CORVALLIS — Cody Vaz recovered from a shaky start to pass for 267 yards and three touchdowns and lead No. 13 Oregon State to a 36-26 Pac-12 football victory over Arizona State on Saturday night.
Terron Ward rushed for 146 yards and a touchdown for the Beavers (7-1, 5-1), taking on extra work when starting running back Storm Woods left early in the game with a sore left knee.
Arizona State (5-4, 3-3) scored on the return after Vaz fumbled on Oregon State’s opening drive, but the Beavers pulled away after a 19-19 tie at the half to keep the Sun Devils from bowl eligibility.
A fan in the crowd held a sign reading “We’re All BelieVaz" for the junior quarterback who was awarded the start after Sean Mannion struggled last week.
Mannion threw four interceptions in a loss at Washington. Vaz had started two games for the Beavers and won them both while Mannion recovered from left knee surgery. Mannion, a sophomore, started the Beavers’ first four games and averaged 339 yards passing, but he was off when he returned in the 20-17 loss to the Huskies.
Vaz’s night started disastrously when he lost the ball on Oregon State’s own 1-yard line on the opening drive and Arizona State defensive end Junior Onyeali returned it for a touchdown to give the Sun Devils the early lead.
Vaz appeared unsure of himself, but the Beavers’ ensuing drive ended with Trevor Romaine’s 41-yard field goal. Arizona State answered with Cameron Marshall’s 1-yard scoring run for a 14-3 lead.
Vaz bounced back with a 50-yard scoring pass to Markus Wheaton, but then Arizona State got a safety on a blocked punt for a 16-10 lead. The Sun Devils added a 31-yard field goal from Jon Mora.
Ward’s 53-yard touchdown run narrowed it again for Oregon State, and the Beavers tied it at 19 going into halftime on Romaine’s 45-yard field goal.
Vaz came out of the break looking steadier, and he opened with a scoring drive that ended with a 17-yard touchdown pass to Markus Wheaton as the Beavers pulled in front 26-19.
Romaine tied his career high with his third field goal, a 33-yarder, later in the third quarter.
Vaz found Brandin Cooks with a 49-yard scoring pass to make it 36-19 with 10:54 left. In the end, Vaz completed 14 of 33 passes. He was intercepted once and sacked six times.
Arizona State quarterback Taylor Kelly found Marion Grice with a 2-yard scoring pass with 22 seconds remaining. Kelly finished with 153 yards passing, a touchdown and an interception.
Arizona State saw the return of defensive tackle Will Sutton, considered one of the top defensive players in the Pac-12. He missed Arizona State’s last game after injuring his right knee early in the Sun Devils’ 43-21 loss to Oregon on Oct. 18.
The loss to the Ducks was the first of two straight at home for Arizona State after a three-game winning streak. The Sun Devils fell 45-43 to UCLA last weekend, but they are still in the thick of the Pac-12 South race behind USC and the Bruins.
The Beavers got Wheaton back from a concussion he suffered the week before at Washington. But running back Woods, who nursed a sore left knee this past week, played just briefly at the start of the game before leaving for good.
