Oregon State
UCLA
No. 19 Oregon State Rallies To Down No. 23 UCLA, 44-38
October 21, 2000 | Football
Oct. 21, 2000
PASADENA, Calif. (AP) -
Oregon State has been the Pac-10 doormat for years.No more.
And for the first time ever, the Beavers own L.A.
Jonathan Smith passed for 351 yards and four touchdowns Saturday as No. 19 Oregon State rallied from a 10-point deficit in the fourth quarter to beat No. 23 UCLA 44-38, handing the Bruins just their third loss in their last 21 games at the Rose Bowl.
"We have not gotten any respect at all," said Beavers receiver Chad Johnson, who scored the game's first touchdown. "After this game, I think we will. I think this proves we are for real. What else would we have to do?"
UCLA was hoping to avenge a 55-7 loss at Oregon State last October - the most lopsided setback for the Bruins in 69 years - but it wasn't to be as the Beavers, who rolled up 604 yards in total offense, scored 23 points in less than nine minutes to take a 44-31 lead with 1:52 remaining.
The Bruins scored a touchdown and recovered an onside kick after that, but LaDarius Jackson sacked Cory Paus with two seconds left - his third sack of the game - on a fourth-and-4 play from the OSU 49 to seal the outcome.
"This win keeps us in the race, which is unusual for Oregon State," said Dennis Erickson, who coached the Beavers to their first winning season since 1970 last year - his first at OSU. "This is the most satisfying win at Oregon State so far for me."
OSU (6-1, 3-1 Pac-10) remained in contention for its first berth in the Rose Bowl game in 36 years, and completed a sweep of Southern California and UCLA for the first time ever. The Beavers beat the Trojans 31-21 on Sept. 30.
"We didn't think anything about beating both L.A. schools before the game," said Patrick McCall, who gained a career-high 146 yards on 23 carries. "But now, it's sweet."
Ryan Cesca kicked field goals of 32, 31 and 44 yards and Smith threw a 4-yard touchdown pass to Martin Maurer in a span of less than 5 1/2 minutes to give the Beavers a 37-31 lead with 5:07 to play.
McCall scored what proved to be the game-winning TD on a 66-yard run - three plays after Antonio Battle gained 22 yards on a third-and-21 play to keep the Oregon State drive alive.
Paus, who completed 19 of 33 passes for a career-high 363 yards and two touchdowns, threw an 18-yard scoring pass to Jon Dubravac with 1:18 left to complete the scoring.
Drew Bennett recovered the onside kick, but the Bruins (4-3, 1-3) were unable to get a first down.
"Hats off to Oregon State," UCLA coach Bob Toledo said. "They made plays when they needed to. They wore us down with their long drives. Third-down conversions were huge for them. We showed we didn't wilt during the fourth quarter. We fought back, but our defense was on the field so much and we gave up a few plays.
"We just got beat."
Paus threw a 67-yard touchdown pass to Gabe Crecion to give the Bruins a 31-21 lead with 12:45 to play, but Oregon State then took over.
Smith finished with 23 completions in 37 attempts, McCall gained 146 yards on 23 carries, and Ken Simonton picked up 100 yards on 24 carries.
Simonton, the nation's fourth-leading rusher, didn't carry the ball after losing 2 yards midway through the third quarter. Erickson said Simonton, who lost two fumbles in the first half, aggravated a hamstring injury.
"What a drastic difference in expectations from when I first got here to now," said Smith, a 5-foot-11, 198-pound junior from nearby Glendora. "Now, they 're huge."
The Bruins scored on the second play of the third quarter when linebacker Tony White tipped a pass by Smith, and redshirt freshman Mat Ball caught the deflection and ran 15 yards for a touchdown, giving them a 17-7 lead.
Smith had thrown 156 straight passes without being intercepted, and has been picked off only three times all season.
The Beavers got a touchdown less than two minutes later on a strange play. Smith threw a 7-yard completion to Maurer, but Marques Anderson jarred the ball loose. However, it popped into the arms of Robert Prescott, who ran 50 yards for a touchdown. Smith was credited with a TD pass on the play.
Akil Harris' 5-yard touchdown run gave the Bruins a 24-14 lead, but Smith threw a 13-yard scoring pass to T.J. Houshmandzadeh to trim the deficit to three points again with 4:39 left in the third period - the fourth TD of the quarter.
"They wore us down and beat us up," Anderson said. "It hurts big time when you got and play your heart out."
Smith threw an 8-yard scoring pass to Johnson to cap an 89-yard, 15-play drive on Oregon State's first possession. The touchdown extended a negative streak for the Bruins - all seven of their opponents have scored first.
UCLA responded, moving 65 yards on eight plays to tie the game 7-7. DeShaun Foster, who received medical clearance to play about an hour before the opening kickoff, scored the TD on a 2-yard run. Foster, who broke his right hand Sept. 30, gained 56 yards on 18 carries.
Chris Griffith kicked a 24-yard field goal with 44 seconds left before halftime to give UCLA a 10-7 lead.
By JOHN NADEL
AP Sports Writer
