"I knew all along that we'd get a shot to win it," Godfrey said. "We practice the two-minute drill every week in practice, so (Johnson) stepped up and made the plays that we make in practice."

The Utes then had two shots at a two-point conversion. A second opportunity materialized after a pass interference call on the Beavers. Johnson capitalized on the situation by rolling right and running into the end zone to even things up, setting up the dramatic finish.

Johnson, who has led Utah to 14 wins in his last 15 starts, said the last two drives showed the team's toughness. He called it the "biggest win" since he joined the program.

"They made plays that we weren't covering. We'll look back at the last 20 plays and see that we had a couple of opportunities to get a few more points," said Oregon State coach Mike Riley, whose team fell to 2-3 one week after upsetting top-ranked USC. "... I think it was a great football game and both teams came out to play. I thought we had enough at the end, but it turned out we didn't."

Utah led 20-15 at halftime, overcoming an interception return for a touchdown along the way.

Oregon State pulled ahead 9-3 early in the second quarter when safety Al Afalava picked off a Johnson pass intended for Casteel and took it back 26 yards for a touchdown. The ensuing PAT failed.

The Utes got a much-needed momentum swing on the kickoff that followed. David Reed returned the kick 79 yards to the Oregon State 15. It set up a 28-yard field goal by Sakoda and ushered in a run of 17 straight points by Utah.

The outburst included a 14-yard scoring strike from Johnson to Freddie Brown and a 12-yard touchdown run by Brent Casteel. Between scores, the Utes recovered a fumble. Linebacker Nai Fotu pounced on the ball after defensive tackle Derrick Shelby jarred it loose on a sack of Moevao.

Leading 20-9, Utah was unable to maintain the margin down the stretch. Jacquizz Rodgers had a 28-yard run and a 27-yard reception on an Oregon State scoring drive in the closing minutes of the half. The Beavers needed just four plays to march 80 yards and reduce the deficit. A 24-yard touchdown toss from Moevao to Shane Morales closed the gap to five points with 1:13 to go in the half.

The score was knotted at 3-3 after one quarter. Both teams capped opening drives with field goals. Oregon State took the lead on a 37-yard kick by Justin Kahut and Utah countered with a 33-yarder by Sakoda.

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E-mail: dirk@desnews.com