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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
SEATTLE (AP) -- The Washington Huskies found out first hand what
second-year Oregon State coach Dennis Erickson has done to the once-downtrodden Beavers football program.
|  | | Washington quarterback Marques Tuiasosopo dove into the end zone for a touchdown in the fourth quarter of the Huskies' 33-30 win over Oregon State. |
The Huskies (No. 11 ESPN/USA Today, No. 13 AP) needed touchdowns on short runs by freshman
Rich Alexis and quarterback Marques Tuiasosopo in the final quarter
to hold off the No. 23 Beavers 33-30 on Saturday night.
It wasn't over until Oregon State's Ryan Cesca missed a 46-yard
field-goal attempt with 14 seconds left. Cesca had plenty of leg,
but the kick was wide right.
The crowd of 73,145 at Husky Stadium watched anxiously when
Jonathan Smith drove Oregon State (4-1, 1-1 Pacific-10) from its 26
to the Washington 28 in the final 4:55 before Cesca's miss.
"We feel we're a legitimate Rose Bowl contender," Smith said.
"So any time you lose, it's a disappointment."
Oregon State lost its 13th straight to Washington (4-1, 1-1),
but the game was a thriller compared to the Huskies' 47-21 victory
last year in Corvallis.
"Is this a shootout conference or what?" Washington coach Rick
Neuheisel asked at his postgame news conference.
"I thought this was the best we've played on offense this
year," said Erickson, who coached the NFL's Seattle Seahawks for
four seasons. "But I also thought it was the worst we've played on
defense."
Alexis gave Washington a 26-21 lead with a 1-yard touchdown run
in the first minute of the fourth quarter. But the Beavers' Keith
Heyward-Johnson scored a 2-point conversion when he picked up
Tuiasosopo's fumble and raced the length of the field.
The Huskies made it 33-23 with 8:23 to go when Tuiasosopo scored
on a 4-yard run, but the Beavers responded with Smith's 80-yard
touchdown pass to Chad Johnson with 7:22 to go.
In the third quarter, Smith had an 11-yard touchdown pass to
T.J. Houshmandzadeh on a third-down play, as Oregon State took a
21-20 lead.
There were 978 yards of offense, 504 by the Huskies, including
281 by rushing.
"Those are some pretty high totals against a very good
defense," Tuiasosopo said.
Smith completed 13 of 24 passes for 314 yards for Oregon State,
which got 100-yard receiving games from Johnson and Robert
Prescott. Oregon State's Ken Simonton rushed 23 times for 104
yards.
For Washington, Alexis and Paul Arnold each had 100-yard rushing
games. Arnold, the starting tailback, also caught seven passes for
65 yards.
Washington led 20-14 at halftime after dominating the second
quarter, getting a 1-yard touchdown run by Alexis to tie it early
in the period before John Anderson kicked field goals of 27 and 23
yards. Anderson's 23-yarder came as time expired in the first half.
In the opening period, Oregon State had two long scoring plays --
Smith's 48-yard pass to Prescott, and Patrick McCall's 43-yard run.
The Huskies scored a touchdown in the quarter on Tuiasosopo's
16-yard pass to Justin Robbins.
When Cesca kicked Oregon State's first two extra points, he
broke his school's record for consecutive conversions at 55.
The Huskies lost their starting fullback, Pat Conniff, in the
first quarter with a sprained knee.
Washington bounced back from a loss at No. 9 Oregon last week,
while Oregon State fell a week after its big victory at home
against No. 18 Southern Cal.
Under Erickson, Oregon State had its first winning season since
1970 last year and also went to its first bowl game since the
Beavers were in the Rose Bowl after the 1964 season.
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ALSO SEE
College Football Scoreboard
Oregon State Clubhouse
Washington Clubhouse
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