The atmosphere Thursday night at Autzen Stadium was unlike anything I’ve ever witnessed. Fans bundled up for the cold held their anticipation in check until the closing seconds, not wanting to jinx what they hoped would happen. Finally, when the end was inevitable, a roar erupted and fans began thinking of sunny Pasadena, Calif., roses and history.
The Rose Bowl. Just the words give me the chills after what I saw Thursday night. I saw grown men crying and smiles as wide as the Cheshire Cat. I saw roses in everyone’s hands and an entire football field hidden by a mass of joyous people celebrating something that is more than a football game.
Because don’t get me wrong, Ohio State-Oregon on Jan. 1 is just part of it. When you win a trip to play in Pasadena, you’re already a winner. You’re the Pac-10 champion and just having your name associated with the “Granddaddy of Them All” is special.
But I digress. Being in the Rose Bowl means you will be playing in front of the largest crowd and TV audience in college football. Name recognition, prestige and respect follow.
Oregon has had some memorable seasons since its last trip in 1995, and if not for the championship game being the Rose Bowl in 2001, this trip would not have taken so long to happen. But the rarity of getting a Rose Bowl berth should be enough for people to understand what it means when it does happen. Oregon won 10 games last year and played in the Holiday Bowl. In 2005, the Ducks also had 10 wins and just one loss in conference, but were denied by USC. Things must fall exactly into place and for the 2009 Ducks, things did.
After a horrendous flop on Sept. 3 at Boise State, Oregon calmly won its next seven games, including big games over ranked Utah, California and USC. The one thing in common with all of those games? They were at home. I wrote a column before the year started saying things laid out well for this year’s Oregon team to win the Pac-10 and to make a BCS bowl. It’s eerie some of the things I said, including the Ducks would beat Cal, USC and Oregon State at home.
Then Oregon was tripped up just once in conference — at Stanford on Nov. 7 — and came back to win at Arizona a few weeks later. It’s been a season of resiliency for these Ducks and I consider it a great honor to have been able to cover them.
But Chip Kelly said it best in the post-game news conference when he stated this season isn’t over. The Ducks aren’t happy to just go to the Rose Bowl; they’re going to Pasadena to win. The city can be excited for the team making it for the first time in 15 years, but by Friday morning, Kelly was already watching tape of the Buckeyes and breaking them down.
Kelly never rests and neither will his players. They focus completely on every game and this crazy season seems like it has been practice for this final test. Winning the day — whether it be practice or games — these Ducks don’t even look past what’s for lunch.
And while the team may not be distracted, the town of Eugene and the state of Oregon is allowed a little bit of leeway. The Ducks haven’t won a Rose Bowl since 1917 and when they finally take the field, it will be for more than a spot as a perennial contender. It will be for their spot in history.
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Taking a place in history
Daily Emerald
December 5, 2009
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