There was no shortage of offense in the Hawaii Bowl between Oregon State and Boise State, but it was two defensive plays by one player that changed the course of the game.
Oregon State senior cornerback Rashaad Reynolds returned two fumbles for touchdowns in the first half -- one from three yards, the other from 70 – to give the Beavers a lead they would never look back from. Oregon State’s lead grew to as large as 32 points in the third quarter and the Beavers held on for an eventual 38-23 win.
Using a balanced attack of 33 runs and 34 passes, the OSU offense was unspectacular, but very effective. Quarterback Sean Mannion, who set a Pac-12 record for single-season passing yards, completed 24-of-33 passes for 259 yards and threw a two-yard touchdown to Biletnikoff winner Brandin Cooks in the first quarter. Cooks hauled in eight passes for 60 yards and set a Pac-12 record for most receiving yards in a season.
Despite being kept out of the end zone until the third quarter, Boise State racked up 538 yards of total offense, but those first half turnovers put the Broncos at a deficit they could not overcome. Quarterback Grant Hedrick threw for 382 yards and connected with his favorite target Matt Miller 11 times for 206 yards, including an 85-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter.
The loss snapped a five-game losing streak for Oregon State and allowed the Beavers to finish the year above .500 at 7-6. Boise, who played with interim coach Bob Gregory running the show, finished the year at 8-5.
- - -
Want to join the conversation? Hit us up on Twitter @YahooDrSaturday be sure to "Like" Dr. Saturday on Facebook for football conversations and stuff you won't see on the blog.