CORVALLIS — It was a No One Watches Bowl for the ages.

And, yeah, I think that’s probably what they ought to call this thing. Forget the Pac-2 championship or the Left Behind Bowl. The schools need to lean into that bitter mondegreen of Lee Corso’s actual quote, the one that left folks so intensely riled a year ago. Because the display from Oregon State and Washington State on Saturday, well, that was certainly worth watching.

And for Beavers fans, worth celebrating.

A week after hitting the low point of Trent Bray’s tenure, the Beavers responded with a brilliant new high: A thrilling 41-38 win over the Cougars.

It was secured when Everett Hayes’ sent a 55-yard field goal just inside the right upright with 20 seconds remaining.

If you’re the type to quibble with whether a win over a Washington State team on the periphery of the top 25 truly merited an orange crush of fans storming the field, well, you’re just going to have to let them have this one.

That’s what you do when you beat your rival. Yes, I said rival.

Maybe it’s premature, but with Oregon continuing to distance itself from Oregon State, Beavers fans should let go of the Ducks — at least in football — and embrace this new, developing rivalry that on Saturday delivered a classic.

Will it be the same? Of course not. Nothing is. But unlike with the Ducks of the Big Ten, Washington State gives the Beavers a foil that is part of a shared experience. That has fought similar battles only to end up on the same field at the end of the season.

That’s what made Saturday’s win so sweet for Beavers fans. It was catharsis.

For a long season.

For a long year.

Saturday marked 364 days since Jonathan Smith announced his decision to leave for Michigan State. (How do you plan to observe the anniversary on Monday?) And while not every issue this program has faced can be hung on that moment, it was the beginning of the unraveling.

Assistant coaches followed Smith to Michigan State. Players jumped into the transfer portal. The Beavers were left with a roster, and frankly also a coaching staff, with too many questions and not enough answers.

I’m not alone in buying that the game with Washington State has achieved genuine rivalry status.

“I do and I have, to be honest with you,” said Bray, who grew up in Pullman and played for the Beavers. “It always has been.”

Maybe to some degree. But not a full-fledged rivalry with emotion and pride on the line.

Suddenly, it has all of that.

Especially after everything the Beavers and their fans have been through, off the field and on.

By Saturday, Oregon State was 4-6, riding a five-game losing streak. If this season even had a rock bottom, you hoped it was that inexcusable 28-zilch Coach Bray seat-warmer at Air Force. But you really couldn’t be sure, especially not against a WSU team that had harbored aspirations of crashing the College Football Playoff before crashing out against New Mexico last week.

So what happened?

Starting quarterback Ben Gulbranson got healthy after missing the trip to Air Force with a concussion, offensive coordinator Ryan Gunderson simplified the playbook, and the Beavers did something they had been unable to do in close games against Nevada and San Jose State.

They found a way.

Gulbranson overcame two second-half interceptions to complete a gotta-have-it fourth-down pass over the middle to Trent Walker to set up the go-ahead field goal. Before that, Jaden Robinson got a paw on a fumble to give the Beavers the ball at midfield when it seemed like it would, in fact, be Washington State that would milk the clock and kick a game-winner.

So when the game ended, and fans streamed onto the field, it was more than just a celebration of a single game.

“They’re the best fanbase out there,” Gulbranson said, “and I’m really happy that we could finish this one off for them and finish the season off right, here at Reser (Stadium).”

Does that make up for a season of frustration? Does it render moot the questions of a week ago? Of course not. Bray has serious questions to answer about the state of his team and the roster. He has a long way to go before he has a team that can contend for the CFP. He needs to find a quarterback.

This season has been a whiff at the most important position on the field. But Gulbranson is a tough customer. After he was passed over the job for a third consecutive year, he stayed ready for a third consecutive year, and stepped into the role when called upon for the third consecutive year.

On Saturday, he completed 22 of 34 passes for 294 yards. Just enough to tough out the most meaningful victory of the year.

