The final Pac-12 game between Stanford and No. 12 Oregon State resulted in the Beavers’ biggest win and most points scored in the history of the 88-game series.
No. 12 Oregon State (8-2, 5-2 Pac-12) scored touchdowns on eight of its first nine possessions and cruised to a 62-17 win as it kept its hopes alive for a Pac-12 championship. Its previous biggest win in the series was 43-3 in 2003.
Stanford (3-7, 2-6) was 3-1 on the road entering Saturday but had no answers for Oregon State’s running game, which totaled 277 yards on 40 carries.
Damien Martinez was second in the Pac-12 in rushing at 97.6 yards a game, but had only three rushing TDs this season before scoring on runs of 59, 15, 7, and 5 yards in the first half. He finished with 146 yards on 15 attempts.
Stanford’s defense allowed just one score in last week’s 10-7 win over Washington State, but Saturday was back to its normal for a unit that was 121st in the FBS in yards allowed (440.7) and 119th in points allowed (34.1).
“The preparation was definitely there during the week, we just didn’t play well,” Stanford coach Troy Taylor said. “That goes to the whole group, all of us, coaches included. It wasn’t good enough. Obviously, they’re an outstanding team. Really good in all three phases.”
The Cardinal threw four interceptions, nearly matching its total (five) from the first nine games this season.
Ashton Daniels threw three picks and also appeared to injure his left hand midway through the second quarter. He came back in after halftime but seemed to re-aggravate the injury in the fourth quarter.
Elic Ayomanor caught a 75-yard touchdown pass from Daniels in the third quarter to provide the biggest play for Stanford, which now turns its attention to the Big Game Saturday at Stanford Stadium.
“It’s all three phases that we have to get better,” Taylor said. “Faced a really good football team but our expectations are much higher than what we showed tonight.”
