PASADENA, Calif. — Call Patrick Cowan the 15-second man.

That's how long the UCLA quarterback needed to throw the go-ahead touchdown in the third quarter, helping the Bruins defeat Oregon State, 25-7, last night and keep their bowl hopes alive.

"We needed that. This game gave us a big boost," said Marcus Everett, who scored both of UCLA's touchdowns.

Oregon State turned the ball over on downs on its first drive of the quarter, and before the Beavers knew what had hit them, Cowan directed the 45-yard scoring pass to Everett on UCLA's first play.

"We haven't done anything like that all season," UCLA coach Karl Dorrell said. "We wanted to come out in the second half with a big play. The defense did a great job on that fourth-down stop."

The Bruins (5-5, 3-4 Pac-10), who snapped a four-game losing streak despite racking up 13 penalties for 155 yards, could salvage a bowl bid with a victory at Arizona State next week. They end the regular season at home against No. 7 Southern California.

The No. 6 team from the Pacific-10 Conference could play in the Sheraton Hawai'i Bowl on Dec. 24.

The Beavers (6-4, 4-3), who play a 13-game schedule ending on Dec. 2 against Hawai'i at Aloha Stadium, would have become bowl eligible with their fifth consecutive victory. Their winning streak included a 33-31 upset of USC on Oct. 28.

"That was a terribly disappointing game," Oregon State coach Mike Riley said. "Nothing felt good about it."

Oregon State's Matt Moore, who transferred from UCLA after losing the starting job in 2003, was sacked five times — including twice in the fourth quarter. He was 16 of 28 for 159 yards and no touchdowns.

The defensive duo of Justin Hickman and Bruce Davis teamed up against Moore, with Hickman getting a sack and Davis recovering a fumble with 5 1/2 minutes left in the game.

"They beat us, but we also beat ourselves," Moore said.

Justin Medlock, who came into the game tied for the NCAA lead with 19 field goals, made kicks of 40 and 42 yards in the second quarter, when UCLA trailed 7-6. He added two more in the fourth — from 25 and 24 yards — that extended the Bruins' lead to 25-7.

PURDUE 42, ILLINOIS 31

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Quarterback Curtis Painter ran for two touchdowns and threw for another as the Boilermakers (7-4, 6-3 Big Ten) rallied to beat the Illini (2-9, 1-6)

Purdue trailed by nine points in the third quarter before defensive end Alex Magee led a defensive charge that turned around the game. Magee, who recovered a fumble by Juice Williams in the end zone for a second-quarter TD, intercepted a pass in the third quarter and forced a fumble in the fourth quarter to set up touchdowns.

Purdue plays at Hawai'i on Nov. 25.

NO. 12 LSU 28, ALABAMA 14

BATON ROUGE, La. — JaMarcus Russell threw three touchdown passes to help the Tigers (8-2, 4-2 SEC) keep their slim hopes for an SEC West Division title alive with a victory over the Crimson Tide (6-5, 4-2).

Russell was 18 of 21 passing for 207 yards and took only one sack. He connected with Early Doucet, Dwyane Bowe and Jacob Hester for scores. Freshman running back Keiland Williams gave the Tigers an early lead with a 38-yard touchdown run.

Alabama beat Hawai'i, 25-17, on Sept. 2.

SAN DIEGO ST. 21, UNLV 7

SAN DIEGO — Kevin O'Connell completed all seven of his passes and rushed for a touchdown as he led the Aztecs (2-7, 2-3 Mountain West) over the Rebels (1-9, 0-6).

The Rebels have lost nine straight overall and 15 straight road games.

Hawai'i beat UNLV, 42-13, on Sept. 16.

EASTERN ILLINOIS 38, TENNESSEE TECH 14

COOKEVILLE, Tenn. — Cole Stinson threw for 275 yards and three touchdowns to lead the Panthers (7-4, 6-1 Ohio Valley Conference) over the Eagles (3-7, 3-4).

Hawai'i beat Eastern Illinois, 44-9, on Sept. 30.

NEVADA 42, UTAH STATE 0

RENO, Nev. — Reserve running back Luke Lippincott ran for 144 yards on 25 carries and scored two touchdowns to lead the Wolf Pack (7-3, 4-2 WAC) over the Aggies (1-9, 1-5) for Nevada's first shutout since 1998.

The sophomore set a career high in yards and carries as Nevada managed 342 yards of total offense while holding the Aggies to just 207 yards on a cold, rainy and sometimes snowy day.

Hawai'i beat Nevada, 41-34, on Oct. 7, and rolled over Utah State, 63-10, last week.

FRESNO STATE 23, NEW MEXICO STATE 18

FRESNO, Calif. — Dwayne Wright rushed for 121 yards and two touchdowns, including the go-ahead score midway through the fourth quarter, as the Bulldogs (2-7, 2-3 WAC) ended a seven-game losing streak with a victory over the Aggies (2-8, 0-6).

Wright's 6-yard touchdown run with 7:51 remaining put Fresno State ahead for good and sent the Aggies to their 21st consecutive loss against Division I-A opponents.

Hawai'i beat Fresno state, 68-37, on Oct. 14, and defeated New Mexico State, 49-30, on Oct. 21.