Sean Mannion threw for 259 yards and one touchdown and Oregon State (7-6) snapped a five-game losing streak with a 38-23 victory over Boise State (8-5) in the Sheraton Hawaii Bowl on Christmas Eve night.
It was OSU’s first bowl win since beating Pittsburgh, 3-0, in the 1998 Sun Bowl.
The Beavers made quick work of the Broncos, jumping out to a 31-6 halftime lead thanks in large part to two fumble return touchdowns by cornerback Rashaad Reynolds.
Oregon State, which came in averaging just 86 yards rushing per game, accumulated 197 yards on the ground. Storm Woods got a game-high 107 of those yards on just 16 carries to notch his first 100-yard rushing game of the season.
Boise State had 537 total yards and made a solid attempt at a comeback, but couldn’t recover from the early deficit. Quarterback Grant Hedrick played well, throwing for 382 yards and one touchdown on 32 of 44 passing. Wide out Matt Miller caught 11 passes for 206 yards, but the Broncos were unable to convert those yards into points.
The loss capped a tumultuous month for Boise State. First Chris Petersen skipped town to take the head coaching job at Washington, then senior quarterback Joe Southwick was sent home for allegedly urinating off a balcony. New head coach Bryan Harsin will take over a team coming off its worst season since 1998. He’s got a lot of work to do, but the talent is in place for Boise State to once again dominate the Mountain West.
Meanwhile, Oregon State restored some of its pride after slumping horribly down the stretch this season. The Beavers will return Mannion, all of its leading rushers and most of its top receivers (assuming Brandin Cooks goes pro), so this win could act as a springboard to an even better 2014 in Corvallis.