Bowl Game Within Reach -- Beavers at Stanford Saturday

You can hear the game in the Salem-area on NewsRadio 1190 KEX AM.

Salem-News.com

CORVALLIS - Oregon State attempts for the second straight week to become bowl eligible.

The Beavers are one of two teams (Purdue) that must win seven games this season due to their 13-game regular season schedule.

OSU is currently tied for third in the conference with in-state rival Oregon and could finish as high as tied for second with California or USC with a 6-3 league mark.

Stanford is coming off its first victory of the season and plays its final home game of the year in its new stadium.

WHAT’S ON THE LINE?

If OSU wins its last two Pac-10 games it would mark the program’s second-best ever mark in Pac-8/10 action -- 6-3. The 2000 club went 7-1. The Beavers would in theory have an opportunity to play in the Pacific Life Holiday Bowl, but a more realistic outlook is the Brut Sun Bowl. The program has never played in either the Holiday Bowl or Sun Bowl. If OSU loses its last two league games a combination of WSU, UCLA, ASU and Arizona could finish higher.

BROADCAST INFORMATION:

TV -- Live over FSN NW, FSN Bay Area and Fox College Sports

Radio – Beaver Sports Network, beginning at 10:30 AM. Also available on Beaver Nation Online.

Beaver Sports Talk – Tuesday at 7:00 PM on Beaver Sports Network and through BNO. Replay on Comcast 14 (Fri.)

Beavers All-Access – Wednesday on FSN NW (check for time). Replay on FCS, FSN NW, Comcast 14 (Sat.)

Spanish Radio – Churchill Media Group carries all games live.

ALMOST FIRST, DEFINITELY LAST:

Oregon State’s 13-game regular season schedule ends Dec. 2nd, starting at 8:00 PM PST at Hawaii.

The game marks the final contest of the 2006 college football regular season. The Beavers also participated on opening day, Thurs., Aug. 31st.

OSU, Connecticut, New Mexico State, Louisiana-Monroe, Florida International and San Diego State are the only programs to play on the first and last day of the season.

THE SERIES:

Oregon State has won four of the last five games and seven of the last 10. Prior to the last 10 meetings, the Cardinal won 10 of 12 games, with one Beaver win and a tie.

Stanford broke OSU’s four-game winning streak last season with a 20-17 win at Corvallis. The last two games have been decided by a combined eight points.

Overall Stanford has a 47-22-3 in a series that dates back to 1919.

THE LAST TIME:

Stanford defeated Oregon State in the next-to-the-last game of the season last year, 20-17 at Reser Stadium.

The loss was devastating to the Beavers, who not only lost an opportunity to clinch a bowl berth, but also lost starting quarterback Matt Moore to a knee injury -- he did not play in the season finale at Oregon.

A Reser Stadium record crowd of 42,960 watched as Stanford QB Trent Edwards and WR Justin McCullum connected seven times for 119 yards and two touchdowns.

The Beavers trailed 17-7 in the second quarter when defensive end Jeff Van Orsow intercepted Edwards and returned it for a 24-yard touchdown -- the first time a defensive lineman scored a touchdown for OSU since 2002.

The Beavers had a chance to tie the game, but Alexis Serna’s 52-yard FG attempt with 16 seconds left fell short.

The win improved Stanford’s record to 5-4, while the Beavers fell to 5-5.

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