By Fitzgerald Cecilio

Corvallis, OR

Cornerback Jordan Poyer became the first Oregon State player to intercept three passes in a game in almost nine years as the No. 14 Beavers recorded their first 4-0 start in a decade with a 19-6 victory over Washington State Saturday before a school-record crowd of 46,579 at Reser Stadium.

Poyer, whose last interception in the fourth period sealed the Beavers' victory, tied the school's second-best record for picks. He was the first Beaver to have three picks since Mitch Meeuwsen tallied the same output against Washington State on Oct. 25, 2003.

"I was just seeing the field really well. There were plays to be made and I made them. It was nothing out of the ordinary. I was just making plays," said Poyer, who helped Oregon State match its longest winning streak since 2009 when it beat UCLA, California, Washington and Washington State.

"I am really proud of the players. Today it was relatively low scoring with both defenses playing well. I really couldn't be prouder of our defense. That is going to be really important moving forward, that everybody picks each other up and that we find that way to win. Defensively, we made a lot of plays," said head coach Mike Riley.

The Beavers' defense held the Cougars out of the end zone, forced five turnovers and limited them to just 20 rushing yards, 15 coming from Carl Winston late in the fourth quarter when the game was already decided.

The last time OSU kept a team from scoring a touchdown was against Pittsburgh in the 2008 Sun Bowl.

"I thought the defense in general was very disruptive. Guys made plays and (Jordan) Poyer's interceptions were big time. It really helps to get a sack because the quarterback always has that in the back of his head. The guys played hard and made a lot of plays," Riley added.

The Beavers' defense helped them survive a rocky start by quarterback Sean Mannion, who issued three interceptions on top of his 25-for-42 performance for 270 yards with one touchdown.

"There are some easy things that we need to fix. I know that personally, there are some things that I can do to improve as well," said Mannion.

Mannion found seven different receivers with Wheaton leading the way, racking up nine catches for 95 yards and a touchdown while Brandin Cooks had 82 yards on five catches.

The two teams came up with field goals in the first half with the Beavers grabbing a 6-3 advantage.

In the third period, Mannion connected with senior wide receiver Markus Wheaton on a 12-yard touchdown strike in the back corner of the end zone to make it 13-3.

Washington State inched back into the game with a 32-yard field goal from Andrew Furney field goal before Mannion led the Beavers to a 12-play, 86-yard drive that ended with a one-yard run by fullback Tyler Anderson.

 

 

Poyer's Three Picks Help No. 14 Oregon State Beat Washington State