Bernard relishes the rush of a big finale game.

Byline: Curtis Anderson The Register-Guard

SAN FRANCISCO - Oregon State running back Yvenson Bernard couldn't have asked for a better ending to his record-setting career.

The fifth-year senior, who hadn't played since suffering a knee injury against Washington State five weeks ago, rushed for 177 yards on 38 carries to lead the Beavers to a 21-14 victory over Maryland in the sixth annual Emerald Bowl at AT&T Park on Friday.

Bernard, who admitted to being a bit rusty early in the contest, finished his collegiate career with 3,862 yards rushing, which ranks sixth overall in Pac-10 history, and second at OSU. His total against the Terrapins was an Emerald Bowl record, breaking the mark of 144 yards set last year by UCLA's Chris Markey.

"Those first couple of plays, I don't know what I was thinking," Bernard said. "That's what five weeks off does to you. I hadn't been in a game for awhile and that hurt me, but my offense stuck with me, told me to trust my first read, and that's what I did."

It was Bernard's 2-yard touchdown run with 16 seconds left in the first half that enabled the Beavers to pull even with Maryland at 14-14.

As usual, the 5-foot-9, 201-pound Bernard got stronger as the game progressed.

He broke his longest run of the day, a 29-yard burst to the left side, to give the Beavers a first down at the Maryland 7-yard line late in the third period.

Bernard added three yards up the middle, and on the next play, plowed over left tackle to the 1 but fumbled the ball on a hit by Maryland linebacker Dave Phillistin. Fortunately for OSU, James Rodgers was in the right spot, scooped up the loose ball, and dove across the goal line to give the Beavers a 21-14 edge, a lead they would not relinquish.

"That's what teammates are for," a grateful Bernard said. "For some reason, I can't start off a game with a bang, but I finish it off strong."

It was a combination of Bernard and Rodgers that finished off the Terrapins.

With a first-and-10 at their own 1-yard line with 6:24 left to play, the Beavers handed the ball to Bernard seven times, while Rodgers, who finished with 115 yards rushing on a variety of sweeps and reverses, added four carries and two pass receptions, as OSU patiently ran out the clock with a 14-play, 92-yard drive that ended at the Maryland 7-yard line.

It was the first time since 2000 that the Beavers had two players rush for over 100 yards in the same game.

"It was a great way to finish a great game," OSU senior center Kyle DeVan said. "We knew we could drive it down the field and take that time off the clock. That was a showcase of what Ev can do. He's going to hit you for three quarters, and then take over in the fourth, and I was so happy that coach put it in our hands. It turned out to be a good choice."

Rodgers, who led the Beavers with five catches for 40 yards, hauled in a 14-yard touchdown pass from Sean Canfield on their first possession of the game to knot the score at 7-7. The diminutive freshman averaged 11.5 yards on 10 carries.

But it was Bernard, who underwent arthroscopic knee surgery on Nov. 20, carrying the Beavers on this day, and nobody was more thankful for his return than OSU coach Mike Riley, who now sports a perfect 4-0 record in bowl games.

"It was great to have (Bernard) back," Riley said. "I think he got mad in the first half because he wasn't getting the ball enough. But that's typical of him. He just gets warmed up with 25 carries."