Oregon
Boise State, rejuvenated Oregon State set to battle on the Blue
Minutes after No. 12 Boise State knocked off Wyoming Saturday night, the Broncos’ next opponent — Oregon State — secured its biggest victory of the season.
A 55-yard Everett Hayes field goal with 20 seconds remaining lifted the Beavers to a 41-38 victory over Washington State in the unofficial Pac-12 championship game.
Oregon State (5-6), which had dropped five straight games following a 4-1 start, and Washington State (8-3) are competing as independents the next two years before Boise State, Colorado State, Fresno State, San Diego State and Utah State join the Pac-12 for the 2026 football season.
“Tonight was just what I’ve seen from these guys all season long: ups and downs, but they just keep going back to work,” first-year Beavers head coach Trent Bray said. “They believe in each other, and it was just a great team win. … We’ve been so close in so many games this last month or two. For them to be in that and pull it out and do it is huge.”
The Broncos (10-1, 7-0 Mountain West) and Beavers will face off at 10 a.m. Mountain time on Black Friday at Albertsons Stadium.
Oregon State won four of its first five games, but lost starting running back Jam Griffin and others along the way. A 42-37 defeat at Nevada began a streak of five consecutive losses that culminated in an embarrassing 28-0 shutout at Air Force last week.
The Beavers were out-gained 410-175 in Colorado Springs. One week later, Oregon State out-gained the high-flying Cougars 484-385.
“I think (offensive coordinator Ryan) Gunderson and the staff did a great job of narrowing things down,” Bray said. “What do we do well? How can we use guys? … Less is more, and I think that’s what we found out tonight.”
Idaho transfer Gevani McCoy started the first eight games at quarterback but was benched during a 44-7 loss at California. Ben Gulbranson, who went 7-1 as a starter during the Beavers’ 10-win 2022 season, started the San Jose State game but was unavailable against Air Force due to injury.
Gulbranson returned to the lineup Saturday and completed 22 for 34 passes for 294 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions, including a pick-six that put Washington State up 38-31 in the fourth quarter. The junior bounced right back to lead a game-tying touchdown dive.
“I’m happy for Ben because he’s put in a lot of work and been through a lot his whole career,” Bray said of Gulbranson, who lost his starting job to transfer DJ Uiagalelei last year. “When it went bad, he didn’t hang his head, didn’t give up. He went right back and led the team down to score.”
The Beavers also used freshman quarterback Gabarri Johnson as a runner against Washington State. Johnson finished with six carries for 47 yards and a touchdown.
“I thought what we did with Gabarri and how we used his legs helped us move the ball,” Bray said.
Oregon State had scored just 20 combined points over its last three games before exploding for 41 Saturday night. Needing a victory for bowl eligibility, the Beavers would love to contain Heisman Trophy candidate Ashton Jeanty and spoil Boise State’s College Football Playoff bye aspirations.
“We know we’ve got a big-time opponent coming to the Blue this Friday, and we’ve got to be ready,” Broncos head coach Spencer Danielson said. “We know we’re going to get everybody’s best. We got Wyoming’s best tonight, and I promise you we are going to get Oregon State’s best.”
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The good times keep on rolling for the Oregon Ducks in the recruiting world. Dan Lanning and the Ducks scored a massive commitment from five-star quarterback Will Mencl out of Chandler, Arizona.
Oregon had been rumored to be leading the race for Mencl’s services for months, but the No. 1 quarterback in the country, per Rivals, cleared the air and committed to the Ducks on Wednesday evening. Mencl chose the Ducks over Auburn and Penn State, both of which battled hard for him down the stretch.
However, Mencl has been connected to Oregon for a long time. While he was offered last fall before breaking out in his junior season, Mencl has been a fan of the program long before he popped up on the Ducks’ recruiting radar. In a post shared by Rivals recruiting expert Steve Wiltfong, Mencl was announced as a quarterback for the Ducks when he was a kid at the 2019 NFL Draft fan experience in 2019.
