Oregon wide receivers Keenan Howry (left) and Marshaun Tucker (right) celebrate after Howry caught a 29-yard touchdown pass from Joey Harrington early in the fourth quarter to give the Ducks their first lead of the game.
The stage has been set for the biggest Civil War ever.
Oregon beat California, 25-17, on a cold Saturday afternoon in Autzen Stadium. The win guaranteed the Ducks of at least being the Pacific-10 Conference co-champions and kept the nation’s second-longest home winning streak alive at 20 straight games. It also marked Oregon’s eighth straight victory of the season, second only to Oklahoma’s nine.
Then all eyes were glued to the tube for the Saturday night contest between Oregon State and Arizona in Tucson, Ariz. If the Beavers had lost, Oregon (9-1 overall, 7-0 Pac-10) would be headed to the Rose Bowl.
Instead, Oregon State won — convincingly — 33-9, to keep the race for the roses alive and make next week’s matchup in Corvallis as big a game as there can be. Especially considering that Oregon climbed one spot to No. 5 in the Associated Press poll, while the Beavers jumped to No. 8.
“It’s been a banner year for Oregon football, and we have a chance to do something special next week,” Oregon athletic director Bill Moos said. “We have a chance for a 10-win season and chance for a Pac-10 championship and Rose Bowl berth.”
Should Oregon lose, however, it could be headed back to the Sun Bowl in El Paso, Texas, for the second straight year. In order for Oregon State to go to the Rose Bowl, it must beat the Ducks and hope Washington State beats Washington. The Huskies get the ticket to Pasadena if they beat the Cougars and Oregon loses.
All Oregon cares about, though, is that it still controls its own destiny.
“We’re co-Pac-10 champions right now, but that’s not enough,” junior cornerback Rashad Bauman said. “I don’t like to share anything, so we’ve got to go out there next week and get this victory and get ready for the Rose Bowl.”
Oregon will have closed practices all week to help keep the players focused on their preparations for Saturday’s 12:30 p.m. contest at Reser Stadium. The stakes will be high and no doubt the anticipation will be hard to contain as the week goes on.
“This is going to be the biggest game that anybody here has ever played in,” said junior quarterback Joey Harrington, who completed 20 of 35 passes for 252 yards and a touchdown, as well as rushing in for two other touchdowns. “It’s going to be fun. Everybody’s going to be fired up, and it’s going to be a loud, hostile environment. We’ll really be playing for bragging rights in the state, and we really want to come out on top.”
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