Nov. 18, 2006
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STANFORD, Calif. (AP) - This time, Oregon State didn't let Stanford put a damper on its postseason hopes.
Matt Moore threw for 176 yards and two touchdowns and ran for a 1-yard score to make the Beavers bowl eligible with a 30-7 victory Saturday, spoiling the Cardinal's final shot at winning a game in its fancy renovated stadium.
Yvenson Bernard carried 36 times for 168 yards - 20 of those rushes for 99 yards in the first half alone - to go over the 1,000-yard mark for the season. Alexis Serna kicked field goals of 29, 31 and 18 yards for Oregon State (7-4, 5-3 Pac-10), whose loss to Stanford a year ago helped ruin the Beavers' bowl chances and snapped their four-game winning streak in the series.
The Beavers will head into the Civil War game against archrival Oregon on Friday night at Corvallis to play for a possible bid to the Sun Bowl.
Normally, six wins would make a team bowl eligible but the Beavers have a 13-game schedule. Oregon State upset then-No. 3 Southern California 33-31 on Oct. 28 for one of those victories.
Sammie Stroughter and Brandon Powers each caught touchdown passes from Moore and Oregon State's blitzing defense made things tough for Stanford quarterback T.C. Ostrander, sacked five times - all in the second half. Ostrander also was picked off in the end zone by Coye Francies early in the fourth quarter.
Anthony Kimble ran into several blockers before finding an opening to the right and going 36 yards for a touchdown on Stanford's second offensive play 3:21 into the game that put the Cardinal on the board first.
But Oregon State tied it 2 1/2 minutes later on Moore's 28-yard TD pass to Stroughter and Moore hit Powers on a 15-yard strike 11 seconds into the second quarter - one of six catches by Powers.
Stanford (1-10, 1-7), which shocked Washington last weekend at Husky Stadium in Seattle for its first victory to snap an 11-game skid, was trying to salvage one win in its sparkling new stadium that underwent a $90 million facelift during the offseason.
Stanford's Richard Sherman caught five passes for 90 yards. The Cardinal now have two weeks before playing rival California in the Big Game in Berkeley to end a most disappointing season under second-year coach Walt Harris.
Oregon State receiver Chris Johnson helped move the Beavers into scoring position late in the first half with a one-handed, 10-yard catch that he hauled in with his left hand while falling over under pressure from Stanford cornerback Nick Sanchez.
Two plays later, Michael Okwo appeared to intercept a pass from Moore but a review of the play showed he didn't keep two feet in bounds and Oregon State got a 31-yard field goal from Serna.