Led by third-year head coach Kip Taylor, the Beavers compiled an overall record of 4–6 with a mark of 3–5 in conference play, placing sixth in the PCC.

[18] Anderson and Mann were quick to make their presence known, each scoring rushing touchdowns and heralded as stars of the team's first full-length regulation scrimmage, between a squad headed by Len Younce and newly hired ends coach Butch Morse and another led by Hal Moe and Bump Taylor.

[19] Tales of the pair's gridiron exploits made their way up and down the coast, with one columnist for the Los Angeles Times alerting Southern California fans that the "two Oakland Negroes" were "rated as sophomore halfback whizzes" and being added to Kip Taylor's complete returning backfield of starters for the 1951 season.

[21] The 1951 meeting was the second consecutive season-opener between OSC and MSC and was again spotlighted as "Game of the Week" and telecast nationally by ABC and by radio via the Mutual Network.

[22] Whereas in 1950 Michigan State had crushed OSC by 25 points, the 1951 contest would be a close one, decided by a trick play run by MSC from the one-yard line in the second quarter.

[3] The real hero of the day, however, was "21-year-old Negro" Jimmy Ellis, "a long-limbed fleet sophomore from Saginaw," who picked off three Beaver passes, including a goal line grab that stopped the first drive of the second half, earning himself a game ball from Spartan head coach Biggie Munn.

The friendly confines of Bell Field, an undersized and out-of-date 22,000 seat venue for which replacement fundraising had begun,[23] would be the location of Oregon State's second game, against the visiting Utah Redskins.

[4] Reserve backs Ken Brown and Bill Anderson added one touchdown each, with defensive end and placekicker Jim Cordial putting seven of the nine points-after-touchdown through the goal posts.

2 Michigan State and massive win over Utah earned the Beavers recognition among the country's sportswriters and OSC made their appearance in the national AP poll with a No.

[24] A 38-yard touchdown reception by Mann on a pass from quarterback Gene Morrow nailing shut Idaho's coffin late in the second quarter, with the Beavers opened up an insurmountable halftime 26–6 lead.

[6] OSC rested its starters for most of the second half against an overmatched Idaho team, but still managed to score on a short run by fullback Bob Redkey.

Next on the agenda was a trip to the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California for a battle with the USC Trojans, a team coming off an impressive victory over the Washington Huskies.

[8] One minute later, following an OSC kickoff, USC halfback Frank Gifford was hit hard by 235-pound defensive guard Jim Clark and fumbled the ball, with the Beavers recovering on the 11.

[25] The tie was broken later in that quarter by an OSC strategic error when head coach Kip Taylor called a fake Sam Baker punt 4th-and-10 and deep in their own end.

[25] Baker was tackled short of the first down marker, setting the Trojans for what would prove the game-winning field goal by Gifford, the final score in the 16–13 game.

It would be a game in which the defending Pacific Coast champions — smarting after the previous week's loss to the USC Trojans, the first in four seasons — got healthy against the visitors from the north in front of 43,000 fans.

[10] A second touchdown was logged in the waning minutes with a 54-yard punt return to the Cal 6-yard like by OSC's Gene Taft, which set up a Sam Baker run.

[28] With their 1951 season sputtering, the 2–4 Beavers made their way to Seattle to do battle with the 3–3 Washington Huskies, who starred future NFL Hall of Fame running back Hugh McElhenny.

[11] The muddy field, soaked by overnight rain, was no problem for Sam Baker and the Beaver backfield, however, and in the third quarter OSC broke the game open with three touchdowns, adding two more in the final period.

Once again, Mother Nature made her presence known in the Pacific Northwest, creating what one visiting journalist called "the worst field known here in four years, slippery and sloppy from two days of continuous rain.

[12] Coached by Henry "Red" Sanders, the Bruins mirrored Oregon State in adherence to a run-oriented single wing offense and featured Paul Cameron at left halfback ("tailback").

[30] Benefiting from "the worst rash of injuries in the memory of any Pacific Coast Conference team since the war," the sophomore Cameron had started the 1951 season as UCLA's fifth string tailback but had emerged sensationally in a massive 41–0 shutout of Oregon and an unlikely upset of No.

[12] The extra point attempt was mishandled, but holder Don Stalwick picked up the ball and scooted around the left side for a one-point conversion on the ground, making the score 7–0 for the visitors.

The tight game was not without drama, as the visiting reporter from the Los Angeles Times noted the Orangemen feature a "great fullback in Sam Baker, who played his heart out here today," speedy tailback Dave Mann, and "the biggest line on the Pacific coast.

[13] Fortunately for the tribe, motivation was provided by a Pacific Coast Conference title and bid to the 1952 Rose Bowl game that awaitedshould they post a ninth consecutive win.

Oregon State had played a tough schedule, facing three ranked opponents on the road, but had ultimately come up lacking, failing to pull off any big upsets and languishing with a 3–6 record.

[32] The historic highlight of the game came when Oregon quarterback and defensive safety George Shaw intercepted a pass in the closing minutes of the first half — his record-setting 13th pick of the season.

[33] Shaw's interception broke the NCAA record of 12 set the previous year by defensive back Hank Rich of Arizona State College.

[33] On the opening play of the final quarter, star Beaver fullback Sam Baker blasted the ball into the end zone, with kicker Jim Cordial kicking the extra point to equalize.

[14] Despite his mistake, working behind "a beefy line that gradually wore down the Oregon defense,"[14] OSC's "Slammin' Sam" Baker was the unquestioned star of the game, turning in his best performance of 1951 — 30 carries for 159 yards rushing.