Thursday, December 25, 2003
Copyright © Las Vegas Review-Journal

LAS VEGAS BOWL: OREGON STATE 55, NEW MEXICO 14

Beavers' Jackson scores five TDs, says he will leave early for NFL

By MARK ANDERSON
REVIEW-JOURNAL

Oregon State tailback Steven Jackson dives past New Mexico's Sidney Wiley, left, and Dwight Counter on one of Jackson's four rushing touchdowns Wednesday in the Las Vegas Bowl. Photo by K.M. Cannon. Oregon State's Dwan Edwards, left, Steven Jackson -- the game's Most Valuable Player -- and Richard Seigler hold the Las Vegas Bowl trophy after a 55-14 victory over New Mexico on Wednesday at Sam Boyd Stadium. Photo by K.M. Cannon. Steven Jackson, left, a former Eldorado High standout, announces he will forgo his senior year at Oregon State to enter the NFL Draft. Seated with Jackson are his parents, Brenda and Steve. Photo by K.M. Cannon. Oregon State wide receiver Mike Hass gets past New Mexico safety Sidney Wiley but can't make the catch in the third quarter. Hass' 42-yard touchdown reception in the first quarter put the Beavers ahead for good. Photo by K.M. Cannon.

After taking all the drama out of Wednesday's Las Vegas Bowl, Steven Jackson created some after the game.

Jackson capped his record-breaking, five-touchdown night in Oregon State's 55-14 victory over New Mexico at Sam Boyd Stadium by announcing he will forgo his senior year to enter the NFL Draft.

"It's really hard week in and week out and year after year because once you're the big man in the conference ... everyone's gunning for you," said Jackson, a former Eldorado High School standout, adding that he made his decision Tuesday night.

"Everyone knows running backs only have so many carries in their body, so I wanted to take advantage of that."

Jackson was named the game's Most Valuable Player after rushing for 149 yards on 28 carries, including touchdown runs of 3 yards, 11 yards, 6 yards and 1 yard. He also caught five passes for 51 yards, including a 34-yard touchdown on the game's first drive.

His five touchdowns set Oregon State and Las Vegas Bowl records and tied Oklahoma State's Barry Sanders and San Jose State's Sheldon Canley for the most TDs in a bowl game.

"When I found out we were coming to the Vegas Bowl, it's something I've dreamed about to come back and put on a good performance," said Jackson, who led the Pacific-10 Conference this season with 1,396 yards rushing and 15 touchdowns.

For his career, Jackson gained 3,625 yards, second only in Oregon State history to Ken Simonton's 5,044.

"Steven is a great, great team player, and we won't replace him," Beavers coach Mike Riley. "You can't really replace Steven Jackson, but we will always cherish his time with us. We'll think of him every Sunday watching him."

Jackson was one of eight Oregon State players from the Las Vegas area, four of them starters.

The Beavers (8-5) played as if they were at home, overwhelming New Mexico (8-5).

"I thought we played very, very poorly, and they're a very good football team," Lobos coach Rocky Long said. "We knew coming in that they were very talented and very explosive. They played well, and we played as bad as you could play."

Beavers quarterback Derek Anderson completed 21 of 32 passes for 322 yards, with two touchdowns. Tight end Tim Euhus caught seven passes for 121 yards.

Oregon State finished with 540 total yards and 29 first downs. It was just as dominant defensively, holding New Mexico to 6 yards rushing and seven first downs.

"I thought our overall speed was impressive on defense today," Riley said.

Lobos tailback DonTrell Moore, who led the Mountain West Conference with 1,438 yards and 19 touchdowns rushing, managed just 5 yards on 11 carries.

The Beavers took control at the end of the first quarter when Anderson completed a 42-yard touchdown pass on a flea flicker to wide receiver Mike Hass for a 17-7 lead. Oregon State went ahead 31-7 with 7:01 left in the second quarter, leaving the announced in-house crowd of 18,031 with little doubt about the game's outcome.

"It was big for us," Anderson said. "To get the ball and throw a big punch like that is huge."