CORVALLIS, Ore. – Out of thick fog emerged the clarity.
Oregon’s playoff dream is dead, and the state of Oregon has finally brought the rivalry back to life.
The Beavers beat the No.11 Ducks 22-7 in the fourth quarter to win 41-38 on Friday at Reser Stadium.
Oregon coordinator Andy Avalos’ defense surrendered 532 yards overall, but had a chance for the win if it could have kept the Beavers down to 531.
But the Ducks’ goal line did not hold a quarter and thumbs as Beavers substitute quarterback Chance Nolan pushed his way into the end zone for the winning touchdown with 33 seconds left. .
Oregon State starting quarterback Tristan Gebbia appeared to score on second but he was ruled short of the goal line. Third inside the 1-yard line, he was again stuffed by Oregon defensive tackle Austin Faoliu and injured on play.
Jemar Jefferson was happy to play the decoy and celebrate Nolan’s one brilliant moment after running for 226 yards and two touchdowns to keep the Beavers (2-2) in the game.
Tyler Shough had 266 yards and two touchdowns for Oregon, but threw two interceptions as the Ducks (3-1) lost to Oregon State for the first time since Justin Herbert’s first season in 2016.
After Gebbia scrambled 13 yards to convert a fourth and a 7, Oregon found the key save four shots later when linebacker Isaac Slade-Matautia hit a pass in fourth and 7 from the 15-yard line. Oregon with 2:18 left.
But the Ducks went three times in the next series to give the Beavers a boost to avoid the surprise.
Oregon State scored 15 points in 63 seconds early in the fourth quarter to turn a 31-19 deficit into a 34-31 lead.
Oregon challenged a room in which Deommodore Lenoir dismissed Jefferson’s ball on the sideline. The review was confirmed and the piece was found to be an Oregon state first and not a fumble.
Gebbia’s 1-yard touchdown, after Jefferson converted a fourth and a 3, finished the 16-game, 92-yard practice in 8:05 to take the Beavers to 31-26 with 13:26 to go.
Then Shough was taken out by Nahshon Wright, who set up a 2-yard touchdown by Jefferson with 12:38 to go. Gebbia’s two-point conversion race gave the Beavers a three-point lead.
Shough responded with a 23-yard finish to Hunter Kampmoyer to convert a third and a 7 before Cyrus Habibi-Likio’s 1-yard touchdown gave the Ducks a 38-34 lead.
The Beavers were down 24-19 after an 8-yard touchdown pass from Gebbia to Zeriah Beason, but the two-point conversion attempt failed.
Oregon had a series of block games and Shough finished the quick 74-yard drive with a 4-yard touchdown pass to Kampmoyer to make it 31-19 with 6:43 left in the third quarter.
The Ducks led 24-13 in intermission as Shough completed 13 of 18 passes for 202 yards, including a 60-yard touchdown pass to Devon Williams.
In the game’s first practice, CJ Verdell moved the chains to a third and an 11 with a 14-yard reception on a screen pass. Jaylon Redd refused to be tackled and made his way down the sideline for a 37-yard touchdown to open the scoring.
Jefferson, who had 75 yards in the opening game of Oregon State’s victory over California last week, tied the score with an 82-yard rush on the visiting sideline.
Oregon responded with an 11-play, 93-yard drive topped off with a 1-yard touchdown by Shough to make it 14-7.
Jefferson finished the first quarter with 134 yards on six carries, but was held to 15 yards on five carries in the second quarter.
A promising Beavers practice was halted in the red zone after a tackle for loss from Noah Sewell and a deflected pass by Kayvon Thibodeaux.
After holding Oregon State to a basket, Shough connected with Williams for the long touchdown on a second and a 21 to give Oregon a 21-10 advantage.
Everett Hayes’ 48-yard basket made it a one-possession game, but Henry Katleman, who beat Camden Lewis in practice this week for fielding duties, was true on a 33-yard attempt with 46 left in the first half.
Oregon is set to face California next Saturday at Berkeley. The Bears fell to 0-3 with a 24-23 loss to Stanford on Friday.
