SAN DIEGO — Jeremiah Masoli and Oregon were a perfect fit for the high-scoring Holiday Bowl.

Masoli ran through and over Oklahoma State's defense for three touchdowns and threw for another to lead the No. 15 Ducks to a 42-31 win over the No. 13 Cowboys in a wild Holiday Bowl last night.

Masoli, a Saint Louis School alum, moved up from No. 3 on the depth chart this season due to injuries. He was recruited because coach Mike Bellotti thought he'd be a great passer, then proved to be quite the runner.

"He's a tough son of a gun," Bellotti said. "He's faster than most people think and he's stronger and more difficult to take down. And he ran over and around and through people today."

Masoli scored on option keepers of 1, 41 and 17 yards in the third quarter, then threw a 20-yard scoring pass to Jaison Williams in the fourth quarter. Masoli ran over OSU free safety Quinton Moore on his 41-yard jaunt.

There were big runs, big passes and big hits in a game showcasing two of the nation's most prolific offenses, both of which feature the spread option led by running QBs. Oregon gained 565 yards and OSU had 469.

Oregon finished 10-3, the fourth time it's had double-digit wins in Bellotti's 14 seasons as coach. Oklahoma State finished 9-4 under Mike Gundy, the winning quarterback for Oklahoma State in the 1988 Holiday Bowl.

With the Ducks trailing 17-7, Walter Thurmond returned the second-half kickoff 91 yards to the 3. Masoli scored his first TD two plays later.

"It gave us a lot of juice and momentum," Masoli said. "We made our adjustments and came back on fire."

Masoli gained 106 yards on 16 carries. He completed 18 of 32 passes for 258 yards. Oregon's Jeremiah Johnson ran 12 times for 119 yards, including a 76-yard TD that eclipsed one of Barry Sanders' Holiday Bowl records.

"They were much more physical than us in the second half," Gundy said. "We were not able to overcome that."

The Ducks dedicated the win to Todd Doxey, a redshirt freshman from San Diego who drowned last summer in Oregon's McKenzie River.

RICE 38, WESTERN MICHIGAN 14

HOUSTON — Rice took out more than 50 years of postseason frustration on Western Michigan in the Texas Bowl.

Chase Clement threw three touchdown passes, ran for a score and caught a TD pass from Jarett Dillard to lead the Owls over the Broncos at Reliant Stadium last night.

"When you sit down and look back and see how everything has unfolded, it's a special opportunity and just what we've been able to accomplish," Clement said. "It really sets this program in the right direction."

Dillard also caught his nation-leading 20th touchdown pass of the season as the Owls (10-3) won a bowl game for the first time since the 1954 Cotton Bowl and reached 10 victories for the first time since 1949.

Clement went 30-for-44 for 307 yards and was the game's Most Valuable Player. Dillard caught his 60th career touchdown.

The Broncos (9-4) dropped to 0-4 in bowls and missed their chance for the first 10-win season.