Max Borghi scored on a 2-yard run with 2 seconds remaining, and Anthony Gordon shattered a pair of Pacific-12 Conference passing records as Washington State rallied for a 54-53 victory against visiting Oregon State on Saturday night in Pullman, Wash.
Borghi rushed for 44 yards and two touchdowns on 10 carries and also made nine catches for 40 yards for the Cougars (6-5 overall, 3-5 Pac-12), who became bowl eligible.
Gordon completed 50 of 70 passes for 606 yards and six touchdowns to eclipse the conference marks for most passing yards in a season (4,779, set by former WSU teammate Gardner Minshew II last season) and the most TD passes (43, set by California's Jared Goff in 2015 and matched by Washington's Jake Browning the following season). Gordon has thrown for 4,920 yards and 45 TDs this season, with the Apple Cup against the rival Huskies still to come.
Jermar Jefferson rushed for 132 yards and scored four touchdowns (two rushing, two receiving) for the Beavers (5-6, 4-4), who will need to beat No. 6 Oregon next weekend in the Civil War to go bowling. The Ducks have won 10 of the past 11 meetings with the Beavers.
Jake Luton completed 22 of 40 passes for 408 yards and five touchdowns for the Oregon State, which scored 21 points in a span of 3:15 midway through the fourth quarter to take a 53-42 lead.
Gordon hit Dezmon Patmon with a 14-yard scoring strike with 2:10 left to pull the Cougars within 53-48.
The Beavers recovered the ensuing onside kick but went four-and-out, misfiring on a fourth-and-4 pass from the WSU 43-yard line with 1:10 remaining.
Gordon drove the Cougars for the winning score, which came after a pass interference call in the end zone.
WSU's Renard Bell made eight receptions for 108 yards and two TDs, and Patmon also scored twice. Deon McIntosh and Calvin Jackson were also on the end of Gordon's scoring strikes.
The first half went back and forth, with the Beavers taking a 24-21 lead on a 47-yard field goal by Everett Hayes with 26 seconds remaining before the intermission.
Gordon threw a 36-yard scoring strike to Jackson and a 10-yarder to Bell to give the Cougars a 35-24 lead entering the fourth quarter.
--Field Level Media
Oregon State | Washington State | |
Jermar Jefferson | Player | Max Borghi |
21 | Attempts | 10 |
132 | Yards | 44 |
6.3 | Avg Yards | 4.4 |
2 | Touchdowns | 2 |
0 | Long | 0 |
Oregon State | Washington State | |
Champ Flemings | Player | Renard Bell |
4 | Receptions | 8 |
110 | Yards | 108 |
27.5 | Avg Yards | 13.5 |
1 | Touchdowns | 2 |
0 | Long | 0 |
Yards | Scoring | Defense | ||||||
Team | Tot | Rus | Pas | TD | FG | INT | Sck | FF |
Oregon State | 601 | 193 | 408 | 7 | 1 | 3 | 1.0 | 1 |
Washington State | 641 | 35 | 606 | 8 | 0 | 1 | 1.0 | 0 |