Spring Break
Beavers hold off Panthers in 3-0 Sun Bowl victory
Oregon State defeats Pitt in lowest-scoring major bowl game in a half-century
Tim Korte
Issue date: 1/6/09 Section: Sports
"We couldn't get anything on offense started at all," standout tailback LeSean McCoy said. "We played horribly."
There was no sign of offense in El Paso, not with McCoy held to 85 yards rushing after averaging 116.9 yards per game this season. Quarterback Bill Stull was 7-for-24 for 52 yards with one interception.
"When you talk about our defense, that was a beautiful performance against a running back that some said was one of the best in the country," Riley said.
The Beavers also won without their spectacular brothers, tailback Jacquizz Rodgers and receiver James Rodgers, both out with shoulder injuries.
"We have a lot of athletes who can step in," quarterback Lyle Moevao said. "Without those guys, it was definitely a big loss but we were still able to manage the game."
Reserve tailback Jeremy Francis had 76 yards rushing and Moevao was 21-for-42 for 193 yards passing with two interceptions. The Beavers finished with 273 total yards.
The Panthers finally got a spark early in the fourth quarter when T.J. Porter returned a punt 36 yards to Oregon State's 42.
But three plays later, the big return was wasted because Butler, who had four sacks, stripped Stull and recovered the fumble.
"It's an understatement to say how much he impacted this game," Riley said.
Oregon State led 3-0 after Kahut connected on his field goal with 2:18 remaining before halftime. He later missed a 37-yard attempt midway through the third period.
The Beavers came up empty on the best touchdown opportunity by either team. Officials ruled tight end John Reese was out of bounds on an apparent 9-yard TD reception 10 seconds before the break.
"This is the game it turned out to be," Riley said. "It didn't have to be 3-0. We missed some red-zone opportunities."
The call was upheld after a replay review, and on the next play, Pitt linebacker Scott McKillop - the Big East defensive player of the year - intercepted Moevao's pass in the end zone.
"We left a couple of plays on the field today," McKillop said. "We just didn't come out in the second half and set the tone."
There was no sign of offense in El Paso, not with McCoy held to 85 yards rushing after averaging 116.9 yards per game this season. Quarterback Bill Stull was 7-for-24 for 52 yards with one interception.
"When you talk about our defense, that was a beautiful performance against a running back that some said was one of the best in the country," Riley said.
The Beavers also won without their spectacular brothers, tailback Jacquizz Rodgers and receiver James Rodgers, both out with shoulder injuries.
"We have a lot of athletes who can step in," quarterback Lyle Moevao said. "Without those guys, it was definitely a big loss but we were still able to manage the game."
Reserve tailback Jeremy Francis had 76 yards rushing and Moevao was 21-for-42 for 193 yards passing with two interceptions. The Beavers finished with 273 total yards.
The Panthers finally got a spark early in the fourth quarter when T.J. Porter returned a punt 36 yards to Oregon State's 42.
But three plays later, the big return was wasted because Butler, who had four sacks, stripped Stull and recovered the fumble.
"It's an understatement to say how much he impacted this game," Riley said.
Oregon State led 3-0 after Kahut connected on his field goal with 2:18 remaining before halftime. He later missed a 37-yard attempt midway through the third period.
The Beavers came up empty on the best touchdown opportunity by either team. Officials ruled tight end John Reese was out of bounds on an apparent 9-yard TD reception 10 seconds before the break.
"This is the game it turned out to be," Riley said. "It didn't have to be 3-0. We missed some red-zone opportunities."
The call was upheld after a replay review, and on the next play, Pitt linebacker Scott McKillop - the Big East defensive player of the year - intercepted Moevao's pass in the end zone.
"We left a couple of plays on the field today," McKillop said. "We just didn't come out in the second half and set the tone."
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