Now, Mencl is ready to don the green and yellow for real and make his childhood dreams come true. The Ducks have made a point to get Mencl on campus as often as possible and as recently as last week. The continued connection between both sides is ultimately what made the decision easy for the nation’s top passer. Mencl said he told Lanning and the Oregon staff about his decision on Sunday.
“The biggest thing was the relationship with the staff,” Mencl said after committing. “I feel like that continued to grow over time, especially when I first got there last spring. Being able to sit down with Coach Koa, really being an underlooked guy at that time, and kind of blowing up my junior season. And then, the path to the NFL. You can’t deny what they do with quarterbacks and the type of scheme they run. I felt like that was the best fit for me and my family to get to the next level.”
Koa Ka’ai, Oregon’s new quarterback coach, made waves earlier in the offseason after his recruiting test about ice cream flavors went viral, but that doesn’t appear to have scared Mencl off. In fact, the two have a close connection that Oregon hopes will translate to success on the field in the near future.
“My relationship with Coach Koa, I feel like that is super, super strong,” Mencl told Rivals. “I’ve had a lot of discussions with Coach Lanning about the culture there and how they’re going to continue to sustain greatness throughout the program.”
Mencl exploded onto the national recruiting scene with a massive junior season for Chandler. He completed more than 70% of his passes for 3,815 yards and 33 touchdowns against five interceptions in his junior season, leading Chandler to a state title berth. He also rushed for 741 yards and an additional 17 touchdowns.
The Ducks expect to have some competition for Mencl to compete with when he joins the team for the 2027 season, with Dylan Raiola and Akili Smith Jr. already on the roster and competing for a role as the backup. Oregon has gone to the transfer portal as well in recent seasons, finding success with Bo Nix, Dillon Gabriel, and now Dante Moore.
Oregon has recruited well at quarterback in the past, establishing an NFL pedigree that attracted Mencl. Maybe he will be the one to buck the trend and give the Ducks a true, homegrown product under center.
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‘Pour in the largest glass you can find while slow dancing in your socks,’ a Wine Enthusiast contributor said of an Oregon wine
PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) – Wine Enthusiast released a list of the top 40 sparkling wines around the world in 2026 – highlighting two bottles of bubbly from Oregon.
“While it can seem like you need a fortune to enjoy high quality sparkling wine, you honestly don’t. Excellent affordable bubbles are being produced around the world, often in places you might not expect. Each of the selections on our inaugural Top 40 Sparkling Wines list delivers personality, freshness, and celebration for under $75,” Wine Enthusiast wrote.
Wine Enthusiast divided its list into separate sparkling categories including, Champagne, Italian Bollicine, American sparkling and bottles $25 and under.
Snagging a spot on the American sparkling list: Corollary Wines in McMinnville.
Corollarly’s 2021 Momtazi Carbonic Rosé Pinot Noir scored 96 points from Wine Enthusiast.
“This is a Peter Max print of a wine, with vivid aromas and flavors to match the wine’s electric Kool-Aid color. It is filled to the brim with aromas and flavors of macerated strawberries, candied rose petals, apricots, and a bitter note similar to watermelon rind. Pour in the largest glass you can find while slow dancing in your socks,” wrote Wine Enthusiast contributor Michael Alberty.
The second Oregon winery to earn a spot on the list: Lytle-Barnett in Dundee.
Wine Enthusiast also gave Lytle-Barnett’s 2018 Brut Rosé Pinot Noir Chardonnay 96 points.
“Bubbles as persistent as an eight-year-old with a question deliver aromas of dried rose petals, macerated strawberries, and a touch of fresh hay and talc. This 70/30 Pinot Noir and Chardonnay blend is packed with flavors of lemon zest, Honeycrisp apple slices drizzled in caramel, and a dollop of raspberry,” Alberty wrote.
The nods to Corollary and Lytle-Barnett come as the wineries recently helped launch Method Oregon, a nonprofit made up of 50 Oregon wineries aiming to turn Oregon into a global sparkling wine destination.
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