CORVALLIS, Ore. ““ On a day when ghosts and zombies reign supreme, a left-for-dead UCLA football team nearly escaped with its first Pac-10 victory on Halloween night.
Yet in the end, it turned out to be all trick and no treat for the Bruins, who dropped their fifth consecutive game, this one a 26-19 thriller against Oregon State in front of 41,009 at Reser Stadium.
Heading into the fourth quarter, the Bruins faced a 16-3 deficit and seemed destined for their second consecutive one-sided road loss in conference play.
Until the offense rose from the dead.
After gaining just 164 yards through the first three quarters, the Bruins exploded for 16 points and 210 yards in the fourth quarter, eventually tying the score at 19-19 with 2:06 left in the game.
After Oregon State kicker Justin Kahut kicked his fourth field goal of the night to put the Beavers up 19-3 with a little more than 10 minutes left in the game, UCLA quarterback Kevin Prince led the Bruins on a scoring drive, capped off by a 58-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Nelson Rosario. The Bruins would convert on the two-point conversion to cut the deficit to 19-11.
After forcing an Oregon State three-and-out, the Bruins tied the game at 19-19 on a touchdown pass to Taylor Embree on fourth down and a successful two-point conversion with 2:06 left in the game.
Improbable as it was, the Bruins could not close the game out, allowing Oregon State to drive the ball 70 yards on seven plays, ending in a 17-yard rushing touchdown by James Rodgers, putting the Beavers up for good.
Prince finished the game 323 yards on 22-of-34 passing. Rosario became the first Bruin receiver to have a 100-yard performance since Brandon Breazell’s 121 yards against Utah in 2007, finishing with 152 yards on six receptions. Embree finished with 88 yards on five receptions.
In the first half, it seemed it would be the start of a long day for the Bruins as the Beavers out-gained them 248 yards to 86.
Oregon State’s Jacquizz Rodgers was a triple threat for the Beavers. He had 112 yards rushing, 92 yards receiving and even threw for a touchdown, a 14-yard pass to Brady Camp out of the Wildcat formation to give Oregon State a 13-0 lead near the end of the second quarter.
Rodgers’ brother, James, also proved to be lethal with 106 yards receiving and 28 yards rushing, including 17 yards on the game-winning touchdown.