A Beaver Bummer for Oregon State

What a Beaver bummer. Things have been pretty solemn around our house the last three days as my wife is an alumnus of OSU, and now one of the "Griever Nation". I should be a good husband and console her, but there isn't much to say after Oregon crushed Oregon State posting up a score that looked more like a basketball game, in the 112th Civil War Game, 65-38 this past weekend. It was a perfect day for football in Corvallis, almost as perfect as a crisp January day in Pasadena.

Injured Oregon State running back, and PC 10 leading rusher, Jacquizz Rodgers, watched hopelessly on the sideline as the Ducks battered the Beavers, silencing Reser Stadium's record crowd of 46,319.

Oregon jumped out in front on 17-yard Jeff Maehl TD reception and then a Ducks 38-yard field goal. Oregon State answered back as WR Jeremy Francis caught a short pass from QB Jeremiah Moevao, and rumbled his way into the end zone for a 20-yard scoring reception to make it 10-7. But Oregon answered on the next series with a LeGarrette Blount 9-yard touchdown run.

Ducks kicker Morgan Flint added a 22-yard field goal to put Oregon ahead 20-7. Oregon State Kicker Justin Kahut missed an embarrassing 21-yard field goal for the Beavers, but made a 24-yarder on Oregon State's next drive. After a Flint 25-yard field goal, RB Jeremiah Johnson ran 83 yards for a TD and Walter Thurmond added a 40-yard interception return, making it 37-10, Ducks.

Down by 27 points, the determined Beavers would close the gap to 20 with 9 seconds left in the half on Moevao's 11-yard pass to Shane Morales. Ducks RB Jeremiah Johnson ran for 203 yards in the first half alone.

The Beavers had the ball to start the second half and further narrowed the score to 37-24 on a Moevao's 3-yard scoring pass to Joe Halahuni. Oregon QB Jeremiah Masoli then scrambled for a 14 Yd TD Run, to make the score 44-24 before the Beavers WR Shane Morales would get his second TD reception of the contest.

The Ducks would again answer back as Terence Scott turned a short reception into a 76-yard TD for a commanding 51-31 lead for Oregon to start the fourth quarter, but Moevao found Brady Camp with a 2-yard scoring pass with 8:34 left, making it 51-38. Masoli hit Ed Dickson with a 45-yard scoring pass with just under four minutes left, then Oregon finished the Beavers off with Spencer Paysinger's 70-yard interception return for a touchdown.

The 65-38 victory completes a three-game winning streak that propels Oregon into a second-place tie in the Pac-10. Perhaps just as satisfying is the fact that it spoiled the Beavers' chances of playing in the Rose Bowl.

The hopes of Oregon State returning to the Rose Bowl since their last appearance in 1964, is now riding on the slim chance that the (4-6) Bruins upset the (10-1) USC Trojans in one of college footballs biggest rivalry games this weekend in southern California. A UCLA win would put Oregon, Oregon State and USC in a 3-way tie for Rose Bowl bid. To break the 3-way tie, the 3 teams would be compared to the 4th place team, which is Cal. Oregon lost to Cal, which removes Oregon from contention. Then they simply do a tiebreaker between Oregon State and USC, and we all know who won that game.

In a more likely scenario. If USC beats UCLA, the Trojans are Rose Bowl-bound, and Oregon earns the Holiday bid and Oregon State drops all the way to the Sun Bowl. So Oregon fans are hoping that USC makes quick work of the Bruins because instead of the 2nd place bowl, Oregon would end up in the 4th place bowl should USC lose this weekends contest.

The Trojans national-title hopes officially ended when Oklahoma beat Oklahoma State this past weekend. Yet a loss to the rival Bruins would be just as devastating and would mean a trip instead to the Holiday Bowl.

For the Beavers. They didn't come up smelling like roses. Instead the roses are heading back to Los Angeles, and await the team that will wage battle against Penn State in the 2009 Rose Bowl.

However, Beaver fans are still hopeful that an upset this weekend could return them to the "Granddaddy" of Bowl games after 44 years.