Beavs run over in loss

MUCH WAS MADE of the jumbo-sized BYU defensive line in the lead up to this game but it was the BYU offensive line that spelled the difference in this one. Oregon State had already given up 206 rushing yards by the end of the third quarter and the Beavs’ passing defense didn’t fare a whole lot better in the 38-28 loss.

Still, it was a close game well into the fourth quarter.

Oregon State went away from the running game early, though they seemed to have some measure of early success with Jovan Stevenson and Malcolm Agnew. Sean Mannion found WR Markus Wheaton repeatedly in the first half. It was Brandin Cooks, however, who hauled in Mannion’s 59-yard TD pass in the third quarter -- but OSU surrendered the hard gained momentum on the ensuing BYU drive.

Oregon State coughed up the ball twice in the third quarter, once deep in BYU territory and another time deep within the shadow of their own goal line. But they gave up only three points off those turnovers and it was still 24-21, in BYU’s favor, early in the fourth quarter.

But BYU converted one of many third downs on the day on their drive, finding a wide open receiver on third-and-goal and pushing the margin to 31-21 with 10:38 left.

Mannion found James Rodgers twice on the Beavs’ next drive, pushing the ball into BYU territory. But a second missed field goal by Trevor Romaine with 7:09 left was the last gasp.

BYU methodically drove into the end zone, with the final blow coming on a third-and-four pass where BYU’s receiver was again wide open in the end zone. The Beavers added a touchdown with twenty-three seconds left when Stevenson ran it in from three yards out to make the final score 38-28.

But the damage was done long before that, as BYU racked up 500 yards on the day.

BYU manhandled OSU for much of the first half, pounding the ball over the left side and finding all kinds of success. BYU’s mobile QB gave OSU headaches all day long and Oregon State was stymied by too much overpursuit and an inability to wrap up. But somehow, the scoreboard didn't really reflect the difference between the teams' performances.

Jordan Poyer’s 51-yard pick-6 helped OSU tie the game 14-14. It was one of seven combined turnovers on the day, four by OSU and three by BYU.

We’ll have more coverage later on…