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Oregon State looks to move closer to Rose Bowl

Nov 22, 2008 - 11:24 AM (21) Oregon State (7-3) at Arizona (6-4), 7:00 pm EST

TUCSON, Arizona (Ticker) -- Oregon State's Rose Bowl bid is gaining momentum.

Now just two wins away from their first trip to Pasedena in more than 40 years, the 21st-ranked Beavers visit Arizona on Saturday.

If Oregon State (7-3, 6-1 Pac-10) wins in the desert, the annual "Civil War" against Oregon on November 29 will take on even greater significance as the Beavers will be playing for their first Rose Bowl appearance since 1965.

If Oregon State runs the table, the Beavers will at worst win a tiebreaker against Southern California, based on their 27-21 victory over the Trojans on September 27.

"It's not going to get any easier from here on out," Oregon State quarterback Lyle Moevao said. "We've got Arizona in Arizona and Oregon at home. We are definitely looking forward to some good games."

Oregon State extended its winning streak to five games last week with a 34-21 victory over California - the longest for the Beavers since a seven-game run in 2000.

The Beavers may go as far as freshman Jacquizz Rodgers, the Pac-10's leading rusher, takes them. He rushed for 144 yards and a touchdown on 31 carries last week, his third straight game over 100 yards and the seventh in the last eight contests.

In the last three weeks, Rodgers has carried 88 times for 421 yards while extending his Pac-10 freshman record to 1,233 yards.

He joins Oregon State's Ken Simonton (1998) and Stanford's Darrin Nelson (1977) as the only freshmen to run for 1,000 yards in Pac-10 history.

Moevao, who suffered a strained muscle in his shoulder against UCLA on November 8, returned last week and completed 14-of-28 passes for 145 yards.

Arizona (6-4, 4-3) will try to avoid a second straight loss to a school from the Beaver state after allowing 527 yards in a 55-45 defeat to Oregon last week.

The Wildcats fell behind, 48-17, before a desperate comeback attempt fell short. Arizona scored four straight touchdowns in a span of 17 minutes to pull within 48-45 with still six minutes remaining.

Willie Tuitama passed for 328 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions for Arizona, which has dropped eight of its last nine to Oregon State, including a 31-16 defeat in Corvallis last season.