The Oregon State Beavers looked to get their first win of the season with the Arizona Wildcats in town on Saturday. The game featured a series of runs by each team but ultimately ended in a 37-27 victory for the Beavers.
The two teams started off on equal ground and remained that way through the end of the first quarter, with neither squad scoring a single point. The second quarter, however, was dominated by the Beavers as Oregon State racked up 27 points. The Beavers entered halftime with a 27-6 lead.
Arizona made its run in the second half. The Wildcats used back-to-back scores in the second period- one by the offense on three-yard 13-yard run by Keola Antolin, the other by the defense on a 28-yard pick-six of Oregon State's Sean Mannion- to cut the lead to 30-20. An early score in the fourth quarter brought the Wildcats even closer, bringing them within one possession at 30-27.
The Beavers, though, proved that they could finish games by using a four-minute drive to score on a two-yard pass from Mannion to Joe Halahuni. The 37-27 lead was threatened by a late Wildcats drive that saw Arizona poach to the Beavers one-yard line, but the defense came up with a goal-line stand that ended Arizona's chance at the game.
Mannion finished the game with 267 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions on 32-of-41 passing. Running back Jovan Stevenson recorded 99 rushing yards and one touchdown on 17 carries while Markus Wheaton led Beavers receivers with 54 yards on six receptions.
The Beavers clinched their first win of the season and improve to 1-4 on the season, also sporting a 1-2 record in the Pac-12. The Beavers take on the BYU Cougars (3-2) next weekend on the road.