You have to wonder if the Beavers might not have been able to pick off a few more wins if they had just trusted their Steady Eddie, Reliable Ben from the beginning.

Now, the Beavers are likely a week away from the end of their season. At 5-6, a bowl game is almost certainly out of reach.

They would have to beat No. 12 Boise State on the blue turf next week and that’s a tough ask of any team. Especially with the way Ashton Jeanty slices through defenses and the trouble OSU has had stopping the run.

So Saturday against the Cougars felt like the Beavers’ bowl game.

And maybe that’s the way it should be for two programs caught in this awkward purgatory. They are joined at the hip, not by choice but by necessity. Whether that makes them “buddies” or not, that’s for others to Dickert — I mean, dicker over.

But since when should rivals pretend to be friends? Beavers and Ducks never did.

There’s no replacing what the annual matchup with Oregon has meant to the state, but with that game now a nonconference matchup and not even a sure bet to be played beyond next season, it is, quite sadly, hard to put too much stock into anymore.

But Washington State? The Beavers will play the Cougars twice next season to highlight a schedule held together with duct tape and bubble gum.

And if this new iteration of the Pac-12 that the schools fought so hard for is going to make it and have an identity of its own, OSU and WSU have to be at the center of it.

A good rivalry needs a name.

The Beavers and Cougars can thank Corso for theirs, even if he was misheard, misunderstood and misquoted.

Maybe nobody in the Power Four conferences wanted these two schools.

But if Saturday is an indicator of how this rivalry is going to go, everyone will be watching.

— Bill Oram is the sports columnist at The Oregonian/OregonLive.

Oregon State will look to salvage its disappointing season this weekend in the final home game of the year.

The Beavers (4-6) will return to Reser Stadium as they host Washington State (8-2) at 4 p.m. Saturday in a clash of Pac-12 rivals.

After a promising start to the year, Oregon State has cratered during the final month of the season and is in the midst of a five-game losing streak. Last week, the Beavers suffered one of the worst losses in recent program history during a 28-0 loss at Air Force.

“Last week was obviously very disappointing; we did not play well in any phase of the game,” Oregon State head coach Trent Bray said Monday. “We’ve gotta look at what we’re doing, what we’re asking them to do and what they do well and get that fixed immediately. That was really the first game that was disappointing to watch us play. I think every other game this year we’re in close games, we’re competing, we’re at it. That wasn’t it on Saturday, and that’s disappointing.”

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Oregon State vs Washington State score updates

This section will be updated when the game begins.

Oregon State vs Washington State time today

• Date: Saturday, Nov. 23
• Time: 4 p.m.
• Location: Reser Stadium, Corvallis, Oregon

What channel is Oregon State vs Washington State game on today?

• TV channel: The CW
• Radio: KEJO (1240 AM, 93.7 FM, Corvallis), KKNX (840 AM, 105.1 FM, Eugene), KBZY (1490 AM, Salem), KEX (1190 AM, Portland).
• Streaming: Fubo (free trial), Watch ESPN

Oregon State vs. Washington State will be broadcast nationally on The CW in Week 13 of the 2024 college football season. Ted Robinson and Ryan Lead will call the game from the booth from Reser Stadium, with Nigel Burton reporting from the sidelines. Streaming options for the game include FUBO, which offers a free trial to new subscribers.

Oregon State vs Washington State history

• Series record: Washington State leads, 57-47-3
• Oregon State’s last win: 2022 (24-10, in Corvallis)
• Washington State’s last win: 2023 (38-35, in Pullman, Wash.)

Oregon State vs Washington State betting odds

Game lines and odds from BetMGM as of Friday:

• Spread: Washington State by 11.5
• Over/under: 56.5
• Moneyline: Washington State -450, Oregon State +340

Oregon State vs Washington State weather update

Saturday’s forecast for Corvallis calls for a high of 51 with a temperature of about 48 degrees and a 24% chance of rain at kickoff.

