Down Goes No. 6! Beavers Beat ASU

CORVALLIS – Quarterback Sean Mannion threw two second-half touchdown passes and Michael Doctor returned an interception 35 yards for the clinching score as Oregon State upended No. 6 Arizona State 35-27 at Reser Stadium.

It was OSU’s (5-5, 2-5 Pac-12) first victory over a ranked team since a 27-20 win over UCLA at the Rose Bowl on Sept. 22, 2012. OSU’s last win over a top-10 team was a 29-27 upset of No. 9 Arizona on Oct. 9, 2010; its last home win over a top-10 team was a 27-21 victory over No. 1 USC on Sept. 25, 2008.

Senior linebacker D.J. Alexander sacked ASU quarterback Taylor Kelly for a 13-yard loss on a 4^th-and-2 from the ASU 33-yard line with 1:10 to play to end ASU’s final drive. OSU took three knees to end the game and thousands in the crowd of 40,525 stormed the field.

Senior tailback Terron Ward (148) and junior tailback Storm Woods (125) combined for 273 rushing yards and established career-bests for their longest run as the Beavers pounded out 247 yards rushing and 498 yards of total offense. The last time two Beavers rushed for 100 yards in the same game was in the 2007 Emerald Bowl against Maryland, when Yvenson Bernard (177) and James Rodgers (115) combined for 292.

Mannion completed 19 of 33 passes for 251 yards and two touchdowns and engineered two second-half scoring drives that erased a 24-14 ASU lead. The Beavers scored 21 of the final 24 points of the game to snap a four-game losing streak.

OSU started quickly as Woods broke free for a 78-yard TD run up the middle on their second snap to give the Beavers a 7-0 lead with 11:17 left in the first quarter. It was their longest run from scrimmage since the 2002 season and their longest play from scrimmage this season.

After an ASU field goal, Ward broke free on a play similar to Woods’ and scampered 66 yards for another touchdown with 5:09 left in the quarter. It was also the longest run of his career.

The Sun Devils responded with 21 unanswered points on two Kelly TD passes and a fumble return to surge ahead 24-14 at halftime.

Mannion’s 20-yard TD pass to Victor Bolden drew the Beavers within 24-21 with 5:50 left in the third quarter. Another ASU field goal made it 27-21 with 12:43 to play.

Mannion then sent the Beavers ahead 28-27 with a 67-yard scoring strike to Jordan Villamin with 10:55 to play. He set the school record of 80 TD passes on that play, breaking a tie with Derek Anderson.

Ward and Woods each gained 100 yards and established career-bests for their longest run. The last time two Beavers rushed for 100 yards in the same game was in the 2007 Emerald Bowl against Maryland, when Yvenson Bernard (177) and James Rodgers (115) combined for 292.

The Beavers play their final road game of the season at Washington on Saturday, starting at 7:30 p.m. at Husky Stadium. It will be televised by Pac-12 Networks.

For more information on the Oregon State football team, follow the club’s official Twitter accounts at Twitter.com/@OSUBeaversFB and Twitter.com/@Coach_Riley.