Beavers get it back together in bowl

Two of Oregon State’s headliners on offense left Aloha Stadium with Pac-12 records.

But the Beavers defense provided the pivotal plays to send them back to Corvallis with the Sheraton Hawaii Bowl trophy.

Oregon State cornerback Rashaad Reynolds’ two fumble returns for touchdowns in the first half powered the Beavers to a commanding lead and they closed a roller-coaster season with a 38-23 win over Boise State on Tuesday.

The Beavers became bowl eligible after improving to 6-1 in a win over California on Oct. 19. But they wouldn’t savor another victory until Tuesday evening and closed the season at 7-6.

"It’s been a while since we won, but this team never quit," Oregon State head coach Mike Riley said. "We had plenty of disappointment, quite a bit of adversity through the year and I’ve always enjoyed coaching them because every week they came back and went to work."

Oregon State’s prolific passing combination of quarterback Sean Mannion and Brandin Cooks both set Pac-12 single-season records in the win. Mannion completed 24 of 33 pass attempts for 259 yards and a touchdown and closed the season with a conference record 4,662 yards.

Cooks, the Biletnikoff Award winner as the nation’s top receiver, caught eight passes for 60 yards and a touchdown, setting a Pac-12 single-season record with 1,730 yards and extending his record total for receptions to 128.

But in his final college game, Reynolds ended up outscoring Cooks — reaching the end zone on a 3-yard fumble return in the first quarter and taking another back 70 yards in the second — and gave the heralded junior a bit of ribbing after his second touchdown.

"I had a little friendly words on the sideline, telling him I had more touchdowns than he had in the beginning of the game," said Reynolds, Oregon State’s game MVP.

"We were just having fun out there and I think it showed with our play. Not just us, but the whole team."

The Beavers, who entered the game averaging 86 rushing yards per game, also got a boost from a resurgent ground game, with Storm Woods running for a season-high 107 yards and a touchdown. Terron Ward added 54 yards, and his touchdown late in the second quarter gave Oregon State a 31-6 lead on its way to snapping a five-game losing streak and earning the program’s first postseason win since 2008.

"To string along that many L’s is definitely a burden for you," Cooks said. "To be blessed with the opportunity to be able to play again in a bowl game, we knew we had to come out here and work hard and get this W for the program and bring a trophy home.

"We knew that feeling that we had last year coming off of Texas with a loss (in the Valero Alamo Bowl). It took about a year to be able to make that up. We didn’t want that feeling again."

Boise State ended a turbulent stay in Hawaii by having a three-game postseason winning streak snapped and closed the season at 8-5.

With the program in transition mode following the departure of head coach Chris Petersen to Washington, the Broncos started bowl week with quarterback Joe Southwick being sent home for a violation of team rules that the senior disputed.

Grant Hedrick, who handled quarterbacking duties for most of the second half of the season, went 32-for-44 for 382 yards. Junior receiver Matt Miller finished with 11 catches for 206 yards, including a Hawaii Bowl-record 85-yard touchdown reception in the fourth quarter.

The Broncos outgained the Beavers with 538 yards in total offense to Oregon State’s 454, but couldn’t overcome the early miscues.

"I don’t believe there was any loss of focus by the team, given the distractions this week," Boise State interim coach Bob Gregory said. "We had good bowl practices, but we just didn’t make enough plays to stay in the game."

Reynolds was in on two of the game’s most telling, scooping up two fumbles forced loose by teammates.

After Mannion and Cooks connected on a 2-yard touchdown pass that gave Oregon State a 10-3 lead, Beavers defensive end Scott Crichton — who finished with three tackles for loss — caught Hedrick in the end zone and knocked the ball loose. Reynolds picked it up at the 3 and took it into the end zone for Oregon State’s first fumble return for a touchdown since Kahuku graduate Al Afalava’s 33-yard return in 2007.

Close to midway through the second quarter, OSU defensive back Larry Scott forced another fumble after a completion near the sideline. Reynolds was there again to pounce on the loose ball, this time taking it back 70 yards for his second touchdown.

"It’s an amazing feeling," Reynolds said. "It’s bittersweet. That was my last game going out there with my brothers."