It hasn’t always been pretty, but the No. 1 Oregon Ducks have fought through 11 weeks of football staying perfect along the way by the only measure that counts: wins and losses.
Oregon (11-0, 8-0 Pacific-10 Conference) will take its polished record up the road to Corvallis to take on the Oregon State Beavers (5-6, 4-4 Pac-10) in the 114th edition of Civil War football Saturday afternoon at Reser Stadium.
“This is big for a lot of reasons,” Oregon State coach Mike Riley said. “It’s the Civil War for one and this game lately has had a lot on the line. I think everybody understands where Oregon is and what’s on the line for them.”
The oldest rivalry game west of the Rocky Mountains has gone in favor of the Ducks more often than not, with Oregon holding a 57-46-10 all-time record against the Beavers and a 25-18-5 mark in Corvallis.
While Oregon has already clinched its second consecutive Pac-10 conference title and a BCS bowl berth, Oregon State is still fighting for its postseason livelihood. The Beavers have struggled to maintain consistency this season, having won back-to-back matchups — against Arizona State and then-No. 9 Arizona — only one time all season.
Oregon State’s slate of games has been far from easy as they’ve faced six teams in the top 20, five in the top 10, with only the Arizona win to its credit. The final stretch of Pac-10 games was rough for OSU as it came up short against UCLA, Washington State and Stanford, though they dismantled USC 36-7 before getting shutout by the Cardinal.
Oregon, however, knows the host Beavers will not go quietly.
“We’re going to get that team that played SC,” Oregon linebacker Casey Matthews said. “Because you know they’re not just going to roll over and let the season slip away because they still have their sixth win to get bowl-eligible at Reser. We know they’re not just going to give this game up.”
Even if Oregon State does not give the game away, hanging with the zone-read offense has proved difficult for Riley and his staff over the past two seasons. The last time the Ducks entered Reser Stadium, Oregon State had its Rose Bowl hopes thrashed as Oregon ran up 694 yards of offense in a 65-38 road victory.
Last season, with the Rose Bowl again on the line, then-No. 7 Oregon took numerous blows from then-No. 13 Oregon State before sealing a nail-biting 37-33 victory. Oregon State’s James Rodgers accounted for 303 all-purpose yards that night, which the Beavers have sorely missed this season after Rodgers went down with a season-ending left knee injury in the Arizona game.
In his place, sophomore wide receiver Markus Wheaton has taken the reigns on the fly-sweep attack and provided some good balance in a time of need. Wheaton has carried the ball 25 times for 212 yards and two touchdowns, while leading the team with 45 receptions for 538 yards and three more scores.
Fellow sophomore Ryan Katz has also been effective in getting the ball to his playmakers, something Oregon coach Chip Kelly has taken notice of.
“I think he’s tough,” Kelly said. “He’s a really good runner. I don’t think they’ve run him all that much, but when he does run, he can run. He’s got a cannon for an arm.”
When Sean Canfield entered a hostile Autzen Stadium for the final regular season game a year ago, the veteran signal caller picked the Oregon secondary apart, throwing for 306 yards and two touchdowns on 24 of 36 passing.
As a defensive lineman, Oregon’s Brandon Bair says the approach is no different in facing Katz.
“If we let him sit and throw the ball, he’ll pick us apart, you know,” Bair said. “He’s a good quarterback. He’s gonna stand up and throw the ball really well, and also he gets out and runs.”
As Bair’s method has not wavered, neither has the Ducks. And as Oregon pursues the first perfect Pac-10 season since the nine-game schedule went into effect in 2006, its approach also will not change — even with the ultimate prize on the line.
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FORECAST
Patchy fog before 10 a.m. Otherwise, mostly cloudy with a high near 45.
AT A GLANCE
WHO: No. 1 Oregon at Oregon State
WHAT: Final regular season game
WHEN: 12:30 p.m., ABC
WHERE: Reser Stadium, Corvallis
In the 114th Civil War matchup, the top-ranked Oregon Ducks take an 11-game winning streak into enemy territory with a national championship berth on the line. Oregon State, however, hopes to spoil the Ducks’ dreams and become bowl-eligible with its sixth win of the season.