Stanford Rallies Past Oregon State, 27-24

Corvallis, Ore. - Greg Comella's second touchdown of the game, a two-yard burst up the middle with 27 seconds remaining, rallied 23rd-ranked Stanford past upset-minded Oregon State, 27-24, in the Pac-10 Conference opener for both schools.

The win was the seventh in the last eight games for the Cardinal (2-1, 1-0 Pac-10), who had their six-game winning streak snapped last week at North Carolina.

Anthony Bookman opened the scoring for Stanford with a 60-yard touchdown run and Chad Hutchinson added a 14-yard scoring toss to Damon Dunn. Bookman finished with 120 yards rushing and Mike Mitchell added 102 on the ground.

Hutchinson completed 19-of-26 passes for 171 yards but was sacked seven times.

"I have to pay tribute to our opponent," said Stanford coach Tyrone Willingham. "They really put the pressure on us. At the same time, we created a great deal of adversity for ourselves. Overall, I have to give credit to our team for not giving up against huge odds and coming through with a win."

The Cardinal trailed 24-20 with less than five minutes to go when they took over on their own 22. They went on a 14-play, 78-yard drive that was capped by Comella's go-ahead score. Twice on the drive, Stanford coverted 4th-and-short opportunities.

"Stanford did a nice job on that last drive," said Oregon State coach Mike Riley. "They made all of the plays. That could have been their last drive."

DeShawn Williams returned a kickoff 96 yards for a score and Joe Cortez added three field goals for Oregon State (1-1, 0-1). Tim Alexander was 222-of-37 for 229 but was intercepted twice and sacked three times.

"Tim Alexander really brings another dimension to their offense," added Willingham. "He's an exceptional athlete and any time you've got a halfback that can play quarterback, you've got something."

The Cardinal took a quick 7-0 lead just over two minutes into the contest when Bookman took a handoff and broke up the right side, eventually cutting it back over the middle for a 60-yard score.

Oregon State cut the deficit to 7-3 on a 33-yard field goal by Cortez midway through the first quarter. A safety with 12 seconds remaining in the period brought the Ducks within 7-5.

The Cardinal took the ensuing kickoff and moved 41 yards in five plays, capped by Comella plunging over from one yard out. The extra point was blocked and Stanford led 13-5. Oregon State was able to draw within 13-11 with 7:15 left in the half when Ricky Walker broke loose for a nine-yard scoring run.

Stanford extended its lead to 20-11 on Hutchinson's 14-yard pass to Dunn with 14 seconds left in the half. Dunn led the Cardinal with seven receptions for 48 yards.

But Oregon State answered when DeShawn Williams, a Doak Walker Award candidate, returned the ensuing kickoff 96 yards for a score. The kick return was the first brought back for a score by OSU since Dwayne Owens did it against UCLA in 1990.

Cortez's field goal, a 45-yarder with 33 seconds left in the third quarter, gave Oregon State a 21-20 lead. Cortez, who hit a 34-yarder in the fourth quarter, missed a 45-yard attempt with nine minutes left in regulation.

The teams combined to convert just 5-of-26 third-down opportunities.

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