No. 22 Oregon State Beavers shock No. 9 Oregon Ducks with comeback win in Corvallis

By the time the fourth quarter rolled around in Corvallis Saturday afternoon, the only thing on the minds of most Duck fans was securing a flight to Vegas for the Pac-12 title game.

No. 9 Oregon held a 14-point lead over No. 22 Oregon State at the start of the fourth and appeared to be in total control.

What happened over the next 15 minutes will haunt Oregon fans for years to come.

Oregon State reeled off 21 unanswered points in the final 15 minutes of play to shock the Ducks and deliverer one of the more unlielly comnback wins in the history of the rivalry.

How it happened

On Oregon’s first possession, receiver Chase Cota delivered the signature moment of his senior season.

The Medford, Ore. native broke loose up the middle of the field and hauled in a perfectly-placed deep ball from Nix after winning a jump ball against Oregon State’s Rejzohn Wright.

The explosive play from Cota gave the Ducks a 7-3 lead with 7:57 left in the first.

On Oregon State’s next possession, though, the Beavers answered back with an 11-play, 75-yard drive that was capped off by a 1-yard touchdown run from Ben Gulbranson on 4th-and-goal.

Soon after that score, though, the Beavers began to lean into their identity and run the ball.

On their ensuing drive, they marched 65 yards on 10 plays and passed the ball just twice before reaching the 1-yard line. Facing 4th-and goal, Gulbranson plunged into the end zone for a touchdown to give Oregon State a 10-7 lead.

The Beavers had a few opportunities to take control of the game late in the second quarter. The Ducks attempted to convert on 4th-down in Oregon State territory on back-to-back possessions and failed both times.

But Oregon State failed to make them pay and turned the ball over on downs at the Oregon five-yard line with 4:11 in the half.

The Ducks capitalized on the momentum as Nix orchestrated a 95-yard, 13-play drive that ended with a touchdown pass to Troy Franklin.

That sent Oregon into the locker room with a 14-10 lead.

After the break, the Ducks immediately jumped on the Beavers and punished a mistake. Jeffrey Bassa picked off a pass from Gulbranson and returned it 33 yards to the Oregon State 2-yard line.

Jordan James punched in a touchdown run on the next play to push Oregon’s lead to 21-10.

There was nothing doing for the Beavers on their next drive, and they went three-and-out. Oregon quickly marched 63 yards and pushed their lead to 28-10 on a Noah Whittington touchdown run.

Things then went from bad to worse for the Beavers. Tre’Shaun Harrison caught a short pass from Gulbranson but fumbled the ball after he was hit.

Casey Rogers emerged from the bottom of the pile with the ball to give Oregon back possession at the Oregon State 42.

That turnover set the stage for a 42-yard Cam Lewis field goal that pushed Oregon’s lead to 31-17.

At the start of the fourth quarter, Oregon made it a three-score game when Lewis knocked down another field goal.

But Oregon State answered back immediately. Silas Bolden broke loose for a huge kickoff return to put the Beavers at the Ducks’ 36, and they then needed just three plays to punch in a touchdown that cut the Oregon lead to 34-24.

Disaster struck for Oregon on its ensuing drive. The Ducks stalled out at their own 14 and sent ALex Bales out to punt.

But Bales mishandled the snap and failed to get a kick away. Oregon State recovered at the Oregon 2-yard line and punched in a touchdown on a Gulbranson keeper two plays later.

That touchdown cut the Oregon lead to 34-31.

Oregon gambled again on its next drive and attempted to go for it on 4th-and-1 from its own 29. But Oregon State senior Jaydon Grant stopped Bo Nix in his tracks on a keeper, and the Ducks turned the ball over on downs again.

Oregon State took a decisive 38-34 lead four plays later when Newell scored on a six-yard run.

Oregon marched down to the Oregon State red zone on its next drive and had a chance to take back the lead. But facing 4th-and-1 at the Oregon State three yard line, Nix’s pass attempt to Franklin was broken up to force a turnover on downs.

Oregon State then finished off the game when Deshaun Fenwick burst up the middle on 3rd-and-1 to move the chains, allowing the Beavers to run out the clock.