College football

No. 15 Utah beats Oregon State on final play

One week after stunning then No. 1-USC, Beavers almost pull another upset

Douglas C. Pizac / AP

Utah kicker Louie Sakoda is hugged by wide receiver Bradon Godfrey (81) and tight end Chris Joppru, left, after kicking the game-winning field goal against Oregon State on the final play Thursday.

Moevao was 21-of-31 for 313 yards and two touchdowns and the Beavers’ defense forced three turnovers, including an interception Al Afalava returned 26 yards for a touchdown that gave Oregon State a 9-3 lead on the first play of the second quarter.

Johnson struggled in the third quarter, but recovered late in the fourth and finished 17-of-30 for 201 yards and two touchdowns.

Utah won despite being outgained 405-337.

“They’re just a great team. I give it all to them,” said Oregon State’s Slade Norris, who had two sacks, two other tackles for a loss and forced Johnson to fumble early in the third quarter.

The Beavers fell behind 20-9 on a 12-yard run by Casteel with 2:31 left in the second quarter, but Moevao led the Beavers right back up the field and completed a 24-yard touchdown pass to Shane Morales with 1:13 left before halftime.

Utah got the ball back to start the third quarter, but Johnson fumbled as he was being tackled by Norris and the Beavers recovered at the 34. Rodgers gave Oregon State a 21-20 lead on a 7-yard touchdown with 12:33 left in the third.

It was 3-3 after the first quarter, then the Beavers and Utes went back and forth throughout the second, capitalizing on each other’s mistakes. Some were forced by the defense and some were just blunders.

Johnson opened the second quarter with a pass over the middle that Afalava stepped in front of and ran untouched 26 yards for a touchdown. Oregon State missed the extra point, then muffed the kickoff coverage. David Reed took the return up the middle, then bounced to the Utah sideline going 79 yards to Oregon State’s 15-yard line.

Utah had to settle for a 28-yard field goal by Sakoda, then scored again with 7:04 left on a 14-yard pass from Johnson to Freddie Brown. The Beavers almost had Johnson sacked, but he scrambled out of trouble and found Brown standing alone at the back of the end zone for a 13-9 lead.

< Prev | 1 | 2