Everett Hayes booted a 55-yard field goal with 20 seconds left to lift Oregon State to a wild 41-38 victory over Washington State on Saturday night at Corvallis, Ore., in the lone Pac-12 game of the season.
Ben Gulbranson completed 22 of 34 passes for 294 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions as Oregon State (5-6, 1-0 Pac-12) halted a five-game losing streak.
The Beavers’ winning points followed a costly turnover by Washington State’s Kyle Williams. After catching a pass, Williams lost a fumble that was recovered by Oregon State’s Jaden Robinson at the Cougars’ 49-yard line with just under two minutes remaining.
John Mateer was 17-of-23 passing for 250 yards and two touchdowns and also rushed for 75 yards and two scores for Washington State (8-3, 0-1).
The victory was just Oregon State’s second in the past 11 meetings with the Cougars.
Ten teams formally departed the Pac-12 in the summer to join other leagues. Washington State and Oregon State will be part of a rebuilt Pac-12 that begins with the 2026-27 school year.
Trent Walker caught 12 passes for 136 yards, Jermaine Terry II had five receptions for 92 yards and a touchdown and Darrius Clemons also caught a scoring pass for the Beavers.
Taariq Al-Uqdah returned an interception for a touchdown for the Cougars. Carlos Hernandez and Williams (five catches, 95 yards) had scoring receptions.
Oregon State held a 31-24 lead after Gulbranson tossed a 43-yard touchdown pass to Terry with 1:41 to go in the third quarter.
The Cougars knotted the score on Mateer’s 4-yard run with 12:04 left in the game.
Two plays later, Al-Uqdah stepped in front of Gulbranson’s pass and returned it 29 yards to put Washington State back ahead.
The Beavers battled back with a 16-play, 75-yard drive that was capped by Gulbranson’s 4-yard scoring pass to Clemons to tie it at 38 with 2:45 left in the game.
Both teams scored a touchdown in the first quarter, and Gulbranson’s 1-yard run with 13 seconds left in the second quarter gave the Beavers a 21-17 halftime lead.
Hayes booted a 46-yard field goal to give the Beavers a 24-17 advantage early in the third quarter. The Cougars pulled even when Williams caught a pass in the right flat and turned it into a 57-yard touchdown.
