October 9, 2011 in Sports

Oregon State holds off Arizona for first football win of the season

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CORVALLIS, Ore. – Sean Mannion threw for 267 yards and two touchdowns and Oregon State defeated the mistake-prone Arizona Wildcats 37-27 on Saturday for the Beavers’ first victory of the season.

Quarterback Nick Foles was intercepted twice and the Wildcats (1-5, 0-3 Pac-12) lost two fumbles in their fifth straight loss overall and eighth straight conference loss.

Oregon State (1-4, 1-2) led 27-6 at halftime and nearly squandered it but held on to snap a six-game losing streak dating to last season.

With only a narrow 30-27 lead and 5:22 left, Oregon State went for it on fourth-and-2 – succeeding when Mannion hit diving tight end Joe Halahuni for the touchdown.

The Beavers made a crucial stand on the other end when the Wildcats also took a chance on fourth down with 2 yards to go, and Dan Buckner couldn’t catch Foles’ pass in the end zone.

Foles completed 31 of 45 passes for 378 yards and a touchdown to Buckner, who caught eight passes for 144 yards.

The Beavers were off to their worst start since 1996.

After a season-opening overtime loss to lower-division Sacramento State, Oregon State dropped games to Wisconsin, UCLA and Arizona State.

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