Pittsburgh scored first after a 40 yard touchdown pass from quarterback Rod Rutherford to wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald, taking a 7–0 lead. Oregon State responded with a 65-yard touchdown pass from Derek Anderson to James Newsome, tying it at seven. In the second quarter, Oregon State took a 10–7 lead after Karl Yliniemi kicked a 50 yard field goal. David Abdul kicked a 45-yarder for Pitt, and the game was tied at ten at the half.
Rod Rutherford scored for Pitt on a 1-yard touchdown run in the third quarter to take a 17–10 lead. Late in the quarter, Panthers kick-returner Shawn Robinson scored on a 66-yard punt return, pushing the Panther lead to 24–10. Karl Yliniemi responded for Oregon State with a 31 yard field goal, making it 24–13 at the end of three quarters. The Panthers extended their lead in the fourth quarter when Brandon Miree scored on an 8-yard touchdown run and Tyler Palko scrambled in for a 8-yard touchdown run to close out the scoring in the game, which ended in a final score of 38–13 in favor of Pitt.