CORVALLIS, Ore. (AP) — With a 55-yard field goal to cap a wild back-and-fourth game, Oregon State emerged as this season's de facto Pac-12 champions.
Everett Hayes kicked a season-best 55-yard field goal with 20 seconds left and the Beavers snapped a five-game losing streak with a 41-38 victory over Washington State on Saturday night.
Ben Gulbranson, who missed last week's shutout loss at Air Force with a concussion, threw for 294 yards and two touchdowns to lead the Beavers (5-6). Trent Walker caught 12 passes for 136 yards.
“It kind of gets to a point in the game where you kind of look at the score and you realize, `Wow, it's going to come down to me,'" Hayes said.
It was the second straight loss for the Cougars (8-3), who were coming off a 38-35 setback last weekend to New Mexico that dashed their hopes of possibly earning an at-large bid to the 12-team College Football Playoff. Washington State was as high as No. 18 in the CFP rankings before the loss.
The Beavers and the Cougars were the last two teams remaining in the Pac-12 this season after realignment last year. While they had a scheduling agreement with the Mountain West for this season, they did not figure into that league’s standings.
With Oregon State in front 31-24 at the start of the fourth quarter, Cougars quarterback John Mateer ran for a 4-yard touchdown to tie the game. On Oregon State's next series, Taariq Al-Uqdah picked off Gulbranson and ran it back 26 yards for a touchdown to put the Cougars in front.
The Beavers' subsequent drive ended with Darrius Clemons' 4-yard touchdown catch to tie it at 38 with 2:50 left. Oregon State got the ball back on the Cougars' series when Exodus Ayers recovered Kyle Williams' fumble on the Washington State 47.
The Beavers went for it on fourth down to extend their final drive and Hayes nailed the winning field goal. Washington State's scramble at the end came up short.
“I think when we tied it at 38, I kind of saw the clock and I was like, `All right, all we've got to do is get one stop and just get me in range, and hopefully we'll get that done and I'll make the kick,'” Hayes said. “I have a lot of confidence in the team.”
Mateer passed for 250 yards and two touchdowns, and ran for 85 yards and two more scores for Washington State.
“First and foremost our guys gave us everything they had. I'm proud of them. I loved the way they responded this week, I thought we had a great week of practice. I appreciated this effort,” Cougars coach Jake Dickert said. “This is a players' game and they made one more play down the stretch.”
Oregon State opened the scoring with stand-in quarterback Gabarri Johnson's 15-yard keeper. The Cougars answered on the next drive with Mateer's 28-yard scoring pass to Carlos Hernandez before Dean Janikowski added a 33-yard field goal.
Salahadin Allah'a had a 1-yard touchdown run to put the Beavers in front 14-10.
Mateer scored on a 3-yard keeper to give the Cougars the lead, but Oregon State finished the half ahead 21-17 on Gulbranson's 1-yard TD dive with 13 seconds left. The Beavers opened the second half with Hayes' 46-yard field goal.
Williams had a 57-yard catch-and-run touchdown from Mateer that tied the game at 24. But before the end of the third quarter, Gulbranson hit Jermaine Terry II with for 43-yard TD to set up the deciding fourth quarter.
Since the Pac-12’s collapse, the Beavers and the Cougs have worked together to rebuild the conference. In 2026, five Mountain West teams — as well as Gonzaga for basketball only — will join a new Pac-12. The conference still needs one more football member to meet NCAA requirements.
The scheduling agreement with the Mountain West was not renewed for next season, so Washington State and Oregon State put together independent schedules with a twist — they will play each other twice, once in Corvallis and once in Pullman.
Washington State: Going into the game, Mateer had 26 passing touchdowns (tied for fourth in the nation) and he’d rushed for 12 more, a Washington State single-season record for a quarterback.
Oregon State: Gulbranson, who missed the Beavers’ loss last weekend at Air Force, started. But the Beavers also used QB Gabarri Johnson situationally — including on Oregon State’s first touchdown of the game.
Washington State: Hosts Wyoming next Saturday.
Oregon State: Visits Boise State on Friday.
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