Stanford, CA -- (Sports Network) - Toby Gerhart ran for 147 yards and two touchdowns to lead the Stanford Cardinal to a 36-28 victory over the Oregon State Beavers in the season opener for the Pac-10 foes.

Tavita Prtichard threw for 91 yards and a score for Stanford (1-0, 1-0 Pac-10).

Sammie Stroughter made 12 catches for 157 yards and two touchdowns in the loss for Oregon State (0-1, 0-1), which also got 13 catches for 151 yards from Shane Morales. Quarterback Lyle Moevao threw for 404 yards in defeat.

The first quarter was rather uneventful, as strong defense on both sides prevented any scoring.

Surprisingly, a defensive struggle quickly turned into an offensive shootout in the second half. Oregon State got on the board first with a 27-yard field goal by Justin Kahut.

Stanford responded with 10 unanswered points. First, Gerhart plunged into the end zone on a two-yard run, and Aaron Zagory followed with a 41-yard field goal.

Oregon State tied the game at 10-10 with a 55-yard touchdown pass from Moevao to Stroughter.

Stanford jumped back on top with a 46-yard touchdown scamper by Gerhart, but a four-yard touchdown pass from Moevao to Morales made the score 17-17 at intermission.

In the third quarter, the Beavers grabbed a 20-17 lead on a 23-yard field goal by Justin Kahut.

Stanford's Zagory answered with a 42-yard field goal to tie the score, and the Cardinal took a 22-20 lead less than a minute later on a safety.

Back-to-back touchdowns in the fourth quarter certainly helped the cause for Stanford. Pritchard tossed a 15-yard scoring pass to Anthony Kimble, and Bo McNally returned an interception 34 yards for a touchdown.

Trailing 36-20, Oregon State got another touchdown from the connection of Moevao and Morales. The ensuing two-point conversion attempt was successful, making the score 36-28 with three minutes left.

The Beavers had the ball deep in Stanford territory in the closing minutes. Wideout Darrell Catchings stretched for the end zone with the ball in his hands, but he was stripped and the ball bounced into the end zone and out of bounds. As a result, the referee declared a touchback, sealing the victory for Stanford.