Oregon State football 2024 schedule

• Aug. 31 — Idaho State (W, 38-15)
• Sept. 7 — at San Diego State (W, 21-0)
• Sept. 14 — Oregon (L, 49-14)
• Sept. 21 — Purdue (W, 38-21)
• Oct. 5 — Colorado State (W, 39-21)
• Oct. 12 — at Nevada (L, 42, 37)
• Oct. 19 — UNLV (L, 33-25)
• Oct 26 — at California (L, 44-7)
• Nov. 9 — San Jose State (L, 24-13)
• Nov. 16 — at Air Force (L, 28-0)
• Nov. 23 — Washington State
• Nov. 29 — at Boise State
• Record: 4-6

Washington State football 2024 schedule

• Aug. 31 — Portland State (W, 70-30)
• Sept. 7 — Texas Tech (W, 37-16)
• Sept. 14 — at Washington (W, 24-19)
• Sept. 20 — San Jose State (W, 52-52 2 OT)
• Sept. 28 — at Boise State (L, 45-24)
• Oct. 12 — at Fresno State (W, 25-17)
• Oct. 19 — Hawai’i (W, 42-10)
• Oct. 26 — at San Diego State (W, 29-26)
• Nov. 9 — Utah State (W, 49-28)
• Nov. 16 — at New Mexico (L, 38-35)
• Nov. 23 — at Oregon State
• Nov. 30 — Wyoming
• Record: 8-2

Oregon State football news

Oregon State’s abysmal 2024 football season reaches new low with loss to Air Force

(Men’s basketball) ‘We learned quite a lesson;’ Oregon State shows signs of progress in close loss to Oregon

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Jarrid Denney covers high school sports and Oregon State for the Statesman Journal. He can be reached at JDenney@salem.gannett.com or on X @jarrid_denney.

Who: Washington State (8-2) vs Oregon State (4-6)

When: 4 p.m.

Where: Reser Stadium – Corvallis, Ore.

Coaches: Trent Bray (1st season, 4-6) vs Jake Dickert (23-18, 4th year, 3rd full)

Spread: Washington State -11.5

How to watch: The CW

How to listen: CLICK HERE

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Oregon State By The Numbers

3 – Kicks and punts blocked by OSU’s special teams this year, tied for eighth nationally.

5 – Current Beavers who recorded a statistic in last season’s game against Washington State, four of which came on defense. The fifth was punter Josh Green.

14 – Rushing scores for Anthony Hankerson this season, tying him with Jacquizz Rodgers for seventh at OSU.

19 – Players the Beavers will be honoring pre-game as part of Senior Day.33:23 – Oregon State’s time of possession, which ranks fifth nationally. The Beavers dropped almost two minutes after holding the ball just 18:04 at Air Force.

54 – Career starts for Joshua Gray, who was recently invited to the East-West Shrine Game. The 54 starts are an OSU career record.

65 – Catches for Trent Walker this season. He needs five for the 15th 70-yard reception season ever by a Beaver.

111 – Rush yards needed by Anthony Hankerson for the 19th 1,000-yard season effort in Oregon State history.

Against Washington State

– Oregon State and Washington State have played every year dating back to 2003.

– Oregon State snapped an eight-game losing streak to the Cougars with a 24-10 victory in 2022 in Corvallis. Prior to the eight-game losing streak, however, the Beavers had won three straight, six-of-seven and eight-of-10 from 2004 to 2013.

– Deshaun Fenwick had 101 rush yards and three touchdowns in last season’s 38-35 loss. The Cougars took a 35-14 lead into the fourth quarter but OSU scored 21 in the final 15.

– Head Coach Trent Bray attended Pullman High School. His father, Craig, coached in two different stints at Washington State, in 1987, and then again from 1994-99. Bray’s mother, Kaprice, was also the Head Coach for volleyball at Washington State in 1985.

– Sean Mannion’s 493 passing yards in the 2013 game marks the Oregon State single-game record. He followed that up with 419 yards a year later.

– Jake Luton had one of 17 400-yard efforts in OSU history when he passed for 408 in 2019.