Oregon (11-1, 8-1 Pac-12 ) secured the bragging rights to the last-ever rivalry game against Oregon State (8-4, 5-4 Pac-12) in the Pac-12 conference following its 31-7 victory on Friday night.

The matchup between the Ducks and the Beavers is one of the most intense rivalries in all of college football. Friday’s game was the 127th meeting between the two sides, which is tied for fourth-most in FBS. 

“I think it’s a great rivalry for the state of Oregon and would certainly love to keep it going,” Oregon head coach Dan Lanning said. “If we have to put the ball out in the parking lot that is fine with me.”

This particular game had some of the greatest implications in the history of the series. Both sides were ranked top-25 for only the second time in the past 10 years. For Oregon, a win would mean a spot in the Pac-12 Championship.

Last season, OSU got the best of the Ducks in a 38-34 result. Oregon wasn’t going to fall to the Beavers two years in a row.

“After what happened last year, we didn’t want to really go out there and even be close,” Oregon quarterback Bo Nix said. “We wanted to really dominate the game and that’s what we were able to do.” 

The Ducks appeared to have a tight hold on the game early. They scored the two opening touchdowns of the game. 

A failure to score a third consecutive touchdown, however, halted Oregon’s momentum. Terrance Ferguson couldn’t secure the ball on a reception in the endzone and the Ducks earned a penalty on the following play. Kicker Camden Lewis attempted a field goal from 34 yards out, but the kick was off.

The Beavers took advantage of the Ducks’ slip up. OSU secured its first score of the game after a 15-play possession. The Beavers could’ve used that drive to flip the momentum of the game.

But Nix came to Oregon’s rescue. 

He quickly led the Ducks down the field. A 41-yard pass to Troy Franklin gave them a 21-7 lead going into the half.

“When they had just gone and scored, we could have gone into the half 14-7, but that touchdown was really important,” Nix said. “That touchdown was all about leverage and just buying time.”

Nix took off right where he left off. A 32-yard pass to Tez Johnson put the Ducks at the Beavers’ 10, but Oregon didn’t find the endzone. Lewis converted on his field goal this time.

“I thought our quarterback was elite tonight,” Lanning said. “Even in the moments that he wasn’t protected, he made big-time plays for us, which was huge.”

Nix threw for 367 yards and two touchdowns and drove for another score. He became the first Duck to record 300 passing yards twice in the series against the Beavers. Nix also had a completion rate of 83% in the game.

The Ducks scored their final touchdown of the game at the beginning of the fourth quarter off a 1-yard drive by Jordan James

The Oregon defense prevented OSU from getting within field goal range again. Dontae Manning – who started in place of defensive back Jahil Florence – intercepted the football at the Oregon zero after the James drive. The Ducks forced two more turnovers on downs to seal the win.

“We ask our guys to play some aggressive coverages at times and we put those guys on islands, and [Manning] performed really well tonight,” Lanning said.

The defense held their opponent to 10 or fewer points for the sixth time this season. The OSU run game was also limited, with only 53 rushing yards allowed.

The Ducks will head to Las Vegas to face off against the Washington Huskies (11-0, 8-0 Pac-12) in the Pac-12 Championship game. The Huskies gave Oregon its only loss of the season in a 36-33 matchup in Seattle.

“I think every player in that locker room knew what was in front of us and we knew we didn’t get there if we didn’t do a good job of focusing on the task at hand,” Lanning said about the rematch. “Tomorrow isn’t going to be about Washington either, it is going to be about the Ducks and what we can do tomorrow to be better.”

The Ducks have an opportunity to not only secure the final Pac-12 title, but a win next Saturday would more than likely mean a spot in the College Football Playoffs. Before the Ducks can look ahead to the likes of Georgia or Ohio State, they have to get past their other big rivals.