Top 10 Oregon State Football Games Since 2000: #6 - Beavs' Comeback in the 2006 Sun Bowl

After an exhilarating regular season where they had beaten #3 USC and won seven conference games, the 25th-ranked Beavers headed to El Paso to face Missouri in the Sun Bowl. With an excellent display of offensive talent and three second half lead-changes, this one is widely regarded as one of the best bowl games of the mid-2000s.

First Half

The Fireworks got going in El Paso right out of the gate. On 3rd and six a minute into the game, Mizzou QB Chase Daniel found Chase Coffman on a Tight End out. With the Beavers failing to get there on a blitz, Coffman was left with a lot of grass in front of him, leading to a huge pickup after the catch.

The Tigers kept finding ways to move the chains on the 3rd down, and the drive ended with an eventful seven-yard TD scamper from halfback Tony Temple(who would end up with nearly 200 yards in this match). Missouri had opened the game by going 80 yards in 3:30 to take an early lead.

However, Matt Moore's offense answered back with a long scoring drive of their own. Following an explosive 16-yard rush from backup tailback Ruben Jackson, the Beavers' opening possession was taken over by star wideout Sammie Stroughter. After a couple of first-down completions to him, Moore again connected with Stroughter after dancing around in the pocket and firing a tough pass across his body. This tied things up at 7.

The Beaver defense came away with the game's first stop on the ensuing possession, forcing Missouri into a three-and-out. A short punt set Riley's team up with great field position, and the offense went back to work. Yvenson Bernard kept the drive alive with a big 4th down run, weaving his way to the 1 yard line. Matt Moore snuck it in on the next play to give the Beavers their first lead of the afternoon.

Missouri responded with a field goal, and then forced OSU to punt for the first time in the game. The Tigers kept their momentum going with a 78-yard touchdown completion to Danario Alexander, putting them in front 17-14. It went into the break with the Tigers up by three.

Second Half

The Beavers couldn't have asked for a better start to the third quarter. After recovering a sneaky onsides kick attempt, their offense scored in just four plays, capped off with a TD reception from Joe Newton.

However, this would be the only thing that went right for Oregon State for quite some time.

Missouri converted on a monster 3rd and 20 on their next possession, and then scored off a trick play where Tight End Chase Coffman threw a TD pass. This put the Tigers back up by three. The Beavers then went three-and-out on back to back drives, before Tony Temple broke free on an HB stretch for a 66-yard house call. Mizzou now had their largest lead of the afternoon at 31-21.

Oregon State started off the fourth quarter on a positive note, capitalizing on a 60-yard drive with a short field goal by Alexis Serna, cutting the deficit to one score. But the Tigers swiped the momentum right back. Another back-breaking rush by Temple set Missouri up in the OSU red zone, and they scored on the very next play with a Chase Coffman touchdown, who was on the receiving end of a pass this time.

Then, the Oregon State offense was stopped on fourth down on the ensuing drive. In a 14-point hole with 9 minutes to go in the Sun Bowl, their hopes of a ten-win season looked to be slipping away.

But the Beavers found the spark they desperately needed. Needing to get a quick stop, Alan Darlin came up with a sack on third and long, which forced the Tigers to punt. The offense came back onto the field with a sense of urgency, getting the drive started with a long completion up the seam to slot receiver Brandon Powers.

Then, the first team All Pac-10 running back began to take over. Following a first-down rush from the junior, OSU completed passes to Yvenson Bernard on four straight plays. After using an HB screen to set up first and goal, Moore rolled out and dumped it off to him yet again, with the same result. Bernard strolled into the end zone, giving Oregon State life. It was 38-31 with 6:02 left in the 4th.

Knowing that the clock was on their side, the Tigers were able to convert on a big third down, and eventually got into OSU territory. However, the Beaver defense stood firm when it mattered most. After a big tackle for loss, the front seven sniffed out a screen pass on 3rd and long, forcing Missouri to punt at midfield.

Despite a great boot from Adam Crossett, Sammie Stroughter got the rally going with a huge 38-yard return after catching the ball at his own seven. Matt Moore and his offense took over at their own 44 yard line with 1:24 on the clock, needing a touchdown.

The Beavers got into Missouri territory right away, using another big completion to Bernard. But the Tiger defense came up with a third down stop after this, setting up fourth and three with the ball game on the line.

After using their final timeout, Matt Moore completed a tight-window pass to star receiver Sammie Stroughter on a hitch route that moved the sticks and kept OSU’s hopes alive. The next play was another big one, a first-down completion to Powers that got OSU to the Missouri 14. After a TD reception from Joe Newton, Mike Riley was left with a decision: tie it with the PAT, or risk it all and go for two.

With some prodding from his star halfback, Riley ultimately decided on the latter. With the 2006 Sun Bowl coming down to one play, the Beavers handed it off to ‘Ev. It was a very close play after Bernard made a cut, lunging towards the goal line, where a giant scrum ensued. After a tense couple of seconds, an official coming in from the far side put his arms up to signal a touchdown- the two-point try was successful. Matt Moore rushed to the sideline to celebrate with the rest of his team, as the Beavers had beaten Missouri by a final score of 39-38.

Top 10 Oregon State Football Games Since 2000

#10 - 2013 OT Win At Utah
#9 - 2021 Beavs Outgun USC in Los Angeles
#8 - 2014 Beavers Stun #6 ASU
#7 - 2008 Thriller in the Desert

Add us as a preferred source on Google