BEAVERS FALL SHORT OF ROSES IN 113TH CIVIL WAR

In what will become an instant classic of Civil War football games. The Beavers came up inches short of fulfilling 45 years of hopes and dreams once again. It has taken me a few days to overcome the disappointment of losing the Rose Bowl for the second year in a row. Now with Bowl Selection being made and the Ducks going to the Rose Bowl and Beavers once again did not get to go to the Holiday Bowl in San Diego. And we were prevented from attending the Sun Bowl due to their no repeat clause much like two years ago when the Beavers dropped all the way to the Emerald Bowl. The Beavers ended up in the Las Vegas Bowl.

How close we were to living the dream! For the second year in a row Mike Riley, his coaching staff and the players of OSU's football team shocked all the experts by getting within one game of going back to the Rose Bowl for the first time in 45 years.

Sean Canfield and the Beavers had prepared and had a game plan to defeat the Ducks. The plan was working and with 10:51 to go in the third quarter the Beavers held a 30-21 lead. With 2:28 to go in the third quarter the Beavers held a 33-28 lead. But that was the last time the Beavers would be able to get into the end zone as the Ducks changed their strategy and put more pressure on Canfield.

With a little over 6 minutes to go in the game the Beavers faced a 4th and 15 at the Ducks 27 yard line trailing by 4 points. Riley knew that if he gave the ball back to Oregon they could run out the clock with the way they had been moving the ball on the ground. So Mike decided to gamble and go for it. The Ducks pressured Canfield and he was forced to release the ball sooner then he wanted to. The first option on the play was Halahuni over the middle but they had not time to wait and went to James Rodgers on the out route at the sticks. The ball sailed inches from his outstretched fingers and the Beavers turned the ball over.

Even then the Beavers had time if they could only make a stop. Something they had not been able to do the entire second half. Three times the Beavers had the Ducks in position to get the stop. And three times the Beavers failed to stop the Ducks and get the ball back. What if they had made the stop? Could the Beavers have driven the ball on the Ducks defense to get the winning score? We will never know and it becomes part of Civil War history as one of the greatest games in the series.

This year the #16 Beavers go to Las Vegas for the second time in a season to face #15 Cougars of BYU in the Las Vegas Bowl. This game is already being promoted as one of the best match ups of any of the 2009 Bowl Games. It also has some interesting story lines with BYU coach Bronco Mendenhall playing at Oregon State. But I will break down stories on the Las Vegas Bowl later in the week.

For now the Beavers and their fans need to put the Civil War in the past and move forward to the Bowl Season and continuing their streak of 5 straight bowl victories. Hopefully I will be in Vegas to watch it happen.

BY THE NUMBERS - Click Here Postgame Stats

GO BEAVERS!