| From an Oregon State Perspective |
Defense ignites big rally as OSU wins 44-33
Save face? Heck, Oregon State might have saved its season Saturday.
The Beavers, down and nearly out after a first-half butt-kicking by Washington State, put together a rally of the ages to beat the Cougars 44-33 before a rollicking
record Reser Stadium crowd of 42,908...more
from Kerry Eggers of the Portland Tribune.
OSU defense finally makes its case
They did it again. They gave up a bunch of points and a bundle of yards.
But this time the Beavers won anyway, matching a scrambling second-half defensive
show with more points in that second half than they had scored in each of their
past two games...more
from Bob Rodman of the Register Guard.
Beaver D comes to rescue
There was no yelling or screaming by members of the Oregon State defense in
the locker room at halftime despite an effort that made Washington State's offense
look as though it could match Southern California's point for point.
There wasn't panic either, despite being in a two-touchdown hole...more
from Chris Hansen of the Register Guard.
Beavers' victory keeps rest of the season interesting
A season saved?
Perhaps, although Oregon State's 44-33 victory over Washington State on Saturday
should serve as a prime example that nothing should ever be taken for granted.
In the wake of an out-of-nowhere comeback, those guaranteeing future success
against Arizona, Stanford and Washington should wait until the hay's safely
in the barn before buying bowl-game plane tickets...more
from Brooks Hatch of the Gazette Times.
Turning it around
There was no special halftime speech or drastic change in game plan. The Oregon
State football team's defensive players just came face-to-face with another
embarrassing loss.
After enduring two of them, they had had enough...more
from Cliff Kirkpatrick of the Gazette Times.
Hustle helps Afalava make key play
In practice, Oregon State's receivers hate the way true freshman free safety
Al Afalava never takes a down off, how he hustles, how he doesn't half-step
it, no matter how insignificant the drill might seem to be.
On Saturday, that diligence probably was the difference in the Beavers' wild
44-33 victory over Washington State at Reser Stadium. He made what teammates
and coaches said was the pivotal play in an improbable comeback that left the
Cougars stunned, and no longer unbeaten...more
from Brooks Hatch of the Gazette Times.
Secondary covers its weaknesses against WSU's Brink
The much-discussed weaknesses in Oregon State's secondary don't look as glaring
when the Beavers can pressure the passer.
And OSU definitely put heat on Washington State quarterback Alex Brink in the
second half...more
from Paul Buker of The Oregonian.
It's wait and see if OSU turnaround is for good
They could have refused to come out for the second half. When the referees came
knocking, they could have turned off the lights and hid in their lockers. With
the band playing, and fans burying their faces in their hands, Oregon State's
players could have spent the intermission digging through the locker room floor,
tunneling an escape route beneath Reser Stadium to the student parking lot,
and been home before anyone noticed...more
from John Canzano of The Oregonian.
Beavers find their defense during halftime break
For a half Saturday, Oregon State's defense couldn't do anything right.
But just when it looked as if Washington State quarterback Alex Brink might
rewrite the Cougars' record book, OSU got a crucial break:
Halftime...more
from Jim Beseda of The Oregonain.
It takes awhile, but OSU gets serious
There isn't much to say when you're trailing by 17 points with 1:46 left in
the second quarter, the other team is making you look silly, and the visiting
fans in the corner of the stadium are laughing at you.
Imagine how Oregon State felt at that point in the second quarter, well on
the way to a third consecutive blowout loss that would effectively blow the
Beavers' season out of the water...more
from Paul Buker of The Oregonian.
Beavers rally for big win
It didn't take long for Mike Hass to make amends for a rare dropped pass.
A 63-yard touchdown pass from Matt Moore to Hass with 6:50 remaining proved
to be the game-winning score Saturday against Washington State and altered the
direction of Oregon State's season...more
from Gary Horowitz of the Statesman Journal.
Piscitelli comes to the rescue
Sabby Piscitelli picked an opportune moment to score his first collegiate touchdown.
With Oregon State trailing Washington State 30-23 Saturday, Piscitelli stepped
in front of intended receiver Michael Bumpus at the Cougars' 23-yard line and
waltzed into the end zone...more
from Gary Horowitz of the Statesman Journal.
| From a Washington State Perspective |
A titanic meltdown in Pac-10 debut, 44-33
What to expect from the Cougars in their first real test of 2005? After starting
the season against three cream-puffs, that was the question of the week as WSU
prepped for its Pac-10 opener. Turns out Bill Doba had a big bag of surprises.
The 3-4 defense. Eight men in pass coverage. A flea flicker. The I-formation
and more. In the end, though, the biggest surprise of all was an epic Cougar
meltdown that allowed Oregon State to rally from a 17-point deficit to a 44-33
victory...more from
Ashley Callan of CougFan.com.
Beavers' defense comes alive
As the Oregon State football team trudged to its locker room at halftime, most
of the Beavers sneaked a peek at the scoreboard. The numbers didn't lie: The
Beavers were down 30-16 and seemed to be fading fast and heading toward a third
consecutive defeat.
But Oregon State didn't panic. The Beavers didn't make wholesale changes on
offense or defense. They simply decided to play better...more
from Steve Torcotte of the Seattle Times.
Future of Cougars football must wait after bizarre collapse
Those Cougars, they break your heart. And ruin a good story.
At halftime, I almost started writing a story about how it doesn't seem to
matter that with Oregon State's magnificent new stadium expansion, Washington
State has the smallest and worst venue in the Pac-10...more
from Blaine Newman of the Seattle Times.
Cougars crumble in Corvallis stunner
Washington State wasted some of the best offensive performances in school history
yesterday and went from devastating to devastated because of turnovers and an
injury to star receiver Jason Hill.
The Cougars led their Pac-10 opener by 17 points in the second quarter, but
that lead came apart like cheap shoes after halftime in a 44-33 loss to Oregon
State...more from Craig Smith of the Seattle Times.
OSU defense yields yards, gains momentum Beavers
make big plays down the stretch
It’s a rare day when a defense can keep a straight face as it pats itself
on the back after giving up 638 yards and allowing one of the best passing days
in Pacific-10 Conference history.
Saturday was one of those days for Oregon State as the defense
rallied the Beavers from a 17-point deficit to a 44-33 victory over Washington
State...more
from Craig Hill of the News Tribune.
WSU lets 17-point lead go to waste
It’s too simplistic to sum up Washington State’s 44-33 loss to Oregon
State on Saturday as a case of the Cougars being half good and half bad.
It’s true the Cougars blew a 17-point, second-quarter lead
and scored just one field goal in the final 30 minutes while giving 28 points.
And it’s true that quarterback Alex Brink, who set a school record with
531 yards passing, was intercepted four times in the second half...more
from Darrin Beene of the News Tribune.
Letting it slip away
They came to Oregon State hoping to prove their doubters wrong, hoping to justify
puffed-up expectations for 2005.
For 30 minutes the Cougars did just that, scoring points at will, doing enough
on defense, and racing out to a two-touchdown lead...more
from Glenn Kasses of the Spokesman Review.