexbone in hopes of increasing passing opportunities.
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Oregon State opened the 1995 season in Corvallis against 1-AA Idaho. The Beavers held on to win 14-7 but had more punts than first downs. Despite the close win, Oregon State gave Pettibone a contract extension through 1998. The following weekend, the Oregon State lost to University of the Pacific 23-10. It was Pacific's most lopsided victory in 1995, their final year with a football team. The following weekend in Denton, Texas, Oregon State hopped out to a 27-23 fourth quarter lead over North Texas, playing in their first home game as a Division 1-A team. The Mean Green were still looking for their first win as a Division 1-A team when North Texas' Jason Mills threw a 4-yard touchdown pass with nine seconds left. The win would be the Mean Green's only one over a Division 1-A team in 1995. Oregon State lost the next three games to Arizona State and the Washington schools. Against California, the Beavers hopped out to a 12-6 first half lead but gave up a touchdown with 6:40 left to lose 13-12. Oregon State proceeded to lose their final four games. The final two were particularly vexing, as the Trojans (Rose) and the Ducks (Cotton) each wrapped up New Years' Day bowl games. Also, with the win, the Ducks became the first home team to win the Civil War in six years.
Oregon State opened the 1996 season losing to 1-AA Montana 35-14 in Corvallis. In two road games against Southern California and Baylor, the Beavers lost a combined 88-27. At the end of September, Oregon State scored two fourth quarter touchdowns in Berkeley against California to tie the game at 35. There had never been a tie in the California-Oregon State series, and this game would be no different as the game went into overtime. The teams traded touchdowns in the first overtime. In the second overtime, the Beavers lined up for a game-winning field goal on third down at the three. The snap was low and Randy Lund's kick was blocked. Kato Serwanga picked up the ball and rumbled 71-yards before finally being dragged down. After Lund's 49-yard kick was short in the third overtime, California's Pat Barnes punched it in from three yards out for a 48-42 win. It was the first triple overtime Division 1 game.
Oregon State lost to Washington State 24-3 but beat Stanford 26-12 behind a Beaver record 11 sacks, snapping Oregon State's second 15-game losing streak. The Beavers did not build a winning streak, losing three straight to the Arizonas and Washington. Against Northern Illinois, Pettibone beat up on his old team with Oregon State posting a 67-22 victory. The 67 points were the most points the Beavers had scored in 63 years. In the Civil War, Oregon beat Oregon state 49-13. Pettibone resigned the following Monday. Oregon State hired Southern California's beleaguered offensive coordinator, Mike Riley. Riley scrapped the flexbone in favor of a pro-style offense. The most important scholarship offer in 1997 may well have been center Dustin Janz from Glendora, California. After offering Janz a scholarship, Riley invited Janz' quarterback, Jonathan Smith, to walk-on. Smith accepted the offer, redshirting in 1997.
Oregon State opened the 1997 season by scoring 27 fourth quarter points to beat North Texas 33-7. The Beavers, behind seven sacks, hopped out to a 24-20 lead over #21 Stanford, only to watch the Cardinal win on a two-yard touchdown run with 27 seconds left. Against #25 Arizona State, the defending Pac-10 champions, a 10-7 halftime lead turned into a 13-10 loss. Oregon State beat San Jose State and Utah State a combined 50-28. With the wins, the Beavers swept their non-conference slate for the first time in 40 years. The 3-2 start was also Oregon State's best since 1988, but they would lose their remaining six games. The closest loss was 48-30 to the Ducks in the Civil War. The 30 points were the most the Beavers had scored in the Civil War since 1974.
Oregon State opened the 1998 season beating both Nevada and Baylor by a combined 75-23, the Beavers' first 2-0 start since 1985 and most lopsided 2-0 start since 1935. In the Coliseum, against the #18 Trojans, the Beavers only trailed 23-20 with three minutes left, but Southern California scored 17 points in just over a minute to win 40-20. After losing to the Sun Devils 24-3 in Tempe, Arizona, the Beavers rebounded in Logan, Utah, against Utah State winning 20-16. The win was Oregon State's first away from Corvallis, Oregon, since the win in the Rose Bowl in 1994. The following weekend, the Beavers beat the Cardinal 30-23. The win was the first win over a Pac-10 foe in two years. The win was the first in Stanford Stadium since 1968. It also was Oregon State's first 4-2 start in 30 years.
After losing 28-7 to #16 Arizona, the Beavers traveled to Seattle, Washington, to play the Huskies. Oregon State had won only one game against Washington since 1974. The Beavers benched starting quarterback Terrance Bryant in favor of Jonathan Smith in the second quarter. Nevertheless, Washington hopped out to a 28-7 lead in the third quarter. However, the Beavers gnawed their way back. After a Husky punt gave the Beavers the ball at their own 22 with 30 seconds left down 35-28, Oregon State responded by going 78 yards in five plays. A 33-yard touchdown pass from Jonathan Smith to Tim Alexander ran out the final seconds in the game. Rather than kicking the extra point, the Beavers went for two, but Smith's pass to Roddy Tompkins was broken up in the end zone. Jonathan Smith's 469 passing yards were both Oregon State and Husky Stadium records. The following weekend, Oregon State lost to California 20-19.
Against #3 UCLA, Oregon State's Jose Cortez tied the game 34-34 with a 28-yard field goal with 31 seconds left, but his kickoff went out of bounds at the Bruin 39. UCLA wasted no time as Cade McNown found Brad Melsby for a 61-yard touchdown with 21 seconds left to win 41-34. UCLA extended the nation's longest winning streak to 18 games and was a questionable fumble away from being invited to play in the first BCS national championship game. The loss cemented Oregon State's 28th losing season, but they lost three consecutive games by a combined nine points.
In the Civil War, #15 Oregon took a 31-24 lead with 2:34 left, but Oregon State drove 71 yards in just over a minute. The final 30 yards was a Jonathan Smith to Tim Alexander touchdown pass. The Beavers opted to tie, rather than go for two. The game went to overtime. Oregon State scored first to take a 38-31 lead. Oregon's fourth down pass fell incomplete, and Beaver fans stormed the field. However, a pass interference penalty was called, giving the Ducks a first down, which they ultimately converted into a touchdown. Most Beaver fans who had stormed the field did not return to their seats and remained just off of the field. In the second overtime, Oregon State's defense forced a field goal. At the Oregon 16, Simonton rumbled around right end for a touchdown into the crowd ringing the field for a 44-41 victory. The 44 points scored were the most the Beavers had ever scored in the Civil War. The five wins were the most for Oregon State in 27 years. In the offseason, Mike Riley quit to coach the San Diego Chargers. Having just lost a coach to the NFL, the Beavers hired former NFL coach, Dennis Erickson.
[size=-5]
OSU HB Ken Simonton scores a 16-yard touchdown in 2 OT to give Oregon State its first five-win season since 1971.[/size]
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