CORVALLIS – Once again, the Oregon State Beavers showed they can play with the best college football teams in the land. They just haven’t showed they can beat them.

And with a schedule flush with nationally ranked foes, that’s no small problem.

On Saturday night, in a cold, soupy fog at Reser Stadium, the opponent was no less than unbeaten and top-ranked Southern California. Oregon State, a .500 team and an 18-point underdog, gave the defending national co-champions a serious scare – and gave the sellout crowd a sniff of a monumental upset – before the too-talented Trojans prevailed 28-20.

A note here about that fog. While it might have made for poor viewing for the national TV audience, there was little to indicate that the elements had any significant impact on how the game was played.

”It didn’t affect anyone or anything, I don’t think,” said Beaver linebacker Trent Bray.

”Didn’t matter,” shrugged senior OSU safety Mitch Meeuwsen. ”We were both playing in it.”

Still, the fog created an eerie, surreal feeling about the game. So did events in the opening quarter and a half:

– USC’s all-purpose All-American, Reggie Bush, mishandles Sam Paulescu’s punt and OSU recovers to set up Alexis Serna’s 25-yard field goal. Three-nothing, Beavers.

– Southern Cal’s second possession, like its first, goes three and out, then Beaver quarterback Derek Anderson hooks up with Mike Hass for a 25-yard completion that, along with a USC penalty on the same play, set up another Serna field goal. Six-zip, OSU.

– A minute into the second quarter, Meeuwsen blocks Ryan Killeen’s field-goal try. Beaver Nation begins to believe.

– On second and long, Anderson, facing a big rush, finds tight end Joe Newton over the middle for a big gain. USC’s Darnell Bing strips the ball away after Newton gains 37 yards, but right there is Hass, who alertly gobbles up the free ball and scoots another 22 yards to the Trojans’ 8. One play later, Anderson passes over the middle to Marcel Love for a touchdown and a 13-0 Beaver lead. Reser rocks.

At that point, nobody in the Oregon State camp was prepared to declare victory. Not after what happened two months ago in the season opener at LSU, where the Beavers had the other defending national co-champion in their clutches, only to let a stunning upset slip away.

”I felt it was still going to be a long game,” said OSU coach Mike Riley of his team’s early domination of USC. ”It was far from over.”

Indeed, Southern Cal didn’t get to its lofty position – 9-0 this season now with 18 consecutive victories – by losing its cool. The Trojans came from behind on the road to beat Virginia Tech and Stanford in September, and last month at home they made a goal-line stand in the waning moments to survive California.

”You’ve gotta give it to ’em,” said Hass. ”They never panicked.”

USC cut the margin to 13-7 with Matt Leinart’s 18-yard touchdown pass to tight end Dominique Byrd, who was well covered in the end zone by Brandon Browner but hauled in Leinart’s toss with one hand for the score.

The Trojans were knocking again just before halftime when Meeuwsen denied them with the 19th interception of his career.

The Beavs caught a break on the third play of the second half when Aric Williams recovered a USC fumble near midfield. But on the next play, Anderson’s pass was picked off, setting up the Trojans’ go-ahead touchdown on another Leinart-to-Byrd connection.

Southern Cal took the 14-13 lead into the fourth quarter, when Bush – like Leinart, a Heisman Trophy candidate – earned a few more votes with an electrifying now-you’ve-got-me, now-you-don’t punt return for 65 yards and the game-breaking touchdown.

The Trojans padded their lead midway through the fourth quarter on LenDale White’s five-yard touchdown run. The Beavers rallied to make it respectable on Anderson’s late 36-yard touchdown pass to Josh Hawkins.

Too little. Too late. Too bad.

Oregon State’s frustration was evident after the game. Bray compared the loss to the 22-21 overtime heartbreaker at then-No. 4 LSU.

”Very similar,” he said. ”We were looking at this as an opportunity to show everyone how good a team we are … and we just didn’t close it out.”

”I thought there was a lot of really good football tonight,” said Riley. ”But I felt we left some opportunities out there. I think every man in our locker room felt we left some plays out there.”

Left them – and a football game – there for the taking. And the Trojans couldn’t resist.

Bill Bigelow is Bulletin sports editor.