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CORVALLIS, Ore. • Mike Riley knew it wasn't going to be easy to defeat the nation's No. 20 team.
"Every facet of our game had to be at a top level," he said late Thursday.
It wasn't. Not until too late, at least.
Oregon State could not stop Utah junior running back Devontae Booker when it most needed to, and the Beavers had no answer for Utah's top-shelf pass rush, which recorded five sacks.
Riley's Beavers fell to 4-2 with the 29-23 double-overtime loss, and instead of a sympathy card they get No. 23 Stanford in Palo Alto next week.
"It is going to be another physical game, and they aren't going to feel sad for us," said safety Ryan Murphy. "They aren't going to have any remorse for us."
Despite outgaining the Utes 391-315, the Beavers' Trevor Romaine missed a 37-yarder in double overtime and it might not have mattered anyway, as Booker stomped on a would-be tackler on third-and-short for the game-winning score minutes later.
Oregon State lost running back Storm Woods to an apparent knee injury — last year Woods was driven off the field in an ambulance after a concussion at Rice-Eccles Stadium — and receiver Richard Mullaney left with a left elbow injury.
There were a few positives.
Sean Mannion passed for 272 yards and passed Carson Palmer for second on the Pac-12's all-time passer leader list, including a 72-yard bomb to redshirt freshman Jordan Villamin, who might just be the new go-to receiver the Beavers have been seeking since Brandin Cooks left for the New Orleans Saints.
And OSU's defense held Travis Wilson and Kendal Thompson to 9-of-18 for 62 yards in the passing game.
But it wasn't enough to be the Utes, and it probably won't be enough to beat the Cardinal, either, said Riley.
"I think this is another game that is a good indicator of how competitive this conference is."
— Matthew Piper
Twitter: @matthew_piper