2012 bowl projections: Oregon projected to play Nebraska in the Rose Bowl

Jerry Palm of CBSSports.com is projecting Oregon to reach the Rose Bowl this season.

2012 BCS standings: Oregon No. 3, Oregon State No. 8 in first BCS rankings of season

The Oregon Ducks are ranked No. 3 in the initial BCS season standings with the Oregon State Beavers coming in at No. 8.

Oregon State vs. BYU 2012: Beavers use big plays on offense to remain undefeated

The Oregon St. Beavers had the odds stacked against them without starting quarterback Sean Mannion, but a huge day from backup QB Cody Vaz and OSU's defense led the Beavers to a 42-24 win. Oregon State is now 5-0 this season and remains in the top 10.

As SB Nation's OSU blog, Building The Dam, explained in their game recap, the Beavers used big plays on offense to come out victorious on the road. Here was one telling stat from Saturday.

6 - Number of explosive plays (20+ yards). 2 to Brandin Cooks, 2 to Connor Hamlett, 1 to Markus Wheaton, 1 to Malcolm Agnew. Every scoring drive contained an explosive play, and every other drive that lacked one did not get a score. The Beavs have excelled at explosive plays this year, and it all starts with Cooks and Wheaton, although Connor Hamlett has been coming through in the clutch lately as well.

Here was another stat that caught the eye of Building The Dam's contributors.

5 - Number of rushes over 10 yards. This might not look like that great a number but it was out of 20 rushes as a team. The offensive line opened up a number of holes against the Cougars today, BYU did stuff a number of runs, but the running game has steadily improved since that first game versus Wisconsin.

Oregon State's quest for a perfect season will continue next week as they welcome in the Utah Utes. Look for Vaz and the OSU running game to have a big day against Utah's defense, which ranks 50th in total defense.

Oregon State vs. BYU final: Beavers win 42-24

The Oregon State Beavers remained undefeated on the year with a 42-24 victory over the BYU Cougars on Saturday. OSU was without its starting quarterback Sean Mannion, who had an operation on his knee earlier this week, but the offense still performed against a stout BYU defense.

Replacement quarterback Cody Vaz was excellent. He started the game on fire, completing 7/8 passes on the opening drive as the Beavers took a 7-0 lead. Vaz connected with Markus Wheaton twice in the initial period to put Oregon State up 14-7.

BYU would come back to tie the game at 14 minutes before halftime, as Riley Nelson hooked up with Devin Mahina from two yards out.

The offenses would pick back up midway through the third quarter, as Oregon State and BYU traded touchdowns to put the score at 21-21. Oregon State drove the field to end the third, and Vaz threw his third touchdown pass of the game to start the fourth quarter, this time hitting Colby Prince to give the Beavers their third lead at 28-21.

The OSU defense made a crucial defensive stand, as the Cougars drove to the 10 with just under 10 minutes to play. After a third-down sack of Nelson, BYU settled for a field goal to make the score 28-24. Oregon State would put the game out of reach on their next possession when Wheaton scored on a 12-yard run to put the Beavers up 35-24.

Two plays later, the rout was on, as Jordan Poyer picked off a Nelson pass and took it the distance.

Box Score Hero: Vaz looked great in relief of Mannion, completing 20/32 passes for 332 yards and three touchdowns.

Rankings Ramifications: Oregon State came into the game ranked as high as 10th. Depending on other action, they may move up in the polls as they move to 5-0.

But Did They Cover? BYU was favored by six, so they were unable to cover in the loss.

For More On This Game: For more on Cougars football, visit BYU blog Vanquish The Foe.

For more on OSU football, visit Oregon State blog Building The Dam, plus Pac-12 blog Pacific Takes.

Next Week's Schedule: BYU visits Notre Dame next Saturday at 3:30 p.m. ET, while Oregon State hosts the Utah Utes at 10:30 p.m.

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This story was originally published on SB Nation.com.

Oregon State vs. BYU score: Beavers tied, 21-21, heading to the 4th

The Oregon State Beavers lead the BYU Cougars, 21-14, after three quarters in Provo, Utah. The Beavers got off to a hot start, and seemed to be doing just fine without injured quarterback Sean Mannion against a stout BYU defense.

Replacement quarterback Cody Vaz has led three touchdown drives for OSU. He had two touchdown passes to Markus Wheaton in the first quarter. The Beavers were held at 14 until Storm Woods scored from 16 yards out to take the lead with 6:26 to go in the third.

BYU drove down the field on their ensuing possession. The Cougars were able to tie the game, with the help of a third-down pass interference call on OSU cornerback Jordan Poyer that gave BYU a 1st and goal from the two. Jamaal Williams scored on the next play, his second of the day. The point-after by Justin Sorensen tied the game at 21 with 2:50 to go in the quarter.

OSU has answered right back, and has the ball, 2nd and goal, at the BYU 4-yard line to start the final quarter.

Oregon State vs. BYU score: Beavers, Cougars tied 14-14 at half

The Oregon State Beavers are tied, 14-14, with the BYU Cougars after one half of play in Provo, Utah. With starting quarterback Sean Mannion out for OSU, and BYU's offense struggling, the game was expected to be a low-scoring contest. It hasn't lived up to that billing so far.

Replacement quarterback Cody Vaz started hot, tossing two touchdown to Markus Wheaton in the first quarter as the Beavers built a 14-7 lead.

BYU dominated much of the second quarter, but didn't get much to show for it until close to halftime. The Cougars drove deep into Oregon State territory early in the period before Riley Nelson was intercepted by Reuben Robinson at the Beavers 14.

The Cougars would venture into OSU territory again on their next possession. BYU had a 2nd and goal from the OSU 6 when Riley Nelson coughed the ball up near the goal line. The ball was eventually recovered by Brigham Young's Jamaal Williams at the 12.

BYU would recover, scoring the game-tying touchdown on fourth down. Nelson redeemed himself by connecting with Davin Mahina for a 2-yard score.

Oregon State vs. BYU score: Beavers lead 14-7 after first quarter

The Oregon State Beavers lead the BYU Cougars, 14-7, after one quarter of play in Provo, Utah. The Beavers are facing their first game without injured quarterback Sean Mannion, and replacement Cody Vaz has impressed thus far.

Vaz hit Markus Wheaton on an 11-yard scoring strike to put Oregon State in the lead just 2:31 into the first quarter. Vaz completed all five of his passes to four different receivers on the drive for 75 yards.

The Cougars didn't take long to tie the game. BYU drove 75 yards in 10 plays for a touchdown on the ensuing drive. Running back Jamaal Williams punched it from one-yard out to get his team on the board. Riley Nelson has returned to the starting role after an injury to Taysom Hill, and he completed 5/6 for 48 yards and had a 16-yard rush on BYU's initial drive.

Vaz hit Wheaton again, this time on a 24-yard touchdown pass, to put the Beavers on top 14-7 with 3:01 to play in the quarter. Vaz has completed 8/10 for 153 yards and two scores overall.

Oregon State vs. BYU 2012: Quarterbacks key for both Beavers and Cougars

Oregon State takes its undefeated record on the road against BYU. SB Nation's team blogs look at the keys to the matchup.

Oregon State vs. BYU 2012: TV schedule, game time, spread and more

No. 10 Oregon State will go on the road this week, traveling to Utah to face BYU.