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Maurer family is all smiles after win By RANDY HAMMERICKSEN CORVALLIS -- Jacksonville's Marty Maurer had three happy uncles, a father and a mother waiting for him outside the bubbling Oregon State locker room Saturday night. Maurer, 21, a junior tight for Oregon State, helped the Beavers secure their first winning season in 28 years with a 17-7 win over California at Reser Stadium. Maurer's uncles Dick, Ken and Ron all played football for Oregon State during 28 straight seasons of losing. They could relish the end of the streak this day and know their nephew played a major role in it. "They're going to be glad to see me," said Marty Maurer, who had a streak of 11 straight games in which he caught a pass snapped against Cal. "It's very satisfying, but it really hasn't sunk in yet. But it will tonight. We're partying." Maurer's father, Andy, played for the Oregon Ducks but his loyalty now lies with OSU, his son said. "He's a Beaver through and through now," Marty Maurer said. "He bleeds orange and black." Maurer, who graduated from Cascade Christian High School, said he would go out for pizza with friends and family, and join his teammates later in the evening for more celebrating. One Beaver who was primed for party time was linebacker Tevila Moala, who scooped up a fumble by California quarterback Kyle Boller and returned it 24 yards for a touchdown to seal the Beavers' sixth win against three losses. "We had a blitz on and all of a sudden I saw the ball on the ground," said Moala. "I couldn't believe it. I reached down and picked it up and took off. There was noboby around me. "That one (touchdown) took the pressure off us," said Moala. "We knew they wouldn't score twice on us." Oregon State linebacker Darnell Robinson, who pestered and pressured Boller all day, said OSU's defense proved it is best in the Pac-10 by outplaying the team that led the conference in total defense going into the game. "A lot of people were saying they (the Golden Bears) had the best defense in the Pac-10, but we proved we are today," said Robinson. "We're the best, there's no doubt about it." "I told our kids it was going to be a tough defensive game," said OSU head coach Dennis Erickson. " I told them Cal would play good defense and we would have to, also. They kept going out there over and over and playing hard and shutting them down. I'm proud of them." Today's Sports Index Mail Tribune Copyright� The Mail Tribune 1999, Medford, OR U.S.A.