Top 10 Oregon State Football Games Since 2000: #9 - 2021 Beavs Outgun USC in Los Angeles
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In their fourth year under head coach Jonathan Smith, the Beavers entered Pac-12 conference play looking to turn a corner. A great way to start would be by getting a road win against the always formidable USC Trojans at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, where OSU hadn't won since 1960.
Led by junior QB Chance Nolan and a very talented offensive line, the Beavers were looking to contain the star power of All-American receiver Drake London.
First Half
After allowing first downs on back-to-back plays to start the game, the Beaver defense clamped down, picking off Trojan QB Kedon Slovis near midfield on third down and long. It was future NFL starter Nahshon Wright coming away with the INT, wrestling a low throw out of the arms of a Trojan receiver.
From there, the Oregon State offense went right to work, with halfback BJ Baylor taking a carry 13 yards into Trojan territory to kick things off. The drive looked like it had stalled from there, but Chance Nolan escaped the pocket and picked up a huge first down with his legs on fourth and three. On the very next play, Nolan found a wide open Teagan Quitoriano for a 27-yard TD, with USC being completely fooled by the play-action fake. 7-0 Beavers.
But Slovis and his Trojans had a response, orchestrating a five-play, 75-yard TD drive where the Beavers were plagued with defensive penalties. USC then took advantage of a costly red zone turnover from Oregon State, capitalizing with another touchdown. It was 14-7 Trojans with a minute gone in the second quarter.
But the Beavers threw an incredible counter-punch. Starting a possession back at their own eight yard line, Oregon State put together one of its most impressive drives of the entire season. Using both the speed of Baylor and the power of Deshaun Fenwick, the Beavers pounded it right down SC's throat. They also mixed in wide receiver end-arounds to Silas Bolden and Jesiah Irish, and the Beavs had used six straight running plays to get into the SC red zone. The drive was capped off by Nolan finding Tyjon Lindsey in the corner of the end zone on a post route, Nolan's second TD pass of the half. This tied things up at 14.
The visiting underdogs got the ball right back after forcing a three-and-out, and put together yet another 92-yard scoring drive late in the second quarter. After a long completion to Lindsey and a ten-yard rush from Baylor, Nolan lofted a phenomenal pass down the sideline, which was hauled in by FSU transfer Tre'Shaun Harrison for a 36-yard touchdown strike. USC was able to utilize the remaining 44 seconds of the half, and came away with a field goal after a couple of long pass completions to Drake London. It went into the break with Oregon State on top 21-17.
Second Half
OSU got the ball to start the third, and picked up right where they had left off. After an electric 40-yard rush from BJ Baylor, Nolan connected with Harrison to move the chains on third down. Two plays later, Tyjon Lindsey snagged his second receiving touchdown of the night, pushing the Beaver lead out to 11.
USC was unable to find any answers for Oregon State's electrifying offense, and the Beavers took a stranglehold on this football game. Jonathan Smith's offense delivered a gut-punch to SC's comeback hopes with a 5-play, 59-yard TD drive that culminated in a Jack Colletto wildcat run into the end zone. It was now a 35-17 ball game midway through the third quarter, and life had been sucked out of the home crowd in Los Angeles.
USC put together what looked to be a promising drive on their next possession, until Kedon Slovis coughed up the football on a QB scramble. Omar Speights recovered, and the Beavers took over at their own 35. Knowing the clock was on their side, OSU put together an eight-play drive consisting entirely of runs, and it ended with yet another Jack Colletto touchdown. In a stadium where they hadn't won in over 60 years, the Beavers now had a 25-point lead in the fourth quarter.
USC wasn't finished quite yet. After an 11-play TD drive, Parker Lewis converted on a long field goal, cutting the lead to within two scores. Trailing by 15 with less than three minutes left, Kedon Slovis was picked off by swiss army knife Jack Colletto, and this would prove to be the final nail in the coffin. Everett Hayes tacked on a 42-yarder with 58 seconds left, just to put some icing on the cake. Final- Oregon State 45, USC 27.
The Beavers torched USC's front seven in this contest, racking up 322 yards on the ground, 158 of which came from BJ Baylor. It was a career day for Tyjon Lindsey, who finished with 102 receiving yards and two touchdown receptions. While a lot of credit for this victory will go to the offense, OSU's defensive front also had a great performance, holding Trojan halfbacks to less than four yards per carry.
In the remainder of this 2021 season, Jonathan Smith's squad went on to finish above .500 in Pac-12 play for the first time since 2012.
Top 10 Oregon State Football Games Since 2000
#10 - 2013 OT Win At Utah
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Ben Pahl is a sportswriter and broadcaster based in Portland, Oregon. His work covering college and professional sports has been featured by the Orange Media Network at Oregon State University as well as KBVR.fm. His other career stops in sports include the Portland Pickles baseball club and the NBA G-League's Rip City Remix.