The play was called “Trojan Horse.”
It’s Senior Night for Oregon State, which plays its final home game of the regular season against Southern Cal at Otteson Stadium. The Ducks led 21-14 late in the first half.
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This is senior linebacker Bryce Boettcher’s moment. The Eugene native, who originally came to Oregon State on a baseball scholarship, was a football walk-on and looked for opportunities to run the ball all season long. The team had practiced Trojan tactics last week, and Boettcher even organized a touchdown celebration.
Ducks coach Dan Lanning relented. With the ball on the USC 1-yard line, quarterback Dante Moore threw the ball to Boettcher, who scored easily in front of a large crowd of friends and family at Autzen Stadium. He celebrated by imitating a baseball swing. Oregon State ultimately won 42-27.
“When we gave Bryce that opportunity, I didn’t know if anyone could stop Bryce from getting into the end zone,” Lanning said.
Boettcher is one of the calmest players on the team and he couldn’t help but smile after the game.
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“It’s something you dream about. Walking to the sideline, I saw my family in the stands, so it was a very special moment to share with them and my teammates,” he said.
Now, Boettcher is one game away from playing in the national championship game as he wraps up his senior season. Oregon will face Indiana in the College Football Playoff semifinals Friday night at the Peach Bowl.
“It means everything. It’s a very rare opportunity. There are four teams left. It’s cool. Surreal. But, you know, once we get this win, I’ll be happy. Honestly, I have my head down and focused on the task at hand, but it’s a cool opportunity,” he said.
Boettcher is certainly unique, and not just because he’s an offensive touchdown linebacker. He was also an outfielder for the Houston Astros.
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Boettcher signed with the Astros in 2024 after being selected by the Astros in the 13th round of the baseball draft. But Boettcher was given another year of football eligibility following last year’s Rose Bowl loss to Ohio State, so he decided to play one more season for the Ducks with permission from the Astros, who retained his rights through 2026.
Given his performance this season, he may have another decision to make: whether to choose the NFL or baseball.
Boettcher leads the Big Ten with 125 total tackles, the most by a Duck since Mark Kearns’ 131 in 1989.
He had 12 tackles and forced a fumble in the Ducks’ 23-0 victory over Texas Tech in the CFP quarterfinals. He leads Oregon in tackles in 10 of 14 games this season. He had an interception against Northwestern earlier this year.
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In 2024, as a center fielder on the baseball team, he hit a career-high 12 home runs and 35 RBIs, hitting .276 and winning a Gold Glove.
Boettcher started his football career at Oregon State in 2022 as a safety, but was moved to linebacker the following year and Lanning offered him a football scholarship. In 2024, he began his career as a walk-on and received the Bulsworth Trophy, recognizing the nation’s best player.
As it turned out, the USC game wasn’t Boettcher’s final game at Otterson. The Ducks hosted James Madison in the first round of the CFP, winning 51-34 to advance to the quarterfinals against Texas Tech. Now it’s top-seeded, undefeated Indiana, a team that beat Oregon State 30-20 in October, the Ducks’ only blemish on the season.
“I mean, I’ve played a lot of big games here, whether it’s football or baseball. I feel like I’ve done a good job of handling the size of the game,” Boettcher said. “At the end of the day, it’s a football game. We play every day in practice. It’s just another game, but obviously win or go home, so I’m excited about that aspect.”
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