Oregon State Bounces Back to Beat ASU, 36-26

"RB Terron Ward ignited, as starter Storm Woods
isat out the game, nursing a bruised knee." 
Courtesy: OregonLive

After Win Against Sun Devils, Oregon State Stays Put in Ranks

By: Michael Rivera
The LBCC Commuter
Video/ Sports Editor

After a tough defeat at Washington a week ago, Oregon State was looking for victory and spoils as the Arizona State (ASU) Sun Devils came into town. Being the very eventful Dad’s Weekend in Corvallis, the Beavers came to show why they are a top contender in the PAC-12 as Oregon State goes on to win 36-26.

For the first half of play, the Beavers struggled to stop ASU from scoring. In the second half, the Beaver’s started putting the pressure on ASU QB Taylor Kelly. Kelly finished with 22-41 for 153 yards and a TD and interception. ASU was able to rack up 150 rushing yards on Oregon State, matching them in the stats column.

Oregon State and ASU were basically similar in the stats columns in many aspects. Both had 19 first downs until the Oregon State offensive line buckled down and set Vaz up for huge gains for scores. Oregon State total offensive yards were 424 to ASU’s 303. Lot of this also has to deal with Oregon State being very successful on Special Teams.

Oregon State got it’s running game sparked when RB Terron Ward ignited, as starter Storm Woods is sat out the game, nursing a bruised knee. The Beavers were without lockdown cornerback and all-around star Jordan Poyer as well.Ward finished the game with 19 carries for 146 yards and a touchdown. Ward (5’7” 198 lbs.), a sophomore out of Antioch, Calif., gives the Beavers a similar look of Jacquizz Rodgers (5’6” 196 lbs.). Ward not only showed that he has great eye for open lanes & breakaway speed, but his ability to stop-n-go behind blockers and runs tough. Multiple times through the game, Ward put his put a Sun Devil on his back or when he sidestepped his way past a defender to break out his 53 yard touchdown run. As far as I can see, Ward looks to be a real good option with Woods still questionable.

Oregon State got to the a rough start and showed little answer to a severe pass rush by ASU. Oregon State QB Cody Vaz was sacked 6 times in the game, along with a couple hits after pass (one which was call roughing the passer). Vaz, how has taken over the starting role as Sean Mannion continues to heal his knee, may have shown the Beavers that he is the right quarterback for the team, right now.

Vaz has shown solid performances throughout all the games he’s played at qb. It’s hard to say right now if you should put a healthy Sean Mannion back in for the season. After he faced his 1st quarter woes, Vaz came out and owned the football field. After what seemed to be struggle with protection up front, Vaz was able to get lots of time in the pocket, buying time for his receivers to get open.

That’s a key factor to Vaz’s game; the wisdom and the curse: he will hold onto the ball as long as possible to make that throw. This can be detrimental to his health, though, with Mannion still recovering. Vaz getting sacked so many times has to make the team and fans cringe. Yet, this is a great indicator of why Vaz has only one interception and has one touchdown less than Mannion in less starts. Brandin Cooks and Markus Wheaton were able to get in sync with Vaz, who ended up 14 completions on 33 attempts, 267 yards, 3 TDs and threw his first career interception.

Oregon State, now ranked #11 in the BCS, gets ready this week as they face Cal this weekend, for what should be an easy win right before they travel to play the very tough Stanford team, who is ranked #14.

Game Recap:

First Drive of the game, 3rd & 8,Cody Vaz fumbles that snap forced by ASU DT Will Sutton. Ball is recovered by ASU DE Junior Onyeali to put Arizona State on the board first. ASU leads 7-0

Next Drive, 14:33 in the 1st quarter,  Oregon State shows signs of life as Markus Wheaton breaks out for a 35 yard run lead a charge down to the ASU 27, where Trevor Romaine hits a 41 yard field goal to make it a 7-3 game, ASU lead.

11:21 in the 1st quarter, ASU QB Taylor Kelly leads all the way to the Oregon State 1 yard line. On 3rd & goal, ASU RB Cameron Marshall dives over the Beaver’s D-Line and gets into the endzone. With the extra point good, ASU extends their lead to 14-3.

8:36 in the 1st, Oregon State gets the Beaver Nation back into the game as Cody Vaz hooks up with Markus Wheaton for a 50 yard pass over the heads of a two ASU defenders. Trevor Romaine kicks the extra point good to put the Beavers back into fighting position. ASU leads 14-10.

3:02 in the first, the Sun Devil’s push Oregon State back to their 1 yard line, forcing a punt. Punt is blocked in the endzone by ASU S Kevin Ayers. ASU gets the safety, putting their lead up to 16-10.

2nd Quarter:

Oregon State starts to make a comeback as Vaz hooks up with Connor Hamlett for an 11 yard gain. Next play, Oregon State RB Terron Ward breaks a run 53 yards for a touchdown. Trevor Romaine’s kick fails at the extra point, but Oregon State caps an impressive 3 plays for 65 yards to make it a one score game. ASU still leads 19-16

5:47 in the first half of play, Oregon State moves the ball downfield well, but is shown some hinderance as Vaz gets sacked twice for losses. With only seconds left, Romaine manages to kick a 45 yard to tie up the game at 19-19

3rd Quarter:

Oregon State comes out gunning on their first drive. Vaz hooks up with Cooks for a 25 yard gain bringing the ball to the ASU  20 yard line. 2 plays later, ball on ASU’s 17, Vaz tosses a 17 yard touchdown to Wheaton. Extra Point is good as Oregon State leads 26-19.

7:31 in the 3rd,  ball on the Oregon State 4 yard line, Vaz connects with Cooks for 15 yards, getting the ball to their own 23 yard line. 2 plays later, Wheaton sweeps for a nice 18 yard gain, putting the Beavers up to their own 41 yard line. After another first down conversion, Colin Kelly gets called for holding as the Beavers have to settle for a Romaine 33 yarder to make the game 29-19, Oregon State lead.

4th Quarter:

Oregon State’s running game shows its legs as Terron Ward finds room to violently gain 29 yards, bringing the Oregon State to the ASU 49. Vaz shows his touch as he bombs a deep pass to Brandin Cooks for a 49 yard touchdown. With the extra point, Oregon State gets comfortable after the push ahead, 36-19.

ASU Kelly shows that the Sun Devils still have some fight left as Kelly hooks up with Marion Grice for a 2 yard touchdown. With the extra point good, the Sun Devils cap 77 yards in 9 plays as Beavs lead and win 36-26.