The 1988 Oregon State Beavers football team represented Oregon State University in the 1988 NCAA Division I-A football season. The Beavers started the season 3–3–1, their best start in 20 years but lost all but one of their remaining games to post their 18th consecutive losing season. The Beavers' 4–6–1 record was their best record between 1971 and 1998.
Schedule
Game summaries
Before the Season Oregon State's quarterback, Erik Wilhelm, the Pac-10 leader in passing yards in 1987, returned for his senior season. The Beavers entered 1988 on a 6-game losing streak and an 11-game conference losing streak. In the past 71 conference games, Oregon State compiled a 6-63-2 record, a .099 winning percentage. The Beavers rushed for 518 total yards in 1987. Oregon State's offense had not rushed for 200 yards in a single game in almost four years, and Oregon State's defense had not allowed less than 26 points in a single game since a 1986 game against Brigham Young in Provo, Utah. The Beavers implemented the 3-4 defense in the offseason. For the first time since 1935, Washington did not appear on Oregon State's schedule. The Beavers only played the Ducks more often than the Huskies in that span.
Arizona
Arizona entered the game two touchdown favorites. Oregon State rushed for two yards against the Wildcats in 1987, a 14-point loss. The Beavers' starting guard, Ken Felix, was injured in fall camp and did not play. The Wildcats took a 7-0 lead in the first quarter on quarterback, Ron Veal's six-yard run after an Oregon State fumble. The Beavers' Troy Bussanich cut the margin to four with a 25-yard field goal. Oregon State took the lead when Erik Wilhelm hit Jason Kent for a 44-yard touchdown pass on third-and eight. Backup quarterback, Bobby Watters, subsequently replaced Veal. He led Arizona to a game-tying score with a 31-yard field goal with 6:02 left in the first half, thanks in part to a roughing the passer penalty. After their third clipping penalty of the first half set them back to their own 9-yard line, the Beavers drove 65 yards in 4:55. The next play, a two-yard Brian Taylor run, sapped 37 seconds. After an incomplete pass, the Beavers were forced to use their last time out to avoid a penalty with 23 seconds left. On the next play, Erik Wilhelm suffered his only sack, an 11-yard loss. Bussanich subsequent 51-yard field goal attempt was far short as the first half expired.
Bussanich kicked a 20-yard field goal with 5:22 left in the third quarter. Watters immediately led Arizona on an 11-play, 67-yard touchdown drive, taking up most of the rest of the third quarter. On the ensuing kickoff, the Beavers successfully returned a kickoff without clipping for the first time all game. Oregon State drove inside the Wildcat red zone early in the fourth quarter, but Bussanich missed a 38-yard field goal a few inches to the left. On the Beavers' next drive, they drove to the Arizona 49, but tailback Trey Nicholson and fullback Brian Swanson were stopped short on third-and-one and fourth-and-one, respectively. Felix' backup, Paul Steffen failed to block Brad Hinke, who made the tackle on Swanson on fourth down. Five plays later, Watters clinched the win by running 25-yards for a touchdown with 2:24 left. Oregon State rushed for 200 yards for the first time since early in 1984. The Beavers only punted once, finishing with almost 17 more minutes in time of possession, 180 more yards, and 13 more first downs.
San Jose State
In their previous 20 regular season games, the Spartans only loss was a 36-34 loss to the Beavers in Corvallis in 1987. San Jose State sought to pay back Oregon State. The Beavers made their first ever trip to San Jose. On the game's opening drive, San Jose State drove to the Oregon State one-yard line but turned the ball over on downs. Beaver running back, Brian Taylor ran for a 70-yard touchdown the first time he touched the football. Oregon State built a 24-19 third quarter lead. On third-and-six, Wilhelm hit Reggie Hubbard for an 18-yard touchdown and 31-19 Beaver lead. On their first play, the Spartans' John Johnson was stripped by Oregon State. The Beavers' Andre Harris recovered to set up a 38-yard Bussanich field goal and 34-19 lead. San Jose State stopped Oregon State's next drive, but, on fourth down at the Spartan 37, Wilhelm, who lined up as a blocking back, took the snap and hit Lloyd Bailey for a touchdown and 41-19 fourth quarter lead. Less than two-and-a-half minutes later, San Jose State scored a touchdown and two-point conversion to pull within 14. Harris added two fourth quarter interceptions to his third-quarter fumble recovery. However, the Beaver win was not secured until he came up with another strip and recovered the fumble at the Oregon State 30 with 1:22 left. The Beavers ended their seven-game losing streak and won their first road game since a 10-7 win over Brigham Young in Provo in 1986. Oregon State wouldnt return to San Jose again until 2023.
California
Oregon State entered the game on a 12-game conference losing streak but a three-game winning streak against California, as the two teams did not play in 1987. The game was the Beavers' first against long-time Pac-10 coach Bruce Snyder. The clock used in Beaver home games had a tendency to malfunction and in fact had malfunctioned in a high school game the night before the California-Oregon State game. The Beavers' Andre Harris recovered a first-quarter fumble at the Oregon State 35 and drove 63 yards in almost six minutes before settling for Bussanich's 23-yard field goal. California's Darrin Greer returned the following kickoff to the Beaver 40, setting up a 40-yard Bear touchdown drive. An 18-yard punt in the second quarter gave California the ball again at the Beaver 40. The Bears drove 30 yards before settling on kicker/punter Robbie Keen's 27-yard field goal.
