The Beavers entered this, their third ever Rose Bowl appearance, with a record of 8-2 and ranked #8 in the nation. They lost the game to #4 ranked Michigan by a score of 34-7. Standout players on the 1964-65 OSU team included quarterback Paul Brothers and tackle Dick Koeper, who was drafted in the sixth round of the NFL draft the following spring. Oregon State's head coach Tommy Prothro left the program in the days following the Rose Bowl defeat, choosing instead to become the new head coach at UCLA. He later coached professionally for the L.A. Rams and the San Diego Chargers.

Silent color footage migrated from a Beta tape held in the KEZI Sports Videotapes Collection (FV329:001), Special Collections and Archives Research Center, Oregon State University Libraries.