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Beavers remain unbeaten, top Utah

Oct 21, 2012 - 7:03 AM Corvallis, OR (Sports Network) - Storm Woods ran for three touchdowns to lead No. 8 Oregon State to its best start in over 100 years as the Beavers downed Utah, 21-7, at Reser Stadium on Saturday.

Woods carried the ball 17 times for 46 yards and added 20 yards on three receptions for Oregon State (6-0, 4-0 Pac-12), which is 6-0 for the first time since 1907.

Cody Vaz completed 16-of-26 passes for 174 yards, Markus Wheaton had a game- high 90 yards on seven catches and the Beavers' defense forced four turnovers in the victory.

Travis Wilson went 15-for-28 through the air for 172 yards with a touchdown and two interceptions for the Utes (2-5, 0-4), who have dropped four straight.

Jake Murphy paced Utah with 42 yards and a score on four receptions.

"The biggest disappointment offensively was turning the ball over four times and scoring one touchdown. You're going to win exactly zero games doing that, so our biggest issue tonight was taking care of the football," Utah coach Kyle Whittingham said.

The Utes received the ball to start the third quarter trailing 14-7 and converted a 4th-and-1 at their own 44 with a Wilson sneak up the middle before a 23-yard run by Reggie Dunn on an end-around moved the ball deep inside Oregon State territory.

A defensive pass interference penalty then placed the ball to the Beavers' 3- yard line, but DeVonte Christopher failed to catch a pitch and Oregon State's Scott Crichton jumped on the loose ball at the 10.

Neither team would muster much of an offense from there until the Beavers started a drive at their own 33-yard line with 11:16 left in the fourth quarter. After a personal foul penalty moved Oregon State back 15 yards, Vaz found Kevin Cummings for a 25-yard gain for a first down.

The drive was later kept alive with a personal foul penalty on Utah following a short reception by Cummings on a 3rd-and-13 that would have resulted in a fourth down. Woods capitalized on the gaffe with a 2-yard push across the goal line for a 21-7 advantage with 7:41 remaining.

Utah marched down the field on its ensuing possession, converting a 4th-and-2 at the Oregon State 24 with a 5-yard rush by John White to get inside the Beavers' red zone.

But Jake Murphy had a potential touchdown deflect off his hands on the next play and Wilson was sacked by D.J. Welch on a 4th-and-9 to turn the ball over on downs.

The Utes regained the ball following a three-and-out by Oregon State, but Wilson was intercepted by Sean Martin and the Beavers were able to run out the remainder of the clock.

"They threw a lot of stuff at us, but we came up with a big drive in the fourth quarter. I am just really proud of our guys, it's a big win for us," Vaz said.

Utah took the ball at its own 20-yard line after forcing an Oregon State punt on the opening possession of the game and Wilson found Luke Matthews for a 35-yard gain on the first play of the drive to move the ball past midfield, but Coleman Petersen missed a 43-yard field goal wide left to keep the game scoreless.

The teams traded punts from there until Michael Doctor intercepted a tipped Wilson pass late in the first quarter and returned it 19 yards to the Utah 16.

Three plays later, Woods rumbled into the end zone from a yard out to give the Beavers a 7-0 lead with 57 seconds left in the opening frame.

Rudolf Fifita then knocked the ball loose from Wilson with a big hit during a sack on Utah's ensuing possession and Oregon State recovered at the Utes' 10, resulting in Woods' 2-yard touchdown run off the right side within the first minute of the second quarter.

Utah was able to cut into its deficit following a series of punts with a 10- play, 88-yard march that included just one third down and was capped by Murphy's 18-yard touchdown grab to bring the Utes within 14-7 at the break.

Game Notes

Oregon State leads the all-time series between the teams, 10-6-1, but had lost four of the last five meetings ... The Beavers have won their first four conference games for the first time since 1968 ... White finished with 68 yards on 20 carries and 24 yards on two receptions ... Oregon State went 2- for-11 on third downs, while Utah was 3-for-16.