Lobos bigger, but speedy Beaver defense better.

Byline: Rob Moseley The Register-Guard

LAS VEGAS - Sure, the final stats are impressive.

Oregon State held New Mexico to 127 yards of total offense and seven first downs in beating the Lobos 55-14 on Wednesday in the Las Vegas Bowl. The vaunted New Mexico rushing attack, supposedly on par with that of the Beavers, managed just 33 yards, nearly 200 off its average.

But for truly startling numbers, the third-quarter stats told the story - it wasn't until the game was three quarters old that the outcome was no longer in doubt, and the Beavers began to get their younger players into the game.

Through three quarters, Oregon State's defense allowed one - yes, one - first down to New Mexico. The Lobos had minus-6 rushing yards to that point and 21 total. That was less than a quarter of their yardage in penalties.

In the days leading up to the game, the Beavers and Lobos engaged in their share of trash talking, with both sides taking part. When it came time to settle things on the field, though, the matchup was embarrassingly one-sided.

"The Lobos didn't give us a lot of respect," said OSU senior safety Lawrence Turner, one of eight Las Vegas natives on the team, "but we dominated."

New Mexico trumpeted the fact that it boasted the second-biggest offensive line in the country. Against the Beavers, the Lobos up front indeed looked big - and slow.

"They were big and strong," said OSU linebacker Chaz Scott, who capped an injury-filled season with 1 1/2 sacks and a fumble recovery. "We just tried to use what we had, which was speed."

The Lobos and tailback DonTrell Moore were stifled by the OSU front seven, with middle linebacker Richard Seigler leading the charge.

New Mexico had no luck running up the middle behind that huge line, and when they tried to go outside, Seigler and company would track them down.

"We looked awfully fast," OSU coach Mike Riley said. "Richard was all over the place making plays."

By the fourth quarter, New Mexico was resigned to throwing the ball, and that's when they gained the majority of their yards.

Seigler said that was by design, as the Beavers hoped to exploit New Mexico's weakness in the passing game by stopping the run and forcing the Lobos to the air.

"The game went exactly as we had it planned," Seigler said. "The game couldn't have been scripted any better."

CAPTION(S):

Oregon State linebacker Chaz Scott recovers a fumble, one of two turnovers the Beavers forced Wednesday against New Mexico in their Las Vegas Bowl victory.