Oregon State Earns Its First Win in Arizona

In a season that just keeps getting better for Oregon State, the 10th-ranked Beavers won at Arizona for the first time, keeping their Rose Bowl hopes alive with a 33-9 victory Saturday night.

Jonathan Smith completed 17 of 31 passes for 231 yards and a touchdown at Tucson and the Beavers, 9-1 overall and 6-1 in the Pacific 10 Conference, held Arizona (5-5, 3-4) to three field goals by Sean Keel.

It was the first time the Wildcats have not scored a touchdown in a game since 1994.

Oregon State, with its highest ranking since 1968, has won nine games for the first time since going 9-1-1 in 1939.

The Beavers play host to sixth-ranked Oregon on Saturday in what amounts to the biggest “Civil War” game ever between the rivals. But Oregon State needs help to get to Pasadena.

The Beavers need a victory over Oregon coupled with a Washington loss to Washington State to earn their first Rose Bowl berth since the 1964 season. If Oregon beats Oregon State, the Ducks go to the Rose Bowl.

Arizona held Ken Simonton, the Pac-10’s leading rusher, to a season-low 73 yards in 19 carries, but he had 47 in five carries in the fourth quarter, including a 21-yard touchdown run.

The Beavers, 0-10 at Arizona going into the game, scored on their first five possessions, including field goals of 23, 44 and 31 yards by Ryan Cesca, to lead, 23-3, at halftime. Cesca also kicked a 30-yarder in the fourth quarter.

In the first half, Simonton had one yard on eight carries and the Beavers had just two yards on the ground. But Smith completed 12 of 21 passes for 188 yards, and Oregon State’s defense held the Wildcats to 64 yards.

Stanford 29, Arizona State 7--Kerry Carter rushed for 103 yards and a touchdown and also threw a touchdown pass as the Cardinal (4-6, 3-4) ended a three-game losing streak by defeating the injury-ravaged Sun Devils (5-5, 2-5) at Stanford.

DeRonnie Pitts caught five passes to become the Pac-10’s second-leading career receiver as Stanford won for only the second time in eight weeks.

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Fight to the Finish

The scenarios for the Pacific 10 championship and Rose Bowl berth going into next Saturday’s games:

* Oregon goes to the Rose Bowl if it beats Oregon State.

* Oregon State goes to the Rose Bowl if it beats Oregon and Washington loses to Washington State.

* Washington goes to the Rose Bowl if it wins and Oregon loses, creating a three-way tie for first. Nonconference records are the first tiebreaker in this situation. Washington went 3-0 in nonconference games as did Oregon State. Washington would have the edge because Oregon State’s victory against a I-AA team, Eastern Washington, would not be counted. Oregon was 2-1 in nonconference games.