California tacked on two third-quarter field goals and Bussanich responded with a 21-yard field goal early in the fourth quarter to cut the Bears' lead to 10. Then, it happened. Keen, lined up to punt with 10:12 left. By the time the play was over, the clock read 10:99. When Oregon State ran its first offensive play after the punt, the clock read 10:59. A few fans noticed the glitch but no one on California's coaching staff did. With seven-and-a-half minutes left, Wilhelm threw his first interception of the year to the Bears' John Hardy at the California one. Hardy returned the interception to the Beaver 49. The Bears drove into field goal range. Keen, having hit three field goals without a miss lined up for the kick. Dewey Tucker, a backup nose guard, managed to block the kick at the Oregon State 31 with 4:17 left to preserve a 10-point deficit. The Beavers drove to the California 26, but Brian Taylor was stopped at fourth-and-one. The fans began streaming towards the exits but Bruce Sanders forced a fumble on the next play, which Tom Vettrus recovered at the Bear 25 with 2:37 left. Oregon State drove to the three, and Wilhelm hit Brian Taylor for a three-yard touchdown pass with less than two minutes left that California cornerback Doug Parrish narrowly missed. Wilhelm again picked on Parrish, hitting Brian Swanson for the two-point conversion. The Beavers, with the wind and two timeouts, shunned an onside kick, opting to kick it deep. Sanders sacked Bear quarterback Troy Taylor at the 11 on third down, necessitating a California punt. Keen's punt against the wind only traveled 33 yards and Reggie Hubbard returned the punt to the California 37 with 45 seconds left. On third-and-six, Wilhelm hit Swanson for a 21-yard gain to the Bear six with 26 seconds left. Oregon State centered the ball and California called timeout. Bussanich, aided by the timeout, responded by kicking a 23-yard field goal with 16 seconds left to win the game. Dave Kragthorpe improved to 6-0 in games decided by four points or fewer. After the game ended, the Bears noticed that the fifth minute of the fourth quarter had been played twice. Snyder complained bitterly after the game. The 2004 California media guide still referred to the 17-16 Beaver win as the "Infamous 61-Minute Game". Many Oregon State fans refer to the game alternatively as "Beaver in the Sky".
Colorado
Colorado entered 18-point favorites. In the first quarter, Colorado faced fourth-and-one on Oregon State's 45-yard line. Instead of a punt, the Buffaloes called an option play that Eric Bienemy turned into a 45-yard touchdown scamper. The Beavers responded with a nine-play, 80-yard touchdown drive, capped off by Wilhelm's 48-yard pass to Jason Kent, to knot the score at seven. Colorado's Sal Aunese only completed six passes all day, but five came in the first half, including his two longest, a 67-yard pass that set up a field goal and a 52-yard pass to set up a second Bienemy touchdown. The Buffaloes' two-point conversion attempt failed. Thus, the two scores only gave Colorado a 16-7 lead. Just before halftime, Oregon State seemed poised to cut into the Buffalo lead, but Bussanich's 36-yard field goal sailed wide right.
In the second half, an Aunese fumble set up Wilhelm's 24-yard touchdown pass to Robb Thomas. The Beavers' Brian Taylor finished six inches out of the end zone on a subsequent second half drive, but Brian Swanson ran in from one-yard out on a fourth quarter drive to give Oregon State a 21-16 lead with just over 11:04 left. Less than two minutes later, the Buffaloes retook the lead on Bienemy's third touchdown, a 66-yard touchdown run with 9:16 left. The Beavers' final drive petered out in Colorado territory, and Oregon State's punter, Mark Bennett pinned Colorado at their own five yard line. After the Buffaloes first two plays netted a single yard, Aunese completed his only second half pass for 19 yards to extend the drive. Aunese capped off Colorado's subsequent drive, rushing for an 11-yard touchdown with no time left, giving the Buffaloes a 28-21 win. Wilhelm completed 27 of 38 passes for 353 yards, two touchdowns, and no interceptions. Thomas caught ten of the passes for 147 yards.
Fresno State
In the 23 seasons from 1981 to 2003, Oregon State and Fresno State played 13 times, more than three times more often than any other nonconference opponent in the same period. The Beavers won the first meeting 31-28 in the largest comeback ever, at the time. The Bulldogs won the next two and Oregon State looked to even the series. Jim Sweeney, coach of Fresno State was no stranger to Oregon State, having coached Washington State from 1968 to 1975. Wilhelm threw for 215 yards and two touchdowns. The 215 yards gave Wilhelm 7,821 career passing yards, surpassing both Jack Thompson's and Jim Plunkett's career totals, leaving Wilhelm within striking distance of John Elway's 9,350 career passing yards, the most prolific passer in Pac-10 history at the time. The Beavers' 3-2 start was their best since 1970, their last winning season.
UCLA
UCLA entered the game 27-point favorites. In the first 19 minutes, Oregon State failed to make a first down, while the Bruins scored touchdowns on their first three drives, two ending on Troy Aikman touchdown passes. Wilhelm responded by throwing a 69-yard touchdown pass of his own to Pat Chaffey. On an ensuing drive, Pellom McDaniels forced an Aikman fumble, which Oregon State's Ray Giacomelli recovers. Three plays later, Wilhelm threw his second touchdown pass, a 52-yard strike to Robb Thomas, with 2:19 left in the first half.