Oregon State Primed for Showdown : Pacific 10: Beavers get ready for key game against Oregon by defeating Washington State, 21-3.

Oregon State served notice to Oregon that it won’t be a pushover next Saturday.

Oregon only needs a victory over Oregon State to win the Pacific 10 Conference title and earn a trip to the Rose Bowl, but the Ducks will have to do better against the Beavers’ defense than No. 24 Washington State did Saturday in a 21-3 loss.

The Beaver defense smothered the Cougars in the second half.

“Today there were two great defenses on the field,” Oregon State linebacker Kane Rogers said. “It was a defensive game and whoever had the best defense was going to win. Today I think our defense was better.”

Oregon State, 4-6 overall and 2-5 in the Pac 10, defeated the Cougars (6-4, 4-3) for the first time since 1978 and avenged a 51-6 rout a year ago in Pullman.

“Everybody was emotionally ready to play today more than any other game this year,” defensive end Packy Ena said. “We had something to prove from last year.”

The Beavers sacked Washington State quarterbacks eight times, five in the third quarter when Oregon State scored two touchdowns and held the Cougars to minus-30 yards.

“I didn’t think we were particularly sky high for the game, but I thought we were ready enough to win it,” Washington State Coach Mike Price said. “Then it got so close. We were in a fistfight and we had to deliver, but we didn’t.”

The Cougars, coming off a 23-10 loss to USC that knocked them out of the Rose Bowl race, finished with minus-seven yards rushing and 134 yards overall.

“We got smacked last week against USC and then when we were down Oregon State came and kicked us in the jaw,” Cougar wide receiver Jay Dumas said. “It hurts.”

The Beavers’ defense scored two touchdowns. They came on a 26-yard fumble return by Tom Holmes and a 47-yard interception return by Reggie Tongue. The 18-point victory was Oregon State’s biggest margin over a Pac-10 opponent in 20 years.

“I think that Rocky Long, our defensive coordinator, put together the finest game plan I’ve seen in 29 years of coaching,” Beaver Coach Jerry Pettibone said.