Oregon State Visits Oregon In Civil War

Oregon State (2-9, 0-8) at #23 Oregon (8-3, 6-2) / Autzen Stadium, Eugene, OR / 1:00 PM PST / Fox 1 / KEJO 1240 AM / KEX 1190 AM

Game Notes / Oregon Game Notes

Oregon State concludes their season with the short trip down the road to take on Oregon in the 119th Civil War. The Ducks have won the last 7 battles, and lead the series, which dates back to 1897, 62-46, with 10 ties back when the rules didn't require a winner. Oregon is also 29-24-4 in the games that have been played in Eugene. Last year, the Ducks dominated the Beavers 47-19, propelling Oregon onward to the Pac-12 and Rose Bowl Championships, and an appearance in the National Championship Game, while also keeping Oregon State out of the post-season, as the loss left the Beavers a game short of bowl eligibility.

Similar to last year, Oregon State comes in after being obliterated 52-7 by Washington last week. The Huskies had handled the Beavers handily last year as well, though not that handily.

Oregon tuned up for the Civil War with a convincing 48-28 win over USC last Saturday. At the time, it kept hopes for winning the Pac-12 North alive, but the Ducks hopes of returning to the Conference Title Game, or the Rose Bowl, would be dashed later in the evening, when Stanford sewed up the division by downing California 35-22.

As a result, the Civil War has less on the line, and therefore less electricity in its runup, than it has in some time, with one team long eliminated from the post-season, and the other without hope of Roses. Both haven't been true often in the last number of years.

Oregon is a 5 touchdown favorite, a product of the Ducks playing as well in recent weeks as any team in the conference, if not the country, while a decimated Oregon State lineup that has been non-competitive all of November leaves the Beavers scrambling in all phases of the game.

Oregon State will get Seth Collins back on the field for the first time in over a month, but the Beavers' former starting quarteback will be at WR today, in a somewhat limited role, as OSU attempts to avoid a winless conference campaign for the first time since 1997, in former Coach Mike Riley's first season, and their worst season since before Riley's arrival.

The depth chart showed Nick Mitchell, benched during a disastrous 0 for 7 start to last week's Washington game, as the starter, but Coach Gary Andersen subsequently said it would be Marcus McMaryion who would start. Both may well play, and neither have had a good performance in place of Collins at any time this season.

Oregon State will take only 57 players to the Civil War, and that includes some in-state walkons who wouldn't normally get to travel. That's how thin the Beavers are. Oregon will probably play upwards of 70 players in this one.

Prospects are poor, as the Oregon offense has taken off once Vernon Adams, who also beat the Beavers in the only other contest that he has faced them in, while still at Eastern Washington, has regained full health.

Building The Dam will nevertheless be at the game, and back afterwards, with full coverage and analysis (and maybe last rights).

Andy_Wooldridge@yahoo.com