The Northwest’s king of the hill was decided Saturday to the screaming pleasure of more than 46,000 fans at Autzen Stadium.
This weekend in Seattle, the race is on for first runner-up.
The No. 23 Oregon State Beavers, making their first appearance in the Associated Press poll since 1968, face No. 15 Washington on the road this weekend in what could be a Beaver upset or a Husky blowout.
Oregon State stunned the Pacific-10 Conference Saturday by beating USC, 31-21, in Corvallis. Sixth-ranked Washington lost for the first time this season in the Ducks’ pond.
“They’re a dominant team and one of the better teams in our conference and one of the better teams in the country,” Oregon State head coach Dennis Erickson said. “Winning on the road is hard for everybody. It would be a great step for this program to go into Seattle and have the opportunity to beat them.”
Beating the Huskies would be a monumental feat, but the Beavers could do just that. Washington’s defense had a hard time containing Oregon tailback Maurice Morris, who rushed 152 yards on 31 carries.
Oregon State tailback Ken Simonton racked up 234 yards against the Trojans last Saturday.
“It’s also a tall order for our defense in that Ken Simonton is right now probably the best running back in the conference,” Washington head coach Rick Neuheisel said. “There are certainly a lot of good ones out there, but right now all his numbers would lead you to believe that there is not a better one around.”
“This game is important because it’s Washington and it’s on the road and it’s in the league,” Erickson said. “We just had a big win; that, to me, is what it’s all about.”