Senior Brandyn Reed caught the winning touchdown and 2-point conversion
CORVALLIS, Ore. —Brandyn Reed followed his 6-yard touchdown with a leaping two-point conversion grab to give Sacramento State a 29-28 overtime victory at Oregon State on Saturday in front of a stunned crowd of 41,581 at Reser Stadium.
In the overtime session, after OSU took the lead with a 17-yard run from Malcolm Agnew, the Hornets responded with a 6-play drive which ended when quarterback Jeff Fleming hit Reed in the center of the end zone to pull the Hornets within one at 28-27. Sacramento State initially lined up for the PAT but then motioned into a two-point formation forcing Oregon State to call a timeout. After the break, the Hornets sent out the offense and Fleming lobbed the ball to the right side of the end zone where Reed went over the top of the defender to make the winning grab.
The Hornet victory was the first against a Football Bowl Subdivision team in 11 tries and snapped a streak of 49-straight losses by Big Sky Conference schools against FBS foes dating back to 2006. In addition, the win snapped a 29-game losing streak by Big Sky teams against Pac-12 teams. The last Big Sky win against the Pac-12 came on Sept. 7, 1996 when Montana beat Oregon State 35-14.
Following a scoreless first quarter, Oregon State took its first lead of the game with a 29-yard field goal from Trevor Romaine.
From that point, the Hornets scored the next 14 points. Fleming gave the team the lead with a 19-yard pass to Chase Deadder with 9:23 left in the half. The two connected again for a 4-yard TD to put the Hornets up 14-3 at the break.
OSU trimmed its deficit with a 45-yard field goal from Romaine early in the second half but was immediately answered by a 39-yard pass from receiver Morris Norrise to Reed. Norrise took a lateral pass from Fleming, then threw over the top of the defense to a wide-open Reed on the right sideline.
The Beavers bounced back in the fourth quarter with a heavy emphasis on the running game. Agnew, a true freshman from Missouri, rushed for 166 yards in the third and fourth quarters including touchdowns of 1 and 4 yards.
Both teams had a chance to take the lead in the final minutes but fell short. Hornet kicker Jason Diniz's 28-yard field goal was blocked with 2:35 left in regulation. The Beavers then drove inside the Hornet 5 but Romaine's 27-yarder hit the right upright forcing overtime.
Individually, Fleming completed 22-of-35 passes for 257 yards and three touchdowns. He also rushed for a team-high 39 yards. Norrise, Reed and Deadder each had a team-high six receptions and finished with 89, 85 and 61 yards, respectively.
Agnew rushed for 223 yards and had three TDs to lead OSU. Ryan Katz started the game at quarterback for the Beavers and threw for 87 yards before being replaced at the half by Sean Mannion who threw for 143 yards.
Defensively, Todd Davis led all players with 12 tackles. Safeties Ryan McMahon and Joe Larche were also active with 10 and seven stops, respectively. Larche also returned a fumble 58 yards and cornerback Osagie Odiase stopped Oregon State's first drive with a diving interception.
Sacramento State stays on the road to take on Southern Utah Saturday, Sept. 10, at noon (PDT).
