CORVALLIS — It was a disappointing end to a season of underachievement for the Oregon football team.
The Ducks were hammered by Oregon State 50-21 Saturday during the 108th installment of the Civil War at Reser Stadium. With the loss, Oregon (5-6 overall, 4-4 Pacific-10 Conference) failed to qualify for a bowl game for the first time since the 1996 season and finished with its first losing season in 11 years.
The Oregon State offense proved unstoppable from its opening drive. Quarterback Derek Anderson torched the Ducks for 351 yards and four touchdowns, while wide receiver Mike Hass caught nine passes for 154 yards and a pair of scores.

“I think Anderson and Hass played exceptional football today,” Oregon head coach Mike Bellotti said. “They are two of the more quality players in college football.”
While Bellotti’s compliments were accurate, they were likely understated. Anderson shredded the Oregon secondary, hitting open receivers in stride and fitting the ball into tight spots when his receivers were covered. The Scappoose native completed 24 of 41 passes and was intercepted only once.
Hass found ways to get open all night and burned the Duck secondary on several skinny post patterns for big gains. The success of the Portland native made life easier for Oregon State’s other pass catchers. Wide receiver Marcel Love and tight end Joe Newton burned Oregon across the middle of the field, capitalizing on slant patterns and seam routes throughout the evening.
Love caught six passes for 72 yards and a touchdown, while Newton finished with five receptions for 66 yards and a score.
Even when the Duck defense seemingly had a play stopped, Anderson — who will never be mistaken for fast — escaped the pocket and ran for several key first downs. The senior finished with 19 yards and a touchdown on the ground. The Beavers’ leading rusher was tailback Dwight Wright, who was held to 60 yards in 16 carries.
“We didn’t even try to stop the run,” Bellotti said. “We knew we had to stop the pass today. We just couldn’t stop it.”
While the Beavers (6-5, 5-3)
had no trouble moving the ball down the field, the Duck offense
struggled as quarterback Kellen Clemens was under constant pressure. The Burns native completed 13 of 29 passes for 126 yards and three touchdowns, but threw three interceptions and was sacked six times.
“I felt pressure a little bit,” Clemens said. “We just needed
to make plays against this tough OSU defense, but we couldn’t make them tonight.”
After trailing 27-14 at halftime, Oregon pulled to within six on a
2-yard touchdown pass from Clemens to tight end Tim Day four minutes into the third quarter. Oregon State scored the game’s final 23 points, however, starting with a 16-yard touchdown pass from Anderson to Newton on the ensuing Beaver drive.
Oregon’s only lead came with less than five minutes remaining in the first quarter, when a 4-yard touchdown pass from Clemens to Day gave the Ducks a 7-3 advantage. Oregon State regained the lead later in the quarter when a 28-yard touchdown pass from Anderson to Hass put the Beavers ahead 10-7.
“(Oregon) seemed to come back at times,” Hass said. “But every time they scored, we came back with something to counteract it and that was a huge part of the game.”
Oregon tailback Terrence Whitehead had another solid day, rushing for 110 yards in 18 carries. Wide receiver Demetrius Williams led the Ducks in receiving with four catches for 54 yards and a touchdown. Day added two receptions, both of them for short touchdowns.
The Beavers resurrected their season and are now heading to a bowl game after starting the year 1-4. The Ducks, on the other hand, will have the entire offseason to wonder what went wrong.
“Our whole season is based on us and we didn’t get the job done,” Oregon defensive back Justin Phinisee said. “You have to give credit to everyone we played, coming out victorious against us, but it’s on us and we didn’t get it done.
“It’s not shocking at all (that we’re not going to a bowl) with the way we performed.”

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