Bernard goes over the top against Cal, adds to his resume

While Yvenson Bernard may not be the biggest or fastest running back in the Pacific-10, he's proved that he is creative.

Yvenson Bernard went over the top of a pile of California defenders on fourth-and-1 with 8:30 remaining to give Oregon State the lead for good in a 31-28 upset of the Golden Bears last weekend.

It was an unusual move for Yvenson Bernard, who tends to just crash his way forward on the ground.

"It shows a lot about that guy. He tends to find a way," Oregon State coach Mike Riley said. "He's a very unique guy in my life. I have a lot of admiration for him as a leader and a player on this team."

Yvenson Bernard rushed for 110 yards and two touchdowns in the upset over the then-No. 2 Golden Bears, who had the chance to seize the nation's top ranking after Kentucky defeated top-ranked LSU earlier in the day.

"That was not easy," Riley said of the decision to give Yvenson Bernard the ball. "Not only could we have made an easy decision to kick a field goal and take the lead, I was thinking bootleg, I was thinking play-action pass.

"Then finally I just looked at Yv and said, "No, we're just going to give you the ball.' And it worked out."

Going over the top was Yvenson Bernard's decision, Riley said. Afterward, the Beavers made a 2-point conversion with Sean Canfield pass to Anthony Brown in the end zone for a 28-21 lead.

Yvenson Bernard also had eight catches for 53 yards. For the effort, he was named the league's offensive player of the week.

Over the last two game, Yvenson Bernard has rushed for four touchdowns and caught another. He has 3,400 career rushing yards, third-best in Oregon State history and 14th in the Pac-10.

Yvenson Bernard and the rest of the Beavers (4-3, 2-2 Pac-10) are getting a break this weekend with a bye before they host Stanford for homecoming.

The big question for the Beavers during the break is whether they can build off the Cal upset for a more consistent final five games.

Last season, Oregon State started 2-3 but then won eight of the next nine games to finish 10-4. One of those victories was a 33-31 upset of then-No. 3 USC.

But they'll have to see more consistency from Sean Canfield, who has thrown just seven touchdowns -- fewest in the Pac-10. He's been intercepted 13 times. The Beavers have thrown the nation's most interceptions with 17.

Canfield didn't throw an interception against Cal, which was a good sign, Riley said.

"He did a very nice job of managing the game," he said. "I thought he played with a lot of poise."

Oregon State leads the nation with 24 turnovers, something the team must also address.

"We've won two in a row and the momentum is a nice thing, but it (the bye) feels good right now for our team," Riley said. "I think we'll take good advantage of this bye to get some guys ... just get them past some midseason aches and pains."

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