PULLMAN, Wash. — The combination of Josh Frankel’s right leg and Jed Boice’s right hand provided Oregon with just the right result.
In yet another down-to-the-wire game, the Ducks somehow found a way to win in typical Duck fashion. Oregon trailed by eight, rallied to tie it up in the fourth quarter and survived in overtime to post the 27-24 victory over Washington State in front of 23,314 fans who battled the erratic weather in Martin Stadium.
In the overtime, volatile kicker Frankel split the uprights for a career-long 47-yard field goal to give the Ducks the three-point advantage.
“It was about time I got some of those through,” Frankel said.
Then it was up to the Oregon defense. Two offensive penalties forced a third-and-26 upon the Cougars, but back-up quarterback Matt Kegel completed a 19-yard pass to Dave Minnich to set up a 39-yard field goal attempt.
The Ducks had practiced all week on getting a stronger push on the line, and Zack Freiter helped the Ducks do just that. Boice followed his lead and stuck up his right hand to deflect Anousith Wilaikul’s kick and clinch the Oregon win.
“Zack got through the hole really well and I slipped right in and got a hand on it,” Boice said. “We just talked about coming out and finding a way to win.”
The victory keeps Oregon (8-1 overall, 6-0 Pacific-10 Conference) atop the league as the only undefeated team. It also came in front of Nike CEO Phil Knight, who was visibly caught up in the Rose Bowl-hype after attending his first football game since his much-publicized break-up with the university over labor relations.
The Ducks could have still gone to the Rose Bowl had they lost to the Cougars and won their final two games. But now they have an opportunity to clinch the Pac-10 title next week with a win over California and an Oregon State loss to Arizona.
“We’re in the driver’s seat and we have two games left,” Boice said. “If we win both, we’re going to the Rose Bowl. There’s no question about that so it makes it pretty easy for us actually.”
Easy is certainly not the correct adjective to describe the way Oregon has been getting wins lately. A week after outlasting Arizona State 56-55 in double overtime, the Ducks again gave their fans and their coach some late-game suspense.
“I just told them that they’re making me an old man before my time,” Oregon head coach Mike Bellotti said. “I’ll take it anyway we can get it. I don’t care if it’s one point in overtime or not. Our kids are not to be denied and they found a way to get it done.”
For Washington State (3-6, 1-5), the hard-luck continued. It was the Cougars’ third overtime loss this season, and even worse for the team, they lost their starting quarterback in the process. Jason Gesser broke the tibia in his left leg four minutes into the second quarter when he was sacked by Saul Patu. It could have spelled disaster for Washington State, but instead, Kegel came in and completed 10-of-20 passes for 107 yards.
“Kegel did a great job,” Bellotti said. “I talked to him after the game and congratulated him. He didn’t play like a back-up quarterback.”
The redshirt freshman quarterback scored on a one-yard run at the 12:25 mark of the fourth quarter to give Washington State the 24-16 lead.
Oregon failed on its next drive, but a 61-yard punt by Kurtis Doerr pinned the Cougars on their own five-yard line. The Duck defense forced a three-and-out, and Oregon took over on the WSU 40-yard line with under 10 minutes to play.
After a two-yard Allan Amundson run, Joey Harrington connected with receiver Marshaun Tucker for a 38-yard touchdown, and then to Keenan Howry for a two-point conversion to tie it up at 24 with 9:08 remaining.
“He was not really sharp and really accurate until when it counted in the fourth quarter,” Bellotti said of his quarterback, who was 18-for-39 for 212 yards.
Harrington was again pleased with the win, but stressed that improvement must be made.
“Rashad [Bauman] and I talked after the game and we’re going to bring the guys together, and we have a lot to talk about,” Harrington said. “We have to prove that we are the best team. We need to play with some urgency.”
It seemed Oregon had that urgency on its first play from scrimmage, a 48-yard pass to Tucker. Maurice Morris — who left the game with bruised ribs — ran it in from nine yards out to give Oregon the 7-0 lead. The Cougars answered with an Adam Hawkins one-yard touchdown run to tie it and kicked a field goal for the lead.
The Ducks recaptured the lead when cornerback Bauman ran back a 42-yard interception for a score, and Frankel knocked through his then-career-high 46-yard field goal. Washington State held the slim 17-16 halftime lead after Minnich ran it in from two yards out with 1:47 left in the second.
After the game, Oregon athletic director Bill Moos was just as relieved as the rest of the Ducks to escape the Palouse with a win.
“Now we get to go home and hopefully keep that home-winning streak alive, and then you know what’s after that,” said Moos, referring to the Civil War Nov. 18.
What is that?
“We don’t talk about that yet,” Moos replied, “but it’s coming up.”
That game could be somewhat trivial, though, if both Oregon and Arizona win next week.