FINALLY, THERE IS MOORE SATISFACTION AT OSU FORMER HART STANDOUT REACHING HIS POTENTIAL.

Byline: BRIAN DOHN Staff Writer

Matt Moore spoke his mind, and at UCLA it ruffled feathers when the quarterback openly questioned head coach Karl Dorrell.

Moore was chastised when he left UCLA, bolting after the 2003 regular season and leaving the Bruins short-handed for a bowl game.

When Moore searched for a new school, he was striking out so often, it's no wonder he was ready to jump to baseball after the Angels drafted Moore -- three years removed from his last baseball game.

``My whole thing on that was kind of being young and immature,'' Moore said. ``I didn't want to go to school, which is basically why I wanted to play baseball. Now, I'm going to graduate here next term, so I can't complain. I'm liking my decision.''

Indeed, Moore's path from Hart High of Newhall to Oregon State was filled with more mud holes than an Oregon forest in October, but things finally settled down.

All it took was a career-turning trip to the University of Washington four weeks ago, when Moore solidified his tenuous hold on the Beavers' quarterback position a week after he was involved in a nasty exchange with a fan sitting in the Oregon State student section during a 13-6 home loss to Washington State.

Since that game, Moore is 68 of 104for 1,033 yards, four touchdowns and three interceptions.

More important, Moore led the Beavers to four straight wins, including a stunning two-point defeat of USC. The senior, who played at UCLA in 2002 and 2003, has Oregon State on the cusp of its first top-25 national ranking since 2002, and can help the Beavers become bowl eligible by defeating the Bruins on Saturday at the Rose Bowl.

``Coming up here was a really a huge change for me, and it really made me focus on the game,'' said Moore, a communications major. ``After leaving UCLA, with a year off in (junior college), I didn't know what I was going to do. Then I came up here and really put everything toward football.''

It took time, especially since Moore, a senior, did not play football in 2004.

He was erratic last season, his first with the Beavers, throwing 11 touchdowns against 19interceptions, and this season didn't start off much better.

Searching for consistent quarterback play, head coach Mike Riley tinkered with the offense by inserting redshirt Sean Canfield at times.

On Oct. 7, when Moore was missing receivers or getting battered by Washington State's defense, he seemed to be losing his grip on his job. It culminated with an exchange with Oregon State's student section, during which, according to The Oregonian newspaper, the fiery Moore pointed to a fan and yelled, ``Come down here and say that! Yeah, you in the green hat! Don't hide!''

A week later, though, came Moore's 308-yard, one-touchdown effort at Washington, followed by a win at Arizona. The 6-foot-4, 193-pound strong-armed Moore finally began showing the consistency he lacked for so long.

Those were just tuneups for the most shocking upset of the past three years in the Pacific-10 Conference. With the Beavers playing without leading rusher Yvenson Bernard, Moore completed 21 of 32 passes for 262 yards and one score, and ran for another touchdown in a 33-31 defeat of USC, ending the Trojans' 27-game conference winning streak.

``I think that Matt just kept working. That's the one thing that happened,'' Riley said. ``Matt is just continuing to grow in the offense. I think we had a very similar situation with (former quarterback) Derek Anderson. I think Derek played his best football as a Beaver the last six or seven games of his Oregon State career. It's pretty well-documented. I think we're seeing the same kind of growth right now with Matt.''

Last week, Moore was again sharp as the Beavers pulverized Arizona State, setting the stage for this week's return to the Rose Bowl.

``He's commanding his offense really well,'' Bruins coach Karl Dorrell said of Moore. ``They're protecting him better. I think he was taking a lot of hits early in the season. He's operating their offense pretty well, and they're playing with a lot of confidence.''

Moore is also more mature, and he plans to prove it again with his behavior at the Rose Bowl.

In losing a 51-28 decision to the Bruins last season in Pasadena, Moore was heckled by UCLA's student section during pregame warmups and threw two interceptions against a porous Bruins defense.

``Last year I was so stupid for even listening to all those people,'' Moore said. ``It really doesn't matter to me this year. I might go out there with headphones on. Who knows?''

There also isn't nearly as much anticipation for Moore's return, partly because of last season's game, and mostly because of a lack of familiarity within UCLA's program.

Moore estimated he knew about seven Bruins, and Dorrell is the only offensive coach remaining from his UCLA days.

``I really don't know much about him, and it was so long ago,'' UCLA fifth-year senior receiver and Moore's former teammate, Junior Taylor, said. ``I've been watching what he was doing. He had a lot of ability when he was here, but he was really raw.''

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CAPTION(S):

2 photos, box

Photo:

(1 -- color) MOORE

(2) Quarterback Matt Moore, a former Hart High of Newhall star, led Oregon State to a 33-31 upset of USC on Oct. 28.

Tom Hauck/Getty Images

Box:

UCLA vs. OREGON ST.