Riley sees the beauty in defensive struggle

Three points, 20 punts and 10 sacks. Go ahead and say it was unsightly, but Oregon State Coach Mike Riley saw nothing short of a masterpiece.

In the lowest-scoring major bowl game in half a century, the 24th-ranked Beavers shut down No. 18 Pittsburgh, 3-0, Wednesday in the Sun Bowl on Justin Kahut’s 44-yard field goal.

“That’s the game we were in,” Riley said. “We played that game. We ended up winning it. Some people will call it ugly, but I can’t.”

The Panthers’ Connor Lee tried a 58-yard field goal in the closing minutes, but the ball, helped by a steady wind, fell just short of the crossbar.

“I had more confidence in a 58-yard field-goal try than going for it on fourth and eight,” Coach Dave Wannstedt said. “I wanted to give our team a chance. I really thought he could kick it.”

Not since Air Force and Texas Christian played to 0-0 standoff in the Cotton Bowl on Jan. 1, 1959, had a bowl produced so few points. It was the lowest-scoring Sun Bowl since a scoreless tie in 1940 between Catholic and Arizona State.

The Beavers (9-4) improved to 5-0 in bowls since Riley began his second stint as their coach in 2003. Kahut provided the only points with his kick shortly before halftime.

Riley liked the way his team rebounded from a 65-38 loss to rival Oregon that denied Oregon State a Rose Bowl berth.

Pittsburgh (9-4), making its first bowl appearance since the 2004 season and the first under Wannstedt, led the Big East in scoring this season, averaging 29.3 points per game. The Panthers had 178 total yards.

The Beavers won without their spectacular brothers, tailback Jacquizz Rodgers and receiver James Rodgers, both out because of shoulder injuries.