Five years ago, if someone had asked me what the Civil War was, my answer wouldn’t have made sense to Oregonians: “That war, a long time ago, between the North and the South.”
Growing up in Apple Cup land, not a lot of attention was paid to Oregon’s version of the Civil War. There were plenty of dawg and kitten jokes that flew into Seattle during rivalry week, but, for goodness sake, what the heck were a Beaver and a Duck doing playing each other?
Now I know better. Or at least I have come to learn and love the madness behind Oregon’s in-state rivalry.
How many Beavers does it take to change a lightbulb?
One, but he gets four credits for it.
As a freshman, I couldn’t understand why the two big state schools were so close together — until the week before my first Civil War.
Even though the game was in Corvallis, the week leading up to it was filled with all things civil and uncivil between the two schools.
It taught me just how deeply rooted the schools are in the state and how passionate Oregon and Oregon State alumni are about their alma maters. In Washington, the Apple Cup tends to receive more media hype than actual hype from the fans and alumni.
In the stands the following year, I joined my classmates in the student section, and learned what Duck spirit truly is. Through the wind, rain and madness, Oregon held steady in Autzen Stadium, cheering the Ducks to victory.
The only game I’ve heard louder than the 2001 Civil War was this season’s 31-27 win against Michigan.
Did you hear they’re thinking of replacing the turf in Reser Stadium with cardboard?
Because the Beavers only look good on paper.
The best thing about these in-state rivalry games is that it doesn’t always matter which team is having the better season. So much emotion is brought in to these games that the underdog has a good shot to pull out a victory — no matter the spread.
The fans can truly make or break these games with their emotion. The last six Civil Wars have been won by the home team.
I suppose this is a call to the Duck faithful: Make Saturday big. Wear your green and yellow, paint your face, scream until your voice is gone — take Civil War for all it’s worth and support the Ducks and your school.
After all, it couldn’t hurt the Ducks to have 54,000-plus wild fans on their side.
That’s the best part about Eugene: The fans — well, minus a sometimes fickle student body — fill the seats at every game.
The Apple Cup fills Husky Stadium and Martin Stadium but not with the same intensity. In Seattle, the intensity gets lost somewhere between Pike Street and Montlake Boulevard. Washington students are the only fans who end up truly passionate about the game.
Corvallis and Eugene end up with Civil War fever because everyone in the towns gets behind their team.
Did you hear about the Oregon State football player who stayed up all night studying for his urine test?