BERKELEY, Calif. - The highest hopes for what could have been a critical Oregon State victory came on a pass that charted the path of a wounded bird.
On the Beavers' opening drive Saturday in California Memorial Stadium, burly tight end Tuli Wily-Matagi received a backward pass in right flat. Running back Ryan Nall leaked out down the left sideline, wide open for a high-arching, fluttering throw from the former high school quarterback.
When Nall caught it, shifted by a tackler and crossed the goal line for a 26-yard touchdown, the energy that carried OSU through the month following its former coach's surprise mid-season departure was on full display.