CORVALLIS, Ore. — Aca’Cedric Ware rushed for 205 yards and three touchdowns, including 57-yard and 62-yard scoring sprints, as Southern California beat Oregon State 38-21 on Saturday night.
JT Daniels threw for 177 yards and a touchdown and Vavae Malepeai added 101 yards rushing for the Trojans (5-4, 4-3 Pac-12), who snapped a two-game losing streak.
Jake Luton went 31-for-45 for 301 yards and a touchdown and Isaiah Hodgins had 129 yards receiving for the Beavers (2-7, 1-5).
Southern California stormed out to a 21-0 lead thanks in part to a grinding 17-play first drive and a lightning strike 57-yarder from Ware on the Trojans’ second possession.
But Oregon State recovered and trailed 21-14 at the half. The Beavers’ second touchdown, an 11-yard catch by Noah Togiai with four seconds before the break, capped an 85-yard drive that lasted just 67 seconds.
Southern California opened the second half with a drive that led to a 2-yard Ware touchdown, but Oregon State responded with its own touchdown run by Artavis Pierce.
With 11:53 remaining, Ware uncorked his 62-yarder to make the score 35-21.
Daniels suffered a concussion two weeks ago versus Utah and returned as the Southern California starter on Saturday.
Luton returned as the starter for Oregon State after missing four weeks with an ankle injury. Last week, he came in during the second half against Colorado and passed for 310 yards and three touchdowns and was named the Pac-12 Offensive Player of the Week.
THE TAKEAWAY
Southern California: Coach Clay Helton took over play calling duties and fired the offensive line coach after last week’s loss. The offense looked particularly crisp to open the game and at the start of the second half. … Southern California averaged 7.5 yards per carry against the Beavers defense. … Just one more win makes Southern California bowl eligible.
Oregon State: The Trojans looked determined to stuff the run, but with Luton back behind center, the Beavers are a different team. Oregon State’s remaining schedule appears brutal, but if Luton can stay healthy, things look somewhat brighter.
UP NEXT
Oregon State plays at Stanford on Nov. 10.
